AN: In which there is finally professional intervention, and Baby McCarthy-Meeks gets his/her 1st pictures!
The morning of the appointment dawned gloomily. Madison looked anxiously at the sky, praying that it didn't rain. She didn't want to be seen getting into Roderick's truck, but she knew he would never let the plan they had decided on continue if it rained. He was too protective for that and would insist she ride in the car the whole way. She used her concern about the weather to conceal her much greater worry about the appointment itself. She was terrified the doctor would say that something was wrong, though she was excited to see the picture of her baby on the sonogram. She was full of mixed feelings about everything and was spending even more time than normal in the bathroom, throwing up whatever food she had managed to get down. Mason came into the bathroom and held her hair as she struggled with the sickness.
"Morning sickness still got you bad, huh?" Mason asked.
"It's been getting better. In fact, it's mostly gone now. But it still likes to rear its head every once in a while." Madison replied. She wiped her mouth and brushed her teeth vigorously to get rid of the taste in her mouth.
"Come on. I'll drive you to school. The rain looks like it might come down in buckets any minute." He hugged his sister around the waist and the two walked out to the car. Madison's heart was pounding. Now would be the perfect time to tell him she was going to the OB today, but something stopped her. Maybe she didn't want to disrupt this delicate peace, or maybe she wanted the first one to just be for her and Roderick and their baby and not include her unsupportive brother. Whatever the exact reason, she chose to keep silent about her appointment on the car ride, though she chattered with her twin about Cheerios (another thing she had to think about) and how the Glee club practices for Regionals were coming. They had heard from Kitty that Mr. Shue usually ended up doing everything last minute so they were glad that the Warblers would not stand for that. They were going to be well-rehearsed when they stood on that stage if it killed them.
She and Mason parted on relatively good terms, though there was still clear tension in the air. She prayed that not mentioning the doctor's visit to him would not destroy these steps towards a better relationship. She wanted her brother's support in her pregnancy, not his condemnation. She went through the school day in a haze, not quite fully conscience of what was going on. She kept sneaking glances alternately at Roderick, Mason, and the clock during all her classes and had trouble sitting still. She was trying to control it as best she could, but it was very, very hard. When the last bell rang, she gathered her books. She was about to walk towards the doors leading outside when Mason grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the choir room. She pulled out of his grasp, explaining that she was feeling a little off and was going to walk home and rest instead of coming to Glee. He pouted, and Madison almost felt bad for lying to him, but she forced herself to carry on. Getting this check-up and ultrasound was of paramount importance. She watched him disappear around the corner and slipped out through the door. She started walking towards her home at a slow pace. When Roderick's truck pulled up beside her, she hopped in and closed the door. She stared straight ahead, barely breathing. Roderick reached over and squeezed her hand, trying to give her reassurance.
"I couldn't stop worrying all day about this. I wanted to grab you and bolt for the car so many times during the day if it would just make this come faster." He told her. Madison nodded in agreement.
"I would have done practically anything to have this all over and done with and confirmation of a healthy baby. That's all I want." A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Do you want any specific tests done? Like I know they'll do the basics, but do you want a paternity test or any other kind of genetic testing?"
"I don't have anything in particular I want. If you want the paternity test, I'm fine with getting it. I trust you when you say I'm the father, but if you'd like evidence for the idiots who won't believe you, that's fine. It's up to you."
"I don't think it will matter. The people who really don't believe it won't be convinced by the paper. They'll claim that it's faked or something like that and continue to insist that someone else is the baby daddy, probably my brother."
"So is that a no to the paternity test?" Asked Roderick.
"That's a no to the paternity test." Madison responded. Her sureness in her answer comforted Roderick. If she was unsure at all about whether I was the father, she would have wanted the test. He thought. That means that this is real. He reached over and squeezed her hand again before turning his attention back to the road. They drove the rest of the way with the radio blasting whatever popular songs the station played, Madison dancing a little in her seat to the music. Roderick couldn't help but think it was adorable, though he delicately refrained from commenting on it. He didn't want her to think he was making fun of her.
They arrived at the obstetrician's office in no time and climbed out. They held hands walking in and giving Madison's name to the receptionist, who didn't even blink at the sight of two teenagers in the office. When they were called in, they were still gripping each other's hands and did not let go until Madison had to change into her gown. When the doctor asked all the questions about how Madison had been doing and feeling, what she'd been eating, and how much she'd been exercising he made a lot of notes on his clipboard while the two of them watched anxiously.
"Have you considered cutting down on the amount of exercise you've been doing? It's not too dangerous yet, but it will be soon. Try cutting down on workouts so that you give your body a rest and can devote more energy towards taking care of the baby."
"So you think I should quit Cheerios?" Madison asked.
"I think it would not be a poor decision. And you would definitely have to have quit in the next couple of months anyway."
"Why? Couldn't I continue all the way through?" Dr. Wu looked alarmed at that suggestion.
"Absolutely not. You wouldn't physically be able to, for a start, because of how unbalanced you'll be, and furthermore it would be very dangerous for the baby. It's already putting you at a higher risk for miscarriage. Like I said, the smart decision would be to quit now." Madison nodded anxiously and Roderick was gripping her hand so tightly he thought he might break it. He knew he couldn't tell her to give up cheerleading, but he really hoped that she made the decision to give it up for the sake of their child, as well as for her own health. Miscarriages, he knew from his hours of careful internet surfing, were very dangerous and could potentially kill the mother or make her infertile or otherwise really hurt her if they happened. He didn't want that to happen to her.
"I would also like to prescribe some prenatal vitamins for you to take to help you get everything you and baby need." Dr. Wu added.
"Okay." Responded Madison. She took the prescription he handed her and made a mental note to stop by the pharmacy soon. Possibly right after the appointment if she could. The doctor turned his attention to Roderick, asking him about his medical history and family medical history. She learned that he had a history of anxiety that was currently controlled by medication and therapy and that his family had no history of cancer but did have a history of back problems. She realized that she knew nearly nothing about him, from his childhood to now, and resolved to spend more time learning about her baby daddy and getting to know the family her baby would be a part of too.
The doctor gestured for her to lie down on the table, indicating that he wanted to begin the sonogram.
"How many pictures do you guys want?" He asked as he rubbed the gel on Madison's stomach. They exchanged glances.
"Um, like 4? One for me, one for you, and a couple of extra? I want to leave one out for Mason and your mom might want one. What do you think?" Madison said unsurely.
"4 sounds good to me." Replied Roderick.
"All right" Said the doctor. "I can arrange that. Now, this will feel funny, but it's just the gel. Don't worry about it. Now, if you look up at the screen, you'll see your baby. It's the little thing right there." Dr. Wu pointed at an almost human-looking, if out of proportion, creature on the screen. He moved the wand around, showing them different angles and the body parts the baby had already started forming as the baby shifted around itself. "The baby is probably about the size of an apple and a lot of its major organs have already formed. It's doing fine, though it, and you, are a little on the small side. Try to eat fish and other protein rich things. And don't be afraid to eat a lot. Your weight is in the low range right now and we want to get it up."
"O-okay. But everything's okay? Is there anything I need to look out for? And there is only one, right? I'm not carrying twins?" Her words came out in a rush.
"Other than my recommendation that you eat more and exercise less, you are doing great. The nausea should level off very soon and hopefully disappear altogether in the next few weeks. There is only two heartbeats, yours and the baby's so I don't think you are having twins. Shall we make another appointment for next month?" Madison looked unsure about how to proceed so Roderick barged ahead.
"We'll make a tentative appointment for next month, but if we could make it on a Friday that would probably be best."
"All right, how does the 7th sound? I have an appointment for 4:30 open."
"Yeah, that sounds fine." Madison responded, making a note of it in her phone.
"That's all from me," said the doctor, "and I'll see you the 7th." The two students took the photos he offered and left the office. In the car Madison broke down crying. Roderick hugged her tightly and let a few tears of his own slip out.
"That's our baby. Our baby. Even with the horrible morning sickness it didn't feel real until right now." Madison sobbed out. He just held her and rocked her until she managed to bring her emotions back under control. When she looked up, she noticed that he was crying as well. She touched the tears and wiped them away. He didn't even attempt to defend them. He just whispered very softly.
"I'm going to be a father." Madison nodded and hugged him tightly again before composing herself.
"Can we swing by the pharmacy quickly? I want to pick up the vitamins he prescribed." Roderick nodded and turned the car back on. After they picked up the prescription, he dropped her off at her house, keeping 2 of the sonogram pictures for himself and leaving 2 of them for her. She hugged him one last time before hopping out of the car and heading inside. He watched her for a minute before turning around and going home himself. As soon as he got inside, his mother pelted him with questions about the visit and the baby. He answered as best he could, before carefully presenting her with the sonogram picture.
"Oh how lovely!" His mother exclaimed, beaming. "You know, I never met that girl of yours. I want to meet the mother of my grandbaby before I actually become a grandmother."
"I know Mama. I want you two to meet too. She just isn't comfortable with anyone knowing anything yet and her brother is on the hunt for the father. She's hopeful that he'll calm down soon though." Roderick answered his mother. "You'll like her." He added, "She's sweet and kind, even if she does have a bit of a crazy streak."
"I look forward to meeting her, sweetheart. She seems like a lovely girl, despite the mess you are both in." Roderick smiled slightly.
"It's a mess we'll live through, Mama." Mrs. Meeks touched her son's cheek.
"Yes you will my darling, yes you will. And I don't doubt that you'll make me proud, no matter how much I wish this had never happened."
Back at the McCarthy residence, Madison carefully placed the sonogram picture she had gotten for Mason on the table with YOUR NEPHEW/NIECE SAYS HI written on it with sharpie. She fervently hoped that when he found it the picture would melt his heart rather than seal it up. It was a gamble, but she needed her twin back. He was her other half and if she was going to get through this, she needed the guy who knew her like the back of his hand at her side. Roderick was wonderful, the perfect gentleman and the best guy for the father job she could have found. But he wasn't Mason. She breathed out and gave the picture one last look before slipping upstairs to her room to do her homework.
AN: Next chapter Madison and Mason finally have a chat that's been, oh, 9 chapters in the making.