Friday morning was the earliest appointment at the OBGYN, and Peter couldn't wait. Megan was driving herself crazy with worry and he had no idea how to help her. Luckily nothing pressing was waiting for them at work this morning, mostly just waiting on lab results, so when they said they were taking the morning off for "a breakfast at Lacey's school" nobody even gave them a second look.
Megan had insisted, several times, that Peter didn't need to go to this appointment, that there wouldn't be much to see. Peter had insisted, several times, that he wanted to go anyways. He wanted to be involved as much as possible, and secretly he wanted to be there for her in case they got the news that she was so worried about.
So there they sat in the waiting room, surrounded by women of varying stages of pregnancy as well as some cradling tiny swaddled bundles. They sat next to each other on the back wall as Peter mindlessly flipped through a magazine. He glanced sideways at Megan and saw her rubbing her hands like she did when they were numb. He sat his magazine down and picked her hands up in his.
"Are they bothering you?" he questioned as he rubbed them gently. She shook her head.
"No. I'm just nervous, I guess. It's ridiculous, I know." It was his turn to shake his head.
"It's not ridiculous, Megan," he assured as he wrapped one arm around her. To his surprise, Megan let her head fall to his shoulder, letting out a sigh.
They sat that way for several minutes, until someone appeared at the door and called Megan's name. She instantly sat up straight, grabbing her bag and then standing and walking to the door, Peter on her heels. They were taken to a room where Megan was weighed and her vitals taken. The assistant assured that the forms Megan had filled out ahead of time were completed and then flashed them a smile. "The doctor will be right in."
Megan remained uncharacteristically quiet, so the pair sat in silence until there was a knock at the door followed by the entrance of Megan's doctor. Dr. Patricia Evans looked to be in her early fifties with long black hair speckled with silver. She had been Megan's OBGYN since before Lacey was born, and if Megan trusted her than he did, too. The older woman quickly embraced Megan in a hug.
"Megan Hunt. I hear that we have a little surprise on the way!" Megan huffed out a laugh and nodded. Dr. Evans then turned her attention to him. "And who is this?" she questioned as she reached out and shook his hand.
"That's my boyfriend, Peter," Megan answered, causing Peter to grin.
"Well, then. I read over the paperwork you filled out, Megan, and as I'm sure you know your last menstrual period would put you at 7 weeks today, with a due date of June 25th. We'll confirm that with ultrasound, of course. I'm also going to try to locate that pesky IUD." She gestured for Megan to lay back on the bed, and she did so while pulling her shirt up. Peter stood and made his way to her side, grabbing her hand and giving a gentle squeeze. Dr. Evans picked up the ultrasound probe and put a blob of gel on the end. "This might be a little cold," she warned before placing the probe down on Megan's stomach.
It took a minute or so for the doctor to find the view that she wanted, and Peter found it hard to understand how anyone could make anything out of the black and white fuzz. Finally she held the probe still and centered on the screen was a black circle with what looked like a white bean floating in it. Dr. Evans gestured towards the screen. "There's your baby. It's definitely in the uterus," she confirmed, and he could feel Megan relax slightly. He watched as the doctor fiddled with the buttons and then informed them that the "crown-rump length" validated her due date. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it seemed like a positive thing.
Suddenly a rhythmic whooshing filled the room. Peter instinctively looked to Megan, and she smiled. "That's the heartbeat," she informed him, and he watched as a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. He brushed it away and leant down and kissed her. They listened for a couple more minutes before the ultrasound was moved again.
"Well, there's your IUD. It's out of place, down in your cervix. The recommendation is to remove it ASAP if it's able to be retrieved. The increased risk of miscarriage is minimal and there is evidence of infection and premature rupture of membranes later on in the pregnancy if it is left in place." Dr. Evans removed the ultrasound probe and wiped the gel off of Megan's stomach.
"Do it," Megan confirmed.
The older doctor smiled. "Ok, I'll step out while you undress."
Megan insisted again that Peter could leave, but he shook his head. He warily eyed the equipment they laid on the table, then turned his attention back to Megan, allowing her to squeeze his hand through the discomfort.
The removal was quick and the pair were quickly on their way with a prescription for Zofran that would hopefully ease Megan's nausea. Peter held an ultrasound print out that Dr. Evans had given them.
"So everything Dr. Evans told you was positive, right?" Peter questioned as he opened the car door and allowed Megan to get in. He rounded the front and sat in the driver's seat.
"Yeah, so far so good," Megan confirmed.
"Good."
Later that evening Megan settled back on the couch and accepted a glass of ginger ale from Peter, taking a small sip.
"So," he started as he sat next to her, "the meds didn't help." He reached out to touch her hair and she sighed.
"I think it might have just hit me too fast and I didn't take it in time," Megan replied as she sipped again, grimacing slightly.
"Were you this sick with Lacey?"
Laying her head back on the couch she nodded, then chuckled. "I'm pretty sure the nurses started taking bets on how many times I would have to leave a case." Peter leaned back so their shoulders were touching. "Speaking of Lacey, she's too observant to hide this from. We're going to have to tell her on Sunday when she gets back from Todd's."
Peter nodded his agreement.