Chapter 32- More Babies On The Way
March 10th, 2000
Casey's POV
I hadn't been feeling very good for the last 26 days. I just took it to be stressed over Fred losing his job and the financial burden that was going to fall onto my shoulders. When Fred and I got married, he moved into the apartment with Charlie and I. Let's be honest Charlie wasn't very fond of Fred. We were hoping that this spring that the three of us would move out of the apartment that Charlie and I had been living in since about a year after the divorce was finalized with Michael. Then Fred's District Manager slapped us in the face with the closure of the store that Fred manages.
Sure, I guess I could have borrowed some money from Charlie to pay bills if push came to shove. But I didn't want to be a charity case in Phillip Bank's eyes and despite my hesitation to let Charlie keep the money in the first place. I was too proud to ask for a handout. I was waiting for the money to run out and not let my Ex-husband, Michael. Wherever the hell he is, not be found and Charlie be disappointed. To be honest I didn't want Michael to be found, because I didn't want to deal with that can of worms again.
On February 15th, Jeanie mentioned to me that I looked a little green around the gills and sent me home. Saying that, I could not come back to work until the doctor had okayed me. I had gotten into the clinic on the 16th and tested negative for both influenza A and B. I didn't think that it could be anything else. I started to take tums the next week to fight the heartburn and nausea and went along with my day.
I was in the middle of taking a dosage of Tums when Jeanie said, "Something is wrong Casey."
"There is nothing wrong, I have a little bit of heartburn," I said.
"Again? I don't know something is wrong because you have been green around the gills for three and ½ weeks now, something is wrong," Jeanie said.
"Nothing is wrong," I said as I popped the drug into my mouth.
"Casey think about it. You have been somewhat moody, have had backaches, breast tenderness, nausea, heartburn and eating Tums like there is no tomorrow. Could you be pregnant?" Jeanie said.
"Pregnant? I haven't been pregnant for 17 years and besides, Fred and I stopped trying back when we got the notice that he was getting let go," I said.
"Yeah but sweetie I mean you could be. Isn't it worth it to get a test and check?" Jeanie said.
"Yeah I suppose so," I said.
"Order UP," Matt said from the kitchen and rang the bell. That was my customers down at the end of the bar's food.
"So do it. I will tell you what I will even let you go an hour early" Jeanie said when I returned next to her.
"I can't be pregnant, I knew right away when I was pregnant with Charlie," I said.
"Honey that doesn't mean a thing," Jeanie said.
"I will think about it," I said.
"I will do you one better go close out and go home," Jeanie said.
"Jeanie we need the money," I said.
"Yeah but Fred is still working, I would not worry about taking more time off, until it's time to worry about such things," Jeanie said.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Fine."
I finished closing out and decided to walk to the nearest Walgreens that was a couple of blocks away. I grabbed my tums in aisle 16 and then turned right and before I knew it I was in the baby aisle number 10 looking at the diapers and wipes. They had gone up a lot since Charlie was in diapers. Across the aisle was the condoms, female care items and pregnancy tests. I thought back to what Jeanie had said, then I picked up a couple of boxes. I knew that Fred would not be done for a few hours at least, so I decided to go on home via the transit bus. When I got home, I called out for Charlie, but didn't hear anything back. Then I saw the notes on our little note board.
"Went to Bella's to study. Be back later Charlie."
"Well at least this buys me some time," I thought as I went to use the bathroom. I got out the pregnancy tests, read the directions, and did each one then I sat on the edge of the toilet and waited. Yes the three of us lived in that tiny 1-bedroom apartment and for a while Gunnar lived with us too. I and Fred occupied the living room and gave the bedroom to Charlie. Sure, I suppose that with Fred's salary we could have gotten out of there sooner, but I wanted to be sure that the marriage would last first. We had not been receiving help for rent since Fred and I got married. We will be celebrating our 7-year anniversary together in May. Charlie was pissed when I told him I was getting remarried. I know that he would have rather had me marry Gordon and believe me I did like him a little, but I needed someone more stable then Gordon and Fred provided that stability. I watched the clock and when I knew it had been ten minutes I knew it was time to find out our fate. All three of the tests I took had two lines across on all of them. I'm pregnant. Oh boy I thought to myself as I backed up to the wall and lifted my shirt a little to see if I could see a bump. Which I couldn't so I knew I wasn't very far along.
"I'm Home, Casey? Charlie? Anybody home?" Fred said as he walked in the door.
"I will be out in a minute darling,' I said to Fred and then I touched my stomach and said, 'Well little one time to tell your daddy about your existence."
"Oh, what a day," Fred said as I made my way out of the bathroom.
"Yeah tell me about it," I said.
"Ugh, I had customers telling me left and right that it's a shame that we are closing our doors. Plus, people wanting to know when the 70 percent off sales were going to start. Like I have any idea. Please tell me that your day wasn't as bad as mine," Fred said.
"Well, I hadn't been feeling that great all day today, so Jeanie told me to clock out early and go home and I stopped at the drug store first," I said.
"Yeah, that is what Jeanie told me when I came to get you," Fred said.
"Anyway, when I got home I had to do the test that I did and we've got this," I said as I handed him one of the pregnancy tests.
"Are you pregnant?" Fred asked.
"Yeah," I said.
"Are… Are you sure?" Fred asked.
"Come here," I said as I led him to the bathroom where the rest of the pregnancy tests were.
"Three for three," Fred said.
"Yeah, are you mad? Because the timing can't be worse," I asked. I knew when I told Michael that I was pregnant with Charlie, he went through the roof.
"Mad? Are you kidding me? I'm mad about you," Fred said as he grabbed me in a hug.
I sighed before I said, "That's a relief. Because Michael was furious when I told him I was pregnant with Charlie."
"No, Casey sweetheart, I can't believe it. I am going to be a dad,' Fred said before he kissed me. 'When are you due?"
"I don't know," I said.
"When is your first doctor's appointment?" Fred asked.
"I haven't made the appointment yet," I said.
"No time like the present right?" Fred asked.
"Yeah I suppose so," I said as I headed for the phone. I dialed my OB/GYN
"Could you be here in 20 minutes, because we just had a cancelation," the receptionist said to me.
"Fred, could we be at their office in 20 minutes?" I asked.
"If we leave now, yeah," Fred said.
"We are on our way," I said to the receptionist.
When we got to my OB/GYN I could not get out of the jeep. I just had my hand on the handle, and I could not move it.
"What's wrong Casey?" Fred asked.
"I'm scared," I said.
"Of…?" Fred asked.
"Everything, is the baby okay, am I okay, am I too old, what Charlie is going to think, how are we going to support this kid. Then there is everything that I took during the last few weeks that could have killed the baby," I said as I cried. I always get emotional when I am pregnant.
"Hey, come here,' Fred said as he pulled me closer to him, 'I promise you; everything is going to work out. One step at a time, Casey, Okay?"
I nodded into his shirt.
"Okay let's find out about our baby," Fred said as he got out of his side of the jeep and walked around to the passenger side where I was and helped me out of the jeep. We walked into the building and went up to the OB/GYN offices on the fifth floor. A far better place than the planned parenthood I used when I was pregnant with Charlie, but at least I met my doctor through that organization. When I was pulled back into the exam area I was given the usual height, weight, pulse, blood pressure checks. Then I was handed a cup and had to go down the hall to submit a urine sample. When I returned from the bathroom, I had to throw Fred out into the hall so I could get gowned up for the rectal part of the exam. After I was changed I brought Fred back into the room and we sat and waited.
Knock knock went the Door and in walked my Doctor, Janet McNew.
"Hello Casey, it's good to see you," Dr. McNew said.
"Hello Dr. McNew," I said.
"And this is?" Dr. McNew asked, looking at Fred.
"Oh, you haven't met this is my husband, Fred," I said.
"Good to meet you Fred, I'm Doctor McNew," Dr. McNew said.
"Likewise," Fred said as they shook hands.
"So, my nurses tell me that you think that you are pregnant," Dr. McNew said.
"Yeah we had three positive Pregnancy tests about an hour and a half ago.
"Okay when was your last menstrual cycle?" Dr. McNew asked.
"January 22nd," I said.
"Symptoms?" Dr. McNew asked.
"Well Valentine's day I noticed some breast tenderness but didn't really think anything of it. I started to feel nausea on the 15th, was sent home from work for Influenza and tested negative for A and B. The low back aches started on the 20th," I said.
"And nothing has changed with your history since the last exam with you back in what was it October?" Dr. McNew asked.
"No," I said.
Then there was a knock at the door, "Yes," Dr. McNew said.
"Excuse me Doctor the test results," the Nurse said, and she scurried out of the room.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yep, your pregnant Casey," Dr. McNew said.
"I am going to be a dad," Fred said.
"Let's get on with the examination and find out how far along you are," Dr. McNew said.
I leaned back on the table while Dr. McNew did the tests that she needed to do checking my heart, lungs, my breasts, my abdomen, my pelvis, my uterus, checking for varicose veins. Since this wasn't my first rodeo I knew what she was doing, Fred on the other hand was asking what Dr. McNew was doing every time she went to check something. It was like he was the one that was pregnant.
"Ok you said January 22nd, right?" Dr. McNew asked.
"Yes that's right," I said.
"Right for what?" Fred asked.
"My period dear," I said.
"Ok January 22nd, Conception would have been around February 5th, so you are due October 28th," Dr. McNew said.
"A Halloween baby?" Fred asked.
"A Halloween baby," Dr. McNew said.
"This is great," Fred said.
"Is the Baby okay, I mean I went back on my birth control about the 7th of February and have been eating Tums like there were candy since the 21st of February?" I asked.
"Well let me go and get a machine, while you get redressed and we will find out," Dr. McNew said.
"I will be waiting out in the hall," Fred said.
I quickly got redressed and let Fred back into the room. Within a few minutes Dr. McNew was back with the Ultrasound Machine. Once she was done getting it ready for me she said, "It might be a little cold."
Soon a picture of the baby appeared on the screen.
"So, is it a boy or girl?" Fred asked.
"Uh, you can't tell at this age. There it is," Dr. McNew said.
"Oh my God, it's an Alien," Fred said.
Dr. McNew and I laughed.
"No, it's a baby," Dr. McNew said.
"Or a Tadpole, is that a tail?" Fred asked.
"Yes, but it will lose that tail in the butt," Dr. McNew said.
"Huh?" Fred asked.
"That's the baby's tailbone," I said.
"Oh," Fred said.
"Here is the heartbeat," Dr. McNew said.
The sound of whoomp, whoomp, whoomp filled the room.
"That is so fast," Fred said.
"110 beats per minute, perfectly normal. In fact, everything is perfectly normal right now" Dr. McNew said.
"Oh, that is a relief," I said.
"Okay we will print your pictures," Dr. McNew said.
"We can take the baby pictures home with us?" Fred said.
"Yes I will let the nurse bring in the photos when she comes in with the blood draw. Now there are some things that you need to be aware of because you are how old?" Dr. McNew said.
"38," Fred and I said together.
"Ok thirty-eight, so you are at what is called an advanced maternal age. You are at very high risk for everything: Gestational diabetes, Preeclampsia, being pregnant with a multiple, birth defects, Miscarriage, Premature Birth, Low birthweight and needing for a cesarean," Dr. McNew said.
"Are you saying we should abort?" Fred asked.
Dr. McNew sighed heavily before she said, "Most doctors would tell you that it's too risky and you should abort.
"No. I have waited all of my life for a good woman and baby," Fred said.
"Fortunately, I am not one of those doctors. I think that if you do everything right, then this will be a good and healthy pregnancy. So that means that we are going to be having a prenatal checkup in 10 days from now and then every 3 weeks until the third trimester starts July 23rd, then it is every two weeks after that and weekly after 33 weeks which would be September 3rd. So that being said, no smoking, no drinking or doing drugs," Dr. McNew said.
"No problem," I said.
"And a good healthy diet and prenatal vitamins would be good for you, especially one with folic acid, exercise and try to gain at most 20 to 25 pounds," Dr. McNew said.
"But everything is okay, right?" Fred asked.
"Yes everything is fine. Alright I will send the nurse in with your pictures and get your blood draw. And I will see you in 10 days," Dr. McNew said and then she left the room.
The nurse was back in the room within about 30 minutes and handed Fred the pictures and drew my blood and we were allowed to go home. Once we arrived at our home I looked up at our apartment.
"What's the matter now?" Fred asked.
I sighed heavily before I said, "I don't know how we are going to tell Charlie."
"With love and support," Fred said.
"You have to remember he is Michael's son. All of his outbursts is all Michael," I said.
"Look, it's very dangerous you could lose the baby before you're 20 weeks along. I think that we should wait to tell Charlie until that 20th week is close. Maybe after Graduation. Then he won't lose sight in what is important for him," Fred said.
"Ok we will keep it between us until after graduation," I said.
Luckily for us Charlie would not be moving home from school until the Wednesday before Graduation so we could keep the pictures of the baby up until then. Unless Charlie came home for the weekend. Which was every once in a blue moon last year. This year not so much. My boy was growing up.
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