Chapter 3
A few days later...
It's a Saturday morning, I've been up a while.
I'm sat up in bed and Max is cuddled into my side, snoring slightly. I smile at the sight-Three months ago I was going to remain resolutely single in my new life in America-now I'm married to the man whom I believe to be my soul mate, with a baby on the way.
Speaking of which, I'm having a scan this afternoon, before that though Max and I are going down to the beach.
I'm on my iPad, looking at baby stuff. I'm in love with an adorable little Moses' basket. Although, obviously Max and I need to find a place to live before even thinking of decorating a nursery.
I Google houses in Holby, and a nice property not too far away from the hospital catches my eye. I email the estate agent requesting a viewing-maybe I'm onto something.
Max shifts beside me, I set my iPad down on the bedside table and lean down to drop a kiss to his cheek. "Good morning sleepyhead." I smile.
He smiles and opens his eyes. "Good morning gorgeous. I love you."
I lay down next to him. "I love you too."
He wraps his arm around me and I snuggle into his chest. "This is nice." I smile, shutting my eyes in contentment.
"It is." My husband agrees, kissing my head.
I feel a fluttering in my lower abdomen, my eyes fly open in shock.
"What's the matter?" Max asks.
"The baby, Peanut-they just moved. I swear that I felt them move."
My husband places a hand on my tummy. "Would I be able to feel them moving?"
I shake my head. "No, not yet. I read that pregnant women can feel flutterings but I didn't think that I would be able to. It felt like a bubble popping or something similar."
Max wrinkles his nose. "Doesn't it feel strange?"
"No." I shake my head. "It feels nice. Peanut's telling us that him or her is there."
"I guess so." My husband smiles.
"I've been looking at baby stuff, I fell in love with a little cot, which led me to look at some houses." I inform him.
"And?"
"Well, I found a nice three bedroomed property on Seaview Road, near the primary school?"
"Oh?" He asks.
"I arranged a viewing for next week. As lovely as this hotel is, we can't stay here forever." I say.
"That's true." Max grins at me.
"What?" I ask.
"I just can't believe that we're properly settling down, having a family." He says.
I gaze at him. "I wasn't too fond of the idea a few years ago, but then I met you." I reply-I know that I sound soppy but it's the truth.
"And everything changed?" My husband chuckles.
"Something like that." I laugh. "What time's the scan again?"
"2:45. You're still pretty scatterbrained."
"Shut up!" I scowl, shoving him. "Excuse me, I wasn't the one who forgot their phone yesterday and had to come all the way back here to get it."
"Maybe you've got a point..."
"See, I'm always right." I grin, checking my phone. "It's 10:15, come on. First one in the shower gets to pick where we have lunch."
"You're on." Max grins, running after me.
A while later...
"If I make a face when the midwife puts the jelly stuff on my stomach I'm fine, it's just cold. Very cold." I inform my husband as we make our way to the hospital. We walked to the beach from the hotel, had lunch (I picked the place) and now we're on the way to my scan, hand in hand.
Max and I have a had a really lovely morning together, like a normal couple. I'm officially Doctor Walker now at work, the sign that I requested should be arriving soon.
The best thing is that we're both wearing our wedding rings-it's official, we're making a go of married life.
"What's up?" Max asks.
"Nothing, I'm just happy, that's all."
"Good." My husband smiles, squeezing my hand. "Good."
At last, the hospital is in sight-even though I'm in flats my feet are beginning to ache.
"What's your midwife called?" Max asks.
"Daisy, I met with her when I made the appointment- she's lovely." I smile.
We make our way to the antenatal unit and sit in the waiting room.
I lay my head on Max's shoulder, listening to the hustle and bustle of the hospital. I can hear young children chattering, the distant sound of babies crying from the maternity wing, and the rustle of patient notes at the nurses' station.
Max fiddles around on his phone, I watch the flickering of the screen, and check the time- 2:40, if they're running on time we've got 5 minutes.
"Zoe Walker?" a voice whom I recognise as Daisy's asks.
I stand up and smile at her. She's wearing navy blue scrubs, her brunette hair is tied up on a pony tail, and she's got the biggest, friendliest smile I've ever seen.
"Hello." She says, shaking my hand and then Max's. "I assume that you're Mr Walker?"
"Max, please. I am." Says Max.
"Pleased to meet you both. Would you like to come through?"
After a chat with Daisy and a quick examination, I'm asked to pull my top up for a scan. I do so, and reach out my hand to Max, who's sat by the side of the couch. He takes my hand and squeezes it gently. "This is it then?"
"Mm him." I nod as Daisy pulls a scanning machine over. She has a bottle of gel in the other- I know what's coming.
"This may be a little cold, Zoe." Says my midwife, gently squirting the gel on my abdomen.
Cold is an understatement- it's freezing!
Daisy moves the transducer over my tummy, and the three of us gaze at the scanner screen expectantly. I catch my breath- this is really happening.
The image on the screen clears, I can just make out a head and a body.
"Wow..." Max breathes.
"Yep." I agree. I haven't seen Peanut on a scan for a while- they've really grown.
"Okay, from the size of your baby I reckon that he or she is due on the 4th of February." Daisy informs us. She then points everything out to us on the scan, and then checks for a heartbeat.
I hear a steady rhythm, a heartbeat just like the many I've heard through a stethoscope. This time, it's different. It's my unborn baby's heartbeat that I'm hearing- something which I never thought possible.
"That was amazing." Max says later on as we make our way out of the hospital.
"Yeah, it was." I agree as we come to a stop outside the hospital. "I love you."
"I love you too." Max smiles, placing one hand on my tummy and pulling me close with the other. "Both of you."
