The part in Italics is a flashback.

Thursday, Aug 25, 2022- 33 weeks

I'm leaning back on the exam table with my head turned to watch the screen to my right. Sheldon is squeezing my hand, the same as all of my appointments. After what feels like an eternity, Dr. Kim shifts. "He's looking great. You're thirty-three weeks and a few days now. Of course, we prefer to go as close to forty weeks as possible, but we won't intervene to stop labor once you hit thirty-six weeks. That gives you about two-and-a-half weeks until we can possible expect him. You both seem to have done your research; do you have any questions?"

"Two-and-a-half weeks isn't a lot of time. Is there anything we should be doing to be ready?" We're ready, but Sheldon needs to hear it from the doctor.

Dr. Kim shakes her head, "You completed the birthing classes earlier this month. The two of you are some of the most prepared parents I've had in a long time. I'd just make sure you get the car seat installed and have your hospital bag packed if you haven't already done so. The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling to decide what you're going to want in between contractions." She's quiet while clicking a few buttons on the machine next to me. "We've got a couple of updated pictures for you. I'll see you again in two weeks, then every week until he decides he's ready to join us."

I shakily reach out to collect the pictures before Dr. Kim hands me a towel to wipe the gel from my stomach. "Thank you. I guess we'll see you in two weeks."

Having taken a half day from work for our appointment, we return home early. With a few hours until we need to think about something for dinner, I make my way to our bedroom and retrieve a suitcase from the closet. I set it on the bed before pulling some clothes from the dresser for both myself and Sheldon. I set them next to the suitcase and head over to the nursery to retrieve an assortment of items we might need for our son. I know they'll have diapers, bottles, and blankets for him, but I don't want him to be stuck in boring white onesies until he comes home.

I return to our bedroom and am folding the clothes, arranging them in the suitcase. That's when Sheldon comes in, "Packing already?" he asks.

"Yeah. I thought since it's not time to start dinner, I could get it done so we don't have to worry about it. Are you okay with the pajamas and clothes I grabbed for you?" Sheldon fingers through the shirts already in the suitcase before picking up the baby clothes. That's when my thoughts begin to wander from the task at hand.

I'm brushing my teeth before bed after spending the evening across the hall. I look up and Sheldon is leaning against the doorframe, watching my reflection in the mirror. I spit the toothpaste into the sink and look at him in the mirror. "What?" I ask.

"I think we should have a baby," he states matter-of-factly.

I spin around, "What?"

A smile crosses his face, "I've seen the way you are with Ava. I know how much you want that for us. We should have a baby."

"O-okay," I stutter, in complete disbelief that my husband is the one suggesting this. Sheldon and I discussed the possibilities for several days. I talk with my doctor at my previously scheduled appointment and the decision to stop my birth control is made.

Eleven months later, we return from Ava's first birthday. I drop on the couch and Sheldon sits next to me. "I've been thinking," he starts, "We've been trying to have a baby for almost a year. When we decided to start a family, I thought we'd have a baby by now, or at the very least be several months pregnant. Maybe we should talk to a doctor about this. We could ask about doing in vitro fertilization. I know it can be expensive, but we've got good health insurance that should cover most of it."

"What?" I ask him again. "You know you'd have to um, you know, into a cup at the doctor's office."

"I'd be uncomfortable, but if it's what I have to do for my family, I'll do it. We've been trying for almost a year. I feel this is something we should at least look into to know if it's a possibility for us to get pregnant before giving up."

"Amy, are you sick?" Sheldon's voice permeates the bathroom door.

I open the door and shake my head, telling him, "Not sick, just pregnant."

"Amy?" Sheldon's hand on my shoulder pulls me from my thoughts. "Is something wrong? I've been calling your name for a few minutes."

I shake my head, "No, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking. Before you ask, I was thinking about how far we've come with all this. From you suggesting having a baby, to the heartbreak every month when I'd get my period, to the weeks of shots and doctor's appointments until I woke up early and took a pregnancy test. There was a time when we both thought this would never happen." I rub my hand over my stomach, "Now, we've got less than two months until this little guy is here."

Sheldon places his hand over mine on my stomach, "You had doubts whether we'd ever have a baby?"

We never talked about what we would do if we didn't get pregnant. The thought ran through my head each month of how long we would try for before calling it quits and accepting we wouldn't have children. "A few times," I admit, not wanting Sheldon to know the truth. There's nothing he can do to change the way I felt a year ago. "But I can't wait to meet our son. I should finish packing. We can ask the guys to help install the car seat this weekend. Can you grab my toiletry bag from the drawer next to the sink?"

"Sure," he kisses my cheek before crossing the room to the bathroom. He turns back when he reaches the door, "Did you know that today is two years since I told you I thought we should have a baby?"

Emails still aren't working.

I should have the rest of this story posted by the end of the month.

I'm starting on the outline for my next story- it's still a very rough idea & I won't know if I'll actually follow through with writing it until I see how the detailed outline for the first few chapters looks. I need to figure out the overall story arc of the ending I want the story to work toward.