It was now Friday, April 28th. Now thirty-three weeks along, Helen was glad to finally have Bitsy back from rehab. Hardly anything about the hotel heiress's demeanor had changed from her stay in Canton, but at least everything could now go back to how it was before she left. However, as Helen was now drawing closer and closer to the end of the pregnancy, she found herself struggling more and more to move around everywhere. The round ligament pains weren't making things easier. Sure, they came intermittently, but they were still a figurative thorn on her side. She was frustrated and exhausted, feeling as though she were a prisoner in her own body at times, but she had to stay strong. The baby was coming soon. Helen couldn't be sure how soon she would be coming, but she knew she had to make sure she was ready all the same. She was determined to make it through the rest of the pregnancy with as little difficulty as possible.
She wasn't alone, though. Slowly but surely, Bitsy seemed to be coming around to helping her with the whole thing. Helen found it hard to believe that this was the same woman who, four months ago, had angrily punched her in the stomach in a misguided attempt to cause a miscarriage; but here they were. She didn't even consider that Bitsy would have it in her to want to love another human being. Clearly, the power of hate had been fueling Bitsy in this endeavor to raise her soon-to-be born niece. Helen couldn't help but find it strangely admirable that Bitsy would want to help even after everything that had happened, after everything she'd put her through. Much as she wanted to entertain the idea that Bitsy would care about her unborn niece, however; she knew that if she brought that up, Bitsy would never admit to it. That was just who she was.
She also couldn't forget Dakota. She'd been a major help as of late, taking on the kind of duties Helen would usually do around the Brandenham Hotel but now couldn't. Her bravado and quirky nature made her a unique person to be around, not that much different from Abby in all respects. Helen had no doubt that Dakota had been doing it all out of kindness, but at the same time, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she was taking advantage of the situation if only because of their shared connection to Ambrose. She wasn't sure how to tell Dakota how she felt nor was she sure how Dakota would react if she did tell her.
There would be time for all that later. Right now, Helen had yet another ultrasound appointment to attend to. It was hard to keep track of how many she'd attended by this point, but given her high-risk pregnancy, these were a necessity to ensure everything was going smoothly. Besides, it was nice getting to take home the pictures and see her daughter develop on a biweekly basis. Helen just sat there in the waiting room amongst the others, trying to occupy herself until it was her turn.
The only regret she had during the pregnancy thus far was that Ambrose wouldn't get a chance to meet their daughter. Thankfully, there would always be Bitsy to regale the child with stories about him, regardless of how flattering they were. She didn't know how much longer Bitsy would be around, though. Honestly, it was kind of sad to consider that the baby didn't have any relatives closer to her in age so far. Besides that, the baby's father and grandparents were dead (and in the latter's case, had been dead for several years). The only relative she could really turn to for advice was Bitsy, and even then, she wasn't going to be around forever.
Suddenly, Helen heard the nurse call out her name, and she quickly rose from her seat. Thank God. The last thing she needed was to spiral down that train of thought anyway. With that, she followed the nurse into the doctor's office and then sat down on the examination table.
"Dr. Blanchard will be in shortly," the nurse said before leaving.
"Alright, thank you," Helen just said.
Soon, Helen had no choice but to wait until Dr. Blanchard arrived. Great, another opportunity to think on her no-strings-attached relationship with Ambrose. Was it ever meant to last like she'd assumed when he was still alive, or was it doomed to just crash and burn eventually regardless? Was there ever anything between them besides the sex and their mutual animosity for Bitsy? Would it even be fair to compare it to something like Tristan and Iseult? Helen quickly shook her head. Of course it wouldn't be fair. They were nothing like them, those star-crossed lovers from Arthurian mythology. In fact, they were something more toxic... perhaps something more akin to Lancelot and Guinevere. Helen was never really sure what the dynamic between that other pair of star-crossed lovers was like.
Eventually, Dr. Blanchard walked into the office, eager to get the procedure started.
"Oh, hey, doc," Helen greeted. "Boy, am I glad to see you here."
"Ditto," Dr. Blanchard replied. "Ready for me to start?"
"Am I ever!"
"Great. Let's get started."
Dr. Blanchard prepared the ultrasound machine, and then Helen proceeded to lie down on the examination table, her nerves apparent.
"Alright, let's have a look, shall we?" Dr. Blanchard asked. "I just want to be absolutely sure everything's fine."
"Yeah, I get it," Helen replied.
Dr. Blanchard nodded. "Right. Take a deep breath for me."
Dr. Blanchard began to spread the gel on Helen's belly and then moved the ultrasound wand over it. Silence filled the room as Helen waited for the doctor to reveal the latest image of the baby. Then, right there on the screen, Helen saw her again. Just like last time, there she was: a tiny little figure with her own distinct features. Helen could feel her heart swell with pride as she looked at her daughter. It amazed her every single time she had an appointment. It was still incredible that this was a human being developing right before her eyes, one who would soon be making her entrance in this world. There was still no telling whom she'd take after more, but Helen supposed that it didn't really matter in the long run. All that mattered was that she would be healthy.
"Oh, that reminds me," Dr. Blanchard said. "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" Helen asked.
"It looks like she might be ready to make her debut a little earlier than expected."
"Really? How much earlier?"
"It's hard to say for certain, but I would recommend getting everything ready in the next few weeks, just in case."
"Thank you, Dr. Blanchard. I'll definitely start preparing right away."
"Oh, and she's still breech. Hopefully, that will change within the next couple weeks. Otherwise, we may have to do a Caesarean."
"That's... good to know."
After the ultrasound was over, Dr. Blanchard gave her a printout of the images to take home.
"Alright, be safe now," Dr. Blanchard said as Helen was leaving the office.
"You too, Dr. Blanchard," Helen replied.
Outside the hospital, Helen hailed down a cab and waited a few minutes before climbing into the first one she saw pull up right up in front of her. She was a little surprised when she noticed Abby sitting next to her in the back, but it was a pleasant one to be sure.
"Oh, hey, Abby," Helen greeted. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Me neither," Abby replied. "So how have you been?"
"Fine. I just left another appointment."
"Oh, really? How did that go?"
"Pretty good. Dr. Blanchard did tell me, though, that I might be having the baby earlier than we thought."
"Wow, are you nervous at all?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Helen's hand lay firmly on top of her belly as if out of instinct. "I just hope everything goes well, but enough about me. How's your acting career going?"
Abby's eyes lit up like stars. "Oh my gosh, where do I even begin?"
From there, Abby proceeded to go into great detail about all the acting gigs she'd managed to land since she'd tended in her resignation over the phone ten months earlier. She talked about the auditions she'd been to, the roles she'd played, and the people who'd been instrumental in helping her along the way. Helen listened intently, taking it all in with admiration and awe. It was a necessary and welcome distraction from the anxieties and worries looming in her mind. While it would've been nice if they didn't burden her 24/7, at the same time, she knew that they were valid concerns so she couldn't just dismiss them.
"That all sounds great, Abby," Helen eventually said once Abby had finished. "You should be proud of you for even making it this far."
"Thanks, Helen," Abby replied. "Believe me, Paige is proud of me, too. So's Mom and Dad, Owen, Molly, and Cole."
Helen nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."
Eventually, after what felt like a long ride, the cab stopped in front of the Brandenham. Helen tried to get out first, seemingly having forgotten that such a task was borderline impossible these days.
Abby couldn't help but notice Helen struggling to get up. "You need help?"
"No, I think I've got it," Helen replied, albeit not that convincingly.
"You sure? It'll only take a few seconds."
Helen reluctantly sighed. "Fine. Help me."
Abby proceeded to get out and then make her way over to where Helen was before then helping her up on her feet. If Helen was going to be honest with herself, it was humiliating having to sometimes depend on others just to do what should've been such a simple task. She couldn't wait until she had the baby so she could get her independence back. At least then, she wouldn't have to feel so helpless.
"Thank you," was all Helen could choke out.
"No problem," Abby replied. "I'm sure you would've done the same for me if the roles were reversed."
Helen nodded. "Yeah, probably."
"Well, it was nice talking to you again. I gotta go now. I've got another audition I need to get to."
"Alright, you have a good one, Abby."
"You too."
With that, Abby climbed back into the cab and waved goodbye as it drove away. All the while, Helen watched until it was completely out of sight before making her way inside the building.
After taking the elevator, Helen eventually waddled her way into the penthouse living room and sat down on the couch. She took a deep breath and sighed, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as she finally relaxed. She leaned back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the afterglow of her ultrasound appointment to settle over her. She was still trying to let it sink in that she might get to meet her daughter sooner than she originally thought; something that still managed to catch her off-guard despite how much she'd anticipated it. She also couldn't help but smile a little as she thought of the future, knowing that she would soon be meeting her all the same. She felt several emotions all at once; mostly a mixture of joy, anticipation, and a little bit of fear. She just couldn't wait for this new chapter in her life. It seemed that the closer she got, the more things would be going her way.
Suddenly, she was made aware of Bitsy asking her a question.
"Sorry, what?" Helen asked back.
"How was your appointment?" Bitsy repeated.
"Fine, just a few more weeks to go."
"Good."
"That's it? Just 'good?'"
"Yeah, that's all I have to say."
"Anything else?"
"Nope, I'm good." Pause. "Well, uh, I hope for your sake that everything goes well." Bitsy couldn't help but cringe a little as she said that, as if it was something to be embarrassed about.
Helen nodded. "Me too."
"Ugh, I can't believe I just said that."
Bitsy didn't say anything else after that as she walked off to another room. Helen couldn't help but assume that she was trying to suppress a gag reflex, but she was otherwise glad that Bitsy showed some support, even if it was the bare minimum. Regardless of what happened next, she was going to need that support. She knew that they both had to be ready for it.