The Baby Arrangement

Chapter 25:Three Months Gone

Chapter 25: Three Months Gone

Panic has set in and not even for a good reason either. Rushing about her apartment, Beth has to get to her ultrasound appointment in less than 30 minutes and she cannot find her wallet. Coming in from the hallway with Beth's mail, Daryl catches her bugging out and is about to turn around and leave before she notices.

"Wallet! Where is it?"

"I don't know...where did you last?" Whipping shoe at his face, he dodges it just in time and she screams in frustration. "Okay...well what do you need it for?"

"My co-pay for my ultrasound today and I have to pick up groceries and..."

"Here." He pulls out his wallet and goes to hand it to her.

"No. I'm not taking your wallet. Shit, I'm gonna be late..."

"Come on." Taking her hand, he starts pulling her from the apartment and down the stairs. Getting into his truck, he starts it up." Where ya going?"

" 34th and Harris." He starts driving and she starts calming down. Pulling into the parking lot of the doctor's office, they made it just in time and he shuts the truck off. Getting out, they go inside and they immediately take her back to her clinical room. Lifting up her shirt, the nurse sets her up with the gel and Daryl just hangs out in the corner of the room. He's technically not supposed to be here according to their arrangement, but he's not waiting in the waiting room.

"Good afternoon, Beth. Oh Daryl, nice to see you here too." He nods to Sasha and Sasha grabs the Transducer and begins the process. "So let's see your baby."

Sitting back with her arm under her head, Beth watches the black and white screen in anticipation. Sasha moves the transducer around until they hear a certain sound. Daryl, who's gravitated more towards Beth now, feels a pang in his chest as he hears the sound of the baby's heartbeat.

"Looking good, Mommy. The baby seems to be doing great. Perfect size. Here is the head, and arms, legs. They seem to be forming perfectly." Sasha smiles and Beth heaves a breath of relief. "Okay, I'll print off a picture and you can be on yer way."

"Wait, don't we get to know what it is?" Beth asks and Sasha looks back at the screen and then Daryl and Beth.

"It's a little early for that. Yer next appointment in four weeks should be able to tell us. Let me go get yer picture and you both and get on out of here." Sasha smiles and says goodbye to Beth and Daryl. Wiping her stomach off, Beth can't stop smiling and Daryl is sort of frozen. He's speechless, taken away by just a picture. Looking at the screen, he feels his stomach flop several times and then catches her eyes on him.

"Isn't it amazing?" She beams and he just can't even speak right now. "Yer not gonna be sick are you?"

"No..."

"What's wrong?" She asks him and he just shakes his head.

"Nothing." Getting up she pulls her shirt back down over her stomach and stands up. Going to Daryl, he's still a little blank faced.

"Come on...spaz." Taking his hand, they walk out to the receptionist desk and Daryl pays the co-pay of $15 and they hand Beth her photo which was timed perfect because it caught the baby raising it's arm up. As they get back to the truck, Beth hops in and so does Daryl. Showing him the picture, he jsut sits there and stares at it. "It's right there, Daryl. Right there."

"I see it. It's just so...real."

"Of course it's real." Shaking his head from the current thoughts he has, he starts the car up and looks at Beth.

"Where else did you need to go?"

"The store to pick up food."

"Okay." As they drive, Beth can't get over the look on Daryl's face when he heard the baby's heartbeat. Smiling down at the picture, Beth can't stop smiling. Daryl pulls into the local grocery market and kills the engine. "Here we are. Let's go stock up on cheese balls."

"Uh nah, I gotta eat healthy now. You can get yer cheese balls, but they will not step foot in my apartment."

"Alright you dictator. Get out of my car." As they shop, Beth puts only the essentials in the cart. She doesn't want Daryl to pay too much for her stuff. With every healthy item she puts in the cart, Daryl adds two bad items. Everything Daryl puts in makes Beth's mouth water. Finally getting in the check out line, Daryl puts two Snicker Bars in the cart and Beth's stomach grumbles. After he pays for everything, not letting Beth see the subtotal of $120, they put their bags in his truck and Beth's stomach grumbles as Daryl bites into the one Snicker's Bar. "Hmm hear ya growling over there. Mmm, you don't want this...it's bad for you."

Licking her lips, Beth tries to moan in want.

"So good."

"Hhmmm...Daryl...."

"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly let you endulge in this." He takes another bite and watches her get more hungery as she watches him.

"A small bite...."

"I don't share."

"Hmmm." She whines like a baby and he reaches in his pocket and grabs the other candy bar and tosses it at her.

"Just for that the Cheese Balls are entering yer apartment." She digs into the candy bar and laughs at how she looks like a starved bear who just found berries. Driving home, they converse about Daryl's stupidest moments and laugh until they pull into the apartment. When they get all the groceries away in their two homes, Beth sits on the couch and Daryl sits beside her.

"Thank you for taking me today...and for the groceries. I'll pay you...."

"Don't. You don't have too. It was nothing."

"Daryl, it wasn't nothing..."

"Beth, just drop it. Okay...it was something friends do. Now, I think I'm gonna go take a shower. I'll see ya tomorrow." He leaves and Beth feels a little lost with what just happened. He seemed uptight about something, but Beth lets it go and just looks at her baby.