Mikal's nausea seems to have subsided, at least enough for her to focus on a magazine that she'd picked up from one of the tables nearby.
I, on the other hand, had found myself partly focused on what was happening on the TV screen and partly immersed in my own thoughts. Thoughts about what Mikal had just said, thoughts about how she still needs to forget about what happened, thoughts about how I can't and don't even really want to put it behind me, thoughts about the baby...which are mostly positive, but thoughts, regardless.
So immersed, that I almost don't hear the nurse that calls Mikal's name from the little doorway between the waiting room and the hallway leading to each exam room.
Mikal notices this and taps me gently on the shoulder.
I jump, slightly. "Huh? What?"
Mikal's standing over me. "That's us, come on"
Now I'm the embarrassed one, if only slightly. "Oh, right" I chuckle, nervously, and stand up from my seat.
The nurse smiles as we approach and start following her. She appears to briefly look me over.
"He's your boyfriend?" she asks, and then whispers something that sounds like, "he's cute."
"Yeah, I like him." Mikal smiles back at me, as if confirming.
The nurse has Mikal step on a scale, jotting down her weight, and then directs us into the second room.
I take the seat next to the table that Mikal climbs on to sit while the nurse asks her some routine questions and takes her vitals, jotting down the info as she goes.
"Alright..." she says, looking over her charts. "You just hang tight for a bit, and the doctor will be in shortly" she gives us a smile as she leaves.
"Thank you." Mikal responds.
"Nervous?" I ask, noting the way Mikal shifts around on the table, seeming slightly uncomfortable.
She nods, biting her lip. "Yeah...a little. You?"
I shrug. "I'm okay."
She chuckles a little, taking my hand. "Good...I'm really happy you're here."
I smile back at her, gripping her hand slightly. "Where else would I be?"
She shrugs, still smiling. "I don't know...still, though. I really am."
I bring her hand close, to kiss it. "Me too."
This gets an even wider grin from her.
After another 15 minutes or so, the door opens and a blonde woman walks in and introduces herself.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting, I'm Dr. Speilman." She shakes each of our hands.
"Not to be confused with Spielberg, right?" I joke. Mikal kicks me, playfully, with her foot.
"This is my boyfriend, Zia." she sighs.
Dr. Spielman chuckles. "Nice to meet you."
She takes a look at the chart she's holding.
"So, Mikal...I hope I'm saying that right."
"You are."
Dr. Spielman nods. "Any nausea?"
"I think your answer's in your waiting room trash bin." I tease.
Mikal tries to hold back a smile as she picks up the small pillow on the table and gestures like she's gonna hit me with it.
She puts it back down when I put my hands up in surrender and turns her attention back to the Dr. "yeah, a little."
"Well, that's normal for the first few months." she says, sympathetically, as she jots down on her chart.
"Alright..." she sets down her chart and picks something out of a drawer. "..can you lay back on the table for me and lift your shirt up about halfway?"
Mikal nods, doing as directed and taking my hand after she does so.
"This might be a little cold." she warns, squeezing some gel onto Mikal's bare stomach before she starts moving the ultrasound wand over it.
Mikal's smile's more contagious than ever as our baby...God, I'm still not used to saying that yet...makes itself visible on the fuzzy screen.
"There's your baby, about 8 weeks along, I'd say." Dr Speilman smiles, warmly, at us. "Would you like to hear the heartbeat?"
"You can hear it that early?" I ask.
"Definitely"
"Yes"Mikal and I say, almost in unison.
Dr. Spielman nods and a sudden and rapid whoosh, whoosh, whoosh sound fills the room.
"That's amazing" Mikal says.
She gives us a few more minutes to listen to it before shutting it off and telling Mikal she can wipe up and put her shirt back down.
"You guys have any questions?" she asks, standing back up.
Mikal looks to me. "Unless you have any..."
I shrug, still in awe of the situation and how Mikal seemed to light up even more after actually seeing it.
"We'll call you if we think of anything." Mikal answers.
"Alright then, I'll get your print outs for you and see you in a few weeks.
"Thank you."
I place my arm around Mikal, holding her close, as we grab the sonogram printouts and walk out.
