Tina looked at herself once more in the mirror before she was to head to the doctor's with and Artie. She was coming up on her fourth month but had not grown a huge baby bump yet. It was still small but a little pudgy around her middle. She actually couldn't wait for it to get bigger, just to see it. She also noticed her friend's wandering and anticipating eyes when they looked at her stomach. She knew they too were just looking for another realization.
She heard Artie call her name, so she quickly grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs. When she got to the bottom she saw Artie and Mrs. Abrams waiting at the front door for her. They lead her out the door and to the car. She took her seat in the back next to Artie as Mrs. Abrams helped him and his wheelchair get situated. As she shut the door and climbed into the driver's seat, Artie looked over at her with a wide smile and held her hand as his mother pulled out of the drive-way. She smiled at him as his mother smiled back at them through the rear-view mirror.
They had already been to plenty of doctors appointments but this was the extra special one. They were going to hear the baby's heartbeat. Tina had been jumpy all week thinking about it. She had heard baby's heartbeats before on movies and tv shows, but those meant nothing. She was going to hear her baby's heartbeat. Artie was the same way. He was gonna hear something he had never thought he'd be able to hear; his own baby's heartbeat. He had been looking forward to it all week but he had also been dreading it. He had the same nightmare every night; instead of hearing his baby's heartbeat when the doctor put the machine to her stomach...he would hear he would wake up and Tina wasn't there anymore. He had told Tina about his nightmare. She gave him a small, gentle smile and placed his hand on her stomach so he could feel a small warm mass. They couldn't wait for it to start kicking. Quinn told them it would take another month but warned Tina it'd stop being cute after the first non-stop 15 minutes. She then had shot Artie a warning glare telling him he better take care of Tina every minute or else she was gonna come after him herself. Quinn was no non-sense when it was about her friend who was now in the same boat she had been in. The two had become very close.
When they pulled up to the doctor's office, Tina took a deap breath then stepped out the door. She tried to help get Artie out of the van but she shooed her away warning her for the millionth time about no strenous activity. She freaked out every time she carried a cereal box. Tina loved her but sometimes she was a little much. It wasn't long after they went into the office and checked in that they were called back into a little room. As Tina and Artie made their way to follow the nurse to the room, stayed seated. They insisted she followed to hear the heartbeat but she told them to go on. She wanted them to share that special moment together before anyone else heard it too. Tina smiled and felt her eyes go wet as she gave her a quick hug. She was the most amazing woman she had ever met.
When Artie and Tina finally made it into the small room, Tina climbed up and laid down on the small bed as Artie wheeled up beside her and held her hand, just like he did at everyone of her appointments. He hadn't missed one yet. The doctor, Dr. Finney, came into the room with a smile as she laid down her clipboard and took a seat on the stool on the opposite side of the bed from Artie. Tina liked her. She was warm and informative. The first appointment Tina had with her she explained practically everything from the first to ninth month of was there for practically two hours, but Dr. Finney was understanding and she didn't judge her for being a pregnant teenager. She had also delivered all three of the Abram kids. She even went to visit Artie several times after his accident. The whole family didn't want any other doctor than her for Tina and Artie's baby.
They all exchanged their small words of excitement and anticipation before cut the disscussion short to get to the big moment. Artie and Tina thought it was like she had read their minds. Tina lifted her shirt as the doctor put the cool gell on her stomach and then slowly put the small moniter on her stomach. Artie and Tina thought the wand moved in slow motion towards her stomach until finally it pushed gently on her lower abdomen and the doctor pushed a couple buttons. There on the screen appeared what looked like the shilloeute of a little ailen. The doctor then pushed one more button and the sounds of a small heartbeat filled the room. Artie and Tina simoltaniously took in quick, sharp breaths as the faint "bump-bump" took up the silence. They both stared at the screen for several minutes, then back at eachother in awe. It was the most beautiful sound either one of them had ever heard. The doctor then moved the wand and pushed another button and up on the screen popped up the picture of their baby's small, fragile face. Tina gasped and looked over at Artie who had the biggest smile on that she had ever seen.
"It's beautiful. It looks just like you," he said as he placed a kiss on the back of her hand.
"Would you like to know the sex?" asked .
"No," they both said at the same time. They wanted it to be a surprise. The doctor shook her head and agreed to leave to fetch Artie's mom and make pictures and a dvd of the baby and it's heartbeat. When she left, Tina leaned over and gave Artie a passionate kiss,"You know I don't think I can wait five months to know if it's a boy or girl."
"Me either, but we'll see what happens." They laughed but then they were cut short as came rushing into the room, tears already in her eyes, ready to hear the heartbeat. They had probably taken much too long for her likeing.