Disclaimer: I do not own That 70s Show.
The next morning, Jackie stood in front of the mirror with her shirt lifted up turning one way and then the other. The rubbed a hand over her stomach, feeling the soft skin. She sighed, pulling down her top and leaned back still looking at reflection closely.
"Not to say I'm entirely surprised but what are you doing?" Steven asked walking into the bathroom.
"I just wish I had a sign," Jackie whined. As the day before, the only real difference was the slight glow of her skin and the shine in her hair. But that could honestly be from her beauty routine.
Steven jumped into the shower and spoke loudly to compensate for the noise of the water, "Babe, you've been pregnant for, what, a month? I don't know much about having kids but I don't think things start happening yet."
"I can't wait to go to the doctor. Otherwise how the heck do I know there's even anyone in there?" She sighed, picking up her make-up brush.
"Once you gain that baby weight, we'll all know for sure," Steven said. Jackie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped.
"Oh my God, I'm gonna get so fat," she had forgotten that important detail. She tried to imagine herself blown up with a big stomach but couldn't wrap her head around the image. Then she realized Steven wasn't being very helpful and scowled.
As if sensing her annoyance, Steven started damage control, "It's not fat, Jackie. You're gonna have a tiny human growing, you have to make room for the baby." It was quiet and he wondered if he had said the right thing.
"This baby better be a girl, small and petite Burkhardt genes," she threatened.
Steven chose to say nothing instead of making it worse. One step at a time, no use in worrying over things that hadn't happened yet. And he had to make it through alive this morning to head over to the Forman's and help with those lights.
Jackie finished getting ready for work, counting the weeks since her last period trying to think how far along she was, still gazing at her stomach.
One Week Later
She groaned, forehead slick with sweat, clutching the cold porcelain like a lifeline.
"Well, there's your sign," Steven smirked.
"Ugh, shut up Steven." She spat into the toilet bowl, but couldn't get the taste out of her mouth. Her arms and legs shook when she tried to stand making Steven take pity on her. He rushed to her side and lifted her slowly to help prevent a second episode.
"What was it this time?"
"I think it was the cheese," and sure enough at the thought of the macaroni and cheese she felt her stomach turning.
"Woah there, okay think of something else," Steven soothed, and he added cheese to the growing list of items that he could no longer serve at meals.
She whimpered and leaned over the sink, swishing her mouth with water and then grabbing her toothbrush.
"You made it to the toilet this time though, that counts for something," he chuckled. But instead of reacting to his teasing, she weakly brushed her teeth. Tears gathered in her eyes and he noted the bags under her eyes that weren't there two weeks ago.
She cleaned up and he gathered her into his arms, the tears now running down her face, "Hey…"
"I'm just so tired of this!" she cried into his chest. "I feel like I can't even eat anything anymore. I've ruined two skirts this week."
Steven frowned, feeling nervous, "You said that doctor's appointment is this Friday right? Are you sure this is normal?"
Jackie nodded.
"Alright well I'm taking the day off, so I'll be there and we can find out more about all this stuff. I feel like fucking Kelso with how clueless I am."
He felt Jackie's shake of laughter, and he relaxed at the good sign. They stood quietly in the bathroom, both feeling like they were spending more time here lately than anywhere else in the house. The past week had been a rollercoaster ride for the both of them. Jackie had gotten her wish about some sign of her pregnancy and within two days had begun throwing up at the taste or smell of certain foods. She'd been avoiding Fez like the plague when she unfortunately learned that his cologne meant a reappearance of her last meal. She missed a very important part of a meeting at work because someone had eaten onion at lunch.
That was all without mentioning her shifting moods. Steven had been watching the news a couple of nights before and had to change the channel when Jackie had burst into tears about "all the evil people in the world" and that her baby would have to experience it all. She had started one of their worst arguments since moving in because he had forgotten to clean up the kitchen table after he had worked on some papers. To say the least, they were both experiencing the pains of pregnancy.
"Alright well we can't stand around here all day. The smell's terrible," she tensed at his words and slapped his arm.
"Jerk."
"C'mon I'll make you some tea and a PB and J."
She perked up and followed him out, forgetting all about the nausea. She couldn't help but think how happy she would be after Friday once she could finally tell Mrs. Forman about the baby. Then she would have someone to talk to about all this and get some advice.
Red sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee using the newspaper to hide as he rolled his eyes for the hundredth time this morning. Kitty was cleaning the kitchen for the second time this morning and Red was sure she was going to scrub the paint off the cabinets. Ever since their dumbass of a son had come around with talk about moving back but not with them Kitty had been on a rampage. Which meant bad news for Red since the source of this problem wasn't around to bear the brunt.
Red knew this wouldn't go down well from the moment the words left his son's lips. But he hadn't expected the disagreement to go on this long. Either Eric would cave and agree to move back in, Eric would finally marry Donna, or Kitty would get distracted by Christmas and give it a rest until after New Years'. But they had reached a stalemate.
Kitty repeated her favorite line, "I don't know what I did to have a son who loves me so little! Where did I go wrong?" she gestured wildly, waving a sponge, "You know, I bet it's because I let him go to away camp that one summer!"
"Kitty. Eric's an idiot. He was born an idiot by no one's fault but his own. Idiots don't know how to love. Just look at how Donna has to hold the boy's hand through everything."
She frowned at her husband disapprovingly.
Red put the paper down, seeing there was no escape from this conversation. He said, "What do you want me to say Kitty? The boy is an idiot, he's going to make decisions like an idiot. There's no use in trying to stop him. The more we fight this, the more he's going to want to have it his way. It's best just to act like we don't care and then the dumbasses will both see what mistake they're making.
"But how can you just stand by and let out little boy move out with- with a harlot!" she said scandalized, "Having him under our roof will help protect him!"
Red couldn't help rolling his eyes, "It's Donna, Kitty, not a woman he picked up on the street. Also, you and I both know that boy is the pervert of the relationship. We're just lucky Bob is too spineless to have done anything to him or me about it."
Kitty said, "You've never cared anyways. You've been trying to kick out Eric since he was 13 and you started leaving real estate listings in his room!"
Red scoffed, "I was joking! Father and son stuff!"
"Red Forman, you won't be laughing if you tell that boy he isn't welcome back home, I'll tell you that!" Kitty yelled, wagging a finger and then left the kitchen in a rush.
He shook his head, raising the paper, "Dumbass."
Friday Morning
The kitchen was warm from the heat of cooking. Steven had home potatoes browning and was scrambling eggs. He was learning the simpler the better when it came to Jackie's stomach. Plain eggs were the only breakfast she could keep down and the potatoes had been a recent discovery after realizing no meat would cut it. She also couldn't stand the smell of coffee which meant they were a tea and orange juice only household now.
Currently, she was showering after her morning face-meet-toilet ritual and he hoped her stomach would settle. He'd never had to take care of someone when they were sick before Jackie and while the occasional colds were practice, having her be so consistently sick with no way of helping made him feel on edge. He wished he could just take it all away.
"Smells good!" Jackie said entering the kitchen, dressed for the day and smiling. A good shower always helped her bounce back.
Steven plated the food, bringing it to her at the table, "What time do we gotta be there?"
"Eleven," she said pouring a glass of OJ. He glanced at his watch, an hour and a half. They'd probably leave after breakfast just to be safe.
"I can't wait until this passes. I miss being able to eat without being scared of throwing up," she said as she ate a forkful of potatoes.
"I'm right there with you. I miss coffee," he said holding his tea, "And meat."
"You have nothing to complain about. You can talk when you're the one growing a human being."
"I also miss the days when you didn't have a mood swing every five minutes."
"You probably won't miss it as much as you'll miss having sex," she smiled sarcastically.
Steven raised his mug in a toast, recognizing a good burn when he heard one.
They arrived at the doctors with half an hour to spare which turned out to be a good thing seeing as it was basically a maze of hallways and nurses that all looked the same.
"Finally! I swear, it's so hard to find good help these days!" Jackie huffed. They approached the information desk, Steven hanging back knowing it was best to let Jackie deal with these things. They had avoided a fight today, and he was hoping to keep that streak alive.
The nurse at the information desk looked unimpressed by Jackie's entrance, her eyes barely glancing up before returning to whatever she was working on behind the counter. The waiting room was full of women, some with children, some with their partners, and others alone. It was obvious some were pregnant as they read magazines above their round stomachs while others, like Jackie, barely showed at all. You could see the difference between experienced mothers and those who's this was their first time. Mothers with children at their feet or running around calmly read their magazines or dozed as they waited to be called. Others fidgeted in their seats, obviously uncomfortable or nervous, readjusting themselves in their seats.
"Hi, Jackie Burkhardt, I have an appointment for eleven with Dr. Peters," Jackie said clearly and confidently.
"Uh-huh…one moment," came the bored reply. The nurse continued her mysterious work, not seeming to rush in any way. Jackie took the moment to take a look around the waiting room, her eyes scanning the other families. She turned back to see that the nurse was still taking her time. She cleared her throat to try and get her attention.
Nothing.
"Ahem, excuse me," Jackie said more forcefully.
The nurse closed the file and looked up, "Alright. Take this and fill it up to the line indicated. Restrooms are up the hall to your right. Return it here and the doctor will see you in a moment."
Jackie raised an eyebrow at the attitude, "Sure since you asked so nicely." Steven laughed softly, thinking the nurse was lucky that his girlfriend was in a good mood.
"I'll wait here," was all he said and he went over to an empty chair in the waiting area while Jackie walked towards where the bathrooms were. He grabbed a magazine, thinking they were lucky to have taken the rest of the day off because if that nurse was anything to go by they would be here a while.
It turned out, the rest of the staff were a lot more punctual because it wasn't long after Jackie had dropped off the sample that they were called in. After the usual weighing, blood pressure check, and questions by a nurse, they found themselves in a cold room, the tissue paper rustling under Jackie.
They had been told by the nurse that the doctor would be in to see her soon, that had been ten minutes ago. The tissue paper crinkled again as Jackie fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Steven silently watched her not sure what was up this time and considering his next move. But the noise was beginning to grate on his nerves so he spoke up.
"What is it?"
"Huh?" Jackie froze obviously unaware of what she was doing.
Steven crossed his arms, "I haven't seen you this nervous since you lied to me about trying to redecorate the kitchen behind my back."
She grinned at the memory, she had been so close to succeeding. Talking was helping and her body had relaxed. "I'm just…I don't know what to expect."
Before Steven could answer, the door opened and the doctor entered smiling, "Hello there! I see here Ms. Burkhardt that you came to take a pregnancy test." He looked down at his clipboard and then back at them, smiling. "I'm Dr. Peters, and may I ask who you brought along with you?"
Jackie had gone back to fidgeting, "Oh! This is my boyfriend, Steven." Steven gave a small smile and head nod.
"Ah! The father-to-be!" Dr. Peters grinned.
Both Jackie's and Steven's eyebrows raised and they gaped at the doctor. Then they looked at each other. Steven found his voice before Jackie.
"Wait so uh…I mean, so she is pregnant?" Jackie gripped the table under her tightly.
Dr. Peters raised the clipboard slightly, "Yes, according to the test you are pregnant. Congratulations! I guess that would've been the better way to start." He chuckled. But when the couple didn't say anything his smile faded. "Did you two need a moment?"
The question snapped Jackie to life, "No, no, I think we're fine," she looked at Steven who nodded slowly, "We're just…we had wondered if the test I took was right."
"Those are usually correct. You're more likely to get a false negative, I find," Dr. Peters said kindly, "I have to ask then, if you were planning on seeing the pregnancy through?" He asked this solely to Jackie.
"Yes," there was no hesitation in her answer and Steven relaxed, not even knowing he had tensed at the question.
The doctor smiled fully again and clapped his hands, "Okay! Onward then."
His upbeat and kind personality made Jackie feel better and eased the worries she had been building for the past week. Well at least a little.
"According to the information you provided, we can make a guess at a due date of the fifth of August, next summer. I want to emphasize that it is a guess, a well-calculated guess based on your last menstrual cycle and potential conception dates, but a guess nonetheless. The baby could come a little earlier or later, so I wouldn't plan too officially around the date."
She nodded. Jackie's heart was pounding and her heart fluttering. Having a date made it much more real, way more than the nausea she'd had. She turned to look at Steven and noticed he looked a little pale, she suppressed a laugh.
"Okay, right," she said steadily.
The doctor continued, unaffected by their nervousness, Steven was sure he saw this every day.
"Right now, you're likely six weeks along or so. Common symptoms that you might be experiencing already are breast tenderness, nausea, sensitivity to smell and taste," Jackie nodded vigorously, "fatigue, headaches, and mood swings." That sounded terrible, Jackie thought.
Steven asked, "So throwing up is normal? Even more than one day?"
"Yes, that's normal for pregnancy in the first trimester, but it usually stops as you enter the second. Of course, that's not to say that you shouldn't be careful. You are still losing nutrients so be sure to drink water and find the foods you can stomach so you can eat the necessary calories. Also, it might seem easiest to eat what you crave but a healthy balanced diet is key, not just ice cream or burgers."
"Alright," Jackie agreed again, that wouldn't be hard since she was always watching what she ate. She thought of a question she had been waiting to ask.
"What about my stomach, laying on it or hugging or stuff like that?" she felt a little stupid asking but she had been paranoid of rolling over in her sleep far too long.
The doctor gladly didn't laugh at her, "That's all fine. Just nothing that hits your stomach or applies hard, abrupt pressure."
He continued, "Also, I'm sure you're excited to share the new with family. I would advise only telling those close to you like parents or siblings. It's still early, and while there's nothing specifically worrying about your pregnancy, the likelihood of miscarriage is high at this stage."
"When is the risk lower?" Jackie asked worried.
"After 12 weeks, we can be more confident that the baby will be okay."
Steven didn't really want to know but he had to, "What can cause miscarriage?"
"There are some more obvious causes such as physical trauma to the baby, drug or alcohol consumption, stress. But there are also cases in which is cannot be prevented, natural causes in which the fetus does not make it. You are young, however, and you have no medical history that makes me worry so I wouldn't be too concerned over it."
That didn't really help Steven feel better, knowing that there could be the possibility that no matter what they did the baby could be hurt. He tried to not let his worry show.
The rest of the appointment was as informative and the doctor told Jackie how to start taking care of herself and prescribed prenatal vitamins. She noted that Steven stayed quiet the rest of the time and she wondered what he was thinking. Hopefully, on the way home he'd be in a more talkative mood so she could get it out of him.
A/N: Let me know what you think! Thank you for the kind reviews on the last chapter!
