Anne got up bright and early to make sure she could call Doctor Hightower's office as soon as it opened at 7am. She busied herself making breakfast for everyone and trying her best not to start asking herself 'what if' questions. At 7am sharp she called the office and the receptionist picked up after the third ring.
"Good morning, Doctor Hightower and Doctor Bowman's Office."
"Hi, Shirley, it's Anne Juergens."
"Oh hello, Anne. We haven't seen the girls in a while. What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to make an appointment for Amy for as soon as possible. She's not feeling so well. And I'd also prefer she be seen by Doctor Hightower and not Doctor Bowman."
"Alright. Let me just check her schedule." There was a moment of silence as Shirley looked at her computer screen. "It looks like she has an opening this morning at 8:30."
"That's perfect," Anne said, trying not to let her relief come across in her voice. The sooner we know for sure the better.
"Alright, I've got Amy down for 8:30; we'll see you then."
"Okay. Thanks, Shirley." Anne hung up the phone and continued fixing breakfast. She had just put the eggs in the pan to scramble when Ashley and Robbie came into the kitchen. Anne glanced up to acknowledge her children and then turned back to the stove. "Set the table please," she said to no one in particular, simply expecting one or both of them to do as she had asked. Working together, Robbie and Ashley got the table set and then carried serving plates filled with pancakes, hash browns, and sausage patties to the dining room. Their task finished, Robbie took a seat the kitchen table while Ashley leaned against the kitchen island.
"So did you get her an appointment for today?" Robbie asked. Anne nodded.
"It's at 8:30."
"Can I stay home today?" Ashley asked. Anne glanced over her shoulder and gave her a questioning look before turning back towards the stove.
"Because?"
"Because I doubt I'll be able to concentrate on my schoolwork while I'm wondering if Amy's knocked up or not and I can't tell my teachers why I'm distracted since we're not allowed to say anything yet," Ashley informed her mother with a slightly sarcastic smirk.
"I saw that and no, you may not stay home."
"I wanna stay home too," Robbie chimed in.
"For the same reason I presume?" Anne asked with a hint of exasperation.
"No," Robbie said forcefully, his hands clenching into fists. "Because if I see that Underwood punk I'm likely to bash his face in," he told her mother honestly. Anne jerked her head to look at her son with shock.
"Robbie, beating someone up when you're not even positive there's a reason to is simply uncalled for and unacceptable in this house!"
"What's unacceptable?" George asked, walking into the kitchen with Amy not far behind him.
"I told mom I wanted to stay home today because if I went to school I'd probably bash in Underwood's face." Anne scooped the scrambled eggs into a serving bowl and scowled at her son.
"And I told her I wanted to stay home since I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on school work, considering." George shrugged.
"Why don't we all just stay home today? That way after Amy's appointment we'll all be here to find out the results." Anne sighed with resignation.
"Fine, everyone stays home today." Ashley smiled triumphantly, took the bowl of eggs from her mother, and quickly carried them into the dining room before she could change her mind. The family sat down to eat breakfast, but it was a very silent affair. Anne checked her watch and saw that she and Amy needed to head out. "Alright, Amy, time to head out." Amy nodded silently and stood, following her mother into the kitchen. She waited while Anne grabbed her keys and purse and then they headed to Doctor Hightower's office. Once there, Amy took a seat while Anne signed her in. She then sat beside Amy and looked at her. Amy had her arms wrapped around herself, her head down, and she was fidgeting nervously. Anne put a comforting hand on her shoulder, startling Amy and causing her to look up at her. Anne gave her a small smile. "Just relax, honey. No use worrying about something before you have to."
"But, mom," Amy lowered her voice to a whisper, "what if I am…you know?" She began to tear up slightly and looked at her mother with uncertainty.
"We'll cross the bridge when we get to it." A nurse came out to the waiting room.
"Okay, Amy, we're ready for you," she said with a smile. Amy smiled bravely and then turned to her mother.
"You're coming with me, right?" Anne nodded.
"Of course." Together she and Amy stood and followed the nurse to the back. Back at home George and Robbie were in the living room relaxing on the couch while George flipped through the channels to find something to watch. He had called Donovan to let him know he wouldn't be in today because he had some family stuff to deal with, but didn't go into any details per Anne's request. He had also called the kids' schools to let them know none of them would be in that day. George finally found a sitcom he thought he could tolerate and set down the remote. He and Robbie watched it in companionable silence for several minutes before Robbie addressed the elephant in the room.
"What if she is pregnant, dad? What do you think she should do?" George shrugged.
"If she's having a baby then she's having a baby." Robbie chuckled. His dad was a man of few words most of the time and whenever fewer words could get his point across then that was good enough.
"I mean about school and actually raising a kid. You know Amy. She worries about what other people think and unfortunately, Amy's peers at the moment happen to be teenagers and teenagers like to gossip."
"She's tough, tougher than she realizes. She'll stay in school and raise a baby. It's not ideal but it is what it is."
"So you think she should keep the baby?" George tore his gaze away from the TV to stare at his son in shock.
"Of course she's gonna keep it! I don't want some strangers raising my grandson or daughter!" George's shock turned to confusion when Robbie smiled.
"Good. So we're on the same page then," he said simply, turning his eyes back to the TV.
"Huh?"
"I think if she's pregnant she should keep the baby too. I also know someone will probably have to talk Amy into it 'cuz you know how she's gonna react if she finds out she's havin' a baby." George sighed, nodded and leaned his head back against the couch.
"You mean she'll get all scared and swear up and down she can't do it?" Ashley said nonchalantly as she joined them in the living room and sat on the loveseat. Robbie looked at his baby sister and nodded with a smile.
"Dad and I vote Amy keeps the kid if she's pregnant 'cuz we know she can take care of a baby; we're just gonna have to convince her of that. Besides, I spent most of last night thinkin' about it and I'm gonna be an awesome uncle. I don't want the kid raised anywhere but here." Ashley looked pensive for several moments before nodding.
"Yeah, if she's havin' a kid then he or she needs to be raised around their family. Besides, it's not like she'd have to do it all alone," she added with a smile. "That kid'll have the greatest aunt and uncle in the world plus grandparents who know how to take care of a baby around." The three Juergens' shared a smile. If Amy was pregnant than they were about to have a baby in the house several months from now. All they had to do now was wait and see what the doctor said.
Back at Doctor Hightower's Office Amy was waiting for her doctor to come in, having already had her pulse and blood pressure checked by a nurse. Anne sat patiently in one of the chairs while Amy fidgeted on the examining table. After what felt to Amy like hours, her pediatrician came in, greeting her with a smile.
"Hello, Amy. I hear you're not feeling well." Amy turned a confused expression towards her mother.
"I didn't explain over the phone," Anne said. It was Doctor Hightower's turn to be confused.
"What's going on exactly?" Amy looked down at her hands and fidgeted some more. She couldn't seem to find her voice and turned pleading eyes to her mother. Anne spoke for her.
"Last night Amy took a home pregnancy test that came back positive." Suddenly understanding Amy's nervousness, Doctor Hightower gave Amy a reassuring smile.
"Alright, Amy. How far along do you think you are?" Amy's expression said that she clearly didn't understand the question. "How long ago did you have sex?" Understanding washed over Amy's face but her shame and regret about that night made her stare down at her hands.
"Six weeks." Doctor Hightower nodded and then removed a small vile, needle, and elastic band from a drawer, placing then on a tray next to the examining table. She washed and dried her hands and then put on gloves.
"I'm going to draw some blood to test and then we'll know for sure, okay?" Amy nodded and held out her right arm. Doctor Hightower tightened the elastic band, located Amy's vein and then began to draw blood into the vile. Once the vile was filled, Doctor Hightower placed a piece of gauze over the needle's insertion point and then secured it with a band aid. She removed her gloves and placed them in the hazard box before turning back to face Amy. "I'll run this to the lab and then be right back." Amy nodded silently as she left to do just that. She turned to her mother.
"How long does the test take?"
"I'm not sure." Doctor Hightower was back in three minutes. When she returned, she turned to Anne.
"Would you like me to perform Amy's physical while she's here? Since she hasn't had one for this school year yet?"
"Might as well," Anne said while nodding and standing up. "I'll be right outside, Amy. I'll be with you when you find out the test results," she informed her daughter with a reassuring smile and then left the room so Doctor Hightower could perform the physical. Twenty minutes later, Doctor Hightower stuck her head outside the door and told Anne she was finished. Anne once again took a seat just as a courier returned with the results of Amy's blood test. Doctor Hightower thanked him and then shut the door. Amy looked at the test results in her pediatrician's hands and then looked at her mother, her eyes filled with worry. Anne rose and stood next to her, taking Amy's hand. Amy turned back to face her doctor and nodded that she was ready to hear the results. Doctor Hightower opened the envelope and scanned the results.
"Well, Amy, it seems that you are in fact six weeks pregnant," she said, looking up and giving Amy a comforting smile. Amy turned fearful and lost eyes to her mother. Anne engulfed her in a hug.
"Well figure it out sweetheart. I'll be with you every step of the way," she assured her. Amy nodded her head but clung to her mother as though she were a lifeline, rescuing Amy from drowning in a sea of her own emotions, fears, and tears. Doctor Hightower stood up.
"I'll give you two a few minutes." Anne nodded her thanks and continued holding her daughter, who was now crying silent tears, as the door clicked closed, leaving them alone.
"I don't know how or when, but I promise you, honey, everything's gonna be okay." Amy simply nodded again, trusting her mother, because she couldn't see how anything was ever going to be okay ever again. Amy calmed down enough to stop crying fifteen minutes later. Doctor Hightower came back in to discuss the medical implications of the test with Amy.
"Now, Amy, every day of a pregnancy is important to ensure your baby stays healthy and develops normally. I'm prescribing you prenatal vitamins to get you started but you'll want to discuss then again during your first appointment with whichever obstetrician you choose to see throughout your pregnancy." Her last statement caught Amy's attention.
"Won't I be seeing you?" Anne and Doctor Hightower chuckled.
"No, honey, I'm a pediatrician. You'll need to be seen by a doctor who specializes in pregnancies during your pregnancy. Don't worry though. You can still come see me after your pregnancy until you're eighteen. I've been your pediatrician all your life and I'm not just going to abandon you now," Doctor Hightower explained with a smile. "And feel free to call me if you have any general questions about your pregnancy until you feel more comfortable with your obstetrician, okay?" Amy nodded. She and Anne thanked Doctor Hightower and then headed to the pharmacy to retrieve her prenatal vitamins, Anne actually picking them up because Amy was too embarrassed about being pregnant. The ride home was a silent one, Anne occasionally glancing over at Amy to make sure she was okay.
They sat in the car for several minutes after they arrived home, Amy simply because she wasn't ready to face her family with the truth and Anne to give Amy time to prepare herself.
"Ready?" Anne finally asked, opening her door to get out. Amy nodded resolutely and together they made their way to the kitchen door. The rest of the family, still in the living room, heard the door open and rushed to the kitchen.
"Well?" Ashley asked impatiently, not even bothering to wait until Anne and Amy were both in the house and the door had been closed. Amy simply ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her.
"Is that a yes?" George asked hesitantly.
"Yes, George," Anne stated with a sad sigh. "She's six weeks pregnant."