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MidReal Story
The Boyfriend Effect
Scenario:In a world where men can get pregnant. Jaehyun is a basically homeless 19 year old korean boy who is thirty-four weeks pregnant but doesn't show due to his short frame, and his last name is kim. He moves in with an American family. Jaehyun lives with a single mom named Laverne, whose last name Patrick is who has a 20 year old son named Grant. Grant is nice, but he doesn't believe jaehyun is pregnant
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Grant Patrick
He is a 20yearold college student and Laverne's son. He is initially skeptical, protective, and pragmatic. Grant grapples with the idea of Jaehyun living in their home during his pregnancy. While initially resistant to Laverne's plans, he eventually comes around to accept Jaehyun into their family. Grant’s relationship with Laverne showcases his respect for his mother's kindness and generosity towards Jaehyun, despite his own concerns and boundaries.
Jaehyun Kim
He is a 19yearold Korean man who is pregnant and homeless. He is resilient, determined, and vulnerable. After losing his job and being kicked out of his apartment, Jaehyun ends up living with a kindhearted American woman named Laverne Patrick. Despite the challenges of being a young man with pregnancy complications, Jaehyun remains hopeful for a better future. Laverne takes him under her wing and treats him like family, helping him navigate this difficult time.
Laverne Patrick
She is a 45yearold single mother from the United States. She is compassionate, caring, and nurturing. Laverne has taken Jaehyun under her roof as he navigates his pregnancy and homelessness. Despite her son Grant's initial reservations, Laverne fights to include Jaehyun in their family and shows unwavering support. She helps Jaehyun with his living arrangements, food, and emotional wellbeing, demonstrating her deep empathy and willingness to provide aid during his transitional period.
I am thirty-four weeks pregnant.
My stomach is flat and there is no sign of pregnancy showing.
I am a nineteen-year-old Korean boy, and I have been living in an abandoned shed behind a bookstore in California for two months.
I don’t have any money saved to get an abortion, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to terminate the pregnancy.
I want to be a father.
The baby inside me kicks, and I rub my belly with a smile on my face.
"Hello, little one. You are going to be a big brother or sister soon," I whisper.
I stand up and walk out of the shed, looking around to make sure no one is watching me.
I then pull down my zipper and pee in the bushes.
After I finish peeing, I walk back inside the shed and sit down on my mattress, which is only a blanket spread on the ground.
I don’t have any real possession except my clothes and a phone with no service.
I stare at the ceiling, wondering what I am going to do next.
Suddenly, I hear footsteps outside the shed, and I hold my breath as if I am scared of being caught living here.
The footsteps get louder and closer, and then they stop right outside the shed door.
I wait for a few seconds before hearing someone clearing their throat and saying softly, "Hello?"
I look around frantically, trying to find something to hide behind.
"Hello? I know you’re in there. My name is Laverne, and I saw you from my window. I’ve been watching you for a few days now, and I thought maybe you could use some help."
I stand up and walk to the door, opening it slightly.
An older woman with short blonde hair and a kind smile stands there.
She’s wearing a long blue dress that reaches her ankles, and her hands are clasped together in front of her.
She looks like she’s in her sixties, but she has a youthful energy about her.
"Hi," I say softly, trying not to scare her away.
"My name is Jace. It’s nice to meet you."
"It’s nice to meet you too, Jace," she says.
"I was wondering if maybe you’d like to come over to my house for dinner. My son and I have plenty of food, and we’d love to have some company."
I hesitate for a moment before nodding my head.
"Thank you," I say.
"I would really appreciate that."
She smiles again and turns around, walking back towards her house.
I follow behind her, carrying my small backpack of belongings with me. We reach her front door, and she opens it for me.
I step inside and look around at the living room.
It’s small but cozy, with a couch and two chairs arranged around a coffee table.
There are family photos on the walls, showing Laverne and a young boy who must be her son.
The room is decorated in a warm, inviting style that makes me feel comfortable right away.
Laverne leads me into the kitchen, where she introduces me to her son Grant.
He’s tall and lean, with dark brown hair and piercing green eyes.
He looks at me suspiciously as his mother explains that I’m homeless and pregnant.
His eyebrows shoot up when he hears this news, and he turns to look at me more closely.
"Mom, you can’t be serious," he says after a moment of silence.
"He doesn’t look pregnant at all."
I shrink under his scrutiny, unconsciously placing one hand over my belly as if to protect it from his gaze. "Grant," Laverne says sternly.
"Don’t be rude."
But Grant ignores his mother’s warning and continues to stare at me intently.
"How do we know he’s not making this up?" he asks finally.
"Grant," Laverne says again, this time more firmly.
"We’re going to help him, no matter what. Now let’s get dinner ready."
After dinner, I help Laverne clean the dishes while Grant retreats to his room upstairs.
As we work, Laverne suddenly stops what she’s doing and looks at me with a curious expression on her face.
"I just thought of something," she says excitedly.
"Follow me."
She leads me out of the kitchen and down the hall to a closet.
She opens the door and begins rummaging through boxes stacked on top of each other.
I watch curiously as she pulls out an old stethoscope and examines it carefully before putting it back in its box.
"What are you looking for?"
I ask her as she continues searching through the closet. "Something from my nursing days," she replies distractedly.
"I used to be a nurse before I retired, and I kept a lot of my old supplies in here. I think there might be something that can help us figure out if you’re really pregnant."
She pulls out another box and opens it, revealing a collection of blood pressure cuffs and thermometers.
She sets them aside and continues searching until she finally pulls out a small handheld device that looks like a cross between a microphone and a walkie-talkie.
"This is it," she says triumphantly, holding up the device for me to see.
"It’s called a doppler. We used them in the hospital to detect heartbeats in patients who were too weak or too far along in their pregnancies to hear them with a stethoscope."
She turns to face me with an excited look on her face.
"If you’re really pregnant, we should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat with this thing."
My heart starts racing at the thought of hearing my baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
I nod eagerly at Laverne as she leads me into the living room and motions for me to lie down on the couch. She sits down next to me and places one hand gently on my stomach.
I can feel her fingers pressing against my skin through my shirt, and I shiver involuntarily at the sensation.
"Don’t worry," she says softly as she notices my reaction.
"This won’t hurt at all. Just relax and let me do my job."
She picks up the doppler device and turns it on, adjusting the settings until it emits a steady hum.
The room falls silent as the rhythmic thump of a tiny heartbeat fills the air, undeniable and real.
Laverne’s eyes light up with vindication as she looks at me.
"Grant!"
She calls out loudly, her voice echoing through the house.
"Grant, come down here right now!"
I remain lying on the couch, the doppler still pressed against my stomach, broadcasting my baby’s steady heartbeat to anyone who will listen.
Heavy footsteps thud down the stairs as Grant appears in the doorway, looking annoyed that his mother has summoned him.
"What is it?"
He asks gruffly, eyeing us both suspiciously.
"Come here," Laverne gestures to him, pointing at the doppler in her hand.
"Listen."
Grant hesitates for a moment before reluctantly crossing the room to join us.
He stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing us warily.
As the heartbeat echoes through the room, Grant's expression softens, and he uncrosses his arms, finally understanding the truth.
I lie in Grant's extra bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dim light of his room.
The mattress is soft and comfortable beneath me, a welcome change from the hard floor of the shed I've been sleeping in for the past few weeks.
Grant sits at his desk, typing away on his laptop.
I can hear the steady clacking of keys as he works, but I don't pay much attention to what he's doing.
Instead, I focus on my own thoughts, letting my mind wander as I drift off to sleep.
Suddenly, Grant swivels around in his chair to face me.
"Does it kick?"
He asks quietly, his voice breaking through my reverie.
I turn my head to look at him, surprised by his question.
"Yeah," I reply softly, shifting onto my side so that I'm facing him.
"Sometimes."
Grant nods thoughtfully, his eyes fixed on my stomach as if he's trying to imagine what it must be like to feel a tiny life growing inside you. "Is it healthy?"
He asks after a moment of silence, his voice filled with genuine curiosity now that he knows the truth about my pregnancy.
I tense up slightly at the question, unsure of how to answer.
I haven't seen a doctor since finding out I was pregnant, and I have no idea if everything is okay with the baby.
"I think so," I say finally, trying to reassure myself as much as Grant.
"I mean, I haven't had any problems or anything."
Grant nods again, seeming to accept my answer without further question.
He turns back to his laptop, but not before giving me a small, reassuring smile that feels like the beginning of something new.
As I'm getting ready for bed, I catch Grant staring at me in the hallway mirror.
He's standing a few feet behind me, his brow furrowed as he looks at my midsection.
I'm wearing an oversized t-shirt that falls just above my knees, and it's clear that he can't see any sign of a baby bump.
"Where is your belly?"
He asks bluntly, gesturing towards my stomach.
I wrap my arms protectively around myself, feeling a little self-conscious under his scrutiny.
"It's there," I say defensively.
"It's just hard to see because I'm so short and this shirt is really loose."
Grant takes a step closer to me, squinting as if he's trying to see through the fabric of my shirt.
I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling like he's trying to invade my personal space.
"I can't see anything," he says finally, shaking his head in confusion.
"I thought you were supposed to be showing by now." I sigh in frustration and quickly duck into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
I spend the night tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable in the unfamiliar bed.
When I wake up the next morning, I'm tired and groggy, but I force myself to get up and make my way downstairs to the kitchen.
Grant is already there, sitting at the counter with a bowl of cereal in front of him.
He looks up as I enter the room, his eyes immediately drawn to my stomach once again.
I take a seat at the counter and pour myself a bowl of cereal, trying to ignore Grant's constant staring.
But it's getting harder and harder to pretend that it doesn't bother me.
Finally, I can't take it anymore.
"Fine," I say, pushing my chair back from the table and standing up.
I lift the hem of my shirt just enough to expose my lower abdomen, revealing the small, firm curve of my belly.
It's still early enough in my pregnancy that it's not very noticeable, but if you know what you're looking for, you can see it - just a slight roundness that could easily be mistaken for a big meal. Grant leans forward in his chair, squinting at my stomach as if he's trying to see it more clearly.
His fingers twitch like he wants to reach out and touch me, but he keeps his hands firmly at his sides.
For a moment, we just stare at each other, neither of us saying anything.
Then, without warning, my baby shifts inside me, causing a tiny ripple across my skin.
Grant's eyes widen, and in that instant, I know he's finally seen the truth for himself.