Just last night, I could have sworn that my bump wasn't that noticeable. I thought the dress covered it well. But the second I had to get pants on, I felt huge. And somehow, the blouse I put on, one of my newest maternity ones... It somehow brought attention to my stomach. People were already starting to talk, and I was holding my breath waiting to hear back about that pilot program. Though I'm sure that people would talk at Carlton, too, at least there Emmett and Daphne could back me up, occasionally.

My phone buzzed on my bed and I quickly turned, picking it up.

One Unread SMS Message From: John

Bay, we need to talk. Call me.

I quickly deleted the message, my heart pounding. It was the first time he had texted me since he had shown up at the house a couple weeks ago. Shortly after, there was a knock on my door, and I shoved my phone in my pocket. Though the message was deleted, I still felt like someone could tell if they so much as glanced at the device.

I got up and opened the door, Emmett grinning at me. 'Ready to go?'

"Yeah. Um, just... Nothing. Yeah, I'm ready." I shut my door behind me and quickly went downstairs before he could question me. I knew that he could tell something was wrong, and I had to figure out something that was true enough he wouldn't suspect anything. Maybe I could share my distress over my pregnancy becoming more obvious. Though no one had asked me the dreaded question, so it couldn't be too horribly bad.

"I'm off to my appointment, Mom," I called out, leaving the house before she could answer. She had reluctantly agreed not to go to every appointment, and I didn't want to chance staying long enough to change her mind. I got into my car, Emmett close behind and getting into the passenger seat. He tried to get my attention, but I ignored him, using driving as an excuse.

I could only avoid it for so long, though, until we were sitting in the waiting room and I had nothing to focus on. He knelt directly in front of me, brow furrowed, so I had no choice but to look at him. 'Tell me what's wrong.'

"Nothing, Emmett. It's nothing."

'Don't try that. It's something. Tell me.'

I bit my lip and sighed, but was saved by the nurse calling my name. I pointed to her and got up, stepping around him to go back. His hand lightly rested on my back as he followed me.

The nurse quickly checked over everything (weight gain, blood pressure, etc.). Natalie was in soon after, this time without the paper gown. "Ooh, I get to keep my pants on this time?" My hands automatically moved, though I looked at my doctor rather than Emmett.

"You get to keep your pants on! Congratulations. Today, I'm just going to check some positioning-no special tools required. You're far enough that I can just feel around. Take some measurements of your belly. And now is when some testing is available. There are a few different tests, though they aren't required. There's a simple blood test, so we can check a few levels, and there's a more complicated test called an amniocentesis. That way we can check for a few birth defects, though there are some risks with the amniocentesis. For example-"

"If there's risks, I don't want it."

She smiled, looking proud, like I had passed some kind of test. "Alright. And the blood test?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Blood test sounds fine."

"Alright. If you could lay back and lift your shirt, please." She turned and started grabbing some supplies, slipping on gloves. I laid back against the pillow, lifting my shirt over my stomach.

She was soon beside me, poking and prodding my stomach, humming to herself. She asked the occasional question as she worked. Things like, "Have you felt any movement?" Or, "How has your appetite been?" My answers seemed to please her, and she picked up a measuring tape, taking a few notes as she went along my belly. She was soon checking my hands and my feet, saying something about swelling, but was satisfied that mine wasn't bad.

She smiled and looked at Emmett, holding up the Doppler. "It's Dad's favorite part."

He smiled widely, taking the offered device, and soon the whooshing sound filled the room again. I smiled and closed my eyes, just taking in the sound. It was easily my favorite sound in the world, and probably always would be.

"Well, it looks like baby is perfectly healthy! We'll get some blood real quick, and you'll be on your way!" She put away the Doppler and handed me a napkin to clean up the goo on my stomach. I cleaned up and sat up, pulling my shirt back on as she left.

Emmett held my hand when she came back with the supplies, carefully taking the blood. It wasn't bad-I hardly felt it-but I appreciated his support, anyway. "Ok, so next appointment is in 4 weeks. You'll be at 20 weeks, and we'll be able to do the ultrasound. Check to make sure growth is alright, and if you're lucky, we might be able to see the gender! Unless you want it to be a surprise, of course. Do you want to know?"

I bit my lip slightly and looked at Emmett. He seemed to be debating as well, before at the same time we both turned to her. "No," I said, at the same time Emmett signed, 'No.' I grinned and nodded. "Ok. We're in agreement. We don't want to know."

"Alright. Surprise gender it is." She wrote something down and smiled. "We're all done today! I'll call you when we get those test results."

"Ok. Thank you, Doctor Olenick."

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Natalie. Have a nice day, you two."

I smiled and left the room, Emmett close behind. He stopped me just outside the building. 'Don't think I forgot.'

I shrugged it off, quickly finding my excuse. "I just get really nervous before appointments. I'm fine, now."

His eyes narrowed, but after a moment he nodded. I'm not sure if he actually believed me, or if he had decided to bide his time. Either way, I was thankful that it was dropped. I made my way back to the car.

...

That night, my phone buzzed again.

One Unread SMS Message From: John

Call me. Now.

I stared at the message for a few minutes before I slowly tapped the screen a few times.

Block this number?

I stared at the screen for a long time, weighing the options. What if he wanted to talk to apologize? What if he had changed his mind?

I rested my hand on my stomach, internally shaking my head. It was highly unlikely that John Kennish would suddenly change his mind on anything, let alone on something like this. Could I really chance that he wouldn't text me at a weak moment? What if I did call him, and I gave in? I liked to believe that I was strong headed, but I knew if just the wrong sequence of events occurred...

No. I had to protect my baby.

Yes.