Four Weeks Later
I wake up on the day of my doctor's appointment feeling better than I have in a while. My stomach churns uncomfortably, but not quite to the point where I feel the need to throw up. I reach for my saltine crackers on the small table next to me to curb the nausea, and I'm amazed that my stomach actually settles.
When I finish my crackers, I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to get ready for school. I quickly brush my teeth and wash my face, noticing the dark circles under my eyes and the pimples across my forehead and chin. I thought being pregnant brought a glow, not bruised-looking eyes and disgusting acne. I decide to apply a little bit of concealer to my eyes and the worst of the pimples, and with that I deem my face acceptable for the school day.
I head back to my room to put on my uniform, and find the skirt to be uncomfortably tight. I remove my uniform and stare at my naked body in the full length mirror on my door. Honing in on my stomach, I see the tiniest start of a bump. At just over 13 weeks, it still looks like bloat from a too-big meal. But I'm going to need a bigger uniform soon.
I get to school early, and wait inside my first period class for the teacher to show up. It's going to be a long day.
After school gets out for the day, I meet my mom up front. She decided that she would pick up Dean and come get me from school today so we could go to my appointment together. I sit in the back with Dean, and my mom makes the drive to the OBGYN clinic.
We pull into the parking lot, and mom turns to look at me. "I'll wait out here, I've got some calls to make for work. Good luck!"
Dean and I make our way inside, where I check myself in at the receptionist desk. I sit next to Dean and wait for my name to be called.
"Rory Gilmore?" It's the same nurse as last time, and she greets me with a smile as we follow her to the back. "Okay, Rory. I'm going to need a urine sample from you, and when you're done come back out here and we'll get your weight."
I do as I'm told, and head into the small bathroom. When I'm finished, I step back out and head over to the scale. I've lost 3 pounds. "Don't worry, dear. Sometimes morning sickness makes it hard to gain weight at first. I'm sure you and baby are fine." That puts my mind at ease. The nurse leads me to the exam room where Dean is already waiting and takes my blood pressure before telling me the doctor will be in soon.
Dr. Malley comes in with a smile, and I introduce her to Dean. "Hi, Dean. I'm glad to see a young father take part in the pregnancy process, it's hard for a young woman to go through alone." Dean smiles at her awkwardly.
"Now, I'm not going to do an ultrasound today, you will only have 2 more of those unless something goes wrong. One will be your anatomy scan, at about 18 weeks, and we will do a growth scan at 34 weeks. At every other appointment, we will use the doppler to check baby's heartbeat, and we will go over any concerns you have. Okay?" I nod to show I understand.
Dr. Malley pulls out a weird looking wand contraption, which she calls a fetal Doppler. She uses it the same way she did the ultrasound wand, and the steady thumping of my baby's heartbeat fills the room. My eyes again flood with tears at the beautiful sound, and I turn to smile at Dean who looks like he's in shock. "Dean?"
"Wow, there's really a baby in there," he says, amazed. I fight the urge to roll my eyes at him.
"Well, Rory. Baby sounds great. Now, I've noticed you've lost a bit of weight. Which is fine for the first trimester, but now that you're entering the second you should be feeling better and able to eat more. Remember, lots of fruits and veggies, lots of protein and calcium, and stay away from fish and too much caffeine. Do you have any questions at all for me? Either of you?"
"Um... Yeah. When can we learn the gender? And will this horrible acne ever go away?" I ask.
"You can learn the gender at your anatomy scan, which will be in about 5 weeks. As for the acne, I'm afraid it's a hormonal thing and I can't say for sure when it will clear up. Oil free face cleanser should help, but there's no magic cure I'm afraid."
I sigh in defeat. "Okay... That's all the questions I've got."
Dr. Malley smiles at me. "Well, if you want to stop on your way out and schedule your anatomy scan, that would be great. I won't be doing that ultrasound, a tech will, so we will schedule an appointment for the week after that to go over results. I'll see you then Rory, Dean."
She leaves the room and Dean and I sit in silence for a few minutes. Finally, I stand from the exam table and work my way to the door, but Dean stops me.
"Rory, I'm scared." His blunt statement throws me for a second, but I wrap my arms around his chest and lay my head on his shoulder. "I know, I am too. But we can do this." I guide his hand to my barely there bump, and his eyes widen.
"Is that...?" I nod, and I see a brief flash of tears in his eyes before he clears his throat and stands. "I love you, Rory. And this baby too. I'll be here for you both, I promise."
We leave the room hand in hand, briefly stopping to schedule my next two appointments. We find my mom in the parking lot and climb into the Jeep, where we are immediately ambushed with questions.
"How's the littlest Gilmore? How are you Rory? Everything look good?"
"Forester, mom. The baby will have Dean's last name. I'm fine, lost 3 pounds though. Everything is good, baby's heartbeat is steady, we can find out the gender in 5 weeks." I rattle off the answers to her questions, and she looks hurt.
"The baby won't be a Gilmore? Why?"
"I want him or her to have their father's last name." I say with finality.
"But..."
"No, mom. It's final."
She drops the argument and starts the drive home. I know she'll bring it up later though.
For now, I just rest my hand on my tiny bump and rub in circles. I hope I'll make a good mom, because I have the best there is.
The next morning at school, I head to the main office to find out about getting a bigger uniform. I approach where the secretary is sitting with my heart beating too fast. "Excuse me, who can I talk to to find out about getting a new uniform?"
"Have you ruined yours?"
"No, it's just a little too small. Must've gained weight or something." I try to shrug like it's nothing, but the secretary looks at me carefully. She gives me a room number and I'm on my way.
I get to one of the back rooms shortly before first period, but I've got a note. I find a woman tending to plaid skirts and blue suit jackets, and I clear my throat to get her attention.
"Um. Hi. I need a bigger uniform skirt and jacket please."
The woman has me step on to a pedestal in the center of the room, where she proceeds to get my measurements. She pauses at my midsection. "Big breakfast?" She asks, one eyebrow raised.
"Um... No..." I say slowly. Can't hurt to tell her, can it? This won't be the last time I'll need a new uniform. "I'm uh.. I'm pregnant. That's why I need a bigger uniform."
The woman nods and continues her work, then goes off to find my new stuff. She hands me two skirts and a uniform jacket. "One of the skirts should fit you for the next couple of months, the other one will accommodate a growing baby bump better. There's an elastic band sewn in to create sort of a maternity skirt. You're not the first pregnant girl I've helped with a uniform."
I thank her and head on my way. My first stop is the bathroom to change into the larger uniform. Since the bathroom is empty, I don't bother with going into a stall. As I'm buttoning up my shirt, someone else enters. I look up and lock eyes with Paris. She looks at me strangely, but my bump isn't noticeable unless you're looking for it. Or so I thought.
"Well, looks like Mary's got a new little Jesus on the way, huh?" She states. My mouth gapes.
"Why would you say that?" I stutter.
She scoffs. "Please. I overheard your conversation with Mr. Medina a few weeks ago. Thought I heard wrong. But you're showing."
My face flushes, and I quickly finish putting my new uniform on before shoving past Paris and half running to my first period.
Looks like the secret is out. What now?
Unsurprisingly, the news has spread around the school by lunch that goody-two-shoes Rory Gilmore is pregnant. I try not to let the stares and whispers bother me, but it all becomes too much and I head to a quiet corner of the grounds to be alone.
As I try to eat my lunch of strawberries, peanut butter, and ginger ale, I'm approached by Tristin. "Well, well, well. Mary's not a virgin anymore. Who would have thought the pregnant girl would be you?"
I ignore Tristin's comments and simply stand up and brush past him, on my way to pee before heading to class. But I've heard similar stuff from everyone. It's going to be a long 6 months...
Halfway through my next class, I'm called into the headmaster's office. I feel sick as I make my way through the halls, wondering if I'm about to be kicked out.
I arrive at the office and knock on the door, entering only when Headmaster Charleston calls me in.
"Ah, Miss Gilmore. Have a seat." I do as I'm told and look at him expectantly. "I've heard the rumors throughout the school. Are they true?"
I nod slowly. "Yes, Headmaster Charleston. They're true. I'm pregnant."
He sighs. "Do you have plans for how you will complete your schooling?"
"Yes. I'm due in July, so I can finish out the school year, the baby will be born over the summer, and I'll be back in the fall right on time. I'll find childcare so I can finish my education." I'm confident in my answers, and that confidence grows as the headmaster speaks.
"Well, Miss Gilmore. I've seen your grit over the past few months here at Chilton. I believe you will continue to excel. Don't disappoint me."
I leave the office and head to my last class of the day, as the meeting took up the rest of the last class period. I take a seat at my desk and pull out my notes, knowing I have a point to prove. Not just to my school or my family. But to myself.
When school gets out for the day, I hurry to catch the bus home. I'm seriously craving some chili cheese fries from Luke's.
When the bus pulls up at my stop, I get off to find Dean waiting for me with a styrofoam cup in his hands. He hands it to me, and I sniff it cautiously. Hot chocolate. I smile at my boyfriend and give him a quick peck before grabbing his hand and leading him to Luke's.
We grab a table, and I wave Luke over. "What can I get for you?"
"I want a large chili cheese fry, a piece of apple pie, and a root beer please." Luke nods at me and turns to Dean, who orders a salad and a glass of Coke.
"So... Don't you think we should tell everyone?" Dean asks me when Luke walks away. Before I can argue, he cuts me off. "I mean, you're already starting to show. You haven't touched a cup of coffee in two months. People are going to suspect, and wouldn't you prefer to tell them instead of everyone making assumptions?"
He's got a point, and I know it. "How would you like to go about that?"
"Well, we should start with my parents. They still don't know. And then we could tell Miss Patty and Babette, and then the whole town will know within a few hours."
I agree to his plan just as Luke gets back with our food. As soon as the plates are on the table, I dump my slice of pie on top of my fries and chow down. Luke is starting to look kind of suspicious, but I'm too happy munching away on my food.
When Dean and I finish eating, we make our way to his house. He lets us in, and we find his family in the living room.
"Mom, Dad... Rory and I have some news." Dean tells them, and they watch us cautiously. "She's pregnant, due in July. You're going to be grandparents."
A/N: So I'm not entirely sure what the future holds for this story. I'm running out of ideas, so if my followers could please review and let me know what you want to see happen, I would really appreciate it! Any ideas for baby names would also be great. Thanks for those of you who are reading this story, it means a lot!
