The next morning, Barnabas and Victoria went to town to visit Dr. Banks. When they arrived at the office, Victoria was visibly nervous about going in but Barnabas gently squeezed her hand and gave her a warm look.
"Do not fret, my love." He said calmly. "If Elizabeth trusts Dr. Banks, then I do too."
"Are you sure?" His wife asked.
"Absolutely, now come."
They walked in and saw that it was just like any normal doctor's office. There was a small waiting room with chairs scattered about, a small table with a few magazines, and a front desk with a middle-aged woman wearing glasses behind it. Victoria and Barnabas approached the desk and the woman looked up from whatever she was doing with a bored look on her face.
"Yes, how can I help you?" She asked.
"My wife and I wish to speak with Dr. Emily Banks." Barnabas answered.
"Have you made an appointment?" The woman asked.
"We need to see her. It's very important." Victoria pleaded.
"If not, then I'm afraid you'll have to come back here when you have. Now if you don't mind, I have things to do." The woman said rudely.
"Things more important than assisting a young couple that need to see a professional physician?" Victoria demanded.
"I'll assist when you've made an appointment with Dr. Banks."
"We need to see her post haste."
"Using big words, huh missy? Do you want me to call the cops?"
"Beverly! That is no way to talk to our clients." A fourth voice sternly said.
Barnabas and Victoria turned their heads to see a woman with short red hair, fair skin, a white coat, a pair of glasses perched on her nose, kind eyes, and a friendly smile standing in a doorway near the desk. She approached the couple and shook their hands.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Banks." She said. "You'll have to forgive my assistant; she's been a little down in the dumps lately." Beverly gave Dr. Banks a deadpan look before going back to whatever she was doing.
"I understand. My name is Barnabas Collins and this is my wife, Victoria." Barnabas said.
"Hello." Victoria added. "Mrs. Elizabeth Stoddard suggested we come to you."
"I see. Well don't worry. Just come with me to the back, we'll get you set up right away." Dr. Banks said as she gestured the couple to follow her.
"Thank you, doctor." Barnabas said as he and his wife walked through the door.
"Of course, Mr. Collins."
She closed the door behind her and directed the couple into her office a few doors down.
"Please, have a seat." Dr. Banks said as she sat down at her desk. Barnabas and Victoria each pulled up a chair and sat down. "So, what seems to be the problem?"
"Well… my wife and I have reason to believe that we might be having a baby." Barnabas frankly replied.
"Really? That's good news."
"Yes, but we're not entirely sure yet. We just came to get a second opinion." Victoria added.
"I see, and that's completely understandable. I'd be more than happy to oblige. Care to tell me your symptoms, Victoria?"
"Oh, of course. I've been feeling pretty tired and dizzy at really awkward times. I've also had quite a few vomiting episodes here and there; the pain is just unbearable. And I think I started getting a little bigger, but I'm just not sure."
Dr. Banks nodded her head before asking, "How long has this been going on for?"
"A couple months, I think. Maybe two or three."
"I see. Have you recently taken a pregnancy test yet?"
"Well, yes but I wasn't sure if I could trust it."
"I see." Dr. Banks got up from her desk and went over to Victoria. "Come with me, Mrs. Collins. I think I can clear this up." She took her hand and led her to the door.
"Where are you taking her?" Barnabas demanded.
"Don't worry, Mr. Collins. I'm just going to run a couple of tests." Dr. Banks calmly answered. "When we come back, we'll have the results. But I must ask you to stay here; this is strictly girl talk. No offense."
"None taken, doctor."
And with that, Victoria and Dr. Banks left the room, leaving Barnabas by himself. After about twenty-five minutes of waiting, they finally returned. Barnabas greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek as she sat back down.
"What news do you bring, doctor?" He asked.
"Good news, Mr. Collins. Your wife is definitely going to have a baby. Congratulations." Dr. Banks proudly said.
Barnabas looked at Victoria with wide eyes; she gave him a nod, indicating that it was true. He smiled and held her hands in his own.
"I'd say tour roughly almost three months in." Dr. Banks added. "And the baby should be here by late September or early October."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Banks." Barnabas said, shaking the woman's hand.
"You're most welcome." The doctor smiled.
Back in the waiting room, they were discussing future appointments that were to be scheduled as well as payment.
"I think that just about does it." Dr. Banks concluded. "Be sure to come back every few months until the baby is finally born. I'll be sure to keep taps on everything."
"Thank you." Victoria sighed in relief.
"Yes, very much." Barnabas added.
"Of course. I hope you have a wonderful day."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
And they left. Dr. Banks looked back at Beverly with a furrowed brow.
"Why were you so rude to them?" She asked.
"Their kind isn't allowed here." Beverly said blandly.
"Their kind? I don't care who or what they are. I'm here to help them."
"Whatever you wanna tell yourself, boss."
"…One more crack like that and you're out of here."
"What? No, please! This job is all I have."
Dr. Banks rolled her eyes and shook her head.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"So what did she say?" Elizabeth asked as Barnabas and Victoria got into the car.
"It is true." Barnabas answered. "We are going to have a child."
"It'll be due sometime later in the year." Victoria added.
"I see. Then I suppose we'll have to get the manor ready for the baby's arrival… as well as baby-proof the place." Elizabeth joked as she started the car.
Barnabas and Victoria chuckled and held each other close in the back seat as the car started to drive down the road; in a matter of months, the Collins family was going to have a new member.