Hey guys! I have something big coming for this chapter, so enjoy it. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought and if you have suggestions, I'd be more than happy to take them. Thank you so much for reading and I love you all - MJ123 :)
The morning had risen and for once the loving couple slept apart. On the left side, Norma found slumber in an ironic fetal position, completely untouched or spooned by Alex who slept at least four inches from her, his hands to himself. It was silent torture but due to the circumstances, they didn't see how spooning could fit into the equation. She missed his touch and wished his arms would link around her body and the "I love you's" would simply be entangled in his silent breath.
Non-shockingly, the two awoke at about the same time. This time however, Norma didn't scurry down to the kitchen to bust out coffee and breakfast, instead she lay on her back and stare up at the ceiling thinking about the baby. Was there really a tiny molecule forming in the middle of her stomach? She couldn't feel much yet but knew the symptoms were yet to come. Dylan and Norman both gave her the same exact signs, the morning sickness, fatigue, and of course constant food cravings...those were always inevitable.
When Alex woke and stiffened next to her, she was the first to make conversation as it was completely clear that he was ready to check out. Was she planning on ending their marriage? No. Absolutely not. But if he wasn't ready to accept her condition, there was simply no room for him. It was hard because she loved him, he was the only guy that really showed her the two things she'd always wanted the most, affection and respect.
"Did you wanna come with me to the first doctors appointment today or did you just wanna pretend nothing is happening to me at all?" she asked, her tone cold and bitter. She wished he would be happy or at least pretend for a little while, just for her sake.
He sighed, already angry at her constant nagging about his unseemly grievances, "Yeah. I'll be there. I'm not gonna avoid it the whole time, y'know. I obviously want to make sure that you are healthy throughout your pregnancy."
"Really? Because you suggested last night that I should get an abortion," she said, throwing the sheets off of her body and standing angrily from the bed.
"I never once said anything about abortion," he groaned, growing sick of her using the word. He walked to her, his eyes trying to hit a more loving standpoint, "Look, I really want you to get that out of your head, alright? I'd never tell my wife to get an abortion. Adoption however...I will not deny that I mentioned it."
"Well, you lucked out there because to me that's horrible. When two parents are completely capable of raising their baby financially and physically, there is no reason to give it up in any matter. Believe me, I think adoption is a beautiful and selfless thing to do...just not when a parent is capable. We are capable, Alex. We can raise this baby," she said, moving away to grab her robe.
He didn't respond, just watched her move about the bedroom, fixing her hair and doing some light makeup. He sat on the edge of the bed and poked through his work to do list that he had written out on the notes via his phone. Silently, every now and then, he would watch her do something else to get ready. Sitting perched on her vanity chair, she poked at the loose curls of her hair and turned towards him.
"We need to leave to make the appointment in about 20 minutes so I suggest you throw on some clothes and get ready."
XXX
The doctors office smelt sterile, like overly clean and sanitized for Alex's liking. The best part about this appointment was that he got to see Dr. Rosewood, the one woman that had taken care of him ever since he was a little boy, she'd been the one to handle everything from knee scrapes to prostate exams. Really, the woman knew him in and out.
He couldn't believe that now he was seeing her with his pregnant wife, it felt like time flew by and now he was a completely grown man. When they were sitting and waiting for her name to get called, he dropped a hand to her shoulder to get her attention as she was flipping through some magazine about home and gardening.
"Did Dr. Rosewood say that she would be your doctor?" he asked, his voice a whisper as he observed all the other people in the maternity office. They all seemed to be at different stages in pregnancy, one woman would be a bulging nine months, another around five months with a sweet small bump, and then there were women like Norma, just starting out with a flat stomach and a nervous demeanor.
"Yeah," she began, setting her magazine down and replacing it with her purse on her lap, "Over the phone when she told me the news. Basically she said that she would be with me the entire pregnancy and to keep her updated on anything and everything that happens, good and bad stuff."
"Such a sweet woman. She's so giving to her patients and she would drop anything if there was something wrong. I'm really happy that she's your baby doctor."
"Does it really make a difference to you?" she scoffed, eyes trained ahead, not wanting to fight with him but the cruel comments and cold words couldn't help but escape her lips. Her heart was tugging in different directions, on one end was Alex and his feelings towards her pregnancy and on the other was the thought of getting to be a mother again.
Just when he was about to say something back to her, the receptionist called her name and off they went. The office itself was layered with pictures of pregnant stomachs, the stencils on the wall portraying ducks parading after one another, and of course the pain was either a tone of blue or pink. It wasn't much longer before Dr. Rosewood actually stepped out to see them.
She smiled once she saw Norma for the first time, "Wow," she began in awe, reaching out to shake her hand, "Alex, you found yourself quite the bride, here. She is absolutely beautiful. You're beaming, sweetie."
Norma blushed and grasped her hand to hold it for a few seconds, "Thank you. I am really happy that my husband could set me up with such amazing care, I feel like you're gonna be the perfect doctor for me and well...my son or daughter."
"I'm honored to get the opportunity," she agreed. "What we are going to do today is find out exactly how far along you are, what the baby is looking like, and then I'm going to prescribe you with some prenatal vitamins. By the time you leave here, you should have your first ultrasound image and a nice little perscription. But before we began, I'm gonna ask you a few questions, okay?"
She nodded and rested on the padded patient bed.
"Have you experienced any nausea or vomiting so far at all?"
"No. I haven't gotten sick once and I've been feeling the same. Appetite has not changed one bit and I haven't felt any difference."
"Any common symptoms of pregnancy that you can tell me about?"
"Well...I had some light spotting a few days ago but I thought that was just an unusually light menstrual cycle. My breasts have been super sensitive lately, I also just attributed that to some kind of PMS."
She looked up from the clipboard and nodded, "That's typically something that happens in the beginning. You should expect a little more spotting throughout your pregnancy and the tenderness in areola is extremely common amongst women in the early stages of expecting. Please be aware of all of the symptoms you may face, okay?"
Norma agreed and the doctor placed the clipboard down, now glancing back and forth between she and Alex. "I'm gonna put the questions on hold here. I'm guessing you two wanna glance at the baby so far, right?"
"Yes. I'd be lying to you if I were to say that I wasn't anxious to see," Norma smiled, putting a hand behind her head and lying back.
"Alex?" Dr. Rosewood asked, "Are you ready to see the ultrasound too?"
"Oh yeah, yes. I'm uh- I'm excited too," he said, feeling Norma's eyes burn a hole through the side of his head. He moved over in his waiting chair to be closer to Norma and the ultrasound machine.
"Okay," she shut the lights off then and grabbed the gel, "This gel is gonna be pretty cold."
The doctor switched on the little machine and lifted up Norma's shirt to spread the gel around with the transducer probe. Soon enough, there was a little tiny heartbeat, it filled up the doctor's office with what sounded like rhythmic drumbeats.
"That's the heartbeat of your baby!" Dr. Rosewood announced excitedly.
Norma grinned in return, beaming with the joy of being able to hear some sign of human life, "Already?" she asked, staring at the screen to find the baby.
"Mhm, such a good rate too. About 132 overall! That's a strong, healthy little beat. And if you look," she began, pointing to the long medium sized oval taking up the middle of the screen, "That is the fetus so far."
"Oh my…" Norma trailed off, looking at it, she couldn't believe how small it was. Seeing the beginnings of a baby made her so excited to be expecting again, whether Alex was happy or not.
As he looked at the little shape, he couldn't help but feel relieved. It looked to be okay so far, nothing mutated or injured. And from the sounds of the heartbeat, it seemed to be doing good. He was a little calmer about where they stood now but still wasn't sure what would or could happen down the road. He was so apprehensive of the things that could occur to harm the safety of his child.
"If I were you, I'd start referring to this one a peanut.," Dr. Rosewood joked, turning her attention back to the expectant parents. "Seems to be that you are about 6 weeks along."
Nothing could break the joy Norma felt, she was very happy that the baby was looking healthy. The only thing she still had to work on was Alex, with a little convincing and a few nudges in the soon to be daddy direction, there was still some hope within her that he would become the father that she knew he was capable of being.
And hopefully, their baby would be blessed with good parents and a happy home.
Thank you for reading and I hoped you all enjoyed. Leave me a review and let me know - "MJ" XOXO
