1.
Nathan and Haley followed Dr. Shaw's middle-aged receptionist into one of the three examination rooms.
"Dr. Shaw will be with you shortly, "Amanda Lehman informed them, smiling one last time before shutting the door softly behind her.
"Why can't she tell us the results?" Nathan grumbled impatiently and leaned against the wall, watching as Haley carefully climbed onto the examining table.
"She probably wouldn't be able to read them," Haley replied with a small shrug.
"Amanda's been working here for as long as I remember. That's at least eighteen years; she's probably picked up a thing or two," Nathan said.
"I'm sure he'll be here in a minute," she said, silently hoping she was right.
Being forced to wait for the results to Haley's latest pregnancy test only compounded the tension between the two of them. She had taken three home pregnancy tests and received two positive results and one negative.
The pharmacist at the drug store was the one that recommended they get a test done by a doctor, which brought them to Dr. Stephen Shaw who had been Nathan's doctor as a kid.
Nathan started pacing back and forth, glancing at the door every few seconds until he finally dragged a chair over beside Haley and sat down. He looked up and studied his wife's face, trying to decipher what she was feeling.
Haley had her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes were glued to the floor and she kept swinging one of her legs in mid air; something she did when she was nervous. "It can't be positive," she mumbled, seemingly to herself. Her voice quivered with fear.
"The last test was negative," he reminded her.
Haley scoffed. "After two were positive," she pointed out.
"They could have been false positives," Nathan said.
She nodded in agreement.
A few minutes passed and Haley grabbed one of his hands, causing him to look up at her questioningly. Shaking, she asked, "What if they weren't?"
He bit his lip. "Let's save that discussion for another time," he said.
"Let's not," Haley said firmly. He stared up at her in shock. "I might be pregnant and we need to decide what we're going to do if I am."
The door swung open and a now grey-haired Dr. Shaw walked into the room. He looked at the couple and his smile widened. "I couldn't believe it when I saw the name on the file," he said.
"Hello, Dr. Shaw," Nathan said.
Dr. Shaw nodded. "It's been a while, Nathan," he said and his gaze wandered over to Haley, "I don't believe we've met."
"This is my wife, Haley," Nathan said.
Shaw's jaw dropped. "Wife?" he repeated in disbelief.
Haley reached her hand out to shake Dr. Shaw's outstretched hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said.
"Likewise," Shaw returned.
Nathan eyed the folder in the doctor's hands. "Are those the results?"
Shaw nodded as he opened the folder. He began scanning it, going over each line carefully like a lawyer examining a contract for a client. "Yes, they are," he replied.
"And?" Nathan asked.
He looked back at his former patient and his wife who was a new patient of his now. He could hear the terror in Nathan's voice and practically feel the anxiety coming off his wife in waves.
"The test is positive," Shaw replied.
Nathan dropped his wife's hand and let out a ragged breath. "Oh, no."
Haley, as shocked as her husband, didn't even notice the rough break of contact from her and looked down at her stomach with a mixture of wonder and fear. "I'm pregnant."