A/N: Hey, guys! I wanted to upload another chapter to make up for my absence last week. I hope it does justice for it!
I just wanted to add a little note about the remaining parts of the story. We're going to be dealing with the process of Kim being pregnant including doctor appointments and all that fun stuff. If you've been a fan of mine for a while now, you will know that my husband and I suffered the loss of our first son, Jace, about an hour or so after he was born. I went to all his appointments with his biological mother and experienced these moments with her. I'm finding that it's a bit triggering for me to write which is why there might be times where I may rush through something or might take a while to post. Please note I'm not trying to do this. It's very hard for me to write a story about a baby to begin with and I think I am only able to because we do have our son, Jack now. And in a way, this is my favorite form of therapy to help me through all of those emotions. So, I ask for your understanding and your patience. :)
You guys all rock and I love having such an awesome following. I reached my highest review count with this story today at 200 reviews! This is awesome for me and I know I couldn't do it without all of you fine people. All of you that take the time to read and review as well as those who read and lurk in the background. I see you. Thank you for being there too.
As always, I own nothing PR.
Enjoy!
September 4, 2004
Angel Grove, CA
The next morning, I awoke to find that Jason was already down in the dojo and Tommy was working out. I hid in his room though, not wanting to talk to him quite yet. I managed it for an hour or so before he came knocking. He told me that Trini wasn't able to take me to my appointment because she had been called into work for an emergency. I knew that it would be too short notice to ask anyone else because they all were at work as well. Marci had gone to school and this left no one else to go with me. I agreed to let him bring me, knowing that it was going to feel like hell in the process but I had no other choice.
We left a couple hours before my appointment, stopping at the outpatient clinic to get my cast fixed. The woman had been the same one who had done my first one in the hospital and I told her about what happened. She compared my life to that of a bad telenova, laughing afterward. If she only knew the other part. She patched me up like new, giving me a light pink cast that went from my wrist up to my elbow. I still had another six to eight weeks with it, depending on how well it healed. I wished for a moment that we still had the medical bay in the Command Center. A broken wrist would be healed in a matter of hours there. I wondered if Billy could rig something up for me to get the job done but I figured he would need a connection to the Morphing Grid and I didn't even want to think about how that all worked. Instead, I thanked her and headed out to the waiting room where Tommy was sitting, flipping through a hunting magazine.
"All set?" He asked when I walked out. I nodded. He tossed the magazine down and stood up. His eyes landed on my cast and he smiled. "Pink always was your color."
"Apparently." I replied. The outpatient clinic was located in the same center as the OBGYN office I was going to. It was all the way on the other side of the building, however, and it required going through the maze of which the hospital was. We headed towards the east wing elevators, Tommy hitting the button.
"How are you feeling?" Tommy asked for what must have been the tenth time this morning. I gave him a strained smile. I knew he meant well and that he cared. I just couldn't help but think about what he had said the night before about just being friends. He was trying to be just that but it still stung to think about.
"I'm alright. A little sore but it's okay." I replied. The elevator doors opened and we climbed on. I pressed the button for the second floor. The doors slid shut, sealing us inside. "Did you talk to Jason or not about Trini and the rest of the guys? Are they mad at me?"
"Mad? Why would they be mad?" He questioned.
"I stole her car and took off to pretty much my doom." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "At some point, everyone's going to get sick of worrying about me all the time."
"Don't worry about that. No one is upset with you. I know Trini and Marci were very glad to hear you were okay. But maybe you could try to not do things to make us worry?" He asked, giving me a nudge in the shoulder. Glancing up at him, I saw he was smiling. It was hard not to smile back and I failed, nodding.
"I suppose that's something I could do." I said. The doors of the elevator opened again, putting us on the third floor of the general hospital. We walked through the center of the floor, heading to the next set of elevators. Doctors and nurses with patients passed us, going about their days. Medical equipment that wasn't in use was stored on the sides of the hallways, signs for where they belonged taped to them. Overhead, there was an announcement for a doctor to head to the OR and another for a janitor in the cafeteria. I hated that announcer's voice from my time here after Nick landed me in the hospital. It went off every five minutes it seemed. It irritated me now just to hear it. As we approached the elevators, the intercom chimed again and this time, there was a lullaby playing.
"Welcome to the world, baby boy." A woman's voice said over the music before it grew louder. Tommy and I both looked up at the speaker above our heads. This happened every time a baby was born here. While I was here, it went off three times; two girls and one boy. The lullaby reminded me of a music box I had as a little girl, one that had a ballerina in it that spun when you turned the crank. My grandmother had given it to me when I was about five and I cherished that thing for years. It was still tucked away in a box somewhere in my closet at the house, something making it impossible for me to get rid of it.
We rode this elevator down to the first floor and walked off, heading to the lobby of the doctor offices. I checked in with the front desk before sitting next to Tommy in the waiting area. It was a square shaped area that was sectioned off with a divider made of frosted glass that was trying to hide behind some obviously fake ivy. Chairs and benches were lined up along the ways, upholstered in ugly grey fabric that clashed with the green colored carpet. My nerves began to get the best of me as we sat, my leg jiggling. I tried to stop it but the other would start.
"Nervous?" Tommy asked in a low tone. I let out a soft laugh.
"A little. Is that weird? I shouldn't be nervous. It's not like there's any more surprises now. I know there's a baby in there."
"I think it's normal to be nervous. This is a big step in your life. Especially after everything you've gone through. Just take some deep breaths. I'll be right out here if you need anything." He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded, taking a deep breath. In the corner, the sound of a door opening rattled around the room.
"Kimberly?" A girl called, a clipboard in hand and Minnie Mouse scrubs on. I nodded, standing up. I took three steps towards her before stopping. Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at Tommy.
"Will you come with me?" I asked. He looked at me surprised.
"Are you sure?" I nodded.
"I think I'd be better off with a familiar face in there with me."
"Sure." Standing up, he followed behind me as we walked towards the nurse. She held the door open for us, letting us pass her. I had to be weighted and she took my height, writing everything down on my chart. She escorted us to a room that was dark when she opened the door. She flipped on the light and I saw the typical table in here, the stirrups connected to it. There was also a large computer on wheels next to it with a bunch of stuff hanging off of it that I didn't recognize. I knew it was the ultrasound machine though. I had had enough of those during our time trying to get pregnant to last a girl a lifetime.
"There's a gown on the table. Just change into that and you can leave your underwear on for right now. The technician will be in here first to do the sonogram and then the doctor will be in after that to discuss everything with you." She said, giving me a smile.
"Thank you." I said. She left the room, closing the door behind her.
"I'll wait in the hall so you can change." Tommy said, slipping out as well. I pulled off the sun dress I was wearing and slid on the pale green and white gown. I didn't bother to tie it in the back before jumping up onto the table. It would be difficult to do with my cast anyway and I knew I wouldn't be wearing it for very long.
"You can come in, Tommy." I called out. Tommy came back into the room, closing the door behind him before sitting in the chair next to the bed.
"Well," He said, glancing at the stirrups and the rest of the room. "This is quite the setup." I laughed, nodding.
"I'm going to guess this is your first time in a gynecologist office." I said. A flush filled his cheeks as he tried to hide it.
"Don't believe I've had a reason to be in one before this." He stammered.
"It's not much different than a regular office. They'll use this machine to do the ultrasound so we can see the baby."
"Are you sure you want me in here? You don't think this is something you might want some privacy for?" I sighed.
"Tommy, I've literally had about eleven specialist rooting around up there. Privacy is not something I require these days." He looked surprised at me.
"Really?" I nodded.
"Yeah. When we were in Miami and were trying to get pregnant, I went to every specialist I could find. We spent so much money and went all over the state. It's funny. After a while, I started to assume that it was something I had done while we were 'on duty.'"
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I thought for sure that being a ranger had messed me up or something. I didn't know if the Morphing Grid had some kind of effect on my ability to have kids. Obviously not since Aisha's pregnant and well, here I am."
"Kim, there's something I need to be honest with you about." Tommy said, leaning forward. "I owe you an apology."
"For what?" I asked. He moved to open his mouth but the door opened, someone walking in. It was a woman who was about our age, a kind smile on her face and long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She wore dark blue scrubs and had a name tag clipped to the front pocket.
"Hi! I'm Holly. I will be doing your ultrasound today. You must be Kimberly." She said, holding her hand out towards me. I took it, shaking it.
"Yes. And this is Tommy." I said, gesturing to him as we released hands.
"Nice to meet the both of you. Let's get started! It'll take a minute for this thing to get booted up so I'm going to use that time to get you prepped up." She walked over and hit a switch on the computer. It beeps and the monitor lit up with a logo. "I'm going to have you lay back. You can just have your legs dangle down off the table for now." Nodding, I slid myself back before laying against the pillows. Gently, she rolled the bottom of my gown up and tucked it around me to make it stay. On the side of the machine cart, she retrieved a bottle of gel. The screen had loaded now and she tucked the gel bottle into her pocket. "Let's warm it up a little bit."
"Thank you." I said.
"After a few years of doing this, you learn a trick or two." She said, giving me a wink. She typed some things into the computer, her nails clacking against the keys. She asked me for my full name and my birthdate, entering the information in as she went. I couldn't see too much of the screen now but could see the blue glow on her face. "Alright. Let's turn down the lights and we will get started."
"Ok." She walked over and hit the light switch on the wall. She came back over and grabbed the wand that connected to the computer. She pulled the gel back out of her pocket and flicked the lid open with her thumb. Turning it upside down over my belly, she squeezed it. It made the farting noise that typically happens as the gels squirted out of the tube and on to my belly. She put the cap back on with her finger and slid it back into her pocket. Dipping the end of the wand in the gel, she moved it around to spread the gel evenly.
"So, my job is just to take pictures. I'm going to be taking a lot of pictures which is normal so the doctor can make sure everything is okay. I can't really give you any information. If you have questions, the doctor will be able to answer them afterwards." She said, pulling the stool over with her foot so she could sit. She turned her attention to the monitor as she moved the wand around. She pressed it firmly into my gut, it feeling weird as she glided it over my skin. "And here is the uterus." She said, turning the monitor so Tommy and I could see it. He shifted closer, his eyes fixed on the screen. The screen was darker now, an almost triangular shape on there with what looked like a misshapen oval on it.
"That oval is it?" I asked. She nodded, moving the wand. There was something else on the screen.
"Correct. And this little thing right here would be your baby." She said, smiling at me. I propped myself up on my elbows so I could see better. It reminded me of a picture of an eclipse, a dark circle with a light ring around it. It didn't resemble a baby or anything close to a baby. She clicked on the screen a bunch, taking picture after picture.
"Wow." Tommy said, giving me a smile.
"This is the sac. The baby grows in there. At your next ultrasound, you'll be able to see more of a baby develop." She said. "How about we see if we can pick up a heartbeat." She said, hitting something on the keyboard. There was a gurgling noise, like someone was putting a microphone underwater. She moved the ultrasound wand over my stomach, hovering near my belly button. That's when I heard the soft thumping noise. She moved it again and it grew louder. I knew it wasn't mine because it was at an even pace and mine felt like it was going to pop out of my chest.
"That's it?" I whispered. She nodded.
"That would be your baby." She said. Tears filled my eyes and I felt one slip down my cheek. I couldn't believe this was really happening. I had been begging God for a baby for years. Was this really happening now? I was looking and hearing my baby inside of me. I was going to be a mother. I felt Tommy grab my hand for support and for a moment, I saw what I thought was a glint of unshed tears in his eyes. Guilt hit me like a truck at the thought he had no clue this was his baby. He couldn't feel the same joy as me because he didn't know. I turned away from him, looking at the screen again. She was taking more pictures from different angles, making measurement marks on them. She pulled the wand away, an image of the baby still on the screen. From the counter behind her, she grabbed a towel and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I said.
"Sure. There's a bathroom there if you need to clean up. That's it for me. I'll leave this on for you guys to see. The doctor will be in shortly to go over everything with you. He'll give you some to take home as well." She cleaned off the wand and put it back along with the gel. "Take care."
"Thanks." With a smile, she left. I realized that Tommy was still holding my hand and I didn't want to move but I knew I had to. I made it seem like I needed it to clean the gel off of me, pulling my hand away. I sniffled, wiping my tears away with my hand.
"That was incredible!" Tommy said, looking at the screen. "Hearing the heartbeat about did me in."
"I did do me in." I said, sitting up. "What were you saying before?"
"Oh. Right. Kimberly, I-." Tommy was interrupted by knocking on the door. It opened and an older gentleman entered. He was a taller man with skin that was very dark. He smiled at me with a bright smile as he closed the door behind him.
"Kimberly?" He asked. I nodded. "Hello! I am Dr. Amankwah. I will be your OBGYN." He said, his voice thick with some kind of accent. He turned his attention to Tommy. "Is this the Daddy to be?" He asked.
"No. Just a friend." Tommy replied, standing to shake his hand. They shook, oblivious to me wanting to crawl under the table from the comment.
"Good. We like having supportive people here. So! Let's take a gander at the baby photos we have here. Quite the photographer we have here on staff, isn't she?" He said, sitting on the stool. He scrolled through the pictures on the screen. "I see that you are measuring about seven weeks."
"Seven weeks?" I asked, confused. "No. The ER doctor said I was about 5." He shook his head.
"No. The baby is showing you are about seven, pushing eight. Due to your history of cycle issues, there's no way to actually determine which is correct or not." He looked at a few more. "Does that timeline sound correct?" No. It didn't. I knew he was wrong because if that were the case, I'd be having no one's baby seeing as it has been nearly 12 weeks since Nick raped me and only five since I was with Tommy. I couldn't say that though.
"Yeah." I replied.
"Okay. Everything seems to be perfectly healthy with the fetus. I feel safe to say that you will be due about mid May. Maybe just in time for Mother's Day! I will schedule you with an appointment in two weeks to determine how the baby is growing. We will have a better timeline then. And perhaps, we can find out what they might be! Do you have any questions?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No, as long as the baby is alright." I replied. He nodded, pressing a button. I heard the sound of a printer and the computer began spitting out some pictures. It was a whole strip of them, about ten in total. It cut the paper after the last one and he folded it gently to hand over to me. I took it, looking down at the picture of the baby.
"Everything looks great. I will see you in two weeks. If anything should happen, call the emergency number for our office or go to the ER. They will be able to reach me from there." He stood up, turning the computer off.
"Thank you." He smiled, giving a small wave before leaving. Sighing, I pulled myself up so I was sitting on the edge of the table. "That wasn't too bad. I'm glad everything is alright with the baby."
"Yeah." Tommy said, sounding distant. I glanced over at him and saw that he was looking down at his feet.
"Are you okay, Tommy?" I asked. He nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. I'll step out so you can get changed." With that, he stood up and headed out into the hallway.
