Nicole studied the large, round clock on the wall, counting every second along with the hand which indicated it's respective measurement of time along with a clearly audible tick which seemed to resonate off the walls of the tiny examination room. It was just a few minutes after 1 PM and over two hours past their scheduled appointment time. Her patience was wearing thin and she was just about to reach over and flick on the ultrasound machine and do the exam herself when EJ finally reentered the room with whom she supposed was Dr. Siegel following close behind. He confirmed her suspicions by introducing himself as such then took a seat on the stool next to the exam table where she lay. EJ took his designated spot on the opposite side, taking her hand in his for support.
"Sorry to keep you waiting sweetheart," EJ said softly as he drew her hand to his lips for a kiss. "Don't blame Dr. Siegel here, he's a good man. I'm afraid it was all my fault."
His eyes were twinkling mischieviously as they always did when he was up to no good. He thoroughly enjoyed BS-ing people and she suddenly felt regretful that she had not been around to witness his performance. He was also wearing that familiar smug expression which she had always found so alluring, topped off with a cocky, triumphant wink which was his signal to her that his little plan had gone accordingly. From the way the doctor's hands were shaking as he studied her chart, she began to ponder exactly what EJ might have said to him.
The doctor seemed to settle down and be more at ease as he engaged the two of them in an extensive Q&A session and a review of the information she'd already provided with most questions centered around determining when she might have conceived. The only factor she knew for sure was the very last time it could have happened: September 30th, the night before she left for London. It was November 28th now which meant that, at the very least, she had to be seven weeks along although she chose to keep that fact private. After all, it wouldn't look good for her to be able to pinpoint nearly two months ago as the last time she'd had sex with her "husband." Of course doctors were typically more interested in the date of of your last period anyway, but considering hers were always irregular and unpredictable, that made that little tidbit of information also unreliable. She hadn't really had what she would consider an actual period since early August and found it hard to believe she could be that far along. The only way to know for sure was by ultrasound which Dr. Siegel informed her would be the next part of her evaluation.
She beamed up at EJ as the doctor busied himself with the preparations for the exam. For just a moment, she had forgotten many of the circumstances surrounding their visit, and it was only her, EJ, and their baby in that room but just as soon as the thought had popped into her mind, she remembered. It wasn't his baby, it was Brady's. Brady should be the one standing there beside her because it was his kid, and right was right. Oh, and because she loves him too, of course, it wasn't just about the baby. He was the one she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. She was sure they were going to marry soon, and they'd already begun making plans to extend their family through adoption when the time was right. He was going to make her happy like no other man could. Well, except for EJ. But he was dead. Was.
She took a deep breath and shook her head side to side, trying to banish all thoughts of EJ from where they shouldn't be but her efforts were useless. The more she tried to push the visions aside, the stronger they came. Her current vision was, she pictured herself in the delivery room after just giving birth. She could hear the doctors and nurses congratulating her on a healthy baby boy and right there beside her holding their little bundle of joy was none other than EJ, smiling at both her and the baby adoringly as he placed their newborn son into her arms.
"Are you alright, darling," EJ asked as he hovered over her, brushing a thick lock of her long hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ear.
Nicole quickly sobered up and managed to regain focus. "I'm fine," she assured him, giving his hand a tight squeeze for extra assurance. "I'm just anxious to see the baby."
"Me too," he whispered, returning the gesture with equal strength and a smile that could melt tungsten into a puddle in a nanosecond.
"Well, folks, your wait is over. It is officially baby time."
And with the wave of the wand resting lightly on top of her stomach, there he or she was on the screen of the monitor which sat eye-level to Nicole right beside the exam table.
Nicole let out a tiny gasp as her fingertips reached over to the monitor and rested right where her little baby's heart could be seen beating. "Oh my god, Ethan, look! That's his little heart."
"Yes, I see. And it looks good, and steady, and strong."
He was now leaning into her, whispering those words of confident reassurance into her ear.
"Yes, it does," Dr. Siegel confirmed without hesitation. "And I'll bet it sounds even better. Wanna have a listen?"
EJ was quick to pipe out a yes but Nicole was more skeptical. "Wait a minute. I thought you couldn't really hear the heartbeat until about twelve weeks."
"Well, we can usually pick it up a little bit before then, but you're pretty much right on the money. Twelve weeks is when you should be able to hear a nice strong one, and judging by the size of your little one here, twelve weeks is exactly where I'm putting you, my dear."
"Twelve weeks?" She was just beginning to ponder how she could have been pregnant that long and not detected it when suddenly, with just the flick of a switch on the equipment, the sound of the baby's rapid little heartbeat filled the room. It was the sweetest music to her ears.
"Give or take a few days of course. I'm giving you a due date of May the seventeenth."
"That's at the full, forty weeks?"
"Yes, a full forty weeks term."
"So, that's when you think I'll deliver?"
"Well, that's when you should deliver but, to answer your question, no. I think it's likely that you will go into labor earlier than that."
She nodded understandingly and remained stoic as her fears came to fruition. She'd been preparing for this moment and had made a promise to herself to remain strong regardless of what she was told. Stress was not good for her but it was an even worse enemy for the baby and she refused to let herself be a conduit for all that negative energy.
"How much earlier?"
It was EJ who had spoke this time, his voice full of desperation and concern. Nicole noticed he was even sweating a little and for once she was the one with the steady hand so she gripped his trembling one tightly in hers.
"I don't want to cause the two of you alarm. I'll need to wait until we have all the bloodwork and test results back before I can give you a clearer picture, but based on what I see here I do see where we might run into some trouble during the third trimester."
"What trouble?"
"The room that the baby has to grow is compromised due to a build-up of scar tissue seen right here," Dr. Siegel explained, indicating the area in reference by tracing it with the tip of his finger on the monitor. "Could have been caused by some kind of abdominal trauma or even a previous pregnancy if there were any complications during delivery."
"But he has a chance, right?"
"Yes, Sarah, he has a great chance, although I don't remember the part where I said it was a boy." He directed his attention to EJ. "Did I say it was a boy?"
It was EJ's turn to look quizzically at Nicole. "No, darling, is it a boy?"
Nicole shifted her gaze back to Dr. Siegel. "I don't know, is it?"
The comedic exchange between the three of them allowed for all involved to have a much needed chuckle.
"I'm afraid I don't have the evidence to make that call at this point but certainly we should be able to tell the next time I see you but, you seem pretty convinced already so I don't know if my word is going to mean much."
"No, it does, Doc. Your word means a lot. So please, I need to know from your heart that you believe this baby will make it."
He made sure his smile was at it's most sincere and that his voice was full of all the positive energy she needed to hear. Partly because he genuinely liked her, both in personality and her drop-dead-gorgeous looks. Another part was that he genuinely loved his career and took much pride in delivering happy, healthy babies. But then there was the other part which knew that whatever answer he gave better be the right one, for EJ was standing right there, boring holes through his body with his piercing eyes, to make sure.
"I do. I believe this baby is going to be just fine." He gave her his best encouraging smile, then shifted his gaze to EJ. "I bet my life on it."