A Fight for Life
Nathan awoke early in the morning where he was going to be working the morning shift. He hadn't been able to sleep worrying about Maxie. She hadn't been feeling well, and despite his insistence, she hadn't gone to the doctor to figure out what was wrong. He didn't think it was anything too serious, but he was wondering what had been going on with her. He figured that he'd take a fast shower, and if he got to work early, he'd hope to try and talk to Lulu and Dante before Maxie woke up. She had been extremely tired as of late which was unlike Maxie.
He got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Noticing the door had been closed, he gently knocked on the door.
"Max? You in there?"
When he got no response, he became alarmed. He knocked on the door again and turned the nob to open the door.
"Max?"
He found Maxie as he had found her for the past several weeks or so; crouched down on the floor leaning over the toilet.
"max, you okay?" He asked walking over to her and rubbing her back.
Maxie slowly got up from the floor leaning on Nathan for support. She didn't know what was wrong, but she felt awful. She had been feeling nauseous and had been having some dizzy spells. She walked over to the mirror and began to cry upon seeing her reflection.
"Nathan, I look awful! No, I'm not okay. I am exhausted."
"Max, I've been telling you you got to go to the doctor."
"I'm sure it's just the flue or something, Nathan; I'm fine. I just need to take a shower, and get something to eat, but the thought of food is … Oh god, I'm gonna be sick!"
Maxie ran to grab the trash can near the toilet and threw up.
"Max, can you walk? Why don't you head back to bed, and I'll make you some tea and toast? You need to eat something, and no, you're not going to work today."
Maxie would have protested because of course, Nina would have some deadlines that needed to be met, and she was looking forward to beginning her article on the new fall fashion line. But, thinking of work just made her feel more tired than ever. "I have to go to work; I can't miss anymore. I already missed yesterday, and I missed Friday because I felt-
"Maxie, you look terrible, and I'll explain everything to Nina; trust me, you're not doing anyone any favors by going into work sick. At least, take one more day to rest up, and if you're feeling better tomorrow, I'll drive you to work tomorrow. But, will you at least stay home for today?"
Maxie wanted to argue, but the truth was she knew he was right.
"Okay fine; I'll stay home for one more day, but that's it. You can't be the only one working, and it's nothing. I'll be fine. Like I said, I just need some sleep, and something to eat.?
Nathan walked out of the room and went to make something to eat for Maxie.
While he was in the kitchen boiling water for tea, he pulled out his phone, to call Lulu.
He hadn't wanted to say anything to Maxie, but he thought he had an idea as to what could have been wrong with her. They hadn't talked much about it, but he hoped that starting a family was soon.
Lulu had just woken up and come down stairs to Dante making coffee and breakfast. She was just about to sit down when she heard her phone ringing. Seeing it was Nathan, she answered right away.
"Nathan? Hi!" Lulu said sitting down as Dante placed a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of her.
"Hi Lu, got a sec?"
"Of course, what's up? How's Maxie feeling?"
Lulu had also noticed Maxie looking pail and tired lately. She felt she knew what was wrong, and Lulu had secretly been prepared for Nathan's phone call.
"Maxie's still not feeling well; I'm trying to get her to stay home, and she finally relented. She's insisting on going to work tomorrow, but I want to figure out what's going on with her. I was hoping-
"Hey, I'm already on it. I'll be over in about twenty minutes okay? Don't tell Maxie; she'd kill me if she knew what I'm up to." Lulu said beginning to laugh.
Dante sat down next to Lulu with his own coffee and winked at her.
"You talking about Maxie again?" He whispered. Lulu smiled back and nodded.
"Don't worry; she's probably about to kill me to because I told her I'd talk to Nina where she's worried about missing only two days of work." Nathan said with a laugh.
"thanks Lu."
Lulu ended the call as a wide smile spread on her face.
"wow! For someone who seemed so worried about Maxie, you seem happy all of a sudden.?
"Dante, have you seen Maxie lately? She looks terrible, and I think I know why, but Maxie denies it every time I mention it."
"so, what's wrong with Maxie then?
"Oh… I think she's pregnant, and today, we are gonna find out. I just have to hurry out so that I can catch Maxie before she tries to sneak out to go to work."
Dante and Lulu finished their breakfast, and Dante left for work while Lulu made her way to Maxie's.
Before heading out, Nathan had texted her saying that Maxie had fallen back to sleep, so he left the door unlocked so Lulu wouldn't wake her up.
Lulu walked into Maxie and Nathan's apartment and slowly made her way to the bedroom. When she opened the door, she saw that Maxie wasn't in her room. She saw that the bathroom door was closed and knocked on the door.
"Maxie are you okay?" Lulu asked growing a little concerned.
Just then, Maxie opened the door and slowly walked out of the bathroom.
"Lulu, what are you doing here? did Nathan call and tell you to check up on me? God! Sometimes, he's so annoying." Maxie rambled
Lulu stared at Maxie noticing how awful she looked.
"No, don't be mad at Nathan; besides, even if he did call me, it wasn't like I hadn't already figured out what was wrong with you. I was gonna come over today anyway. Maxie, you look terrible, and you're not getting any better."
Maxie hated that Lulu was right, but she too had been starting to get a little worried, and Lulu rambling on about the possibility of her being pregnant wasn't helping any.
"Oh please, Lulu. Nathan told you to come over because he's been worried, and he has nothing to worry about. I mean, it's just the-
"Maxie let's see. Not only are you sick, but you're more emotional than usual, and you told me that you're la-.
"Lulu stop. I'm not pregnant! I can't be."
"Well, that's what we're gonna find out." Lulu said pulling the contents out of the box.
"Okay Maxie, now's your chance to prove me wrong, because if you're not pregnant, then, I'm taking you to General Hospital, so you can be looked at by a doctor. Dante's getting annoyed with Nathan going on about how worried he is too, so can you prove me right or wrong already? And, don't come out until you're done in there. Read the instructions carefully." Lulu rambled.
"Okay fine, and you'll see that I'm right, and this was a complete waist of time; time that I could have spent showering and going to work." Maxie yelled.
She didn't mean to be so harsh, but Lulu had to be wrong.
Maxie sat in the bathroom glancing over at the timer on her phone. She had set it for five minutes as the instructions had suggested on the pregnancy test that Lulu had given her. She felt stupid because she knew that lulu only wanted her to do this so that she could be proven right. Maxie was beginning to get nervous. What if she was pregnant? She'd look worse than ever as the pregnancy progressed. First, once she got over the morning sickness which really lasted all day, and she felt like she was dying, then, they'd be the weight gain.
That's not counting the god-awful stretch marks that she'd get, and the mood swings, and exhaustion, Nathan would be driven crazy with her.
Just then, she heard the alert signaling the timer had gone off. She slowly read the directions on the box before she looked at the test.
Lulu had decided to leave Maxie alone and headed to the kitchen. She saw the pot of coffee that had been on the counter and poured herself a cup. She then saw that Nathan had a pan of water on the stove for Maxie's tea, but hadn't boiled it where Maxie had fallen asleep. Knowing that Maxie needed something in her stomach, Lulu went to start boiling the water to make tea when she heard a scream coming from the bathroom.
"Maxie!" Lulu yelled and ran to the bathroom.
She knocked on the door, but again, there was no response.
"Maxie, can I come in? Are you okay?"
Lulu began to knock on the door when the door opened, and Maxie came out holding the test in her hand.
Maxie looked worse than she had before if that was even possible. This time, in addition to her pail face, her eyes were red from crying.
"Maxie let's go into the kitchen, so we can sit down. I made you some tea, and you are gonna eat something."
Lulu said leading Maxie from the bathroom to the kitchen.
"I hate you." Maxie sniffed.
"Maxie why?"
"Look Lulu! Maxie said holding out the stick in her hand.
Lulu took the test from Maxie and examined it carefully. In looking at the test, she noticed a very distinct plus sign, and gasped.
"Oh Maxie, you're pregnant! Yay! Congratulations! I can't wait to hear all about how you're gonna tell Nathan!"
Lulu then pulled Maxie into a hug. They had both started crying but they were happy.
"Nathan's gonna be so happy; he thought I was sick." Maxie said smiling at Lulu.
Lulu and Maxie sat for the next few hours already planning out shopping for toys and clothes for the new baby.
Nathan had gotten to work early, and he and Dante had been thankful that it was a slow day. Dante was busy filing some paperwork but noticed that Nathan had been quiet all day. He knew that he was worried about Maxie, and if he had been in the same situation, he'd be going crazy worrying about Lulu.
"Hey Man, you okay? You're worried about Maxie, aren't you?"
Nathan looked up from his desk and handed Dante his work to file.
"yeah. Lulu said she was gonna go over to the apartment because she suspects that she knows what's wrong with Maxie. I mean, I'm hoping that it's just the flue or, maybe, I'm getting my hopes up, but maybe, she's pregnant?"
Dante smiled at Nathan thinking of the prospect of Nathan and Maxie starting their family. If anyone had deserved to be happy, it had been the two of them. They had been through a lot just to even be together, and for a while, it looked as if it wasn't gonna happen. Now, they were married and hopefully, starting a family of their own.
"yeah, Lulu and I have talked about that, and if she is pregnant, then, congratulations would definitely be in order, but, look, if you wanna go home to Maxie, I can cover for you." Dante offered.
"yeah really? I wouldn't but-
"Hey, forget it; I'd be going crazy if that were Lulu; get out of here." Dante said pointing to the door.
"thanks Man," Nathan said smiling. I owe you one."
"yeah you do." Dante joked, as Nathan hurried out the door.
Nathan drove home thinking about Maxie, and the various things that could be causing Maxie to feel and look so awful. He was hoping that it was that she was pregnant and nothing more than that. They hadn't really talked in depth about having children, but he knew that he had always wanted kids, and Maxie wanted to give Georgie a brother or sister one day. He hoped that now, they were going to be able to start their family.
As he parked his car into the parking lot, he noticed that Lulu's car was gone. He got out of the car and hurried inside. When he entered the house, he saw that there were candles that had been lit and he heard Maxie walking down the stairs.
"Max, I'm home."
"What are you doing home so early? You can't see me like this. I'm not done getting ready, and I still have-
"Shhh." Nathan said taking Maxie into his arms and gently placing a kiss to her lips.
"I couldn't wait anymore; the curiosity was killing me. Dante is covering for me.
"Oh well, that's great. Well, I have to go to the store to pick up a few things so-
"max, I'll go to the store; you need to stay home."
One more time Nathan said that to her, Maxie would scream. She already came close to blurting her news out, but she wanted to make it more memorable than that. She had it all planned, and Nathan coming home early put just a tiny damper on her plans.
"Nathan, I'm fine. Lulu and I had some lunch, and I'm feeling better now that I had some tea, and I took a nap when she left. I just wanna go and get something for dinner."
Nathan didn't argue with her now; after all, he did tell her that he'd back off a little if she stayed home and rested.
"Okay Max. Just be careful, and then when you come home, you're telling me what's been going on with you."
She smiled at Nathan and gave him a quick kiss before running out the door.
"I promise, I'll tell you everything when I get back! Bye." She yelled over her shoulder, and with that, she was out the door.
It had only been about a half an hour when Maxie came back with a few groceries in her hand. There were a couple of to go containers, and a bottle of wine.
"uh… Max, should you really be drinking this when you weren't feeling well earlier today?"
"Oh, come on Nathan, I'm not sick, and besides, the wine is for you." Maxie whined playfully swatting Nathan's arm.
"I got ribs, and macaroni and cheese." She said with a smile.
Maxie went to work setting the table and lighting the candles again. She placed the food on a few plates and poured some wine for Nathan.
"I'll be right bac. Sit, but don't eat without me." Maxie said running up the stairs.
Nathan couldn't help but laugh to himself as he stared after Maxie running up the stairs. He never thought he could love Maxie any more than he already had, but seeing her running upstairs, and thinking of the possibilities of them going through the highs and lows of a possible pregnancy, made him love her more. Despite this, he didn't want Maxie overexerting herself more than she had to; she hadn't been feeling well for the last several weeks that he had noticed, and if she was just starting to feel a little better, he didn't want her compromising her health to set the tones for a romantic evening.
He was about to argue or go after her when she came down holding a package in her hand. She smiled as she handed the box over to Nathan.
"Maxie, what's this"?
"Um… I'm not telling. Well, I mean, I am, but you should open it first."
"Max, I'm pretty sure I have absolutely no idea what this is, but okay.
He smiled at Maxie as he noticed the detail she put into wrapping this tiny box. As Nathan opened the box, Maxie took a deep breath and spoke slowly, so it wouldn't come out all at once.
"Okay well, first, I'm sorry that I've kind of been all over the place lately; I've just felt so awful lately."
"Kind of all over the place? Max, yesterday, you yelled at me because you said the coffee tasted weird, and then you-
"Shut up Nathan!" Maxie interrupted.
"Anyway, Lulu has been getting on me about getting myself examined by a doctor which I don't know why you both keep doing that because you both know how much I hate hospitals. But this morning when she came over here, she had a box in her hand."
"Let me guess, this box that I'm holding?" Nathan said pointing to the now unwrapped box.
"yeah that one."
"Anyway, I told her that this was a waste of time, and that the only reason why I was gonna do this is to prove her wr-
"Maxie wait. Are you saying what I think you are?" Nathan wondered as his face began to light up.
"Well I took the test, and Nathan, I'm pregnant!" Maxie said smiling at her husband.
"Nathan sat in silence as he opened the box seeing the plus sign on the test indicating Maxie's news.
"Maxie, I'm, Whoh! This is amazing! he said standing up and pulling Maxie into his arms.
"how do you feel? Do you need anything?"
"yeah, for you to put me down so I can eat! I'm starving!" She said as they kissed passionately.
For the next hour, Nathan and Maxie just sat in silence thinking about the prospect of being parents.
Nathan had been delighted about the news of their pregnancy, but he was unsure of how Maxie had felt. He knew that she was happy that she was having another baby, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Truth be told, had this really been a good time for them to even be thinking about conceiving a child? Not that there's the perfect time for something like this, but Maxie had gotten back from Portland not too long ago, and they hadn't exactly had a lot of time to catch up on the months since she had been gone. He wouldn't torture himself to such thoughts though; he needed to focus on the positive, and that was the fact that he and Maxie were having their first child together! He figured that all these thoughts he had been thinking were just nerves and anyone would be nervous about being a parent for the first time, so he decided not to mention it to Maxie.
The next morning, Maxie woke up early so that she'd have enough time to get ready for work, and insure she felt well enough to be on top of her game. She had been anxious about the few days that she had missed and knowing that she'd get the riot act read to her from Nina if she didn't show up, she'd have to work extra hard to make up for the work she missed. The fashion world never sleeps, and she had been too far behind already. She ate a quick breakfast and was out the door before Nathan had the chance to wake up and convince her not to go into work.
Because Maxie had been in such a hurry to get to work, she hadn't been paying attention to how awful she was feeling. All that mattered was she needed to get to work on time. Maxie was thankful that she did by some miracle get there on time.
"Oh, Maxie, you're here finally. You know, we are already so far behind, and I know that you were sick, but I need you to be able to focus on your work. You are feeling better, aren't you?" Nina rambled not even looking up from her work.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a -
"Maxie, I've already given you two days not counting the weekend that you've taken off from work. I really can't afford you-
"Maxie!" Nina yelled.
In the middle of Nina's rambling, she heard a thud, and looked down to find Maxie had collapsed on the floor.
"Maxie are you okay?" Nina said rushing to her and shaking her shoulder. It was then that she noticed how pail Maxie looked.
"Maxie, God, you're really sick! What the hell is wrong with you? Maxie?" Nina said gently shaking Maxie. N- Nina?
Maxie said weakly as her eyes slowly opened.
"Oh, Maxie, hi. What happened? I was talking to you, and all of a sudden, you were on the floor. Oh god! I should call Ja-
"No Nina don't call Nathan!" Maxie said her voice quivering as she still felt weak and shaky.
"Well Maxie if I had known you were this sick, -
"I'm not sick Nina; I didn't want it to come out this way, but you might as well know now that I'm pregnant!" Maxie said.
"Pregnant, um… Well, that's amazing! But Maxie, are you sure that's all it is? I mean, it's been a long time since I had been pregnant, but I don't think that passing out is normal. I think I should call J. Oh better yet, you know what? I'm gonna get you some water, and then, you're going home for the rest of the day. I'll drive you."
"No Nina, I don't kneed to go home I just need some-
"Maxie, you just passed out on the floor and you hadn't been here for more then what twenty minutes if that? You're going home. J would kill me if he knew that I made you work after this ordeal. I'm taking you home."
Maxie knew that she couldn't argue anymore; if she was truly being honest with herself, she was a little alarmed herself. She was ecstatic about being pregnant, but her passing out scared her. She never experienced symptoms as severe when she was pregnant with Georgie, and she felt like something wasn't quite right. She made a mental note to schedule an appointment with Doctor Lee at General Hospital as soon as possible.
As Nina drove Maxie home, noticing that Maxie had fallen asleep, she decided to call Nathan.
She hadn't meant to be harsh with Maxie, and if she realized what was going on with her sooner, she wouldn't have been. However, it was unlike Maxie to be sick much less miss a day's work despite her showing up late.
Glancing over at the sleeping form next to her, she dialed Nathan's number.
As Nathan and Dante had been busy working, Dante noticed that Nathan seemed a little uneasy. Dante hadn't known what transpired between Lulu and Maxie the night before, Lulu had seemed quite pleased that morning. When Dante had tried to ask her what was up, all she told him was that Nathan would tell him. So, when it was time for them to take their lunch break, Dante had been thankful that they were able to leave the station for a while, so they could talk.
Nathan and Dante pulled in to Kelly's for lunch.
"Hey man, what's up with you? You seem a little edgy today." Dante said as the two of them walked in to Kelly's and sat down.
Nathan knew he shouldn't have been worried about Maxie where they had found out that she was pregnant, but he felt this nagging feeling that something was wrong.
"I don't know; I guess, I'm worried about Maxie."
"What happened, is she okay?"
"Yeah, I mean, I think so. We found out that Maxie is pregnant" Nathan said as a wide grin spread across his face.
"Wow! Congratulations man! Dante said quietly.
He figured that Nathan didn't want everyone to know, but he was glad that he was one of the first to know other than Lulu.
"So, if Maxis pregnant, what's this just nerves about being a father? You'll be great!" Dante said smiling.
Just as the waitress was walking over to their table, Nathan's phone began ringing.
"Dammet! I can't even go on a lunch break without this damn phone ringing" Nathan yelled pulling out his phone.
Glancing at the caller as Nina, he immediately became alarmed, and thought of Maxie.
"Hi Nina, what's up Nathan asked growing concerned.
"Jay, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here with Maxie. She's fine, but I'm taking her home unless of course, you want me to take her to the hospit-
"Whoh! Nina! Why would she need to go to the hospital?" Nathan wondered becoming alarmed now.
"Well, first, I hear congratulations are in order on the new baby!"
"Thanks, but I doubt that's why you're calling me to wish me congratulations, so what is it? What's wrong with Max?"
"Well um… She passed out shortly after she got into work. Jay, I know I'm probably the last person you'd want to be lecturing you about pregnancy, but something's wrong. Maxie shouldn't have passed out like that, and she does look terrible. I think you need to get her to the hospital."
Nathan sat in silence for a few minutes as Nina rambled on about Maxie. He had been fearing something was wrong, but he also thought that he was just over reacting.
"Nina is Maxie awake now?"
"No, she is sleeping." Nina spoke quietly.
"Look, I'm almost at your apartment, but let me know if you want me to get her to an appointment."
"thanks Nina; listen, I gotta go, but I'll come home soon. Just make sure that Maxie gets in bed, and I'll see if I can schedule something today or tomorrow." Nathan said and hung up the phone.
" Sorry Man, I think I am gonna have to leave work early again today. I hate to do this, but somethings-
"hey, don't worry; I got it. Maxie okay?"
"I don't know. Nina said that she fainted at work, and I have had this feeling that something was wrong with her."
Dante shook his head trying to come up with some way to assure Nathan that Maxie would be fine but came up with nothing. Dante was always someone who had gone with his gut, and if Nathan's was telling him something was wrong, he had to investigate it. God knows that if it were Lulu, Dante would stop at nothing to make sure she was alright.
"Look, I'm sure Maxie's gonna be fine, but keep me and Lulu posted, and if you guys need anything, call us and we'll be right there."
Nathan left and hurried home to Maxie. Because Maxie had been napping on the couch, he figured he'd call the hospital.
Nathan had scheduled an appointment later that afternoon. Elizabeth had told him that Doctor Lee happened to have an opening in her schedule, so she could fit Maxie in. Nathan was grateful for that where Maxie had passed out.
Maxie woke up about an hour later and saw that Nathan had been sitting next to her on the couch.
"Nathan, where'd Nina go?"
"She went back to work. You okay Max?"
"I think so; it was just weird. Nina was talking to me, and I felt really weak, and I guess, I passed out."
"it's okay, Max. I scheduled an appointment for you later this afternoon.
"Oh yeah; I was gonna do that." Maxie said sitting up.
Nathan and Maxie headed to General Hospital about an hour later for her appointment. When they got there, Doctor Lee was already waiting in her office for them.
"Maxie, Nathan, hi. First, congratulations. Nathan, I'm gonna have to examine Maxie alone for a few minutes is that okay?" Kelly said smiling at the happy couple.
"yeah, that's fine; I'll just wait-
"No wait. Can Nathan stay?" Maxie asked
"Well, that's up to you Maxie, but I would like to examine you first."
"it's okay Max; I'll be right outside the door" Nathan said reassuringly.
Maxie didn't know why, but she was nervous, and she wanted Nathan there with her during the exam.
Once Nathan left, Kelly began her exam, and asked the typical questions like how Maxie was feeling, and if she knew about how far along she may have been.
Maxie couldn't be exactly sure how far along she was in her pregnancy, but she figured that she had to be about two months along. In Kelly's exam, she agreed.
"So, Maxie, I heard you fainted at work this morning; you want to tell me about that?"
"did Nathan tell you that? God. He's so paranoid sometimes." Maxie said laughing a little.
"I don't know; I mean, I'm sure it's nothing. I just have been feeling exhausted lately, but it's because of the pregnancy that's all."
"Well, given your medical history, I just want to rule out any possibility that something could be wrong." Kelly knew that at times, a woman may have a fainting spell during pregnancy, but she had also known that Maxie has a complicated medical history which could present problems during a pregnancy.
"I am going to give you a complete physical is that okay?"
"yeah, that's fine Maxie said.
Doctor Lee went about listening to Maxie's heart, and lungs in addition to drawing blood and getting her blood pressure. Maxie noticed a look of concern coming across Doctor Lee's face.
"Is everything okay with the baby?" Maxie wondered becoming alarmed now.
"I'm gonna have Nathan come in now, and I will be back in a few minutes. You're gonna be fine, Maxie." Kelly said as she exited the room.
Nathan came into the room and sat beside Maxie. Maxie had been unusually quiet which made Nathan a little concerned.
"Max, you feeling okay? What did the doctor say?"
"Nothing much; she just wanted to do a physical on me, but then, she acted kind of weird. This is why I hate hospitals though. I mean, I'm sure it's nothing, but they just like to act all weird just to scare us that's all. We'll be fine". Maxie said pointing to her stomach.
Just then the door opened, and Kelly entered the room accompanied by Monica.
"Monica, what are you doing here?" Maxie asked glancing over at her.
If Monica had come into the room, there must have been a problem. A cardiologist usually isn't part of a prenatal visit, right? Maxie's thoughts had been interrupted by Kelly's reassurance.
"Maxie, just given your history, I wanted Monica to come in and make sure that everything is alright. Kelly said glancing towards Monica.
"Nathan and Maxie, I just want to tell you that your pregnancy is a high risk given your history of being a heart transplant recipient. Doctor Lee and I are going to be monitoring you closely to make sure that there aren't any complications. Monica said.
The thought of Maxie possibly having complications hadn't occurred to Maxie so much, but the thought was unbearable for Nathan. How bad would these complications get for her? was this really a good time for her to be having a child? Was this something they should have discussed beforehand? If Maxie was having any complications how would these complications effect their baby?
Maxie was the first to speak after glancing over at Nathan who began pacing around the room.
"Nathan don't worry; it's just a precaution that's all."
"Yes, for now it is" Monica said.
"Maxie, I know you, and I hope that you will come in at the first sign of trouble. I am already concerned at how tired you look and your passing out at work."
"I'll be fine; don't worry. I have this guy to make sure of that." Maxie said smiling at Nathan.
"Just to be sure, I want you to take it easy for the next couple of weeks, and Nathan, I want you to pay close attention to her symptoms, and if you notice anything- "Don't worry; I'll take good care of Maxie."
"Well parents, wanna hear this little one's heartbeat? I think Maxie's just far enough along where we may get to hear it." Kelly said wanting to lighten the mood a little bit.
"yeah, we'd like that Nathan and Maxie said smiling up at Kelly.
Just a few seconds later, Doctor Lee, Nathan and Maxie all heard their baby's heart beating.
"See? Look at that! That's a nice strong heartbeat guys!" Doctor Lee said laughing.
Nathan and Maxie stared up at the monitor in silence smiling at each other as they listened to such a strong heartbeat.
"Congratulations you too. Now, when you're both ready, get Maxie home, and make sure she gets plenty of rest."
"thank you, Doctor Lee," Nathan said looking up at Maxie.
"Wow, can you believe that? That's our baby!" Nathan said walking over to Maxie and taking her hand.
"I know. It's amazing isn't it? I can't wait to tell my Mom."
As Nathan and Maxie left the hospital, they drove home in silence. Nathan though he was overjoyed at hearing their baby's heart beat for the first time, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kelly and Monica hadn't told them enough about how this pregnancy could affect Maxie. He couldn't allow himself to start thinking of worse case scenarios though; not yet. Maybe, it was just like Maxie had suggested and they were just being overly concerned. He wanted to ask her if they had been like this during her pregnancy with Georgie, but when he looked over at her, he found Maxie had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
As Maxie slept the rest of the way home, Nathan realized how peaceful she looked. He hoped that she was dreaming about their life with their new baby, and again thought about how amazing it had been to hear their baby's heart beating so strongly. Nathan smiled at Maxie, and slowly picked her up taking her into their apartment.