Chapter 10
April sat up on the examination couch and Ruby sat down in a chair next to her. April's heart started beating faster and faster. "Okay April, what can I do for you?" Dr O'Connor wondered.
April took a deep breath. "Well, two weeks ago I had my suspicions that I'm pregnant and I took two three tests and they all came up positive."
The doctor nodded. "Okay, so what symptoms or pregnancy have you been experiencing?"
"Well, I missed my period and I've been having morning sickness." she told the doctor timidly.
Dr O'Connor smiled. "Okay, so you most likely are pregnant. We'll just do a few tests first to make sure. So if you are pregnant, it was unplanned?"
April nodded. "It was a complete shock because we had been so careful."
"It happens sometimes." The doctor said sympathetically. "Right okay... If you can put this on behind the screen then we'll get you checked out." she handed April a surgical gown and April went to get changed. She felt her cheeks glowing. She folded all her clothes and then got back up on the couch. April didn't know what to expect as she had never been in an OB's before. The examination didn't take long. "Well April, you're definitely pregnant. We'll do an ultrasound now just to see how far along you are..." Dr O'Connor pulled over the ultrasound machine and April undid the strings that tied the gown together over her stomach.
The doctor shook a bottle of jelly-like substance. "I'll warn you that this will be very cold." she smiled and squeezed a good bit of the jelly on her stomach. She hadn't lied. April got a shiver as soon as the jelly landed on her still-flat stomach. Dr O'Connor pressed the scanner into the jelly and started moving it around while looking at the screen. It took a few minutes but she finally looked at April and smiled. She placed her finger next to a small white blob the size of a coin on the screen. "There. That's your baby."
April stared at the little blob in awe and Ruby got up and came over to hold her hand. "That's my baby?"
The doctor nodded. "It most certainly is. And I would say, going by the size, that you are just about two months gone. You're more than halfway through the first trimester."
"Wow, it's like a peanut!" Ruby smiled and chuckled and April shot a look at her.
"That's my baby you're talking about!" she said light-heartedly.
Dr O'Connor printed off two images of the baby and then wiped the excess jelly off April's stomach. April fixed her gown and sat upright again. "Right, so now that we are 100% sure that you are pregnant, we need to talk about where you're going to go from here."
That was the question that April had been dreading. "I'm not really sure..."
The doctor nodded and smiled softly. "That's completely understandable. You know that you have three options, you just have to chose the one that is best for you. Is the father in the picture?" April nodded. "Then you should discuss all of the options with him very carefully. This isn't a decision to be made lightly. I'll give you all the information you need about pregnancy and should you chose to go down that road, adoption or termination. Ultimately April, this is your decision and your decision alone. I know it may be hard, but do not let anyone else pressure you into choosing an option that isn't completely right for you." Dr O'Connor urged her.
"I know, I will." April promised. She knew that is what Bianca would try to do.
The doctor hesitated. "But you do know there is only a certain window for certain things and you are heading into your second trimester soon..."
April nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Well apart from that decision, you have nothing to worry about. You're young and you and your baby are perfectly healthy so far. Do you have any other questions?" Dr O'Connor nodded.
April hesitated. "Em, yeah. I suffer from obsessive-complusive disorder, is there any chance my baby would have that aswell?"
"Well, usually OCD isn't hereditary but it can be in some cases. Are either of your parents obsessive-compulsive?" asked the doctor.
She shook her head. "No. Neither of my parents have it and neither does my sister."
Dr O'Connor nodded. "I don't suppose the baby's father does either?" April shook her head. "Then I think the chances of your baby having it are pretty low. That's not to say that it couldn't happen though. It could be completely coincidental or it could be genetic. People who are obsessive-complulsive have a chemical imbalance in the brain so it's not usually a gene that's passed along. Any more questions?"
April shook her head. "No, that's it."
The doctor smiled. "Okay then. So you should take a look at these.." Dr O'Connor handed her a couple of leaflets. "And unless you do decide to opt for a termination, I'll see you back here in four weeks. You can get changed back into your clothes now."