To Anon2018: The girls are really close – and even closer since Angola. Anne and Bri are so much fun to write together!
Sabrina sat awkwardly on the table in the examination room, Max's hand clutched in hers. Her stomach churned anxiously, her pants feeling slightly tight around her belly, her blouse hugging her figure much more closely than it ever had before. She clenched her jaw. Her mother insisted that it was all in her head, that her clothes weren't any tighter now than they had been two weeks ago. But still, she could feel it. The hand holding hers squeezed, pulling her attention away from her stomach. Slowly, Max rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and she focused on that feeling. Max's emotions, a mix of calm, nervousness, and excitement, overwhelmed her own anxiety and fear, and she released a breath, exhaling her emotions into the atmosphere and allowing herself to feel the excitement and joy. She was not alone here. Slowly, Sabrina forced her stomach to settle. The steady thrum of contentment and happiness coming from the baby merged in with her own emotions and those of Max, and she closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. She could get through this.
"How are you feeling?" Max asked her softly, moving to sit on the examination table next to her.
Sabrina leaned into his side and swallowed. "I'm… good, I think?" She furrowed her brows. "I think I'm okay. It's just… a little more overwhelming, actually being here, than it was thirty minutes ago."
Max frowned, nodding. "I know," he agreed slowly. "Before now, it still remained in the abstract, but this makes it so much more concrete."
Finally, the door to the examination room opened a crack, and a slender woman with grey-streaked hair stepped inside, glancing down at her chart as she did so before looking up at them with a smile. "Good afternoon… Sabrina? And… Max?" They both nodded. "I am Dr. Brasseur. So, what seems to be going on?"
Sabrina gulped. "I, um, I found out a couple weeks ago that I was, um, pregnant," she began. "I went to see my regular physician, and he recommended that I make an appointment with you."
Dr. Brasseur hummed pensively and pulled out her stethoscope, rubbing it between her hands quickly. Max hopped down off the table to take the chair next to it, keeping a tight hold of Sabrina's hand. "Dr. Ouazani is quite a dear colleague," Dr. Brasseur noted, pressing the stethoscope to Sabrina's chest before moving down to listen to her abdomen. "I met him once, before he opened his clinic. I was impressed, though I wasn't in a position to hire."
"I really like him," Sabrina replied, trying to keep her breathing steady despite the cool metal against her bare skin.
"There is no doctor we trust more," added Max, his grip on Sabrina's hand tightening.
"Of course." Dr. Brasseur nodded to herself, her brows furrowed. "Everything sounds good; the heartbeat is present, though still quiet. Would either of you like to listen?"
Max nodded first, and Dr. Brasseur carefully passed him the stethoscope, holding the end in place. Cocking his head to one side, Max listened intently for a long moment before his eyes widened and he gave Sabrina's hand a tight squeeze. "I–I think I can hear him!"
Dr. Brasseur smiled. "It will be much stronger even just in another week or two," she assured him. "Sabrina?"
Sabrina furrowed her brows in thought, eyeing the stethoscope warily. The baby's contentment and happiness almost overwhelmed her, pushing down her own anxiety. Nervously, she nodded, accepting the stethoscope and listening carefully. After a long minute she frowned, looking back up at Dr. Brasseur.
"It is still very soft," Dr. Brasseur told her apologetically. "Don't worry if you can't hear it just yet. But, if you will lie back, I will prepare the ultrasound."
Sabrina lay back, watching the screen curiously as Dr. Brasseur set up the equipment and pulled out a container of jelly. This was it. She had felt the baby's emotions for the past two weeks, growing stronger and more distinct with every passing day. But still she hadn't seen the baby in person. Was she ready for this? Dr. Brasseur gestured for Sabrina to pull her blouse up, and she held her breath, watching silently as the gynecologist prepped her abdomen and ran the ultrasound wand over it, quickly finding the baby within. Max's hold on her hand tightened, and his breathing hitched, a mix of excitement, shock, and love filling his emotions. Sabrina's eyes widened on seeing the tiny, distinct form on the screen: the tiny head, tinier arms coming from the tiny body. She swallowed, concentrating on the baby's emotions, and blinked back the wetness in her eyes.
Dr. Brasseur hummed, examining the image closely. "Single pregnancy, development appears to be consistent with estimated gestational age of eight or nine weeks…" She glanced back at Sabrina and smiled. "Congratulations."
Sabrina blinked, staring at the ultrasound in awe. "It's–it's–" She swallowed. "I mean, I knew already, but…"
"But suddenly it's so much more real?" Dr. Brasseur hummed sympathetically and pressed a couple buttons on the ultrasound before handing Sabrina a towel to wipe herself off. Resetting the machine, the doctor handed them a picture of the ultrasound. "This absolutely confirmed it – if you needed the confirmation. You are most definitely pregnant." She gave Sabrina a curious look. "I'm surprised you were on top of this to come in when you did. With most young women your age, pregnancy is the last thing on their minds – especially when they aren't married?" she prompted, glancing back and forth between them.
Sabrina shook her head, but Max hesitated, his emotions shifting into nervousness. Sabrina cocked her head in surprise, turning her gaze fully on him. "We're not married," Sabrina answered, raising an eyebrow at Max. "… Right?"
"I, um…" Max looked down at the floor, his nervousness morphing into embarrassment. "No – not at the moment, at least."
She blinked, her eyes widening, and her free hand froze over her stomach, directly above their child. Marriage… It was a topic they had studiously been avoiding for the last two weeks, ever since receiving their unexpected news. Sabrina looked closely at Max's face, the redness coloring his cheeks and ears. His embarrassment deepened, now mingled in with anxiety. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Were they really considering… marriage? Not that she hadn't considered it in the past, of course – she had thought about it on a whim a few times when they first started dating, though never as more than a far-off fantasy, something for when they were older and out of university. When she had thought Max was dead, she had assumed her chances of marriage were dead also, crushed with him under the Tarasque's paw. And then she had discovered that he was alive, and for the past two months, all she could think about was how much she wanted to spend every minute of her life with him, basking in that closeness, sensing his love and affection toward her… that was all she wanted. But then she had found out about… her stomach clenched. Did this mean they were locked in now? Was this the right time to make those plans? Yes, Max wanted to raise the baby together, to be a family. Yes, he was working so hard on his Super Akuma Battle game so he could support her and their baby. This was everything she wanted… but what about for Max? He was excited about the prospect now, but would that excitement remain? What if eventually he second-guessed this? What if he felt like he had been trapped into this? Did he really want more than what they already had?
Did he really want her, all of her, "till death us do part"?
She could feel Max's nervousness increasing next to her, feel Nooroo rustling in her pocket. She swallowed. "Is–is this something we need to talk about later?" she finally asked, watching Max's face carefully for his response.
He nodded anxiously. "I think it is."
Sabrina's breathing hitched, and she squeezed Max's hand, meeting his gaze. "I, um, I'm… sorry we haven't talked about it before now…"
The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Other issues were so much more important."
Dr. Brasseur coughed awkwardly, looking back and forth between them. Sabrina blinked, refocusing her attention on the doctor. "Well, I will leave the two of you to settle… whatever this is on your own time," Dr. Brasseur began. "But I will say that it is an important conversation for you to have. In any case, I am glad you came in to see me so early on in the process. Complications tend to arise more often and become more serious in undiagnosed pregnancies."
"Of course," Sabrina answered fervently. "We want to make sure that everything goes smoothly, that our baby is healthy."
Max nodded in agreement.
Dr. Brasseur hummed curiously. "I am glad you were proactive with this, to find out during the first trimester." Sabrina grimaced. "But I am curious: what got you even thinking about pregnancy in the first place?"
Sabrina shrugged. "I don't know – I just… there were a few little things. Looking back, the signs were all there. I didn't put it together right away, but a friend told me to take the test, and, well, here we are."
"Well, I am glad you made an appointment when you did," Dr. Brasseur told her.
Max's eyes widened, and his grip on Sabrina's hand tightened. "Is everything okay?"
"Hmm?" Dr. Brasseur started in confusion, before stifling a laugh. "Oh, you mean with your – yes, of course. Your baby is absolutely perfect! Next time you come in, we'll set up another ultrasound so you can see your baby's developmental progress, and we can take a fetal DNA sample to test for any genetic problems, though with your age I bout that will be a problem. No, so far as we can know at this early stage, your baby is perfectly healthy. I apologize; I only meant that my appointment schedule has been filling up very rapidly in recent weeks – the next time I will have an appointment available for a new patient will be in four weeks!"
Sabrina's eyes widened. "That long?"
Dr. Brasseur nodded seriously. "Oh, don't worry," she assured her quickly. "If you have any complications, I can adjust my schedule to fit you in. And appointments with existing patients are much simpler – none of the questionnaires and forms to fill out. But unfortunately, your future appointments will be handled primarily by my nurse, Helene; I'll only be able to see you for a few minutes each time to answer any important questions. Of course, assuming that the pregnancy proceeds well, that is probably all you will need."
"And when the baby comes?" prompted Max.
"If at all possible, I will be there," Dr. Brasseur promised. "Especially if there are any complications. But I don't anticipate any. This is your first pregnancy–" Sabrina nodded firmly "–but you are also young and healthy. We will monitor the situation as we go along, but for now, you are good to go!"
AN: Tomorrow, look for the first chapter of the next "SLD Case Report": "The Raid."