This choice: She's been offered a job promotion and has to return to work • Go Back...Chapter #4Job Promotion by: Wassel   "It's okay isn't it?" Phillip suddenly blurted out, fearing there was something wrong with his future little sister.
"No, no, it's nothing like that," his mother assured him, flashing him a sincere smile, feeling rather proud of her son's misplaced concern, "the baby's fine, in fact she's better than fine, Doctor Jessop told me yesterday that her heartbeat is as strong as an ox." Phillip breathed a sigh of relief at this, thankful that he'd misread her expression, but remaining no less curious as to what exactly was going on, and what both his mother and father looked so serious about. "Basically what has happened is..." Karen then continued, glancing over at her husband for a moment, her smile growing slightly larger and more excited as she spoke, "Julie, my boss at work, well she's left the firm and they need somebody to fill her position, and the person they want to fill it is me!"
"Wow, that's awesome! Congrats, mum," Phillip replied, grinning a little himself, well aware of how long his mother had been working towards a promotion, but still unsure what all this had to do with the baby.
"Thank you, sweetheart," his mum said, her cheery tone dropping once again as she continued to explain, "The only problem is that Julie left at quite an awkward time, what with the company merger taking place, leaving a heck of a lot of work to be done over the next several months, including quite a bit of plane travel half way across the country for various meetings and such."
"Oh..." came his response, realizing now where the baby came into it, aware that pregnant women weren't supposed to fly after 6 months (his mother being 2 months further along than that), as well as becoming quite concerned at the thought of her rushing around all over the place, putting all that strain on her body.
"In my current condition there's no way I'd be able to do that, not while lugging the baby around everywhere. But the thing is, this job opportunity, it's a once in a lifetime thing, it's what I've been striving for ever since I started my job..."
"Plus the extra money would really help out when your little sister is born," his father then added from across the table, "Things have been getting pretty tight around here as it is."
"Can't they just get someone to cover till after the baby is born?" Phillip asked, somewhat optimistically.
"I'm afraid not, sweetheart, if I took the job I'd have to be the one to do it, and that's why your father and I have been doing a lot of talking, and we have something really important to ask."
"Um, okay..."
"Now I'm sure you've already learned a bit about fetal transference at school," Karen began, rather matter-of-factly, which was of course true, it being one of the least interesting parts of Sex Education (Phillip, like most teenage boys, being far more interested with how the baby gets made, rather than how it gets born), "and after speaking to Doctor Jessop, she thinks it would be a good idea to consider it as an option, at least until closer to the birth."
Even though he hadn't really paid too much attention to what exactly "baby sharing" had involved in class (figuring it was girl stuff), this did seem like a perfectly reasonable sounding idea to him, having previously witnessed his Maths teacher, Miss. Smith, carrying her sister's child for a few months last year and being all too aware how normal an occurrence it was for pregnant women these days (pretty much every pop starlet and Hollywood actress getting someone else to carry their babies for them). What he hadn't been expecting however, was who exactly his mum and dad had in mind to do the actual sharing, presuming wrongly that she'd get one of her friends or a nanny service or something to do it, causing the next words out of her mouth to knock him completely for six.
"So, we were thinking, as money is tight and as it would be best to keep the baby within the family anyway, perhaps you might be willing to do it."
"Wuh-wait...me?!" Phillip gasped, not entirely sure he'd heard her right.
"Yes, sweetheart, you. I know it's a lot to ask, but your father has that big contract coming up next month, and your Auntie's out of the country at the moment, so that only really leaves you I'm afraid," his mum told him, with a look of absolute sincerity in her eyes, his father's face saying pretty much the same.
"You're cycling would have to take a break for a bit bud, but it's only for four months, then you can get right back into it."
"Plus, you'd be able to take some days off, when I'm not working etc., you wouldn't have to carry her the whole time," Karen continued, while her son tried his best to get his head around what was being asked, "I know it's a lot to ask, and you might think it a bit unusual, after all most women usually get their daughters to help not their sons, but Doctor Jessop says it's not as uncommon as you might think, and I really want to give this new job a go."
"So what do you say, son? Will you help your mother out with this?"
"Please, sweetheart, it'd mean so much to me."
Even though he'd had no time at all to think it over, and even though it was an incredibly intimidating and scary prospect for a young teenage boy (having never thought in a million years it would ever happen to him), Phillip knew that there was only one possible answer he could give, not wanting to let his parents down; especially his mother who was looking at him through hopeful eyes, his hand still held firmly in hers. So, taking a long, deep breath, and flashing them both a nervous smile, he selflessly said, "Of...of course I'll do it," being yanked towards his slightly teary eyed mother almost immediately after, as she then gave him the biggest hug she could, her face lighting up with unparalleled joy.
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