Catfish - Michael Clifford

Chapter Twenty One

"I can't be, I'm on the injection!" Ivy cried.

"Well, it's not one hundred effective, plus you had a lot of tablets after the crash. Did no one tell you to be careful with the tablets?" The consultant asked her.

"I don't think so, I don't remember anyone saying anything."

"Okay well by the hormone levels you are 4-6 weeks pregnant, but we'd like to send you for an ultrasound to be sure."

All Ivy could manage was a small nod.

"At this stage you have all the options open to you, and you have up to 20 weeks to decide if you want an abortion."

Ivy gulped. This was all too much. She looked over at Michael and he was just sat there staring at the consultant. She couldn't even imagine what he was thinking. She was mostly terrified that he would think she'd done it on purpose. She squeezed his hand and he didn't even move. He still held on to her though.

"Okay well I'll leave you to it. The porter will be along soon to get you and you'll more than likely be discharged after you've been seen, but you need to go to the pharmacy to pick up your iron tablets on the way out." She told her passing her a prescription.

*********

The sonographer, who introduced herself as Laura, put the warm gel across Ivy's belly. She noticed Ivy breath out sharply.

"Were you shocked that it wasn't cold? Most people are, we aren't that evil here." She laughed.

Ivy gave her a small smile before looking over at Michael. He still hadn't said a word since the consultant had told them she was pregnant.

"I'm guessing this was a surprise?" Laura asked them.

Ivy nodded slowly. Laura moved the wand across Ivy's belly, but Ivy couldn't bring herself to look at the screen. She focused on Michael.

"Well you can't see much at the minute, but there's the heartbeat, you can just see it flickering on the screen."

Ivy wasn't going to look, she already knew what choice she was going to make, for Michaels sake. She couldn't hold him back like that, and she knew she wouldn't cope on her own. She was surprised to see a small smile on Michael face as he looked up at the screen. Now she had to see what he was smiling at. She slowly turned her head to look at the screen. It looked like a jelly bean with tiny arms and legs and you could see a tiny little flicker in the middle.

She knew she couldn't have an abortion. Maybe she could do adoption instead. There was no way she could kill this little jelly bean.

"I can't do this." She muttered. "Please stop."

Laura used some large blue paper towels to wipe off the gel, and let her pull her top down. She near enough jumped off of the bed and ran out of the door.

She placed her hands on the wall and leant her head on her hands. Her breaths were short and hurried and her heart was racing. She knew she needed to calm down before she ended up back in the hospital for a panic attack.

Michael came up behind her and she pushed herself off the wall and into his open arms.

"I'm so sorry." She cried into his chest.

"What for? Its not your fault. You heard her, those tablets messed your injection up. I was with you the whole time when you were given the tablets and no one said anything." He told her.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to choose. I know that I should get an abortion-"

"You are not killing my baby." He said in hushed but harsh tone. "Sorry that came out really harsh. I just mean, I don't want you to have an abortion."

She just stood there staring at him. They were lucky that it was early hours of the morning and that the ultrasound waiting room was empty.

"So what are you saying?" She asked him.

"We can do this. I know that ultimately its up to you, but I really want this."

"You are 18 and in a band that tours all over the place. You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"I know I'm 18 but hey, at least I won't be an old man when they are running around playing football. As for the tour thing, Tom Fletcher manages it, I'm sure I can to."

Ivy only just noticed that Michael had a cardboard sleeve in his hand with a stork on the front.

"Is that.."

"Yeah I asked for it when you ran out."

She smiled up at him.

"Oh and she said to let her know whether you wanted to sort another scan out to double check dating." He continued.

"Okay."

They walked back into the room hand in hand. Ivy apologised straight away.

"It's okay, its daunting. You'd only just found out. I can totally understand." Laura smiled.

"Thanks." She smiled back. "I think I'm ready now, how do I get another scan?"

"Okay basically, now you've said you want another scan I will send the notes from your hospital visit today over to your GP and they will sort it with the midwives. You're next scan will be in about 6 weeks, because you are about 6 weeks pregnant but remember obviously bodies are weird and you are actually 2 weeks more pregnant than when conception was."

Ivy thought back and was pretty sure she could remember the conception, looking over at Michael quickly confirmed he was figuring it out to.

"They will send a letter out with the exact date for your next scan." Laura finished.

"Okay thank you. Sorry again." Ivy told her.

"Thanks." Michael told Laura, shaking her hand.

********

Ivy handed the prescription to the lady over the counter and sat down in the waiting room next to Michael.

He had the scan photo out and was staring at it.

"What are you thinking?" She asked him.

"That our baby looks like a jelly bean." He laughed.

"I thought that too." She laughed with him.

She leant her head onto his shoulder.

"We can do this, can't we?" She asked him.

"Of course we can." He answered, wrapping his arm around her.

"How are you so calm?"

"It took me by surprise to start with but I feel like everything happens for a reason. We are meant to be here, we are meant to be having this baby."