Bella
After getting settled in our suite at The Baccarat, Edward and I head to my neurology appointment with me protesting all the way. We're sitting in the back of an SUV, making our way to the hospital, and I might be whining while trying to tempt Edward to cancel the appointment.
"Edward, I'm fine. Besides, if we turn around right now, we can soak out in that giant hot tub, and I can do wicked things to you." Running my hand up and down his jean-clad thigh, he sighs.
"We can do all of that later, after we get you a preliminary clean bill of health." He catches my hand, lacing our fingers together.
"Have I ever mentioned that I'm scared of hospitals?" I turn, giving him my biggest puppy-dog eyes.
"No, and I wouldn't believe you now anyway." He boops my nose with his free hand, and chuckles before dropping his voice. "Let Daddy make sure his baby is okay. Then we can play."
A thrill zings through me as he asserts his dominance with his daddy voice, and I slump against his shoulder in surrender. It won't matter anyway; nothing is wrong with me. When we exit the vehicle, the driver informs us that he'll be circling before we head inside.
Once inside, I immediately stop at the directory on the wall to find what floor neurology is located, but Edward just tugs on my hand, pulling me toward the elevators. "We're going to the lab first. You need to do a blood draw and urine sample. Neuro is on the fifth floor."
While I check in at the lab, I glance over to see Edward typing away on his phone before he shoves it into his coat pocket with a sigh. Turning my attention back to the nurse as she's explaining how to catch a clean sample, I grab the cup from her and hand my coat and purse to Edward before I head to the restroom.
As soon as I deposit my sample in the little cabinet, wash my hands, and exit, a tech is calling my name for the blood draw. Edward gives me an encouraging smile as I head into the other room, and the tech happily chats with me as she draws the single vial. "You have lovely veins, and you didn't flinch at all!" The tech is labeling my blood, and I can't help but smile.
"May all your draws today be as simple as this." I thank her and head back out to Edward, who is declining a call on his phone.
"Ready?" He stands, grabbing my hand and leading me out and back to the elevators.
In the waiting room for neurology, Edward and I sit quietly. I've never found myself particularly talkative in a setting similar to this, and today isn't any different. With my head resting on Edward's shoulder, I can feel and hear his phone buzzing constantly in his pocket. After the seventh time, I crane my head up to stare at him. "Is there something you need to deal with?"
"It's Felix; he can wait."
Pulling away from him fully, I swivel in the uncomfortable chair. "Edward, call Felix. He obviously needs to speak to you. He might have information that will help us while we're here."
"I need to be here for you. I want to be here for you," Edward tells me, and while I adore him for it, I need him to leave.
"I love you for it, but your mind isn't here. It's on whatever you're imagining Felix has for you. And yes"—I place my hand over his lips when he tries to speak—"you'll be thinking about me if you leave. But this can't take any more than an hour, and I'll come straight back to the hotel to tell you everything. I'll even ask the doctor for very thorough, typed notes for you."
"Bella." His tone is warning, but this isn't daddy's time.
"Edward, go back to the hotel and deal with Felix," I order him firmly. "By the time you get there and the driver gets back, I'll probably be done!"
He presses his lips to mine. "If they find something—"
"I will call you immediately. I promise," I tell him as I pull my coat from his arms and push him up from his chair. "Please, I promise I'll behave here."
Barking out a quick laugh, he dips down to kiss me again. "Okay, I'll see you soon."
I only wait about ten more minutes before my name is called, and I'm being led back to an exam room. The nurse, Angela, is nice as she takes my blood pressure, temperature, and asks me the last date of my period.
"Oh, I actually don't remember. It had to have been early in November, but I couldn't tell you the actual date." I'm sifting through my memory trying to figure out when it was.
"But you did have a cycle last month?" Angela looks at me quizzically.
"I'm sure I did; positive." My resolve is firm. Everything has been so dramatic since Halloween, but I'm pretty sure I would have remembered missing a period somewhere.
"All right; it's okay. We put a rush on your samples, and the doctor is looking over the results right now. He'll be in to see you in a few minutes." Angela asks if I need anything before she leaves the room.
When she's gone, I pull out my phone and scroll through my texts with Rose to see if I complained about cramps or PMSing at some point before Thanksgiving. I see a text from Rose complaining that her cramps were bad, but other than sympathy, there's nothing from me.
Now I'm nervous.
A few minutes of me starting to panic and a slight knock on the door startles me. The door pops open, and a woman in scrubs and lab coat enters with a wide smile. "Hi, I'm Doctor Williams." She offers her hand, and as I shake, I notice her name tag says Siobhan Williams, MD.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Bella Swan."
"I certainly wish it was under better circumstances, but it says here the appointment was made because of severe migraines and vomiting?" She looks to me for confirmation, and I sigh deeply.
"That's not entirely true." I explain the situation from the previous night, and her smile never falters. I inform her about the medications that I take, and while I can't remember the date of my last period, I tell her about my IUD.
"Speaking of that. When was the last time you checked your IUD?" She's been typing almost the whole time we've been speaking but stops when I just stare at her. "You know, checking the strings for placement to make sure it's still … there."
"I, I … I'm not sure. I've been busy, and frankly, I sort of forgot I had it." I shrug, and her smile still doesn't falter.
"A lot of people forget they have them in place. But it's important to make sure you're checking that it's still in place." She turns from her terminal and focuses on me. "Which leads me to the results of your samples."
I can already imagine what she's about to tell me, and I brace myself for the news.
"We detected a high level of hCG in your urine and blood; everything else looks great. Bella, you're pregnant." Doctor Williams stares at me for a moment as I let the information sink in.
"So, I'm not getting an MRI today, huh?" A watery laugh escapes my lips.
"No, but I am sending you down to OB-GYN to get a quick checkup, and then when you return home, I'd like you to set up regular appointments. Do you have any questions right now?" she asks as she rolls back to the terminal.
"Do you know how far or will I find out when I go to OB?" I ask quietly.
"They'll tell you when they do a sonogram." She stands, extending a hand to me again. "Congratulations, Miss Swan."
I know I shake her hand, and I know I head down the elevator to the correct floor and check in where I'm supposed to, but nothing really sinks in until I have a lubed-up wand up my hoo-ha, and the sonographer is hemming and hawing as I ask a bunch of rapid fire questions.
"Miss Swan, I'm definitely checking to make sure your IUD hasn't implanted." She lets out a breath and chuckles. "You have a very healthy looking clump of cells."
Tears immediately prick my eyes. "I do?" Propping myself up on my elbows, I look to the screen that she's turned toward me to see in black and white, a fuzzy little clump in what is clearly my uterus.
"Holy fuck," I whisper to myself as the nurse clicks some buttons and tells me to relax as she removes the wand.
She leaves me so I can have a few moments to myself—to clean up and to process. I'm using the wipes provided to clear away the lube while digging in my purse to call Edward. It goes to voicemail, but I get a text that just asks if I'm all right.
Am I all right? I just found out I'm pregnant. I have no idea how to respond, but I know that no matter how busy he is, he's waiting for me to reply. I'm fine. I'll see you soon.
Edward doesn't respond, and just as I pull my pants up, the nurse taps on the door. "Miss Swan, if you're ready, the doctor will see you now."
I follow the nurse down the hallway to an office where she motions me in. A friendly looking doctor in his mid to late 50s is sitting behind a desk but looks up when I enter. "Miss Swan, please have a seat. My name is Dr. Marcus." He offers me his hand, and I shake it as I take a seat opposite him.
"I'm just looking over your chart from today and clearly this isn't what you were anticipating when you came in this morning. I ordered the transvaginal ultrasound to check for your IUD. There were no signs of the implant in your uterus. Do you know the last time you checked for placement?" He glances over at me as I try to figure out the answer.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I got it last year before I lost my job, and then this year has just been one thing after another until about, I don't know, August of this year. All my stress isn't gone, but it's decreased significantly," I tell him, knowing I didn't fully answer his question.
"So, you aren't sure the last time you checked it?"
"It was September. I went to Italy, and I had a doctor's appointment, and we checked the placement then. So, it had to have come out sometime after that. Is that normal?"
Dr. Marcus cocks his head and smiles. "It's not abnormal, but there are some factors. My nurse took some extra photos during the ultrasound to note that your uterus is on the small side. That is a risk for IUD displacement, but you can have a successful pregnancy."
We sit in silence for a few moments before he speaks again.
"How are you feeling right now?" He sets down the paperwork and looks at me directly.
"I, um, it's a lot obviously. If I don't seem overly excited or depressed, it's just because it hasn't really sunk in yet." Sighing, I lean back in the chair, giving him a rueful smile.
"Do you think this is something that will depress you?"
"Oh, no. I just said—" I take a deep breath. "I think I'm just still in shock. It wasn't expected, but from my point of view, it's not unwanted. The timing could be better, but …" I trail off, and he offers me a smile.
"Sometimes, even when we try to plan things, we can't get that right either. I'm writing you a prescription for prenatal vitamins, but you can always pick one up at the drugstore. We also have literature for you regarding various options and support." He collects some pamphlets and hands them over. "Do you have any questions?"
"Can you tell me how far along I am? I didn't hear a heartbeat, so I'm assuming it's still early."
"Of course! That's the most important question; well, one of." He checks my file again. "You look to be right around six weeks, but because it's still early, we could be off either way. From these pictures and your labs, baby Swan seems perfectly fine."
Dr. Marcus hands over the strip of photos, and my eyes start swimming again. "So, that's my baby? Like, currently in my body, right now?"
"Yes, like right now. If you have any questions, please contact my office while you're in town. When you return home, I'd like you to get an appointment set up with either your OB-GYN or a new provider." He smiles over at me yet again. "Congratulations, Miss Swan."
Rising, I slip into my coat. "Thank you, Dr. Marcus."
I call the driver who tells me he's about to turn onto the block, and I hurry to the elevator. I still don't know how I feel about all of this; my only focus is on how to tell Edward.
He's going to need to change his title from my daddy to my baby daddy.