Hello! It feels so good to be updating. School and work have been kicking my behind. I've also had some medical issues that I've had to deal with, so sorry for the wait. I've been working on this chapter slowly and finally finished it today. Yay! As promised, this is the first doctor's appointment. Baby Rogers will be making a brief appearance. THANKS to everyone who's followed/favorited/reviewed. And thanks to you all for reading!
On we go...
Disclaimer: Marvel is not mine.
The Violinist
Chapter 6
The smell of Old Spice and laundry detergent greeted Max as she slowly woke up in the morning. She ran a hand through her hair and rolled onto her back making sure to shield her eyes from the sunlight streaming into the room. The faintest smell of bacon frying in the other room made dragging herself out of bed a little less unbearable. Her body felt heavy with exhaustion still, but at least she succeeded in sleeping for a few hours. She couldn't believe sleeping in Steve's bed helped. It made her feel giddy and unnerved at the same time.
The sound of Steve whistling fell on her ears as she walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled the closer she got to the smell of the food. Max figured it was just because she hadn't eaten since the dinner the day before.
He smiled at her as she entered and said, "Breakfast is almost ready. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded and kept her eyes on the floor. The overwhelming smell of bacon was making her more and more nauseous the longer she stood there. Usually breathing through her nose was what calmed her sickly feeling, but it wasn't doing the trick at the moment.
Steve turned with a plate full of food for her just as Max bolted to the bathroom. The sound of a plate clattering to the floor echoed throughout the apartment as she ran. It was a close call but she managed to make it to the toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach into it. She could sense Steve hovering by the door as she stayed hunched in case her stomach acted up again.
"Please don't stand there and stare," she pleaded. Max took a few deep breaths to try and feel more normal. "I feel disgusting. I would rather you not see me like this."
"Ok…Ugh…do you need anything?"
She rose slowly from where she was crouched by the toilet. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor as she spoke, "I think I'm just going to shower before the appointment. I'm fine now."
He gave a curt nod and closed the bathroom door. Left alone with her own thoughts and feeling completely embarrassed, Max quickly turned on the shower to cover the sound of her crying. The hot water beating against her skin forced her to relax. The nausea receded, which Max was grateful for.
She hated the fact that Steve had seen her so vulnerable and weak as she got sick. It made her think back to when her mom had been sick and how she would spend most of her day in the bathroom hugging the toilet. At first her mother had tried to hide just how bad her illness was, but eventually she had no other choice but to ask for help. Max never liked having to ask people for help. Strangers always assumed that, because she had been orphaned so young, that she needed a helping hand to make it through life. If anything, the death of her parents had made her stronger. She didn't need charity. Hell, she didn't even like when Fury offered to help out.
"Max! We should probably leave soon so we're not late!" Steve shouted through the door.
Instead of responding, she simply turned off the water to let him know she had heard. With a towel wrapped around her, Max sneaked to her room and got dressed. A few minutes later she emerged ready to go.
Steve sat on the couch flipping through the channels on the TV. Her eyes fell to the floor still embarrassed about what happened at breakfast.
"All set?" he asked.
Max nodded and headed to the door. They jumped into the truck and took off towards S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters.
The inside of the Triskelion was alive with agents buzzing around like bees in a beehive. Max knew most of them—it was part of her job as Fury's PA. Some smiled or nodded when she walked by, some gave a friendly "hello", and the entire time she was freaking out.
Oh god, what if they all know? She wondered. I'll be pegged as the bimbo that wormed her way into the Super Soldier's bed…and then trapped him with a baby. I'll lose all the respect I've built up with everyone. I could lose my job. Fury wouldn't want this causing unwanted trouble…
The ding of the elevator arriving interrupted her train of thought. She followed Steve inside. Neither of them said a word.
The receptionist greeted them when they stepped out of the elevator. "Dr. Schaffer is expecting you."
She guided them to an exam room and told them the doctor would be along soon. Steve instantly looked uncomfortable as he stood in the corner of the room. If Max had known him a little better she would have laughed at him.
Dr. Schaffer wandered in a minute or so later and immediately demanded a urine sample. Not even a greeting, just straight to business. When she returned after giving her sample, Max found Steve standing in the same corner.
"Ms. Stirling, if you would please take a seat on the table we can begin." She did as she was asked and climbed up on the table, the paper crinkling under her. "Alright, S.H.E.I.L.D. has your medical history on file so we can skip all those questions, especially since you were in here for a physical two days ago."
The doctor glanced down at her tablet with all of Max's information on it. Max shifted nervously and peeked over at Steve. He stood with his arms folded across his chest and his skin looked a little paler than normal. His eyes caught hers and he gave her a heart-melting, lopsided smile.
"According to when you had your last menstrual cycle you're a few days short of being seven weeks. You're due date will be around the end of August or beginning of September. That means we can do an ultrasound and listen to the baby's heartbeat since you're a little farther along than anticipated. I'm going to need a blood sample, too, before—."
"Wait…you said seven weeks? But we slept together right before he left. That was only five weeks ago," Max said, confused.
"The due date isn't based on the day on conception. It goes off of a woman's last cycle. Pregnancy is actually nine and a half months but doctors calculate it as ten months because they add on those two weeks before conception," Dr. Schaffer explained. "And of course the ten months comes from the lunar cycle, which is what a woman's body follows during her menstrual cycles."
She got up and left the room leaving Max and Steve alone to process the newly discovered information. It wasn't too long, though, before the doctor returned with a ultrasound machine in tow.
"It's probably too soon to see anything with the abdominal ultrasound so I'll have to use the vaginal wand. You'll need to undress from the waist down," she informed Max and pulled out a paper cover to lay over herself after she undressed. Dr. Schaffer looked over at Steve. "You're welcome to stay in here or wait outside with me."
Max watched, trying to hold in her laughter, as Steve rushed out of the room ahead of the doctor. She stripped out of her jeans and underwear quickly before sitting back on the table and placing the cover over her naked lower half.
Steve could catch a glimpse of my…Oh lord, I'm not up for this, she thought as she laid back and got comfortable. He's already seen you naked, though. You just don't remember it, stupid. Is that supposed to make me feel better? It doesn't.
A knock on the door let her know they were coming back in. The doctor pulled a stool in front of Max's legs while Steve went back to hovering in the corner.
"Your file says you've had a vaginal ultrasound before, correct?"
Max nodded. "I got one two years ago to check for ovarian cancer. My mom died from it and I wanted to make sure I was clean."
"Then you have no need to be nervous." She turned and grabbed the wand. "The gel I'm using is sterile so it has to be kept cold. Scoot your butt to the edge of the table and place your feet in the stirrups."
Max got into position for the procedure to start. She didn't look at Steve, almost wanting to forget the fact that the sexy superhero was only a few feet away. Words could not describe how awkward everything was about to get.
Dr. Schaffer threw back the paper cover so she could have a clear view and Max turned her head to the side, closing her eyes, not wanting to watch. She stared at Steve's shoes and waited for the wand to be inserted.
"Alright, here we go. Let me know if you feel any discomfort."
She didn't even have the chance to gasp at the coldness before she felt the wand push inside her. Her eyes flew open in surprise and she looked up at Steve. His skin was white as a sheet and his eyes, which were glued to where Dr. Schaffer was working, were practically bugging out of their sockets. He must have felt her watching him because his blue eyes found hers, a weak smile gracing his lips.
"Okay," the doctor spoke up. The monitor was spun around so they could have a better view of it. "This little bubble here is your baby. Looks like it's the right size for being seven weeks along. Would you like to try and hear the heartbeat?"
Steve remained silent so Max stepped up and told her they would. There was some jostling around and pushing of buttons before the room was filled with the most beautiful sounding rhythm. It was amazing how a tiny little bubble that was the product of a drunken one-night stand could evoke such heart-wrenching emotions. Tears openly flowed down Max's cheeks and she couldn't help but smile. Everything had just become even more real about their situation. They were really, truly having a baby.
"Heartbeat's strong. Everything seems to be in order," Dr. Schaffer announced and started cleaning up.
Steve and the doctor left the room so Max could get dressed. She emerged from the room and was guided to a different room where her blood was taken. Just as they were about to leave, they were stopped by Dr. Schaffer.
"I was ordered to send all of my results to Director Fury. He also told me that he would like to meet with you before you head home. Oh! And here are your sonogram pictures."
"I'm glad to see that everything is good with the baby," Fury said as they entered his office.
"Why did you want to see us?" Max asked sounding slightly annoyed.
"I wanted to discuss a few things with you two," he answered. His eyes narrowed as he scanned her from head to toe. "Why are you so cranky?"
She moved closer to Fury and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "I didn't sleep very well last night. And I had kind of a rough morning. I'd like to go home and take a nap."
Her stepfather turned his focus to Steve. "I trust that you're taking care of her, Captain Rogers?"
"Yes, sir. Being in a new environment, living with someone you barely know, and not getting enough sleep is probably the reason for her crankiness," he retorted, a snarky edge to his words making Fury glare at him.
"As I've said before, I am not the one who put you in that situation. You two are the ones responsible for your new living arrangement."
"Can we please just get to whatever you called us here for," Max begged.
"Right. Well, I've made a few decisions based on our new predicament," he began. "Cap, as of today you will only be assigned missions that can be handled within a day or two. Only in cases of emergency will you be called in for anything longer than that. I want you around as much as possible; an absent father is no father at all. Maxi, I found someone that can shadow you when you're here and help with your workload. The farther along in the pregnancy, the more your duties will fall to your shadow. By your eighth month I don't want you working at all."
"What?! So I'm just supposed to slowly transform into a stay-at-home mom? I'll go insane!" Max screeched.
"Better at home and safe than here and in possible danger," Fury defended.
"Yeah, we'll see about that," she whispered under her breath.
"Is that all?" Steve asked.
Fury nodded. "For now. Go home and rest. I want both of you ready to go tomorrow."
Before they left Max pulled out the sonogram pictures she had folded in her pocket. She tore off the bottom one and laid it on Fury's desk. "This one's for you, grandpa."
The look he shot her would have made any person freeze and rethink their actions, but not her. She smiled and spun around to leave. Steve followed closely behind chuckling softly as he went.
So that, lovelies, is chapter 6. I hope you all enjoyed. I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I would go through and check but I have a mountain of homework that I need to tackle. Let me know what you think! Until next time -KAITi
