Chapter 2: Doctor's visits
Matt and Emily walked into the waiting room of her gynecologist's office. She signed in before the couple seated themselves in the waiting room in the uncomfortable chairs. Matt fidgeted running his hands through his hair and over his legs as his mind wandered. What if something was wrong with Emily? Could he really take that? His palms were beginning to sweat. Emily reached over to take his hands since he was making her nervous. What if something was wrong with her? How could she ever expect Matt to stay by her side? The nurse calling Emily's name interrupted their thoughts.
"Emily Flannery." She called a second time, her patience growing thin. The couple got up and followed her through the door. The nurse took Emily's weight and then blood pressure. She showed them to a small room and instructed Emily to remove everything before putting on the paper gown. The nurse asked if Matt was going to stay for the exam and upon getting her answer, she left the couple to wait in silence for the doctor.
Emily sat on the table and Matt sat next to her in a chair neither one wanting to say what they were thinking but both wondering if it was them that was causing their inability to conceive.
A few moments later the doctor knocked on the door startling the couple from their thoughts. The doctor began the exam with a few questions.
"Emily, what brings you in today?" She asked pen poised to mark on Emily's chart.
"Well, I haven't had a period in a few months and I took a home pregnancy test and it came up negative. Matt and I really want to have a baby, but we are beginning to think that something is wrong with one of us." Emily rambled on with out looking at her husband.
"Let's see what we have here. Scoot down on the table and we'll do your exam and then we'll run a few tests to see what we find." The doctor got comfortable on her stool as Emily did what she was told. The doctor completed her exam before leaving the room to allow the nurse to reenter the room ready to run blood and urine tests to find out why Emily couldn't get pregnant. Emily left the room briefly to pee in a cup and when she returned Matt helped her get dressed before the nurse came back in to draw blood. Matt pulled her onto his lap knowing how much Emily hated needles. He leaned her back against him securely wrapping an arm around her waist and using the other one to stroke the arm that would have the syringe injected into it. The nurse took her blood and sealed the vial before turning back to Matt and Emily.
"Mrs. Flannery, do you want to wait in the waiting room for the results or do you want to go home and have us call you with the results?" She asked, feeling sorry for this couple that clearly loved each other.
"We'll go home. Matt has an appointment later so call my cell phone when you know something please." Emily responded with the sadness she felt in her voice as she stood up taking Matt's hand and walking out of the doctor's office.
Two hours later
Matt sat uncomfortably in the little room at the doctor's office. Emily sat beside him just as uncomfortable. She had never been to see Matt's doctor with him and now understood why he was so fidgety earlier at her appointment. They still had not heard from her tests, and both were anxious to find out why they couldn't have a baby. This time Emily wondered about Matt and what her life would be like without him. What if something serious was wrong with him? What if he decided this was all too much and he walked away? She took a deep breath restraining the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
The doctor entered the room surprised to find a woman sitting on the table instead of his typical male patient. He smiled when he saw Matt sitting in the chair. He never wanted to sit on the table until the exact moment of his exam. The doctor had Matt and Emily switch places as he examined him before having him stand and cough. Matt then had to go and pee in a cup before the nurse returned to draw blood from him. Emily was entertained by the little bit of time the doctor spent actually talking to Matt about what brought him in today and the conversation that followed. That was one of he many differences between men and women. Matt pulled his sleeve back down after the doctor left and took Emily's hand leading her out of the office and to their call so that they could go home and wait on the results of their tests.
They got in the car and began the drive back to their house; thankful Cheryl had given them both the day off to make these appointments knowing that they both needed the support of the other one. Emily sat in the passenger's seat staring out the window. Matt looked straight ahead longing to touch her but not knowing if it would help. As if she sensed his uneasiness, Emily took his hand and brought it to her lips placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. Matt smiled as he returned the gesture as they pulled into their driveway. Matt slipped his arm around Emily's shoulders as they walked into the house. They both sat down on the couch staring blankly at the TV. Matt made the first move pulling Emily onto his lap where she released the tears that had been threatening to spill all day. She rested her head against his chest as she cried. Matt settled his head on top of hers and shed a few tears of his own before Emily's phone rang interrupting the intimate moment.