A/N: And because I simply didn't feel like waiting another day (and I've got cherry pie!) I decided to give in and post the next chapter. Oh the power of pie.
Rachel just stares blankly at the other woman before scoffing. "I'm sorry but that's just not possible. I can't be pregnant."
"I didn't believe it myself when I saw the results. So I had the lab tech run it again and your bloodwork came back positive," Dr. Stevens explains as calmly as she can.
"No. You don't understand. I can't be pregnant," Rachel stresses. "I've never even had sex! And the last time I checked God wasn't just pulling Virgin Marys on unsuspecting Jewish girls from Lima, Ohio!"
"Are you sure, Rachel? About the no sex part I mean."
The young female laughs harshly, which is very unlike her. "Of course I'm sure. I think I'd remember if I had sexual relations with someone. I don't even have a boyfriend right now and haven't had one since June."
"Well I don't know what to tell you then except that you tested positive for pregnancy." Dr. Stevens reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out a pad of paper and pen and starts writing on it before ripping it off and handing it to her. "Now here's a prescription for prenatal vitamins that I suggest you start taking right away. I'd also like you to schedule an appointment for one month from now so I can check up on you again."
Rachel just stares at the paper in her hand before repeating, "I'm not pregnant."
The doctor just looks at the clock on the wall and sees that it is time for her to check on her next patient. So she stands up and walks to the door but turns around before leaving to say, "I'm sorry, Rachel. I know this isn't what you were expecting but don't forget to set up that appointment and I'll see you next month."
The petite brunette just watches in stunned silence as her doctor walks out of the room and leaves her there. She sits there for a few moments before stuffing the piece of paper into her purse and rushing out of the room, not even stopping at the receptionist's desk to schedule the appointment for what she feels is a bogus pregnancy.
For the next few weeks, Rachel throws herself into her school work, Glee practices, vocal lessons and ballet class as she pushes the ridiculous idea of her being pregnant to the back of her mind.
One morning during the first week of October, she is getting dressed for school and is getting frustrated with the fact that she can't zip up any of her skirts. Letting out an aggravated huff, the brunette pulls off yet another too tight skirt and kicks it off her foot not caring where it lands. Before resigning herself to having to wear a pair of pants, Rachel pulls one last skirt off a hanger and slips it up her slender legs and shrieks excitedly when she is able to pull the zipper closed. Standing in front of her full length mirror she checks over her outfit and realizes that the only reason she is able to get this skirt to zip up is because it is sitting higher on her body than it normally does, which causes the hem in the back to barely fall beneath the curve of her butt cheeks. She quickly rifles through her dresser and pulls out an appropriately matching pair of tights and puts them on as well, content with the fact that her butt is now properly covered.
Arriving at school twenty minutes early like she usually does, Rachel walks to her locker to gather the books and supplies she will need for the first part of her day. As she puts away the books that she had taken home last night, she stands on her tip toes to reach for something from the top of her locker but jumps back when she sees a male hand flash past hers and reach the item for her. Rachel's hand flies to her chest as she whirls around in surprise to see Noah Puckerman smirking at her with her notebook in his hand.
He lets his eyes rake down her body lingering on her legs. "Nice skirt, Berry. Although it's a shame you had to wear tights today instead of the knee socks," he drawls as he lets the fingers of his empty hand graze along the hem of her skirt coming dangerously close to touching her butt.
Rachel snatches her notebook out of his hand and swats at the other one before closing her locker and leveling him with a stare. "Good morning, Noah. Can I help you with something?"
Smirking at his ex-girlfriend he responds, "Well since you're offering, I happen to know of a perfectly good janitor's closet that we can get better acquainted with."
"You're incorrigible," she sighs as she grabs the handle of her pink trolley and begins to walk away.
"I'll take that as a maybe then," Puck calls out after her as he watches the hem of her skirt sway from side to side, wishing like hell that she hadn't worn tights today. He chuckles to himself when he notices the glare Rachel sent him over her shoulder as she continues to stride away.
The next week Rachel can no longer fit into any of her skirts and most of her jeans are starting to get a little tight as well. She wants to write it off as the dryer just shrinking her clothes but when she steps on the scale in her bathroom the brunette sees that she has suddenly gained five pounds. Now Rachel knows that for some girls five pounds isn't a really huge deal but for her, she feels as if her world has been thrown off its axis and started spinning at warp speed. This kind of thing just doesn't happen to her. Surely there has to be some sort of medical reason for this, the young girl thinks. Some sort of allergic reaction to something in my diet. I know I'm getting plenty of exercise with my daily elliptical routine and dance classes. Perhaps it's just a sudden growth of more muscles. They do say that muscle weighs more than fat after all. But regardless, I think I'll schedule an appointment with the doctor just to be sure.
Grabbing her cell phone of her nightstand, Rachel dials her doctor's phone number and gets the automated appointment line. She quickly gets herself an appointment for later that day and then closes her phone so that she can go about her morning beauty regiment and head off to school. Stifling a yawn she stretches her arms up over her head to try and relieve her back of the dull pain she feels there. I must be more tired than I thought from all of my extra efforts in ballet class for the upcoming recital.
Rachel manages to make it through her school day even though she feels like falling asleep in practically every class. So she is grateful to finally be sitting in the waiting room of her doctor's office to see if she can get to the bottom of the mysterious five pounds that decided to attach itself to her body somewhere.
"Rachel Berry," a blonde nurse says as she steps into the room.
The petite brunette glances up when she hears her name called and then gathers her belongings before following the nurse behind the door. She is instructed to collect a urine sample and then to wait for her in room two. Doing what was asked of her, Rachel swiftly finishes up in the bathroom and then washes her hands before heading towards room two. The nurse arrives soon after and quickly takes her blood pressure, checks her heart rate and weight before noting everything on the chart and letting her know that the doctor will be with her shortly.
A few minutes later, Dr. Stevens opens the door and strolls into the room. Placing down the file in her hand and a small rectangular box with an attached wand looking device she looks at her patient and says, "Good afternoon, Rachel. I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Is everything alright?"
"I believe so but I wanted to make an appointment due to a sudden weight gain that I just noticed. At first I just thought it was my dryer shrinking my clothes when my skirts and jeans would no longer zip up but then I stepped on the scale and saw that I had gained five pounds! That's just not normal right?"
The doctor sighs quietly as she realizes that the young teenager in front of her apparently seems to still be trying to deny to herself that she is in fact pregnant. So she figures that she'll have to be a little evasive. "Are there any other symptoms you've been experiencing lately that might be contributing to your weight gain?"
"Not that I can think of. I mean I live a very healthy and active lifestyle. I'm vegan as you know and I work out on my ellipitcal machine every morning for at least thirty minutes and I have ballet class three days a week. But now that you mention it, I have been rather sore and tired lately, more so than usual that is. But I'm sure that just has to do with the fact that I'm practicing extra hard for my dance recital that's coming up in a few weeks," Rachel says confidently.
Dr. Stevens just nods her head. "And with all of this exercise you haven't felt any naseau?"
Rachel wrinkles her nose at the idea of throwing up. "No. And besides wouldn't naseau tend to lead to weight loss rather than weight gain?"
The doctor just chuckles lightly. "Too true. I guess you're one of the lucky ones then." Seeing the odd look on her patient's face at that statement she continues. "And how is your vegan diet working out for you? You're still able to stick with it? You don't feel the desire to eat something else sometimes?"
"Well lately I have had a difficult time saying no to my friends whenever they ask me to go out with them for ice cream. I mean an ice cream sundae just sounds so delicious but then I think about how bad it is for my vocal chords and I just have to say no. Same thing has been happening recently whenever my dads eat meat. Their steaks just smell so mouth watering but then I think of that poor animal and I just start crying hysterically that I would even think for one second about taking even just a bite out of one of their steaks." Tears suddenly began pricking at her eyes and she swipes at them to prevent them from falling.
The older woman recognizes the tears as Rachel's hormones acting up due to being pregnant, even if the younger woman still refuses to believe that she is in fact pregnant. However, she is hoping to be able to make her understand and accept that reality today. "Alright. Well I know that you prefer to live the vegan lifestyle and there's nothing wrong with that health wise as long as you're taking the proper vitamins to make up for the nurtients that you're lacking. Now I need you to lay down and raise up your shirt please."
Rachel looks at her doctor oddly at first before complying with the request. She watches as the other female squirts some gel on her belly and then applies the wand like attachment from the rectangular box. "What are you doing?" she asks as she begins to hear noise coming from the box.
Dr. Stevens is quiet as she continues to move the wand around until she finds the fast paced beating she is looking for. "Rachel," she starts out slowly, "this is the heartbeat of your baby."