Disclaimer: Characters and everything RENT belongs to Jonathan Larson
Warnings: Rated R for situations and language.
Author's Note: The absences of Joanne and Mimi are in the next chapter. And the chapter titles are all (hopefully) going to be lines from the musical. This chapter's a bit sappy/fluffy. Sorry, but I couldn't picture Roger taking a complete backseat on the whole pregnancy thing.
Maureen lay on the exam table, waiting for the doctor. Roger sat beside her. She shifted and concern washed over Roger's face. "You okay?"
"Huh?"
"You're all…fidgety. You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I just…I'm kind of nervous."
"Nervous? Mo, it's just a checkup. It'll be fine."
"I know but….I don't know…it's like, I just, it's kind of just now hitting me. I mean, I-I'm having a baby."
"It's okay. It'll be great."
"Yeah, easy for you to say! You don't have to push a cantaloupe out your dick!"
The doctor opened the door at that moment, chuckling. Maureen blushed. "Well, I haven't heard it phrased that way before, but I do believe that would be an accurate comparison in terms of sizes and anatomy."
Dr. Forrester checked the charts and patted Maureen's hand. "And how are you feeling?"
"Um…okay…"
Dr. Forrester looked at Roger.
"She's a little nervous," he said.
The doctor nodded. "Perfectly normal. Looks like your vitals are good. Weight's good. How's your appetite?"
"Enormous."
The older man smiled and took a few notes. "Good…good…"
He took the stethoscope from around his neck and leaned over Maureen's stomach. She jumped when the cold metal touched her skin. After a minute, he smiled. "Would you like to hear, Dad?"
Roger frowned. "Hear what?"
"The heartbeat," the doctor said, handing over the stethoscope.
Roger glanced to Maureen. She nodded and reached for his hand. "Go on."
He slipped the stethoscope in his ears and watched the doctor move it around on Maureen's still fairly flat stomach.
"Hear anything?"
Roger listened for a minute and heard a faint thumping. His eyes filled with tears. He nodded. "I hear it! I hear it!"
He handed the stethoscope to Maureen so she could listen. The doctor smiled at Roger and patted his back.
"Sounds very healthy," he said.
Roger grinned, still holding Maureen's hand. She gave back the stethoscope, speechless.
"Would you two like to see the baby?"
"See…you mean, like an ultrasound?"
"Yes. You're far enough along that we should be able to see something and four months you're about due for one."
The doctor moved around the room, opening and closing a few drawers. He flipped on a machine and pulled out a jar. "This'll be a little cold, I'm afraid."
Maureen gasped. "Wow! Weren't kidding on that, were ya?"
"We'll be able to see the baby in just a moment, here. Let me see," Dr. Jacobs said. He took an instrument and pressed it to her stomach. Roger's eyes glued to the screen. It looked like a bunch of static. A small blur appeared on the screen. The doctor stopped moving and smiled. "Can you both see that? This little blur over here?"
They both nodded.
"That's your baby."
"That—that's the baby?" Maureen asked.
"I'll give you two a moment alone," he said, excusing himself.
Maureen's eyes filled with tears. She clutched Roger's hand. His eyes hadn't moved from the screen.
"Rog? You okay?"
"That's my baby. That's my baby," he whispered. Maureen reached out her free hand and brushed a few tears from his cheeks.
"Don't get all possessive. Baby's mine too," she teased.
Roger laughed through his tears, finally looking away from the machine. He buried his head in Maureen's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered.
