#kinda like the ''are you trying to buy ice cream at the hardware store?'' idea

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

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[leigh-kelly]

She’s Having My Baby: Part 6/9

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

Month 6:

Although Santana’s mother has insisted that she’s going to throw her a baby shower, Santana decides that she’s going to decorate the nursery herself. Whenever she has a free minute at work, she looks at ideas on the internet and she finally, after doing weeks of research, settles on black and white. One Saturday morning she gets up early and she goes to the hardware store to pick up painting supplies. She decides that instead of hiring someone to do the painting, she’s going to do it herself and she clears out the whole of the room that she’ll put the baby in and lays tarps down all over the hardwood floors.

She figures that the light is good in the morning to paint and she pours the grey paint in the tray. Putting her headphones in, she finds a rhythm and starts painting the walls. She’s really excited about the fact that she’s going to have a little baby girl in this room in a few months and she just wants it painted so she can buy the furniture and bedding that she picked out. After about an hour of painting, she sees Brittany out of the corner of her eye standing in the doorway and she turns around, seeing her in pajama pants and a tank top.

“You’re painting yourself?” Brittany asks as Santana pulls out her headphones. “I’m shocked. You even get your groceries delivered.”

“Hey, I can do things myself.”

“Okay, but what’s with the grey? Didn’t you want to do like, pink or something?”

“Absolutely not, I’m doing a black and white nursery, it’s good for a newborn’s senses.”

“Ew, for real? That sounds so boring.”

“It’s going to be beautiful, I’ve done a lot of research on this.”

“Of course you have.” Brittany laughs, not maliciously. “Want help?”

“You’re pregnant, you don’t have to paint.”

“Please, I was just going to lay around in my pajamas and eat Fritos, you should be begging me to paint.”

Santana laughs a little and keeps painting while Brittany goes to change. When she comes back, she grabs a new roller and dips it in the paint. She’s definitely a lot less…methodical than Santana, but she manages to get it on the walls and Santana can’t really complain. It’s nice to have the help and she feels less like she’s in this alone and even though she knows that Brittany is going to be gone in a few months and she might never see her again, it feels like they’ve become sort of friends.

“It feels so good to move my body.” Brittany arches her back and touches the floor with her hands. “I’ve been sitting at my computer working on my finals for two weeks.”

“How did you do this semester?”

“I think good. Last semester was really bad because I kept fighting with Quinn and it distracted me from everything I had to do.”

“No offense, I don’t know her or anything, but it feels you were really awful together.”

“We started dating in high school so we pretty much grew apart in the nine years we were together. We were basically just together because it was easier than finding someone else, but then she kinda hated that I was trying to get my life together, even though she said she’d support me through it at first. She liked that I was dependent on her.”

“What did you do before you went back to school?”

“I was the assistant manager at Aldo. I still get a discount there if you ever need shoes.”

“Thanks, uh, I’ll keep that in mind.” Santana smiled a little. “Okay so I might be breaking my own rules about not asking really personal questions to you, but why did you decide to become a surrogate? When I first met you, you seemed like you really hated the idea of someone paying someone else to carry their baby.”

“I’m telling you, I was just in a really bad mood that day. I started looking into it because I figured it would be a way for me to make some money while I was in school, I wasn’t using my uterus or anything and then I started to feel like it would be kind of cool, giving someone a baby who couldn’t have one.”

“You changed my life.” Santana says earnestly, painting a stripe on the wall. “I didn’t even know I wanted kids until I found out I couldn’t have them.”

“I don’t really get why you’re single. You’re gorgeous, you have a good job…”

“I’ve told you already. I have a job that I’ve been married to since I graduated law school. I made partner so quickly because I was always there. Everyone I dated had a problem with the fact that I worked so much. Nothing even really worked out for me romantically.”

“Do you think that now you’re going to work less? Or are you going to stick the kid in daycare forever and work into the night.”

“That’s a little judgmental.”

“Sorry, I was a daycare kid. My parents worked like crazy to make money because they had no choice. You have boatloads of money, you could probably work a little less.”

“I’m going to. I want to do the mom thing right. And if I meet someone along the way, that would be great.”

“I think you will.” Brittany breathes. “You’re so not what I thought you were when we met.”

“What about you? What are you going to do when you’re done with this?”

“Well, I graduate in May, so hopefully I can just start my life over again. Date someone who doesn’t suck, have a real job, get an apartment, you know…”

“You must be excited for that. Especially to be done being pregnant.”

“I actually don’t mind it that much. I’m living in the lap of luxury over here, how could I?”

“I’m glad you’re here.” Santana pays really close attention to the wall she’s painting, not looking at Brittany. “I got to be a part of so many things I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

“You got to witness me eat Cheez-Doodles mixed in melted ice cream. That’s an awesome experience you’ll never forget.”

“The most disgusting experience I’ve ever had.”

“Hey, your kid wanted it. Just wait, her first word is going to be Ding-Dong.”

“Or kale, I think it’s more likely to be kale.”

“Hey Santana.” Brittany holds up the roller to her face. “Duck.”

Santana doesn’t duck fast enough and Brittany ends up painting a stripe down the whole front of her body. She screams, but she doesn’t let Brittany win. Instead, she chases her with her own roller, flinging paint at her. They run around the room like that, Santana only pausing long enough to remember that the floors are covered, a moment that Brittany exploits and paints her hair grey. Finally, when Santana slips on the tarp and falls on her butt, she holds up her hands begging for mercy.

Both of them were covered in paint and neither of them could stop laughing. Santana can’t remember the last time she’d had as much fun as running around her empty nursery with a paint roller from Brittany. From the floor, she breaks out in a big grin and Brittany offers her a hand up, putting down her roller to show that they’ve really reached a truce. Santana assesses the situation and runs her hand through her painted hair.

“I can’t believe you painted me!” She gasps for air, making Brittany laugh harder.

“Who even paints without having a paint fight?”

“Normal people.”

“Absolutely not, normal people throw paint at each other. It’s the only thing that’s fun about it.”

“Brittany, I’m forty years old.”

“So what? All the fun died when you were thirty-five? Nah, it’s you, so probably like nineteen.”

“I have to admit, that was really fun.”

“Hey.” Brittany leans in, stroking Santana’s cheek with her thumb. “You’ve got a little paint right here.”