Thanks for all the reviews! And this is about a month after Sara found out
she was pregnant.
*********************************************
"Stokes," Nick said as he put his cell phone to his ear. "Warrick? Yeah, what's up? Should you ask her now? Where are you? Oh. Then, yes, of course you should ask her now. Yeah, stop procrastinating, man, and you might actually keep your nerve."
"Let me guess," Sara started, still intent on looking at the road, "Warrick is having second thoughts about proposing."
"Yeah, he and Deb are in some fancy restaurant, and he's asking if he should pop the big question now."
"So, what, he called you in front of her?"
"No," Nick answered with a grin, "He's not that dense. Or at least I hope he's not that dense. He excused himself to go to the washroom."
"Good, because Deb told me that if he doesn't propose to her in the next week, she was going to take matters into her own hands," Sara said, looking away from the road for a split second. As much as Nick protested, she insisted that she drive to the doctor's office on the grounds that he might get lost looking for it, and she was better with direction.
"As in break up with him?"
"No, as in propose to him herself."
"Well, if I recall, that's what got Warrick coming back for more. The fact that she's tenacious as hell. Reminds me of you, actually."
Sara grinned back; one of her seductive grins only reserved for him, and made a right turn. They stayed in that comfortable silence until Sara finally found a parking spot, and with the perfectionism and anal retentiveness associated with Grissom, backed the Tahoe in until it was perfectly spaced and perfectly parallel with the parking stall lines.
"Sar, as much as I love you to death, that is the one thing I can not stand about you," Nick complained, referring obtusely that it had taken her about five minutes to park just so.
"Well, you didn't have to marry me," Sara chided, as she undid her seatbelt and hopped out of the driver's side of the truck.
"Are you kidding?" Nick asked flabbergasted, "And miss out on all the things I love about you, which, may I mention, far outweigh the bad."
"That's good, for a second there I though I would have to make you sleep on the couch tonight."
"Really?" Nick gave her his best impression of a beaten puppy, complete with the eyes and the pout.
Sara burst out laughing, so hard in fact, that a few other couples just looked at her like she lost her mind. "Sorry," she called out, "but my husband is making jokes, and in my heightened hormonal state, I'm uncontrollable." And then she burst out laughing at her own joke. This time, however, the other people followed suit.
"Let me guess, hun," a heavyset woman who looked to be about forty started, as she walked over to them, "you're pregnant."
"Yeah."
"I pity you."
"Pardon me?" Sara asked, taking offence to the statement. She hated being treated differently just because something was happening in her body.
"Yeah, I pity you," the woman continued, not noticing Sara's change in tone and posture. "You're going to go through nine months in purgatory and another twenty years in hell."
"Really?" Sara asked, her tone becoming menacing.
"Yeah, hun, I speak from experience. Had seven of my own. And it was pure torture. I swear, god put me on earth to drive me insane."
"Well, I'll take it into consideration to have only one child then," Sara replied icily.
"You know what you should do," the other woman suggested, "You should get rid of that baby while you still have a chance. Abortion's the only humane thing to do. Don't want it to ruin your life, right? Don't want to make it miserable for living, don't you?"
"Who said anything about my baby ruining my life?" Sara growled. Nick moved closer to her side, to pull her back should she decide to jump the other woman.
"No on did, hun, but I know your type," the nameless woman countered, "You're more concerned about building a career, and a baby would just screw it all up."
"And since when did you become the expert on how babies will affect us?" Nick demanded, suddenly very uncomfortable with this woman's choice of words.
"I went to med. school. I'm an abortion doctor. And before you say anything, I don't do it for the money, I do it to make my patients lives better." The doctor dug around in her pockets and presented them with a card, "My office is just down the street from here. Feel free to come in and talk."
"Well then," Sara managed to choke out in her rage, "I'll let you know that you're wasting your time, because you wouldn't make our lives better. I'm planning to have this baby whether or not anything is wrong with it, and I'm willing to put my career on hold indefinitely for it. You're looking at the wrong people to solicit business from." Before the doctor could say anything else, Sara and Nick turned their backs on her and walked towards the medical building.
"What does your husband think?" the woman demanded as they continued walking.
"I think it's great, and it couldn't have happened at a better time!" Nick yelled at her, with a menacing glint in his eyes. They didn't hear the response because the doors closed behind them.
"Hi, we're here to see Dr. Feindstat?" Sara said to the receptionist between clenched teeth.
"Okay. Just have a seat, and the good doctor will call you in a little while," the receptionist, Julie, replied, not miffed by the tone she was hearing, "I guess you met 'Dr. Smith', the abortion doctor who verbally abuses patients in the parking lot?"
"Yeah," Nick replied, seeing that Sara refused to acknowledge the pushy woman, "Does she do that to everyone who parks?"
"Uh huh, I've gotten used to the murderous looks and tones that patients greet me with because of her," Julie replied in resignation. "So, if you have a seat over there," she pointed to some comfortable looking sofas to her right, "the doctor will be free to see you shortly."
"Thanks," Sara and Nick replied in unison, the former more loosened up after the talk with the receptionist. Julie gave them a smile in return before turning her attention to the ringing phone.
They didn't have to wait for anymore than twenty minutes, and they spent most of the time looking over baby magazines that were conveniently placed at end tables on either side of the seats. The other times they talked to other couples and commiserated over the treatment they received at the hands of Dr. Smith.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stokes?" Dr. Feindstat called out.
"Here," Nick replied as he and Sara stood up and made their way over to the obstetrician/gynecologist.
"Hi," he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake. That formality done, he continued, "So, first baby?"
"Yeah," Sara replied with pride.
"Congratulations! And may I take this time to apologize for Dr. Smith's behavior in the parking lot."
"You know her?" Sara asked in shock.
"Unfortunately. I graduated in the same class with her. She's always held the notion that pregnant woman should get their babies aborted because they are going to overpopulate the word and grow up in misery to boot." He began walking down the short hallway to the office and motioned for them to follow.
"But she has seven children," Sara stated in confusion.
"That's where she justified her theories," Dr. Feindstat explained. "Luckily, not all OB/GYNs share her ideals. I, for example, am here merely to ensure that mother and baby are healthy. "
"That's a relief," Nick sighed.
*****************************************
"Ooh, that tickles!" Sara exclaimed as Dr. Feindstat pressed the ultrasound head to her bare stomach.
"Sorry, most woman complain that it's cold," he apologized. "You don't strike me as the ticklish sort."
"Well, let's put it this way: I could literally be tickled to death."
"And I know that for a fact," Nick, who had been quiet the entire time, piped up.
"You two will grow up to be fine parents," the doctor praised, "Okay, if you look very hard, you might just be able to make out the shape of the embryo. See?" he asked as he pointed to a lighter region on the screen.
"You mean that blob?" Nick asked pointing, with his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Yes, that 'blob' is your baby." Dr. Feindstat couldn't resist the urge to crack a smile at Nick's unflattering description.
"It's a cute blob," Nick replied with an awed tone, "and to think, you and I made that, Sara."
"Yeah," Sara murmured, as much in awe as her husband.
Dr. Feindstat twisted a bit to look at the screen better, and inadvertently slid the ultrasound machine up to Sara's rib cage.
"Ahh, hey!" Sara protested. When the doctor didn't respond, she asked quietly, "Is there something wrong?"
"Just a second, bear with me, alright?" the other man asked, in a tone that suggested that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"What's wrong, doc?" Nick asked, catching the doctor's worried tone.
"I'm not sure yet, maybe I'm just being paranoid. You're medical charts indicate that you had cancer before, am I right Mrs. Stokes?"
"Yes," Sara answered, feeling nauseous, "On my spine between my shoulder blades. It threatened to spread to my lungs. Why?"
"There's a mass in the vicinity of your lungs that I can't identify," Dr. Feindstat said worriedly, pointing to a nearly black region at the base of Sara's left lung.
*****************************************
And I leave you with a cliffhanger. Please don't be mad at me for subjecting Sara to another round of cruel and unusual treatment (gets on knees and gives you the puppy dog eyes like Nick would do)
And I know that it would probably be nearly impossible to see a baby with a regular ultrasound machine at one month's gestation, but just pretend that you can for the sake of this story, okay?
And as for Dr. Smith, she's just the embodiment of all the pushy teachers, salespeople, etc. I have met over the years.
Please review!
*********************************************
"Stokes," Nick said as he put his cell phone to his ear. "Warrick? Yeah, what's up? Should you ask her now? Where are you? Oh. Then, yes, of course you should ask her now. Yeah, stop procrastinating, man, and you might actually keep your nerve."
"Let me guess," Sara started, still intent on looking at the road, "Warrick is having second thoughts about proposing."
"Yeah, he and Deb are in some fancy restaurant, and he's asking if he should pop the big question now."
"So, what, he called you in front of her?"
"No," Nick answered with a grin, "He's not that dense. Or at least I hope he's not that dense. He excused himself to go to the washroom."
"Good, because Deb told me that if he doesn't propose to her in the next week, she was going to take matters into her own hands," Sara said, looking away from the road for a split second. As much as Nick protested, she insisted that she drive to the doctor's office on the grounds that he might get lost looking for it, and she was better with direction.
"As in break up with him?"
"No, as in propose to him herself."
"Well, if I recall, that's what got Warrick coming back for more. The fact that she's tenacious as hell. Reminds me of you, actually."
Sara grinned back; one of her seductive grins only reserved for him, and made a right turn. They stayed in that comfortable silence until Sara finally found a parking spot, and with the perfectionism and anal retentiveness associated with Grissom, backed the Tahoe in until it was perfectly spaced and perfectly parallel with the parking stall lines.
"Sar, as much as I love you to death, that is the one thing I can not stand about you," Nick complained, referring obtusely that it had taken her about five minutes to park just so.
"Well, you didn't have to marry me," Sara chided, as she undid her seatbelt and hopped out of the driver's side of the truck.
"Are you kidding?" Nick asked flabbergasted, "And miss out on all the things I love about you, which, may I mention, far outweigh the bad."
"That's good, for a second there I though I would have to make you sleep on the couch tonight."
"Really?" Nick gave her his best impression of a beaten puppy, complete with the eyes and the pout.
Sara burst out laughing, so hard in fact, that a few other couples just looked at her like she lost her mind. "Sorry," she called out, "but my husband is making jokes, and in my heightened hormonal state, I'm uncontrollable." And then she burst out laughing at her own joke. This time, however, the other people followed suit.
"Let me guess, hun," a heavyset woman who looked to be about forty started, as she walked over to them, "you're pregnant."
"Yeah."
"I pity you."
"Pardon me?" Sara asked, taking offence to the statement. She hated being treated differently just because something was happening in her body.
"Yeah, I pity you," the woman continued, not noticing Sara's change in tone and posture. "You're going to go through nine months in purgatory and another twenty years in hell."
"Really?" Sara asked, her tone becoming menacing.
"Yeah, hun, I speak from experience. Had seven of my own. And it was pure torture. I swear, god put me on earth to drive me insane."
"Well, I'll take it into consideration to have only one child then," Sara replied icily.
"You know what you should do," the other woman suggested, "You should get rid of that baby while you still have a chance. Abortion's the only humane thing to do. Don't want it to ruin your life, right? Don't want to make it miserable for living, don't you?"
"Who said anything about my baby ruining my life?" Sara growled. Nick moved closer to her side, to pull her back should she decide to jump the other woman.
"No on did, hun, but I know your type," the nameless woman countered, "You're more concerned about building a career, and a baby would just screw it all up."
"And since when did you become the expert on how babies will affect us?" Nick demanded, suddenly very uncomfortable with this woman's choice of words.
"I went to med. school. I'm an abortion doctor. And before you say anything, I don't do it for the money, I do it to make my patients lives better." The doctor dug around in her pockets and presented them with a card, "My office is just down the street from here. Feel free to come in and talk."
"Well then," Sara managed to choke out in her rage, "I'll let you know that you're wasting your time, because you wouldn't make our lives better. I'm planning to have this baby whether or not anything is wrong with it, and I'm willing to put my career on hold indefinitely for it. You're looking at the wrong people to solicit business from." Before the doctor could say anything else, Sara and Nick turned their backs on her and walked towards the medical building.
"What does your husband think?" the woman demanded as they continued walking.
"I think it's great, and it couldn't have happened at a better time!" Nick yelled at her, with a menacing glint in his eyes. They didn't hear the response because the doors closed behind them.
"Hi, we're here to see Dr. Feindstat?" Sara said to the receptionist between clenched teeth.
"Okay. Just have a seat, and the good doctor will call you in a little while," the receptionist, Julie, replied, not miffed by the tone she was hearing, "I guess you met 'Dr. Smith', the abortion doctor who verbally abuses patients in the parking lot?"
"Yeah," Nick replied, seeing that Sara refused to acknowledge the pushy woman, "Does she do that to everyone who parks?"
"Uh huh, I've gotten used to the murderous looks and tones that patients greet me with because of her," Julie replied in resignation. "So, if you have a seat over there," she pointed to some comfortable looking sofas to her right, "the doctor will be free to see you shortly."
"Thanks," Sara and Nick replied in unison, the former more loosened up after the talk with the receptionist. Julie gave them a smile in return before turning her attention to the ringing phone.
They didn't have to wait for anymore than twenty minutes, and they spent most of the time looking over baby magazines that were conveniently placed at end tables on either side of the seats. The other times they talked to other couples and commiserated over the treatment they received at the hands of Dr. Smith.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stokes?" Dr. Feindstat called out.
"Here," Nick replied as he and Sara stood up and made their way over to the obstetrician/gynecologist.
"Hi," he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake. That formality done, he continued, "So, first baby?"
"Yeah," Sara replied with pride.
"Congratulations! And may I take this time to apologize for Dr. Smith's behavior in the parking lot."
"You know her?" Sara asked in shock.
"Unfortunately. I graduated in the same class with her. She's always held the notion that pregnant woman should get their babies aborted because they are going to overpopulate the word and grow up in misery to boot." He began walking down the short hallway to the office and motioned for them to follow.
"But she has seven children," Sara stated in confusion.
"That's where she justified her theories," Dr. Feindstat explained. "Luckily, not all OB/GYNs share her ideals. I, for example, am here merely to ensure that mother and baby are healthy. "
"That's a relief," Nick sighed.
*****************************************
"Ooh, that tickles!" Sara exclaimed as Dr. Feindstat pressed the ultrasound head to her bare stomach.
"Sorry, most woman complain that it's cold," he apologized. "You don't strike me as the ticklish sort."
"Well, let's put it this way: I could literally be tickled to death."
"And I know that for a fact," Nick, who had been quiet the entire time, piped up.
"You two will grow up to be fine parents," the doctor praised, "Okay, if you look very hard, you might just be able to make out the shape of the embryo. See?" he asked as he pointed to a lighter region on the screen.
"You mean that blob?" Nick asked pointing, with his forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Yes, that 'blob' is your baby." Dr. Feindstat couldn't resist the urge to crack a smile at Nick's unflattering description.
"It's a cute blob," Nick replied with an awed tone, "and to think, you and I made that, Sara."
"Yeah," Sara murmured, as much in awe as her husband.
Dr. Feindstat twisted a bit to look at the screen better, and inadvertently slid the ultrasound machine up to Sara's rib cage.
"Ahh, hey!" Sara protested. When the doctor didn't respond, she asked quietly, "Is there something wrong?"
"Just a second, bear with me, alright?" the other man asked, in a tone that suggested that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
"What's wrong, doc?" Nick asked, catching the doctor's worried tone.
"I'm not sure yet, maybe I'm just being paranoid. You're medical charts indicate that you had cancer before, am I right Mrs. Stokes?"
"Yes," Sara answered, feeling nauseous, "On my spine between my shoulder blades. It threatened to spread to my lungs. Why?"
"There's a mass in the vicinity of your lungs that I can't identify," Dr. Feindstat said worriedly, pointing to a nearly black region at the base of Sara's left lung.
*****************************************
And I leave you with a cliffhanger. Please don't be mad at me for subjecting Sara to another round of cruel and unusual treatment (gets on knees and gives you the puppy dog eyes like Nick would do)
And I know that it would probably be nearly impossible to see a baby with a regular ultrasound machine at one month's gestation, but just pretend that you can for the sake of this story, okay?
And as for Dr. Smith, she's just the embodiment of all the pushy teachers, salespeople, etc. I have met over the years.
Please review!
