The rest of the week passed by in a haze with an oral report about the major conflict in 'To Kill A Mockingbird', three lectures about the history taken place all those years ago in England, and a few pop quizzes thrown into the mix for good measure. And on this Friday, the air buzzing with excitement and anticipation for the prized weekend, Mrs. Bronk, my history teacher, decided to give us yet another lecture about British culture and facts about the Royal family.
She rambled on and on, ignoring the curses muttered under people's breath and the inwardly groans made by half the class that was asleep. Neal glanced over his shoulder and gave me a wink. I held up my hands to signal that we only had ten more minutes of class left, making my boyfriend smile contently. "And before your dismissed," Mrs. Bronk deadpanned, finishing her fascinating lecture, "I'd like you all to write a five-page report on what you just learned. It will be due on Monday." she added, receiving open-mouthed stares from each and every one of her students.
The shrill bell rang and Mrs. Bronk shooed us out the door of her classroom with an evil smile. "Can you believe her?" Neal grimaced, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "I mean who does she think she is?"
"Uh, our teacher." I replied with a snort, the stares of the lower classmen following us down the hallway. Neal wrapped his arm around me and led me towards the Bug. From afar, I spotted Kat and Josh, watching us intently. "I'll be right back." I told Neal warily. I ran towards my friends in a slow jog, being careful not to get run over by the passing cars, though no one would want to mush the beloved Savior.
Kat smiled and waved as I stopped in front of her. "Hey, Emma! What's up?" Josh looked over my shoulder at Neal, giving him a grave stare as if to say something regarding football like old times.
"Look, I need you two to come over tonight. Neal and I have something to tell you." I said, without giving Josh a second to say 'hi' in his usual cheery way. They both looked at me questioningly and nodded. "Be at my house at eight." I ran back towards Neal and kissed his cheek.
My boyfriend threw my backpack into the back seat and adding his to the pile, Neal opened the passenger side door for me, insisting that he should drive to the doctor's office. I handed him the car keys reluctantly. "What'd you tell Kat and Josh?" Neal asked, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.
"They're coming over tonight and we're telling them that I'm having a baby." I replied, leaving no room to argue, though Neal knew better than to reply with a single word. He looked over at me when we were at a red light and wrinkled his eyebrows as if to say 'why?'. "Kat and Josh are our closest friends and they should be able to know that they're going to be Godparents."
"You've already decided on Godparents?" Neal asked with a smirk. I nodded and let him continue. "All right, fine. Now which way to the doctor's office?" His tone, as enthusiastic as can be, masked my nervousness of going to the dreaded doctor's, and yet, I couldn't help smiling.
Leaning my head against the leather seat, I said, "Take a right." He did as he was told, like most days, and drove towards the white-painted building, while I braced myself for what was to come.
It seems as though Neal's excitement disintegrated into thin air and was replaced with regret. As we sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office, Neal was being used as a human jungle gym, kids of all ages attaching themselves onto his legs. I sneaked a few side-long grins to Neal as I filled out the 'New Patient Requirement' sheet. To much of Neal's relief, the doctor, a tall woman with almond colored skin, called us in.
"Good afternoon!" The doctor said happily, leading us down colorfully painted hallways and past informational signs. Neal gripped my hand tighter as our doctor opened a door for us. "I'm Dr. Law," She extended her hand for Neal to shake, but I shook it instead of Neal. My boyfriend's inability to move his hands occurred to me that he wasn't ready for what he was about to see. "So, you must be Emma Swan, the girl who broke the curse. I've heard a lot about you." She smiled at me.
I nodded and returned a weak smile. "Uh, yeah, and this is my boyfriend, Neal Cassidy." Neal's hand tensed upon hearing his own name being spoken, making my fingers bleed red with tension.
Dr. Law motioned for me to take a seat on the padded table marked with sanitary paper and began rushing around the room. "Now, today we'll be seeing your child for the first time, so we'll be doing an ultrasound." She informed, grabbing a tube filled with, what seems to be, white goop, pushing a chair over to Neal, and pulling a machine out of a locked closet. "Emma, can you lift up your shirt so I can spread this," She held up the tube of white goop. "over your stomach?" I did as I was told and lifted my shirt up, Neal grinning once seeing the small baby bump. Dr. Law tugged on gloves and spread the white goo over my stomach, then she plugged in the roll away machine to a wall outlet and flipped a television screen on.
"What is that?" Neal asked, nodding towards the goo sitting all over my stomach, as his eyes were fixated on the machine and its popped out television screen. I felt Neal grab my hand again, while his knee bounced up and down in his chair.
"This gel allows the camera to see inside Emma's stomach," Dr. Law replied, holding up a glorified camera. "The camera then shows us how your child is doing by projecting it onto this screen." She patted the television screen thoughtfully.
I bit my lip, hard enough so I could feel a drop of blood soak into my lips. "So, its translucent and it can see inside my stomach?" I asked logically, earning a nod from Dr. Law. "That's so cool."
Our doctor fiddled with the camera and smiled at me. "Yes, it is indeed." The cold lens of the camera pressed against my skin, making me grimace and squeeze Neal's hand tighter, now breaking his fingers. "See that little blob on the screen?" Outlining the fuzzy circle surrounded by a black color with her finger, she added, "That there is your baby. Let's see, your about a month along and it's still too soon to know if it's a boy or girl or when the due date is. But, I can give you a picture of the ultrasound if you'd like." My eyes, along with Neal's were staring intently at the screen, and then, the information registered into our brains with a shock. That was our child, right there on the screen, inside my stomach. I was giving it life. It wasn't just some crazy dream that I thought I have been living in; this is real and I wanted everything to do with this little baby.
"Could we have two pictures?" Neal asked quietly, still watching our breathtaking kid on the screen. I was nearly seconds away from breaking down, the tears overflowing in my eyes like a dam. Dr. Law cleared off the gel and smiled again at us.
"Of course. I'll be right back with them." She answered, exiting the room as soon as the gel was gone from my stomach and the machine was stored away in its rightful place.
Neal helped me up from the table and hugged me tightly. At that moment, I lost myself and let the tears I've been holding flowed down my cheeks and dampened Neal's gray shirt. I clutched my boyfriend's neck and let thoughts concerning our child appear in my head. What would it be like? Who would it look like? Will it be a boy or girl? Neal pulled back from our hug and thumbed away my tears. "These are tears of joy, right?" He asked.
I choked out a laugh and replied, "Yeah," He kissed my forehead slowly, closing his eyes. At that moment, Dr. Law opened the door again and walked into the room. She held the two photos and a blue folder in her hands.
"Neal, I think it might be best if you arrange Emma's next visits now so you don't forget later. I know you must be busy now that school started again." Dr. Law interjected, getting a nod out of Neal. He slowly moved from my side and towards the door, only to have Dr. Law stop him. "And, hey, congratulations." She happily gave Neal a one-armed hug and shut the door behind him.
I used the back of my hand to wipe away the remainder of my eyeliner and questioned, "How often do I have to come back?" Just being at the doctor's today and seeing my kid for the first time made me shake off my foolish fear of the doctor's office and beg to come back to see the inside of my growing stomach.
"Every few months. Patty, the receptionist, can give you all the details when you leave." Dr. Law answered, handing me the two pictures and rested her hands on the blue folder she had been holding. "Emma, I know this is very verbose now that you've seen your child, but are you really ready to do this? To be a mom?"
This question, like all the other's I received from Mary Margaret, got the same answer every time. "Yes," I said confidently, tucking the pictures into my backpack.
Dr. Law handed me the folder and informed, "This has everything you need to know about what to expect during your pregnancy. I would read it if I were you." I took it with a smile and walked towards the door to exit the room. "Congratulations, Emma." She smiled back, waving as I shut the door behind me.
I walked down the colorful hallways and saw Neal waiting for me, the car keys dangling from his fingers. I ran the rest of the way towards him and jumped into his arms, interlocking my legs around his waist. He spun me around the room, getting bewildered looks from the waiting patients in the office. "Next stop, bank."
"So, Miss. Swan, you have fifty thousand dollars saved up in your college saving's account and three hundred dollars in your regular bank account," Mr. Jacques, the bank owner, grumbled under his breath. "And Mr. Cassidy, you have two-hundred thousand dollars in your college saving's account and five hundred twenty dollars saved in your back account."
Neal folded his hands politely in front of him and said, "See, Mr. Jacques, sir, I need to take all of that money out of the bank. My girlfriend and I are buying a home and the offer needs to be put in next month and we're expecting our first child so we need the money to buy baby clothes and things," My boyfriend proudly flashed his picture of the ultrasound in front of the bank owner's face.
Mr. Jacques looked irritated, like he would rather be anywhere else than a bank on this cold, September day. Sighing, he replied, "I need proper identification of each of you and I must see your driver's licence to confirm that you are, indeed, eighteen years of age. Those are the rules for taking out all of your money from your accounts."
In a flash of shining keys and key chains, Neal dug out his lanyard which had his licence attached to it on a silver clip. I shook my head to clear away the questions that entered my brain once seeing the keys and pulled out my licence. Mr. Jacques carefully studied the two pictures, Neal's face on the card was smiling happily, while mine looked more like a mug shot. The banker then looked down at the information about us and handed our licences' back to us. "So, is everything all set?" Neal asked curiously, on the edge of his seat.
"Yes, yes. Let me make out your checks."Mr. Jacques huffed, digging out his favorite fountain pen and faded blue checkbook. Within minutes, Neal and I had our money, each of us grinning as we walked out of the bank. I knew taking all of my money out of both my bank accounts wasn't a good idea, since I promised Mary Margaret and David I would go college later on in life, but I no intentions for going to college once my kid was old enough for daycare. I just needed my child to be happy, Neal to be with me, and a paying job for me to feel complete.
At around five o'clock, when the sun dipped behind the swaying green trees, Neal and I found ourselves sprawled out on the couch, almost asleep if not for Mary Margaret's heels clicking on the floor. She sat in the arm chair across from us and demanded, "How was the ultrasound? Is the baby okay?" Our eyes flew open, and I vaguely remembered telling her that I was supposed to go to the doctor's today.
Neal squinted his eyes and cleared his throat, while I groaned and snuggled up next to Neal again. His faint smell of cheap cologne mixed with lavender detergent wafted up my nose. The day's events tired me out, with more to come tonight, so I nudged Neal, making him tell the news to Mary Margaret. "The baby's doing great." Neal said, bringing me closer to his body. "But it seems as if the mother's tired, so do you mind if I bring her to her room? I can show you the ultrasound pictures after."
"Of course. You know where her room is, I'm guessing." Mary Margaret replied, pointing to the stairs. Neal lifted me up in his arms and walked over to the metal staircase, a smile forming on my mother's lips as I moved around in Neal's arms. When we got upstairs, my boyfriend slowly took off my leather jacket and placed me on my bed, spreading a blanket over my body. With a kiss on my forehead, Neal left the bedroom and returned back downstairs.
Taking out the laurel picture, Neal handed it to Mary Margaret. "That right there is your grandchild," He said, pointing out the tiny blob surrounded by the black outline.
Mary Margaret squealed and touched the little blob as if it was really there and alive. "Oh! This is so exciting!" She gushed, looking at Neal and then down at the picture with a immense smile. "I'm going to be a grandparent!" Her giddy attitude rang throughout the apartment, almost waking me up, and she calmed herself down, giving Neal a congratulatory hug. Once taking a deep breath, she asked, "And how was Emma at the doctor's? She's not very fond of it, if you haven't noticed."
"She was good, but she did break down crying after perceiving her baby. It's nothing to worry about, though, I assume everyone's like that when they see their kid for the first time." Neal explained, leaning back against the couch and closing his eyes for a few minutes. "And I'm not sure if Emma told you, but Kat and Josh are coming over tonight. I hope you don't mind."
Mary Margaret smiled and got up from the armchair. "No, Emma didn't tell me. That's very much like her; she never tells me anything. But, anyways, yes, of course Kat and Josh can come over." Neal gave a grateful nod and stood up to leave. "Why don't you stay here until they come? You look wiped out and seeing as how you almost fell asleep on the Godforstaking couch, you couldn't possibly drive home half asleep."
"Thanks, Mary Margaret." Neal smiled, sitting back down on the couch and stretching his legs out. "Your pretty amazing, if you haven't noticed that yet." My mother shrugged, blushing as she left the room.
Two and a half hours later, Kat, Josh, Neal and I were in my room, chugging down pizza and a gallon of water. Between the four of us, my stomach being the most hungry, we ate three out of the four pizza's David order for us. And once our stomachs were content and satisfied, I spoke up giving a small kick in Neal's shins. "So, guys," I started, making two heads turn in my direction. "Neal and I wanted to announce something to you."
Giving Neal 'The Look', the look of puppy dog eyes staring intently at him, Neal finished for me. "We're having a kid." Kat blinked once, the only movement out of her for several minutes, while Josh choked on the crust of his pizza. Both of our friends stared at us in astonishment and wonderment, their minds still taking apart the information we just told them about.
"A baby?" Josh repeated finally, looking at me.
I nodded, "A baby, and we want you two to be the Godparents."
Kat, her eyes growing teary crawled over the three boxes of pizza and hugged me tightly. "Why us?" She asked. "Not that I'm upset or anything."
Neal, never getting a reason why I wanted Kat and Josh to be the Godparents when I told him that little bit of information eariler, motioned for me to explain. "Kat, you accepted me for who I was at the time I met you- a foster kid, and didn't judge me for anything. You were the first person that I ever considered my best friend and even protected me when I needed it. You made me try new things when I never wanted to, like wearing a damn dress, but putting that aside, I wouldn't want anyone else to by the Godmother for my kid." Kat sobbed uncontrollably, squeezing me tightly as she hugged me. "And Josh, you were the one that always came up with the greatest adventures. When I needed to talk to someone, you were there, always willing to help me through something. Your like a brother to me, and if anyone had to be a Godfather, it'll be, hands down, you."
"Thanks, Emma. Your the best." Josh said with a smile, giving me a quick hug unlike Kat and her tight, long hug.
"But, hey," I looked from Kat to Josh, giving them each a prolonged stare. "I don't want to be treated any different now that I'm pregnant, okay? I already get enough of that from Neal." My boyfriend gave me a guilty smile and kissed my lips.
Josh and Kat nodded and said in unison, "Of course. We'll treat you exactly the same as we would if you weren't giving birth to a kid."
And it turns out, they were lying.
Wow! This chapter was long... What'd you think?