Chapter 15
I called my doctor to book an appointment, but the receptionist said the doctor couldn't see me for almost a month. Dr. Brady didn't have any time slots available. When I told Nancy what I needed, she transferred me to Dr. Brady, who managed to squeeze me in during her lunch break for today. I had less than ten minutes to get there.
"Diesel?" I called into the basement. "I need your assistance." He was at my side within seconds.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"My doctor got booked, but I can see her in ten minutes during her lunch break. Can you get me to the appointment in time?" I wondered. "Here's the address," I said as I showed him my phone.
Diesel wrapped his arms around me and concentrated. We popped onto his friend's covered back porch. "Hey, Diesel. What's up?" Red asked.
"Red, you remember my wife, Stephanie? We have an appointment a few blocks away. May I borrow your car?" Diesel asked.
"Hi, Stephanie. Sure, take my truck," Red replied as he tossed Diesel a set of keys. "Take your time."
"You have understanding friends," I said as we left in Red's truck.
"It's nice to have friends willing to help. Do you mind visiting with him for a few minutes when we return? Red is part of my team," Diesel stated.
"No problem. We should have Red drive us back home too. Our last trip made me a little nauseous," I said.
"Okay. It's a safe way for us to travel, but if it makes you sick, then we'll use it sparingly," he offered.
"Thank you. I knew you would understand. I've managed to keep nausea at bay for the last few weeks. I'm excited to see what the doctor says," I stated.
We arrived at the medical building and got quickly ushered into an examination room. "Hello, Stephanie. Who is this?" Dr. Brady asked.
"Hi, Dr. Brady, this is my husband, Lars Diesel," I replied to introduce them.
"Do I need to update your file?" she wondered.
"If you don't mind," Diesel replied. I thought Diesel wanted me to continue using my maiden name so his enemies couldn't find me. Ranger warned me Diesel has more dangerous enemies. He whispered, "Electronic records are secured by the committee the second my name gets entered. You're safe."
I answered all of Dr. Brady's questions. The last time I had a period was in Jamaica five months ago. My jaw dropped when Dr. Brady stated, "You're almost twenty weeks pregnant. Let's get a sonogram to double-check."
"Are you sure?" I asked as I exposed my still flat stomach.
She applied gel to my abdomen. Dr. Brady moved the wand over my body until she found the fetus. After taking a few measurements, she announced. "Nineteen weeks and two days. Your son is developing at a normal rate. I recommend you start taking vitamins containing folic acid. Nancy will schedule your next appointment. Do you have any questions?" she asked.
"I've been taking birth control for the last year. How did I get pregnant?" I wanted to know.
"Sometimes a specific brand isn't as effective, or antibiotics counteracted the pill," she replied.
"Why didn't I know? I didn't start feeling nauseous until recently. Would the pill affect my son's development?" I asked. Dr. Brady already said my baby was developing routinely, but I would be devastated if I affected his development by taking the pill.
"You're in top physical shape. It's rare for a woman to get this far along into pregnancy without experiencing at least one symptom," she replied. "You probably did have an indication, but you dismissed them since it's your first pregnancy. Taking the pill shouldn't cause any defects or miscarriage."
"I've been more tired, hungrier, and my libido is off the charts for the last three months," I stated.
"Those are all pregnancy indicators. Stop taking the pill. Start taking vitamins and stop the rigorous exercises," Dr. Brady ordered before passing me paper towels to wipe off the gel. She handed a sonogram image and prescription to Diesel before leaving the room.
"I thought she was going to say four weeks, not nineteen," I confessed as I got off the examination table.
"Me too," Diesel replied. "You got pregnant during our first week together." I wouldn't be surprised if I got pregnant on our first night. Neither of us were overly concerned with using condoms.
We met Nancy at the reception desk. She gave me an appointment for next month. "See you in four weeks," Nancy said as she handed me a card.
Diesel and I remained silent until we buckled ourselves into the truck. "We're having a boy," Diesel stated.
"Yup. I've been dreaming about him for months," I told Diesel. "He'll be here before we get used to this pregnancy."
"You've already passed your Rangeman entrance tests," Diesel reminded me.
"I passed the other requirements yesterday. I'm a full-fledged Rangeman employee. We have to notify everyone," I said, defeated. Mom would be happy, but she's going to be overbearing. If she asks me to quit my job at Rangeman, I'll never speak to her again. Mentioning Joe before I married Diesel was a low blow, and I will not tolerate her attitude.
Our conversation was put on hold when we arrived back at Red's home. He was waiting for us outside the front door. Diesel moved across the bench to shift me to the middle. I didn't notice him unbuckling my seatbelt.
Red knew where to drive without instructions. He parked in our driveway and congratulated us. Diesel had to notify the committee for unmentionables. We understood there was a fifty percent chance our son would take after his father.
"Thanks for the ride," I said as I moved to exit the truck.
"Anytime," Red stated as I closed the door. He waved as he drove away.
"I need to leave tonight," Diesel confessed. "The committee needs to be informed." Our son most likely takes after his father, which explains why I wasn't showing yet. He was protecting us from other people.
"I'll be okay. We can ask Hector to keep me company. He'll want to know what the doctor said," I responded. "I can't believe we're almost halfway there." My hand reflectively stroked down my flat abdomen.
"You'll probably expand at an insane rate now that you know," Diesel joked.
Calling Hector was unnecessary. He was waiting for us in the living room. "Can I have the sonogram?" I asked Diesel. He gave me the paper with our son's picture. "I'm nineteen weeks," I said while handing Hector the image.
Hector couldn't believe I was almost halfway through my pregnancy. "You're not showing," he said, pointing to my abdomen. "A boy." Hector must have noticed the extra appendage.
"Diesel has to leave tonight. He needs to tell his bosses about our son," I informed Hector.
"I'll stay with you tonight," Hector announced.
"My mission starts tomorrow and will take a few months," Diesel added. Hector immediately volunteered to stay with me. I didn't need anyone to watch me, but I knew it would make Diesel and Hector feel better.
"I'm craving Hector's spicy quesadillas," I groaned.
Hector left us in the living room to cook dinner. It's a few hours too soon, but I missed lunch. My baby needs nourishment.
Lester, Bobby, Tank, Ranger, Manny and Hal arrived as Hector passed me a plate with my quesadilla. I ate as the men discussed what happened at the obstacle course yesterday. "Where's Vince?"
"Working," Hal replied.
"What did your blood test show?" Bobby asked.
"Give it to him, Diesel," I replied. Diesel gave Bobby the sonogram.
"Really? We're going to be uncles?" he shouted.
"Yes, Bobby. In twenty weeks, you're going to be an uncle," I clarified.
His jaw dropped. "Twenty weeks? Did the doctor make a mistake?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm almost twenty weeks pregnant and no, the doctor did not make a mistake," I answered. "I think my son is more like his father than me." I shrugged as I told him my first impression upon learning I was five months pregnant. "It wouldn't surprise me if I woke up tomorrow morning with an impressive baby bump."
"It explains why you're always tired. I assumed it was Diesel's bedroom skills causing your fatigue," Lester felt necessary to add.
"Nice to know my sex life is on your mind," I sarcastically mumbled. "Why are you guys here?"
"We received an insurance claim notification from Dr. Brady's office," Tank answered.
"And you wanted to know if I was pregnant?" I asked.
"Yes, but we didn't expect you to be already halfway there," Manny replied.
"Neither did we, hubby," I agreed. "What are my restrictions?"
"Yoga and light stretch only. Absolutely no fieldwork. You must have an escort to and from work," Bobby quickly rattled off his invisible list.
"Maximum of four hours of work before taking a break," Lester interjected.
"I'm going to go crazy," I groaned.
"Babe," Ranger said as he shook his head.
Diesel nodded at Ranger and motioned towards Lester. They excused themselves to have a private conversation. I knew Diesel was arranging for his cousins to watch over me. Hector already promised, but Diesel wanted to give our family more information.
"When does he leave?" Tank asked when he noticed the cousins walk away.
"Soon. Diesel has to notify the powers that be," I replied. "I'll need someone to accompany me to my next few appointments."
"Take Ranger, Lester, Vince or me," Bobby suggested. "Stick to the family as much as possible."
"All the Merry Men are my family. Any of them are welcome to join me. If preference goes to biological, then I want Vince to accompany me whenever Diesel is unavailable," I stated.
"I can rearrange his schedule to accommodate your needs," Tank added.
"Thank you, Tank. Maybe you should arrange my schedule to align with Manny, Hal or Vince's for start and end times. They live here anyways, so we might as well take advantage," I countered. "But I still want Vince to be on duty for my doctor appointments."
"Whatever you want, Little Girl," Tank said.
My husband returned with Ranger and Lester. Diesel reached out to grab my hand. He led us to our bedroom to say goodbye. "Take care of our son," Diesel said before kissing me. Breaking from the kiss, he added, "I love you."
"I love you too. Stay safe," I said before pressing our lips together again. Diesel kissed me until my toes curled. His hand brushed down my abdomen as I felt a flutter from our son.
Diesel left as he whispered, "Don't go crazy." Damn it! He stole my bra again. I grabbed another bra to replace the one my husband took for prosperity. It barely fit anyways. I'll have to go lingerie shopping soon.
I brushed a tear from my face as I descended the stairs. "Diesel left," I announced before sitting in Lester's lap.
Lester shifted me until he could see my face. "You're going to be a momma," he said in awe.
"Who could have guessed?" I wondered. It wasn't on my radar until Diesel and I started dating. I used to get hives from the very thought, but now I'm excited to have my son with Diesel.
"None of us. We thought you didn't want children," Hal stated.
"My husband changed my mind," I confessed. Diesel wasn't the only person to change my mind. Ronnie was integral in my change of stance. She showed me I'm not my mother, and I have lots of love to offer my child.
"Will I be his godfather?" Lester asked.
"With Hector, yes. Shirley and Mary Lou are his godmothers. If anything happens to Diesel and me, Vince and Manny are his guardians," I replied. Diesel and I discussed our hypothetical children while we were on our honeymoon. We were in agreement in respect of whom we wanted to raise our children.
Neither of us doubted for a minute that my Rangeman family would step up to help. If we could choose all of them to be guardians, we would. I'll need to contact my lawyer to change my will. Everything goes to Diesel or Vince.
"Not his godparents?" Lester asked.
"Diesel and I are counting on all of you to help raise our son. If he's like his daddy, as I expect he is, then he will need his uncles to help guide him," I answered.
"You can count on us, Babe," Ranger stated.
"HUA," the others added.
I shifted so I could drape my legs over Manny and Bobby's thighs. Manny massaged my feet as I dropped my head to Lester's shoulder. Lester's hand caressed my back as he comforted me. My hormones were off the charts, and I needed extra care today.
"When does Vince get home?" Bobby asked.
"His shift ends at 2300," Tank replied. "It will take another twenty minutes to drive here."
"My shift starts then," Lester stated. I listened as they made plans for someone to stay with me until Vince got home. Hector gently lifted me from Lester's lap to let him move. Lester needed a few hours to sleep before his shift started.
"Bye, Lester," I mumbled.
"Sweet dreams, Beautiful momma," he said before kissing my forehead.
Ranger, Tank, Manny and Bobby left. Manny had a surveillance shift, and the other men had paperwork to finish. Hal finished work for the day.
I fell asleep wrapped in Hector's embrace. My feet were resting in Hal's lap. He was massaging my feet and calves.
A few hours later, I woke up when Hector shifted my position. "Thanks, Hermano," I said as he sat me on the couch.
"My legs were falling asleep," he said to explain the sudden shift in positions.
"You don't need to hold me as I sleep," I reminded him.
"I know. Can I touch?" Hector asked, pointing to my stomach.
"Sure," I said, permitting him.
Hector smiled as he rested his hand on my abdomen. It was too soon for him to feel my baby move, but I could feel my son kicking.
"I'm going to bed now. The guest bedroom is ready for you. See you in the morning, Hermano." I kissed his cheek before saying goodnight to Hal.
My baby was moving a lot. I could feel him fluttering. Rubbing my abdomen, I said, "Daddy will be home soon, little man."