Chapter Three
The very next morning, Xiaoyu was sitting in the waiting room to the doctor's office alongside her anxious husband. It was still raining steadily and didn't look as if it would let up any time soon. Her head was still pounding, though her stomach seemed to have settled a bit.
The waiting room was quite; almost empty at such an early hour of the day. Xiaoyu leaned her head against Jin's shoulder and he put his arm around her. Xiaoyu tried to close her eyes and relax, but her head wouldn't allow it.
Jin's eyes wandered around the small room. There was a single receptionist sitting behind a desk, working on her computer. Behind her, there was a clock that wasn't working. To his left, there were tons of toys for children, including blocks, books, dolls, and puzzles. Towards his right was the door that led back to the examination rooms. The whole place smelled like rubbing alcohol and was strangely cool. It made Jin kind of uneasy.
The door to the examination room opened and a short, plump nurse emerged with a clipboard. "Xiaoyu," she asked.
Jin turned to his wife to see her sleeping. He smiled down at her, though she couldn't see it and cradled her in his arms. He carried her, follow the nurse, through a snaking hallway and finally to a door near the end.
The nurse opened the door and motioned for Jin to go in first. It was a small room with two chairs and a large table in the middle. Lying Xiaoyu down on the examination table, Jin started to answer a few questions for the nurse.
"When did your wife start feeling this way?" the nurse asked.
Jin thought for a moment. "The first time I noticed was last night."
"Umm hmm," the nurse was writing on the clipboard. "And what did you say her symptoms were?"
"Well, she was sick to her stomach, had a terrible head ache, and didn't really sleep well last night," Jin answered.
"I see. So you think it might be the flu?" she asked.
"Well, yes," Jin paused. "I can't think of anything else it could be."
"Has she been exposed to anyone with the flu lately?" the nurse asked.
"Not to my knowledge," he answered.
"Alright," the nurse said, finishing what she was writing on the clipboard. "The doctor will see you shortly."
Jin waited, watching his wife sleeping soundly on the table. Occasionally, Xiaoyu would sigh softly or turn in her sleep. Taking her small hand in his, Jin kissed it gently, hoping not to wake her up.
After a few minutes, the doctor came into the small room and sat down on the chair opposite Jin. He opened up a folder that contained Xiaoyu's medical records. Digging through them for the right page, he finally began to write on the paper. He looked up only occasionally.
"Good morning, Mr. Kazama," the doctor greeted them. His eyes were dark and unfriendly looking. He seemed not to notice the sleeping woman on the table beside him.
"Doctor," Jin stood up with his hand outstretched. The two men shook hands and Jin sat back down.
"I'm going to need to talk to your wife," he said.
Jin leaned over in his chair and took his wife's hand again. "Xiaoyu," Jin whispered, shaking her a little. "Wake up, the doctor's here."
Sleepily, she opened her eyes. Her face was still very pale. "Jin?"
"Ahh, I see you've finally woken up," the doctor smiled down at his patient. He no longer had the same attitude as he had shown towards Jin.
"Hello, doctor," she said weakly.
"I understand you've got yourself a case of the flu," he replied.
"Well, yes," Xiaoyu answered. "I mean, I think so."
"We're going to have to run a few tests, but I believe that you may be right," the doctor smiled. "But don't worry. We'll take care of you."
Jin smiled. He was glad to see that the doctor seemed to care so much about Xiaoyu's well-being. 'She's going to be alright,' he thought.
After a while, the doctor left the room and sent the nurse back inside. "Mr. Kazama?" she said, softly. "The doctor would like to speak to you outside."
Puzzled, Jin got up from his chair and left the room. The doctor was waiting for him outside of the door. Jin looked at the doctor, trying to find out what was so important that he couldn't talk to him in front of Xiaoyu.
"Now, Mr. Kazama," the doctor said, clearing his throat. "This is hard for me to explain, but it seems that your wife's immune system has been weakened. There are a few things that could have caused this; the most likely is that she is pregnant."
Jin looked at the doctor, his eyes widened. Feelings of joy and confusion were spreading through him rapidly. "Xiaoyu is?"
"Well, we're going to have to run more tests," the doctor began. He smiled a little, looking at the man in front of him. "If I had to take a guess, however," the doctor paused. "I would say that your wife probably is pregnant."
Jin couldn't have possibly put his feelings into words. Xiaoyu was pregnant. And suddenly, reality sunk in. 'Me?' he thought. 'A father?'