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Chapter 30 - No Surprises

CHAPTER 30

CARLY

"Stop makin' that face, you're makin' me uncomfortable!" I giggled, shoving John playfully in the arm.

It was my first prenatal visit and we were about an hour in, having gone over my health history in very excruciating detail. Throughout the whole process I kept glancing at John, and every time he was making the same face, like he wanted to be anywhere but here, talking about anything but the health of my vagina.

Before leaving the room, Dr. Sally Nesbitt, the obstetrician, handed me a gown and told me she'd be back to do a pelvic exam and take urine and blood samples.

I felt really bad for John; he wanted to be here for my first visit, probably assuming we'd get to hear the baby's heartbeat or see his or her first ultrasound. I doubt he expected this.

"You know, you don't have to stick around if you don't want to," I told him as he helped me undo my dress, which was tied at the back. "It's kind of embarrassin'," I giggled nervously.

"I'm good..." he said a little hesitantly. "Unless you want me to go?" he added, raising his brow questioningly.

"I'd like you to stay," I told him.

"Then I'm stayin'," he said decisively. "Besides, it ain't anythin' I've never seen before... otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation," he chuckled.

"Good point," I laughed, slipping into the ugly hospital gown. He swept my hair to one side and tied the knot at the back since I couldn't reach. I gave a little twirl and faced him, taking a deep breath. "I'm so nervous!" I whispered.

"Just think about how nervous and in pain you're gonna be in the delivery room; this ain't nothin' compared to that," he smirked.

I shoved him again.

When Dr. Nesbitt returned I climbed into the examination chair once more and he went to stand at my head. I watched him run his fingers through his hair and along the stubble of his face, his foot tapping a restless beat against the linoleum floor. He was trying to act all calm, plastering on a grin and cracking a whole lot of jokes, but I knew him well enough to know he was just as nervous as I was... perhaps even more.

I reached for his hand and squeezed it.

The examination wasn't so bad. Dr. Nesbitt wasn't too overly graphic - thank God - and she was pretty lighthearted about the whole thing. She tried to get John involved too, asking us both questions about our genetic backgrounds, fears or questions we might have, and what our plans were for the next nine months. Unless he absolutely had to open his mouth, John stayed pretty quiet, letting me do most of the talking.

I didn't mind; I knew by now that he barely opened his mouth when in the presence of anyone that wasn't me.

We found out that I was due on June 23rd next year, which was less than a month after Maisy's due date. It was exciting to imagine our children growing up together. After another round of questions, talking about prenatal vitamins, the hazards of smoking and drinking, and what we could and couldn't do in bed - talking about my sex life with a stranger was even more embarrassing than getting looked at down there by one - we were deemed good to go.

We made our next appointment for the middle of December - just seven weeks from now, at which point we'd finally get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time and actually see her - or him - on an ultrasound.