"Ms. Parker?" The bouncy MA called.
Liz stood wearily from her seat in the waiting room chair. Thankfully, her child had not decided to make her show, which gave her plenty of time to save up for maternity clothes which she would be needing.
"This way." The MA skipped down the hall, there's no way you could call that form of movement skipping.
"Thank you." Liz said quietly and followed her into the room.
"You don't need to be shy, babe." She said handing her an examination gown. "I'm Maria. I'm not supposed to get to friendly because I have a very full waiting room out there, but I'll take a few minutes out." She sat down.
"Am I supposed to change into this?" Liz asked.
"Yes, now I know your name is Elizabeth, I'd like to get to know you. How old are you?"
"I'm eighteen." Liz said. "How long do I have till the doctor comes? I don't really like to change in front of people." She said shyly.
"You have a while. I'll leave you plenty of time, I know this place. Anyway, where's the kid's father?" She asked bluntly.
Liz's eyes widened. Who was she to get so nosy? "Not here."
"I see that." She said walking over to her.
Does she know of a thing called a personal bubble?
"I like you, Elizabeth Parker. Don't know why, usually takes me a while, but I like you." She said seriously.
"OK. You've only known me for a few minutes." She said loosening up a bit.
"Exactly. If I can stand being in the room with you for that long, I like you."
"Ok. Can I change now?" Liz asked. She liked her but she wanted out of this appointment so she could continue her futile search for work. Her money wasn't going to last forever.
"Sure. See me before you leave." She said before bouncing out of them room.
Liz smiled. She was interested in having this girl for a friend. She was just the type of person she needed from her droll, serious world.
"Ms. Parker how are you doing today?" The doctor comes in. "I'm Dr. Roberts, and as long as you come here for pre-natal care, I'll be your doctor." She smiles.
"Thank you."
"Now, Elizabeth," The doctor starts.
"Liz."
"Liz," She smiles. "I read here that you had trouble with your pregnancy earlier, true?"
"Yes, some bleeding but everything was fine." Liz's voice shook.
"Let's do this quickly, we'll take an ultrasound, see how baby's doing and then a pelvic, we should be done within the hour." The doctor set her clipboard down and washed her hands.
Liz watched in anxiousness. "Why aren't I showing yet?"
"I don't know, some women don't show very much, others show by the fourth month. It all depends on the women. Lay back, dear."
Liz complied.
Exactly an hour later Liz was changed back into her normal clothes.
"The baby seems to have an abnormal heartbeat, right now."
Liz eyes widened.
"But, there is a chance that the baby will outgrow it. Most do. We'll keep a close eye on baby to follow the heart rate, all right? Baby does seem a tad bit small, but you're a small girl so there's really nothing to worry about. That's normal for a small mother to give birth to low weight babies, although, I was the biggest baby in the hospital and my mother was the smallest woman, so there's no telling." The doctor said steadily.
Liz just nodded trying to process everything.
"Why don't you come back in two weeks?"
"Sure." Liz nodded, still shocked.
"Will you be OK?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, just give me a moment."
"Any questions?" The doctor said kindly stroking her hair.
"If there is a heart problem, will the doctor be able to fix it?" She asked quietly.
"Yes, most cases are fixable, very few are not. Even things that couldn't be cured ten years ago are beginning to be fixed. Don't worry about it, Liz. I'll see you in two weeks." She left the room. Leaving a terrified Liz.
So now she was alone, in a strange city, a strange state, with no one to help, and a sick baby.
With no one else in the room, she let the tears run.
****
"Max, why don't you go on home, Sweetheart?" Diane asked her son. "You should be out with the guys, hanging out, before you start school."
"No, I'll keep working." He shook his head.
Inside, since the day left, Max promised himself he would work hard to become the man he needed to be. If he worked hard enough he could find Liz and their child, and open a division of his parents law firm wherever they were.
"You worried about Elizabeth?" She asked standing up.
"No." He flipped back around to the computer where he was filing away old cases.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mother, and if I was I'd as Isabel, not you." He said coldly.
Hurt by her son's rejection Diane buried herself into her work.
"Dad says they've had reports of Liz's whereabouts, somewhere in LA."
"Like in Los Angeles, California?" He looked up.
"Yes." She was satisfied that she got her son's attention.
"Why are you looking for her?" He asked almost angrily.
He didn't want her to be found. He wanted her to go living her life as she was, without family interference, until he found her himself.
"We're trying to help."
"Stay out of it, Mom. Tell that to Mrs. Parker too, it's not like she cares about her." He stood up.
"I'll be back after lunch."
He stalked off to go find Isabel.
****
Maria poked her head into the exam room at the crying girl.
"Hey, don't cry." She hopped up onto the bed and hugged the smaller girl.
"My baby's sick, I don't know where it's father is, I don't know if I'm gonna get a job or if I'll have a home next week, my life is a mess!" She said wiping away tears embarrassed at having been caught and angry that someone had intruded.
"No, you're baby's going to be born totally healthy I can feel it. You're looking for a job?"
"Yes." Liz answered.
Maria hopped down from the bed and handed Liz a tissue.
"Look, Elizabeth."
"Liz."
"Liz," Maria amended. "We have a position open as a receptionist. How are you with computers?"
Liz's head shot up. "What?"
"How are you with computers and filing?" She repeated again.
"I used to work in a law firm, a family friends, I'd say I'm pretty good with it." Liz said hesitantly.
"Come on." Maria dragged her out to the receptionist.
"Sally, what about that receptionist position, has it been taken?" Maria pulled her into the back room.
"No, not yet." The woman called Sally didn't look up from the computer.
"Well it is now." Maria said finally.
"Yes, Maria, and who would it be filled by?"
"Elizabeth Parker."
"And Ms. Parker, have you had prior experience?"
Liz explained.
"Have a seat, dear." Sally nodded to the chair.
She sat. They conducted a thirty-minute interview. Liz walked away from the clinic with a new job in hand, as well as a more secure future.
Liz stood wearily from her seat in the waiting room chair. Thankfully, her child had not decided to make her show, which gave her plenty of time to save up for maternity clothes which she would be needing.
"This way." The MA skipped down the hall, there's no way you could call that form of movement skipping.
"Thank you." Liz said quietly and followed her into the room.
"You don't need to be shy, babe." She said handing her an examination gown. "I'm Maria. I'm not supposed to get to friendly because I have a very full waiting room out there, but I'll take a few minutes out." She sat down.
"Am I supposed to change into this?" Liz asked.
"Yes, now I know your name is Elizabeth, I'd like to get to know you. How old are you?"
"I'm eighteen." Liz said. "How long do I have till the doctor comes? I don't really like to change in front of people." She said shyly.
"You have a while. I'll leave you plenty of time, I know this place. Anyway, where's the kid's father?" She asked bluntly.
Liz's eyes widened. Who was she to get so nosy? "Not here."
"I see that." She said walking over to her.
Does she know of a thing called a personal bubble?
"I like you, Elizabeth Parker. Don't know why, usually takes me a while, but I like you." She said seriously.
"OK. You've only known me for a few minutes." She said loosening up a bit.
"Exactly. If I can stand being in the room with you for that long, I like you."
"Ok. Can I change now?" Liz asked. She liked her but she wanted out of this appointment so she could continue her futile search for work. Her money wasn't going to last forever.
"Sure. See me before you leave." She said before bouncing out of them room.
Liz smiled. She was interested in having this girl for a friend. She was just the type of person she needed from her droll, serious world.
"Ms. Parker how are you doing today?" The doctor comes in. "I'm Dr. Roberts, and as long as you come here for pre-natal care, I'll be your doctor." She smiles.
"Thank you."
"Now, Elizabeth," The doctor starts.
"Liz."
"Liz," She smiles. "I read here that you had trouble with your pregnancy earlier, true?"
"Yes, some bleeding but everything was fine." Liz's voice shook.
"Let's do this quickly, we'll take an ultrasound, see how baby's doing and then a pelvic, we should be done within the hour." The doctor set her clipboard down and washed her hands.
Liz watched in anxiousness. "Why aren't I showing yet?"
"I don't know, some women don't show very much, others show by the fourth month. It all depends on the women. Lay back, dear."
Liz complied.
Exactly an hour later Liz was changed back into her normal clothes.
"The baby seems to have an abnormal heartbeat, right now."
Liz eyes widened.
"But, there is a chance that the baby will outgrow it. Most do. We'll keep a close eye on baby to follow the heart rate, all right? Baby does seem a tad bit small, but you're a small girl so there's really nothing to worry about. That's normal for a small mother to give birth to low weight babies, although, I was the biggest baby in the hospital and my mother was the smallest woman, so there's no telling." The doctor said steadily.
Liz just nodded trying to process everything.
"Why don't you come back in two weeks?"
"Sure." Liz nodded, still shocked.
"Will you be OK?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, just give me a moment."
"Any questions?" The doctor said kindly stroking her hair.
"If there is a heart problem, will the doctor be able to fix it?" She asked quietly.
"Yes, most cases are fixable, very few are not. Even things that couldn't be cured ten years ago are beginning to be fixed. Don't worry about it, Liz. I'll see you in two weeks." She left the room. Leaving a terrified Liz.
So now she was alone, in a strange city, a strange state, with no one to help, and a sick baby.
With no one else in the room, she let the tears run.
****
"Max, why don't you go on home, Sweetheart?" Diane asked her son. "You should be out with the guys, hanging out, before you start school."
"No, I'll keep working." He shook his head.
Inside, since the day left, Max promised himself he would work hard to become the man he needed to be. If he worked hard enough he could find Liz and their child, and open a division of his parents law firm wherever they were.
"You worried about Elizabeth?" She asked standing up.
"No." He flipped back around to the computer where he was filing away old cases.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Mother, and if I was I'd as Isabel, not you." He said coldly.
Hurt by her son's rejection Diane buried herself into her work.
"Dad says they've had reports of Liz's whereabouts, somewhere in LA."
"Like in Los Angeles, California?" He looked up.
"Yes." She was satisfied that she got her son's attention.
"Why are you looking for her?" He asked almost angrily.
He didn't want her to be found. He wanted her to go living her life as she was, without family interference, until he found her himself.
"We're trying to help."
"Stay out of it, Mom. Tell that to Mrs. Parker too, it's not like she cares about her." He stood up.
"I'll be back after lunch."
He stalked off to go find Isabel.
****
Maria poked her head into the exam room at the crying girl.
"Hey, don't cry." She hopped up onto the bed and hugged the smaller girl.
"My baby's sick, I don't know where it's father is, I don't know if I'm gonna get a job or if I'll have a home next week, my life is a mess!" She said wiping away tears embarrassed at having been caught and angry that someone had intruded.
"No, you're baby's going to be born totally healthy I can feel it. You're looking for a job?"
"Yes." Liz answered.
Maria hopped down from the bed and handed Liz a tissue.
"Look, Elizabeth."
"Liz."
"Liz," Maria amended. "We have a position open as a receptionist. How are you with computers?"
Liz's head shot up. "What?"
"How are you with computers and filing?" She repeated again.
"I used to work in a law firm, a family friends, I'd say I'm pretty good with it." Liz said hesitantly.
"Come on." Maria dragged her out to the receptionist.
"Sally, what about that receptionist position, has it been taken?" Maria pulled her into the back room.
"No, not yet." The woman called Sally didn't look up from the computer.
"Well it is now." Maria said finally.
"Yes, Maria, and who would it be filled by?"
"Elizabeth Parker."
"And Ms. Parker, have you had prior experience?"
Liz explained.
"Have a seat, dear." Sally nodded to the chair.
She sat. They conducted a thirty-minute interview. Liz walked away from the clinic with a new job in hand, as well as a more secure future.