Chapter 20

Big Events and Big Decisions

The following Monday, Lee and Amanda had their first appointment with the obstetrician, Dr. Marks. The doctor that delivered Phillip and Jamie was now retired, so she had been seeing Dr. Marks for her regular gynecological appointments. Amanda felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety. She wanted the actual medical diagnosis of her pregnancy and to make certain everything was progressing as normal.

Lee, for this part, looked like mouse trying to get our of a maze, given his discomfort with doctor's offices.

"You realize I'm the one being examined, not you, right?" Amanda giggled.

"I know. I just don't like the smell of doctor's offices."

Dr. Marks entered the exam room.

"Nice to see you, Amanda." She said. She was about Amanda and Lee's age, one of the younger doctors in the practice. She had a gentle touch and an easygoing demeanor. Her long, red hard was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing her dark eyes and ivory skin.

"Well, is this your new husband?" She asked.

"Soon to be," Amanda said. "We're getting married in February."

"Lee Stetson," Lee reached out to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Congratulations. Nice to meet you, too."

"I can officially confirm you are pregnant. I see we put you back on birth control pills last May and you missed a couple days. Not the first time that someone's received a surprise that way." Dr. Marks smiled and reviewed Amanda's chart. "Well, Amanda all your bloodwork looks excellent, and you are in perfect health. After age 35, an amniocentesis can be considered. I see you are 36, however, I don't think it will be necessary unless we see any issues in the coming weeks."

"I would rather not, given the risks," Amanda said.

"What's an amnocentaurus?" Lee tried to ask. Dr. Marks smiled, not her first rodeo with a new dad.

"It's a test of amniotic fluid sometimes used in high risk pregnancies to determine if there are any abnormalities. However, it can be dangerous, so I see no need to perform the test." Dr. Marks explained. "It may be too early, but let's see if we can tune in on this little peanut." As Amanda rolled back on to the table, Dr Marks raised the gown and took the probe from the doppler to roll over Amanda's abdomen. Lee could hear a whooshing sound, then a rapid thumping. Dr. Marks smiled, "there's the heartbeat." Lee had no experience with pregnancy, the fact is he took all steps necessary to avoid it in the past so we have not prepared when this emotional overload came for him.

"It's beautiful," Amanda said, as she took Lee's hand, tears running down her cheeks. He prided himself on not being an emotional person, but he could feel the sting of tears in his eyes at the sound of his child's heartbeat.

"Oh my God," He said, lowering his head and leaning against Amanda, clearly uncomfortable that he was on the edge of becoming a blubbering mess. Amanda ran her fingers through his soft hair. Dr. Marks handed him a tissue. "I was not prepared for this." He said finally.

"It's okay," she said. "It's usually the dads that get most emotional when they hear their baby's heartbeats for the first time.." She smiled at them. "It sounds strong and healthy. No concerns here. I'm going to take a recording to play for your family and friends."

"Now we know for certain we have a little one in there." Amanda said, looking lovingly at Lee. Her leaned in and kissed her, gently caressing her face s he was still too emotional for words.

"Ok, Amanda," Dr. Marks said putting away the transducer. "Go ahead and sit back up. Any nausea, vomiting or constipation?"'

"Terrible morning sickness has started." Amanda said. "But I had that with my boys in my first trimester as well, so it seems normal."

"Tiredness?"

"Yes," Amanda replied. "I feel like I need a nap halfway through the day. But I had that with my boys as well."

"You'll likely have that the next few weeks and then should taper off into your second trimester. Looks like your due date will be July twenty-third. A summer baby. If you are getting married in February, you will have an adorable tiny little belly then. You'll be in your second trimester, so you'll be in the sweet spot of your pregnancy."

Lee smiled broadly. "I can't wait to see you in a wedding dress with a cute little belly." Amanda smiled and touched his cheek lovingly.

"Now, looking at your chart, your first children were both around 8 pounds. Looking at your fiancé, be prepared, this baby will most likely be bigger."

"When we will be able to learn the sex of the baby?" Lee asked.

"At the 20 week anatomy scan we'll complete an in depth ultrasound so we can take a look at the baby. At that time we should be able to determine the sex. For now, I'd like to see you next month.." Dr. Marks told them.

"What should she avoid while she's pregnant?" Lee asked the doctor. "How active should she be? Is there anything unsafe? Should she avoid anything stressful or cut back at work?" Dr. Marks smiled.

"Protective new dad," she said to Amanda. "That's sweet, but there is not much to worry about. She can take part in her regular activities, particularly early on. Don't worry, Daddy, she's in great heath and I see no cause of concern." She went on, "As this is your first baby I'll give you a little peak the changes you'll see over the next few months. These are all normal. Amanda has hormones surging through her body so she's going to be emotional, even downright moody at times. The next few weeks she will continue with the morning sickness and tiredness so keep saltine crackers close by and don't be alarmed if she needs a nap. Her second trimester she'll be feeling better but still emotional. Third trimester is when the fun starts. She will probably be cranky and uncomfortable. Imagine an 8 pound bowling ball jumping on your bladder. But it's also fun as you'll feel lots of movement from the baby. Your job in all this, just be patient and supportive. Ok?"

"Understood," Lee said. While the doctor's words did help him to relax a little bit, he was still a bit nervous about putting too much on Amanda. For now, he decided to keep the Brody investigation quiet. No need to make things more stressful for her.

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That evening Lee proudly played the recording of the heartbeat to Dotty and the boys.

"Oh, my new grandbaby!" Dotty said. "I told Edna Gilstrap all about it. She was so jealous. This is wonderful." Lee laughed at his soon-to-be mother-in-law's exuberance.

"It sounds like it's underwater." Jamie said.

"Well, it pretty much is," Amanda said. "It's floating in fluid while it grows."

"When do we get to know if it's a boy or a girl?" Phillip inquired.

"At around 20 weeks we'll have an exam where they'll do an anatomy scan so we can see the baby." Ananda explained. "This is where they look to see if everything is ok and at the same time they check to see what sex it is."

Lee stood back and watched his new family's excitement.

"What do you say we start looking at real estate?" Lee asked the family. "We know this place is going to be too small."

"Do we have to change schools?" Phillip asked. "I don't want to have to make new friends."

"We can see if there's anything local," Lee said. Having been dragged all over the world he understood how hard it is to change schools.

"We'll need to do a few repairs and painting around here to get the house ready to sell," Amanda said. "I need to talk to Joe as he owns have the equity in the house. We'll need to see what we'll have for a down payment and what we can afford."

"Well, we'll have my income as well, so I think we should be able to find something." Lee said. "Plus I have some decent money put away for the down payment. Maybe we should hire a realtor to get some help."

"First though," Dotty crooned, "we need to finish planning this wedding."

"Fortunately," Amanda said, "Because no one wants the date, it was easy to get reception space at the Crystal Springs Inn."

"That space is not very big, Amanda." Dotty pointed out.

"Mother, we don't want a big wedding. Just a few friends and family." Amanda said. "What do you think, Lee?"

"I'm in favor of something small. That court house chapel we liked doesn't fit many people anyway."

"Okay, then." Dotty said. "We can have a small dinner, maybe hire someone for music. An elegant evening."

"Are you guys going on a honeymoon?" Phillip asked.

"I'd like to take a honeymoon?" Lee said, turning to Amanda. "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know," she said. "With all the expenses we have coming up, it shouldn't be anywhere too elaborate." She said. "I won't be able to go skiing or anything, so I don't know. You decide." She told Lee. "Surprise me." She smiled and gave him a kiss.

"Pressure's on, Dude." Phillip laughed.

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A few weeks passed and wedding plans were well underway. They would have a simple ceremony in a cute little chapel in Marion with a dinner reception at the Crystal Springs Inn with dancing. Their guest list was about 40 people. Amanda still had not picked a dress, she was nervous anything she bought now would not fit by the time of the ceremony, but more importantly, nothing seemed right. She was feeling pretty good as the weeks passed as she'd maintained her figure until this morning when she noticed she could not comfortably fit in her skirt.

Lee was in the bathroom shaving, when he heard Amanda.

"No, no no. Not already."

"What's wrong?" He turned and asked.

"I thought I'd have a couple more weeks before this happened." Amanda told him.

"Until what happened?" He looked confused.

"My clothes are getting tight." She said. She took off her skirt and blouse and stood in her bra and panties. Lee admired how her breasts were now stretching the limits of her bra. She walked into the bathroom and stood sideways in front of the mirror. There she saw it, her belly slightly distended. "I look like I just ate a bunch of donuts."

Lee shook his head, smiling at her. He rinsed off his face, dried it and walked up to stand behind her with their reflection in the mirror as he put his arms around her and placing a hand on her belly.

"No, it's beautiful." He said kissing her neck. He could feel himself getting aroused and he wondered if maybe they'd have enough time for him to show her how sexy he found her.

Amanda leaned into him. He knew how to make her feel better. Then, suddenly she felt a wave of nausea. Her expression changed as her hand came up to her mouth.

"Oh no!" She ran over to the toilet and vomited.

Well that took care of that. Lee laughed to himself as his prior arousal quickly wained. He knelt next to her and rubbed her back. "I can't wait for this morning sickness to pass." She said as she stood up, flushed and walked over to the sink to brush her teeth. Again.

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A couple hours later, Amanda was downstairs completing some of the last of the psychological training with Beamon while Lee was up in the Q Bureau. He was getting a little nervous as he could not decide where to take Amanda for their honeymoon. He thought about sitting on a beach in Hawaii, but given Amanda's recent body image concerns this morning, sitting on a beach in a swim suit might not be something she would enjoy. He thumbed through a few more brochures, then set them aside, a bit overwhelmed.

He looked at the top reports coming in this morning. He considered there had not been even a peep about Brody since Thanksgiving. While he remained on the most wanted list, there had been zero sightings. As he was reading, Kristen and Francine walked into the Q look up a couple older files from the vault.

"Hi Lee," Kristen said as she came in.

"Hi," he responded looking distracted as he picked back up the brochures. He needed help. "Can I ask you two something?"

"Yeah, sure." Kristen said and Francine came over and sat on the couch waiting for the question.

"Amanda told me to pick a place for our honeymoon and to surprise her."

"Oh shit," Kristen looked at Francine.

"You are in big trouble if you don't pick right." Francine said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Lee asked. "She said she didn't want anything too big or elaborate as we have the wedding and we're shopping for a new house."

"That's because she's afraid to say where the really wants to go." Kristen replied.

"Well, why would that be?"

"He's truly clueless," Francine said to Kristen.

"Yes, he is."

"Seriously, what do you mean? I was looking at a tropical locations but she's already getting self-conscious about her body because her skirt was tight this morning. Clearly skiing is out."

"Woah, woah, woah," Francine said, "there's somewhere she wants to go but she knows it's more expensive. Think it through. Where has she said she has always wanted to go? Where is someplace truly romantic?"

Both women looked at him with arms crossed.

"Don't you see it? She likes French perfume, gourmet cooking, and where is the most romantic city in the world? " Kristen asked.

"You mean?"

"OH MY GOD! Take her to Paris, Dummy!" Kristen blurted out.

"Paris? Really?"

"Yes!" Both women said in unison.

"You speak French, you could show her around the city, you could take a sunset cruise up the Seine." Francine said.

"In a few months she is going to be swollen, tired, and not to mention squeezing out your little 10 pound love goblin. Take the woman to Paris before she's raising your baby and you two can no longer go." Kristen said.

"You're very blunt, aren't you?" Francine said.

"Yeah, I've been told that." Kristen responded. "Let's get the files." She then turned to Lee. "Paris. No exceptions."

"10 pounds? Really?" Francine said as they entered the vault.

"Have you seen him?" Kristen responded.

"True," Francine said. "Amanda's tall too. I think you're right."

"I think we need to start a pool as to how big this baby's going to be." Kristen said.

"Or if Lee passes out in the delivery room," Francine said.

"I can hear you," Lee told them. Both women laughed. They picked up the files and left the vault. He considered how light-hearted it had become in the Agency. Kristen was feisty as hell but also had this infectious quality that spread like wild flowers. She had a point, the doctor said this could be a big baby that Amanda was carrying. She deserved an amazing honeymoon.He immediately called his travel agent to make arrangements for flights and a hotel.