Disclaimer: See the first installment.
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They sat in the waiting room silently, Buffy having already filled out the necessary forms and putting them in Dr. Russell's box. Tara had agreed to stay with her in the room while the lab work was done on her blood to check for the baby. A baby. She'd been saying and thinking 'pregnant' until now. It made it seem so much less personal. But if she thought about it not as a pregnancy, but a baby . . . she could abort a pregnancy. But could she abort a baby? Of course, she'd never really even considered getting rid of it. Sure, it would be very hard on her job as the Slayer to be pregnant, and then to have to take care of a baby, and it would make money just that much tighter . . . but she'd never contemplated getting rid of it. It was hers. Hers . . . and Spike's.
That was if she was even pregnant, which she didn't even know yet. She was only going off one little applicator that very easily could be wrong. Of course, she'd thought about it, and even as sporadic as her menstrual cycles had been lately, she was most definitely late in having her period.
When the doctor came back with the results of the lab tests, he asked if she'd taken a self-pregnancy test. Buffy nodded and explained that she wanted to be absolutely certain she was pregnant, and to talk to a physician if she was indeed expecting. He lifted her shirt and felt her stomach, nodding at the tautness of her abdomen. When he was done, he sat on his little chair and wrote a few things down in her chart. "Do you remember the last time you had your period?" he asked, somehow still sounding very sweet and fatherly, despite the questions.
Buffy shrugged a little as she adjusted her shirt. "I'm not entirely sure, a little over a month ago I think, but it's been a little unstable lately. I hadn't even wondered about it until today."
He nodded amiably. "And that's when you thought you might be pregnant?"
"Well, that's what brought me to that conclusion." When he glanced up at that, she explained. "See, I've been more tired than normal lately, and I've been . . . irritable. The other day, I was putting my dishes in the sink, and I fell asleep on my feet. I scared my housemate because I dropped my plate. I was trying to figure out what could be making me tired and moody, and . . . I all of a sudden realized that I hadn't had my period in well over a month."
He nodded again, writing in her chart. "Well, you were right. I'd say, by the increase in breast mass and hardness of your abdomen, you're just about a month along, perhaps a little more." He paused, then asked, "Were you using any kind of protection? I know you have a prescription for Orthotricyclen . . ."
Buffy shook her head. "No, um, last summer . . . I stopped taking it. I hadn't . . . my boyfriend left, and I wasn't //with// anyone until about two or three months ago, and then, it was kind of . . . spontaneous." She watched as he nodded again.
"Well, you've always been in incredible physical shape, very healthy, so I won't put you on a specific diet - just don't eat too much junk food, because you really are eating for two now. Baby won't like harsh foods with bite, so I would go easy on the tacos and pizzas, caffeine and things like that. Also, are you taking any over-the-counter drugs?" Buffy shook her head mutely. "Alright, just check with your pharmacist if you do take anything, or give me a call, to make sure it won't be harmful to the baby. Also, aren't you a fairly active, physical person?"
Buffy shook herself from her thoughts. "Um, yes, very physical, active." The doctor nodded. "Well, I think it will be alright for the next month or so, but when you get farther along, you should probably lighten the load a little, just take it easy. That's really the best advice I can give you: take it easy."
Buffy nodded, mustering a smile when the doctor stood, shaking his hand.
She and Tara left shortly thereafter, getting in the car and driving to the Magic Box in silence.
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Note: Okay, the name of this chapter, "The Rabbit Died" is from a euphemism for a woman being pregnant. I was talking to my mom about how the doctors test for pregnancy, and she said that before modern medicine, they tested for pregnancy by injecting a (female?) rabbit with the woman's blood, and if the rabbit died, the woman was pregnant. I couldn't resist using that for the name of this chapter. It seemed rather appropriate, somehow.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They sat in the waiting room silently, Buffy having already filled out the necessary forms and putting them in Dr. Russell's box. Tara had agreed to stay with her in the room while the lab work was done on her blood to check for the baby. A baby. She'd been saying and thinking 'pregnant' until now. It made it seem so much less personal. But if she thought about it not as a pregnancy, but a baby . . . she could abort a pregnancy. But could she abort a baby? Of course, she'd never really even considered getting rid of it. Sure, it would be very hard on her job as the Slayer to be pregnant, and then to have to take care of a baby, and it would make money just that much tighter . . . but she'd never contemplated getting rid of it. It was hers. Hers . . . and Spike's.
That was if she was even pregnant, which she didn't even know yet. She was only going off one little applicator that very easily could be wrong. Of course, she'd thought about it, and even as sporadic as her menstrual cycles had been lately, she was most definitely late in having her period.
When the doctor came back with the results of the lab tests, he asked if she'd taken a self-pregnancy test. Buffy nodded and explained that she wanted to be absolutely certain she was pregnant, and to talk to a physician if she was indeed expecting. He lifted her shirt and felt her stomach, nodding at the tautness of her abdomen. When he was done, he sat on his little chair and wrote a few things down in her chart. "Do you remember the last time you had your period?" he asked, somehow still sounding very sweet and fatherly, despite the questions.
Buffy shrugged a little as she adjusted her shirt. "I'm not entirely sure, a little over a month ago I think, but it's been a little unstable lately. I hadn't even wondered about it until today."
He nodded amiably. "And that's when you thought you might be pregnant?"
"Well, that's what brought me to that conclusion." When he glanced up at that, she explained. "See, I've been more tired than normal lately, and I've been . . . irritable. The other day, I was putting my dishes in the sink, and I fell asleep on my feet. I scared my housemate because I dropped my plate. I was trying to figure out what could be making me tired and moody, and . . . I all of a sudden realized that I hadn't had my period in well over a month."
He nodded again, writing in her chart. "Well, you were right. I'd say, by the increase in breast mass and hardness of your abdomen, you're just about a month along, perhaps a little more." He paused, then asked, "Were you using any kind of protection? I know you have a prescription for Orthotricyclen . . ."
Buffy shook her head. "No, um, last summer . . . I stopped taking it. I hadn't . . . my boyfriend left, and I wasn't //with// anyone until about two or three months ago, and then, it was kind of . . . spontaneous." She watched as he nodded again.
"Well, you've always been in incredible physical shape, very healthy, so I won't put you on a specific diet - just don't eat too much junk food, because you really are eating for two now. Baby won't like harsh foods with bite, so I would go easy on the tacos and pizzas, caffeine and things like that. Also, are you taking any over-the-counter drugs?" Buffy shook her head mutely. "Alright, just check with your pharmacist if you do take anything, or give me a call, to make sure it won't be harmful to the baby. Also, aren't you a fairly active, physical person?"
Buffy shook herself from her thoughts. "Um, yes, very physical, active." The doctor nodded. "Well, I think it will be alright for the next month or so, but when you get farther along, you should probably lighten the load a little, just take it easy. That's really the best advice I can give you: take it easy."
Buffy nodded, mustering a smile when the doctor stood, shaking his hand.
She and Tara left shortly thereafter, getting in the car and driving to the Magic Box in silence.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: Okay, the name of this chapter, "The Rabbit Died" is from a euphemism for a woman being pregnant. I was talking to my mom about how the doctors test for pregnancy, and she said that before modern medicine, they tested for pregnancy by injecting a (female?) rabbit with the woman's blood, and if the rabbit died, the woman was pregnant. I couldn't resist using that for the name of this chapter. It seemed rather appropriate, somehow.