It had been about 2 weeks since Henry and Elizabeth found out they were expecting their first child together. They hadn't yet told anyone the happy news in fear that something might happen or not go as planned. Even though they hadn't shared the news, a few people around Elizabeth 's office suspected, due to her consistent runs to the bathroom and her clear lack of appetite during the lunch hour. She had developed certain food aversions in the few weeks since finding out she was expecting and those certain smells would turn her stomach upside down. Even when people talked about the possibility, she continued to deny any claims that she and her husband were expecting.
She guesstimated she was about 8 or 9 weeks pregnant, based on her and Henry's calculations, and they were finally going to see the OBGYN for confirmation, though Elizabeth knew full well she was pregnant, based on the severity of her symptoms.
She took the afternoon off work, claiming Henry's family was in town and wanted to spend some time with them. Isabelle saw right through that excuse because she knew very well that Elizabeth and the McCords did not get along all that well, so it was a little strange she would take time off to spend with them, but she didn't tell Elizabeth of her suspicion.
Elizabeth had gone home to wait for Henry to pick her up so they could go to the doctor's office. He had taken the afternoon off as well, he would not have missed this appointment for anything in the world.
They walked into the office hand in hand, hoping for the doctor to confirm their happy news. Elizabeth got changed into the hospital gown and laid down on the table. Henry was by her side, holding her hand, waiting impatiently for the doctor to arrive. They were both so nervous, fearing that the doctor would tell them something was wrong.
After a few minutes, Dr. Smith arrived. She started by taking blood test, this was the most accurate way to confirm the pregnancy, it would be a few days before the results returned though.
Once finished with the blood test, Dr. Smith decided to try a vaginale ultrasound, if Elizabeth was as far along as she suspected, they might be able to hear a heartbeat, or see a tiny embryo to confirm before the blood test returned.
When Dr. Smith inserted the ultrasound wand, Elizabeth tensed up and let out a hiss. Henry just held her hand and whispered words of encouragement in her ear, "it's ok babe, it'll just be a minute and hopefully we'll be able hear our little girl's heart beat".
Elizabeth smiled and looked up to meet his gaze "our little girl?", she asked inquisitively with a light joking tone.
"Well yeah, you don't think it's a girl?" he asked.
Before Elizabeth could answer, Dr. Smith had interrupted them, "are you two ready?", she asked with a smile on her face. She turned on the sound on the ultrasound machine and the heart beat echoed through the room.
"Oh, my gosh" Elizabeth whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks. Henry was in disbelief, "babe...". When he looked down at her he saw how emotional she was and that made him lose it. This pregnancy was becoming very real, there was their little miracle, a little blob on a black and white screen with a racing heartbeat.
"I'll call you in a few days with the results of the blood work, but as far as I can tell on here, everything looks good so far", the doctor informed them.
"Are you experiencing any symptoms yet?", the doctor asked.
Henry couldn't help but chuckle and Elizabeth let out a grunt with an eye roll.
"I'll take that as a yes then?", said Dr. Smith.
"At first I just felt nauseous and it would come and go and I couldn't pin point what was causing it but after a few days I started actually getting sick. The smell of most foods will trigger it.", she said in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"She really doesn't eat a lot, and that she does eat, she doesn't keep down for long", Henry added.
"Morning sickness is very common, specially in the first trimester, but it usually goes away at about the 12 week mark or so" the doctor explained.
"Yes, well, whoever called it morning sickness clearly didn't actually have it, it's all day all the time", Elizabeth added.
"That's very common. If you really can't keep anything down, and you notice you're losing weight, call me and we'll explore treatments, alright?"
Elizabeth nodded that she understood.
"Any other symptoms?", Dr. Smith inquired.
"She's always tired. I mean she'll come home from work and take a 2 or 3 hour nap, wake up, have dinner and she's back in bed within about 2 hours and she's out for the night. Is that normal?"
"Yes, fatigue is also a common symptom, again, like the nausea, it should get better with time. But if you feel comfortable, you can take some supplementary vitamins that might boost your energy. If there's nothing else, I'll see you in a about 4 weeks when you're about 12 weeks and we'll do another ultrasound" she said.
Elizabeth and Henry thanked the doctor before leaving to return home. They were both over the moon excited for the news that they received at the doctor's office.
Henry was driving home, it was an unusually quiet drive, both the husband and wife were deep in thought about the news they had received. Henry started talking to Elizabeth, sharing how excited he was to start baby shopping and that he would buy all kinds of pink goodies for his baby girl, but he kept talking and never got an answer. That's when he realized that Elizabeth had fallen asleep. He laughed a little to himself but let her get a few minutes rest before they got home. Maybe if she slept in the car, he would get a little more quality time with her at home before she fell asleep again.
"babe, we're home. Wake up beautiful" as he softly peppered her with kisses on her cheek and neck.
She just grunted, she was not ready to wake up.
They made it inside and Elizabeth dropped her jacket, kicked off her shoes and headed straight to the couch to lay down without a word. Henry followed her closely, witting next to her while she lay down.
"you OK babe?" He asked.
"Mmmm" was the only response he received.
"Baby, talk to me, please", as he kissed her head gently. She smiled and opened her eyes.
"I'm so tired Henry. And I feel like shit."
"Let's go up to bed then, it'll be more comfortable for you", he suggested, but she didn't move.
"It's too far", she lamented.
Henry was not about to leave his pregnant wife to sleep on the couch, that was not an option for him. He thought she would be more comfortable in bed, in her pajamas, with him, he just needed to convince her of this.
"Come on beautiful, please, for me?"
He received a grunt in response but at least she started to sit up.
"Are you going to snuggle up with me at least?", she asked sleepily.
"Of course, babe, anything for you", he said as he wrapped his arms around her still slight figure and kissed her on the cheek, "now let's go", he whispered in her ear.
They made their way up to bed and Elizabeth dropped her clothes and went straight under the covers. Henry followed not far behind, getting into bed and snuggle up to her, his chest to her back and draped his arm over her belly, rubbing innocent patterns on her abdomen until she fell asleep.
When she was finally out, Henry let her be and went down to cook her some dinner, but not before taking out some ginger ale and saltines to settle her stomach for when she wakes up. Anything to make her feel a little better, and to get her to eat.