"Well, I guess I should call Stan."
"Are you ok Karen? You look a little pale."
"Yeah, I'm ok Grace, I'm just really shocked. I don't think I really expected to get pregnant."
"Karen, I couldn't be happier for you, go home and tell your husband he's going to be a father. Go on, get out of here."
"I'm going to have to tell him over the phone, he's out of town for the next two weeks. Grace maybe I should wait before I say anything, I mean it's so early. I could have a miscarriage it's too early to say anything just yet."
"Karen, you should make an appointment with an obstetrician. See if you can get an appointment right away so you can put your mind at ease. I'll come with you if you want."
I managed to get an appointment that afternoon all my screaming and cursing did the trick.
"Good lord Grace stop biting your nails you're making me nervous."
"Sorry I can help it Karen, all these pregnant women are creeping me out!"
"Yeah well you better get used to it. Honey, are you going to come with me when they call me in? I'm getting a little freaked out myself. What if the Dr. gets a little fresh down there?
"Karen, you said the Dr is a woman."
"Yeah so what's your point Grace?"
"I'll go in with you, but aren't they going to want to do a pelvic exam. I don't think I can handle that Karen, I mean that's a little too personal if you know what I mean."
"Oh grow up already Grace, my god woman how did you manage to become such a prude, you live with a homo for god's sake! All I'm saying is I'm a little nervous and it would be nice to have a friend by my side, but if you're not mature enough to handle that, well far be it for me to make you uncomfortable."
"Ugh alright, I'll go in with you, I think I liked you better when you weren't so needy though. There's something to be said for all that alcohol."
"Oh I know sweetie, nothing numbs the emotions better than a bottle of Absolut first thing in the morning ah those were the days. Well, you better get used to it Grace, there's no telling what all the hormones are going to do to me."
"Karen Walker" the nurse beckoned from the door.
"Alright, Kare, here we go!" Grace grasped my hand and gave it a little squeeze as we entered the exam room.
"Ok Mrs. Walker, I'll need to put this on and the Dr will be in shortly." The nurse handed me a gown and left the room.
"Grace, turn around, I don't need you gawking at me. God this is humiliating."
"Just calm down Karen, you're getting yourself all worked up; everything's going to be ok."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah; easy for you to say." I said as I finished tying the gown strings and climbed onto the exam table.
"Ok Mrs. Walker here is a prescription for the prenatal vitamins. I'm going to want to see you back here in a month. We'll do an ultrasound at that time just to make sure everything is developing and progressing as it should. Your age is a concern so we may want to consider doing an amnio at that time as well."
"So that's it? Just take some vitamins and come back in a month?"
"I'm sending you home with some nutritional guidelines; you're going to want to be sure to eat healthy. You'll probably start to feel a bit tired, that's normal and nothing to worry about. Be sure to call me if you experience any cramping or bleeding, but I don't expect any problems. Like I said, you're age is a bit of a concern, but you're in good health so there's no reason why you shouldn't expect a normal, healthy pregnancy."
"Karen! You're having a baby!" Grace practically screamed as we left the office.
"Can you believe that woman thinks I'm in good health? Good god, where in the hell did she get her license to practice medicine?"
"Karen come on, you must be a little excited, right? I mean you're having a baby. I never thought I'd see it."
"Grace I'm scared to death. Do you have any idea what this could do to me? My god what if I end up loving this kid or something? Ugh, I don't know what I was thinking. Stanley better appreciate this."
"Karen, you don't actually expect me to believe you're having this baby just to get on Stan's good side. Come on I'm not that naïve."
"Grace, I was half in the bag when I decided to get pregnant! Anything seems like a good idea after a bottle of gin. Stan and I have no business having a baby, you know that. We can barely stand each other. The only thing that makes him bearable is the drugs and alcohol. Grace you have no idea what it's like being married to Stan. He's fat and boring and to top it off he doesn't smell so good!"
"Karen, that's just cruel. Stan's a good man and he loves you, I don't know why, but he does. I'm sorry, but I think you're being selfish. Anyway, what's the point in getting upset? You're pregnant so you might as well suck it up and try to be happy."
"You know Karen there are plenty of women out there who would kill to have what you have. You should learn to appreciate it and stop acting like a spoiled child. Just be glad this child you're bringing into the world is going to be blessed with a life of privilege; something any mother would want for their children. The only thing I can see this baby being deprived of is love. You think Stan's love is going to be enough, but it won't. It's time you grow up and take some responsibility here."
"Calm down woman! Grace I can't help the way I feel about Stan. Maybe it was a mistake to bring a baby into this mess, but it's too late to think about that right now. I'm sure I'm going to love the baby. I may not be the doting motherly type, but I am capable of loving another human being. Why else would I spend so much time with a psychopath like you? Look, I know I give Stan a hard time, but he's a good man and he's a really good father to his kids, he'll make up for what I lack. I just hope my shortcomings don't make him hate me."
"Are you ok Karen? You look a little pale."
"Yeah, I'm ok Grace, I'm just really shocked. I don't think I really expected to get pregnant."
"Karen, I couldn't be happier for you, go home and tell your husband he's going to be a father. Go on, get out of here."
"I'm going to have to tell him over the phone, he's out of town for the next two weeks. Grace maybe I should wait before I say anything, I mean it's so early. I could have a miscarriage it's too early to say anything just yet."
"Karen, you should make an appointment with an obstetrician. See if you can get an appointment right away so you can put your mind at ease. I'll come with you if you want."
I managed to get an appointment that afternoon all my screaming and cursing did the trick.
"Good lord Grace stop biting your nails you're making me nervous."
"Sorry I can help it Karen, all these pregnant women are creeping me out!"
"Yeah well you better get used to it. Honey, are you going to come with me when they call me in? I'm getting a little freaked out myself. What if the Dr. gets a little fresh down there?
"Karen, you said the Dr is a woman."
"Yeah so what's your point Grace?"
"I'll go in with you, but aren't they going to want to do a pelvic exam. I don't think I can handle that Karen, I mean that's a little too personal if you know what I mean."
"Oh grow up already Grace, my god woman how did you manage to become such a prude, you live with a homo for god's sake! All I'm saying is I'm a little nervous and it would be nice to have a friend by my side, but if you're not mature enough to handle that, well far be it for me to make you uncomfortable."
"Ugh alright, I'll go in with you, I think I liked you better when you weren't so needy though. There's something to be said for all that alcohol."
"Oh I know sweetie, nothing numbs the emotions better than a bottle of Absolut first thing in the morning ah those were the days. Well, you better get used to it Grace, there's no telling what all the hormones are going to do to me."
"Karen Walker" the nurse beckoned from the door.
"Alright, Kare, here we go!" Grace grasped my hand and gave it a little squeeze as we entered the exam room.
"Ok Mrs. Walker, I'll need to put this on and the Dr will be in shortly." The nurse handed me a gown and left the room.
"Grace, turn around, I don't need you gawking at me. God this is humiliating."
"Just calm down Karen, you're getting yourself all worked up; everything's going to be ok."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah; easy for you to say." I said as I finished tying the gown strings and climbed onto the exam table.
"Ok Mrs. Walker here is a prescription for the prenatal vitamins. I'm going to want to see you back here in a month. We'll do an ultrasound at that time just to make sure everything is developing and progressing as it should. Your age is a concern so we may want to consider doing an amnio at that time as well."
"So that's it? Just take some vitamins and come back in a month?"
"I'm sending you home with some nutritional guidelines; you're going to want to be sure to eat healthy. You'll probably start to feel a bit tired, that's normal and nothing to worry about. Be sure to call me if you experience any cramping or bleeding, but I don't expect any problems. Like I said, you're age is a bit of a concern, but you're in good health so there's no reason why you shouldn't expect a normal, healthy pregnancy."
"Karen! You're having a baby!" Grace practically screamed as we left the office.
"Can you believe that woman thinks I'm in good health? Good god, where in the hell did she get her license to practice medicine?"
"Karen come on, you must be a little excited, right? I mean you're having a baby. I never thought I'd see it."
"Grace I'm scared to death. Do you have any idea what this could do to me? My god what if I end up loving this kid or something? Ugh, I don't know what I was thinking. Stanley better appreciate this."
"Karen, you don't actually expect me to believe you're having this baby just to get on Stan's good side. Come on I'm not that naïve."
"Grace, I was half in the bag when I decided to get pregnant! Anything seems like a good idea after a bottle of gin. Stan and I have no business having a baby, you know that. We can barely stand each other. The only thing that makes him bearable is the drugs and alcohol. Grace you have no idea what it's like being married to Stan. He's fat and boring and to top it off he doesn't smell so good!"
"Karen, that's just cruel. Stan's a good man and he loves you, I don't know why, but he does. I'm sorry, but I think you're being selfish. Anyway, what's the point in getting upset? You're pregnant so you might as well suck it up and try to be happy."
"You know Karen there are plenty of women out there who would kill to have what you have. You should learn to appreciate it and stop acting like a spoiled child. Just be glad this child you're bringing into the world is going to be blessed with a life of privilege; something any mother would want for their children. The only thing I can see this baby being deprived of is love. You think Stan's love is going to be enough, but it won't. It's time you grow up and take some responsibility here."
"Calm down woman! Grace I can't help the way I feel about Stan. Maybe it was a mistake to bring a baby into this mess, but it's too late to think about that right now. I'm sure I'm going to love the baby. I may not be the doting motherly type, but I am capable of loving another human being. Why else would I spend so much time with a psychopath like you? Look, I know I give Stan a hard time, but he's a good man and he's a really good father to his kids, he'll make up for what I lack. I just hope my shortcomings don't make him hate me."
