A/N: Thank y'all for coming back to this story, and I hope you like this chapter! I have settled on a plan for this story which includes 8 chapters and an epilogue, so that means this chapter is the half-way point. Thanks for reading, and I'd so love a review if you have time! Shoutout to my fabulous friend Emma (aka bannaceo) for her lovely reviews thus far, and check out her story called Teachers.
Chapter Four
It had been four days since Anna's procedure, and she was told she could take a pregnancy test four or five days afterwards. Now, however, as she sat on the toilet staring at the blood in her underwear, she wasn't sure if it would be necessary. Her doctor had told her a little bleeding was normal during the implantation process, but she wasn't sure how much "a little bleeding" was and if this was a lot or a little. She was worried her hopes had been dashed yet again. John, meanwhile, was getting nervous at how long his wife was taking in the bathroom. She was supposed to be taking a pregnancy test, but it shouldn't be taking this long.
"Anna, you alright?" John asked, as he knocked lightly on the door and came in.
"No," Anna said, shaking her head.
John realized why his wife had responded this way as he saw where his wife's gaze was fixed, so he softly began to speak to her in encouraging words. "Anna, love, the doctor told us implantation bleeding was normal. I'm sure everything will be alright. Let's just go to the doctor and see."
"There's nothing for them to tell us. I'm not pregnant," Anna proclaimed.
"Oh, and you have a test to prove that, do you?" John asked her, although he already knew the answer. He knew his wife could be quite down on herself at times, and she could be rather resolute in it even with no proof.
"No," Anna admitted softly.
"Let's just go to the doctor and find out for sure, Anna," John pleaded with her in a soft, gentle voice. He was understanding of her thought process, but he also didn't want her to give up hope when there was no proof of anything having gone wrong, when there was no single-lined pregnancy test in front of them.
Anna nodded and got up slowly to get herself ready. She wasn't sure what was going to happen at the doctor's office, but she knew John would be by her side no matter what.
They checked in to the office and were taken back almost right away. John had called while Anna was getting ready and explained the situation to the receptionist who had agreed to have one of the assistants squeeze Anna in.
"Hi Anna, what's been going on?" Kimmy, the nurse practitioner, asked sweetly when she entered the exam room. "Your husband said you were worried about spotting?"
"Yeah, I..I don't know if it's a lot or a little. It's not that heavy, but it still seems like too much," Anna confessed worriedly, reaching for John's hand.
"Alright, well, I'd like to take a look and do a brief pelvic exam if that's okay with you," Kimmy explained and Anna nodded her consent. "Spotting at this stage is quite normal, especially in an IVF pregnancy. So, I don't want you to worry if that's what this is. I will also draw your blood so I can test your HCG levels. I will have the lab run the test as quickly as possible, but I will tell you it will take until at least tomorrow afternoon for me to get them. I will call you as soon as we have them. Does that sound okay?"
Anna and John both agreed to that plan, so Kimmy took Anna's blood and then began her exam. "Your cervix is still closed, so there's no worry there. And I'd say this amount of spotting is perfectly normal," the nurse informed them kindly, with a big smile on her face. "So, now we just have to wait for the confirmation from the HCG test. With what I am seeing right now, everything looks fine, and I would venture to guess that that test will come back positive tomorrow. If you start cramping or clotting, come back and see us, but otherwise, just rest up and try to relax. I know that's hard when you're waiting on the call, but please try. It won't do your body or your potential baby any good for you to be stressed."
Anna nodded and thanked the woman for her kindness. The truth is she was less anxious now, even though she knew it was still a possibility things could go either way, simply because she had heard it from Kimmy's lips that what she was experiencing was often a norm in an IVF pregnancy. That very word pregnancy had increased Anna's optimism tenfold.
They were curled up on the couch together, watching a movie together when Anna's phone started ringing. They both knew what the call was for, and they quickly paused the film and answered the phone. Although they had kept their minds off of it as best they could by playing games, watching films, and working from home, it remained a constant in the back of their minds, and they couldn't wait to find out if they were pregnant or not.
"Hello?" Anna said, placing the phone on speaker so John could hear.
"Mrs. Bates?"
"This is she," Anna confirmed, happy to hear Kimmy's bright voice on the other end.
"I am happy to let you know that your HCG test from yesterday has come back positive. You're pregnant!" Kimmy informed her.
Anna and John gasped as a mixture of glee and shock at the words they were finally hearing overtook them.
"Really?" Anna asked, her voice weak from the tears of happiness that were beginning to form.
"Yes, really," Kimmy confirmed, giving the couple a minute to take in the news. She could hear Anna excitedly tell John through her tears that they were going to have a baby and he responded that he knew and was so happy. Good news calls like this were the absolute best part of her job.
Once Anna and John had settled from the excitement enough, Kimmy continued, "Now, you will have to go in for another blood draw next week just to make sure those hormone levels keep growing, but I see no reason for them not to. And then you can have your first ultrasound in about four and a half weeks. Does that sound good to you?"
"Yes, that sounds fantastic," Anna said joyfully. "Thank you so much."
"You're so very welcome," Kimmy responded. "And congratulations!"
After quickly scheduling those next two appointments, Anna hung up the phone and turned to John. "John, this is real. There's a baby in there," she said, placing her hand on her stomach.
"I'm so happy," John said, smiling through tears. "I'm going to be a daddy, and you're going to be a mummy," he said as the realization hit him, and he gently placed his hand on top of Anna's just to be sure this was real.
She leaned in and placed her head on his shoulder, cuddling with the knowledge that their baby was tucked safely between the two of them. He wrapped his arms around her and didn't let go. After all they had been through, they needed this moment to just hold each other and grieve for their previous experiences with loss while also rejoicing together for their new journey.
After a while of cuddling, John got up and went into the kitchen. Anna settled back down under the blanket to resume watching their movie. When John came back, he had two champagne flutes filled with apple juice and a slice of a brownie for Anna. "I thought we could use a bit of a celebratory toast."
"I think you're right," Anna said, taking her glass from John as he settled down beside her. "Do you wanna make a speech or shall I?"
"You can," John said.
"Well, I don't have much to say except I'm glad of this moment, and I can't wait for many more happy moments to come with our little one. To the future."
"To the future," John echoed, clinking his glass with his wife's and taking a sip. "To the future with Baby Bates," he added, placing his hand gently on his wife's stomach and leaning in for a celebratory kiss. She kissed him back immediately, a mark of celebration for the joy ahead. She brought her free hand up to the side of her husband's head and began to slowly run her fingers through John's hair as their kiss continued, with the couple pausing every so often to look at each other and smile. They wanted to see the joy in each other's eyes in those moments, their love for each other and their child clearly showing on their faces. It was a reminder of their hope and the reason they had not lost hope in the first place.
They had each other, and they always would. And now they were going to have a child, a symbol of their love and someone to make their hearts feel complete. Even as they began to finish the movie, their minds were elsewhere, envisioning days yet to come with their little one.
