Chapter 30

Cassie

I woke up extra early Friday morning with the same nerves I used to get on the first day of school. I took a shower and cleaned up well for the doctor. I had read several things online about these kinds of appointments, but I was nervous about it regardless. At the same time, it was imperative that I get it over with because I wanted to make sure everything was going as it was supposed to. It was my first prenatal appointment, but they would also be doing a sonogram, and hopefully we would get to see the baby. Scott was going to be there, and I was both nervous and kind of excited to see him, though I would never tell him that. It would be the first time we had seen each other since I had told him we couldn’t be together. I knew there were going to be some mixed feelings about everything, especially since we were going to be seeing our child, together, for the first time.

I grabbed an Uber and headed over to the doctor’s office, not feeling well enough to drive myself. The last thing I wanted was to show up covered in my own vomit because I was too busy driving to keep my nausea in check. When we pulled up, nerves rose up into my chest. Scott’s car was already out front, and when I walked in, he looked up from his magazine and smiled at me. I had to admit I was a bit surprised that he had beat me there and was waiting patiently for me in the waiting room. I assumed he was trying to make a good impression, which he had accomplished. I nodded at him as I walked to the counter and smiled at the nurse.

“Hi,” she said happily.

“Hi. Um, I’m Cassie West. I’m here for my nine o’clock appointment.”

“Your first prenatal,” she said excitedly. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Will you have anyone with you?”

“Yes, the father, Scott Davis,” I said.

“Great. Here are a few forms. Fill those out, bring them back up, and we will get you right back,” she said, handing me a clipboard and a pen.

I filled out all my paperwork and waited by the door with Scott. He looked so hot, and he winked at me like he used to. It was his charm in full effect, and I had to say, it made me feel better about everything that was going on.

The called me back almost immediately, and Scott nudged me in the side as we walked past a medical poster of a uterus. I looked at him, and he looked back with a terrified face. I had to hold my laughter in, not wanting to make a bad impression the first time I came to see the doctor. When we got into the room, Scott turned around so that I could get the gown on. He walked over and tied the tie at my neck since I couldn’t reach. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled just as the doctor walked into the room.

“Good morning, Cassie,” he said with a smile. “I am Doctor Abraham, and I will be your attending physician for your pregnancy. Let’s start out with me answering any questions you might have.”

We went through several questions, including ones on what to do with the nausea and with the fact that I was always exhausted. Scott sat to the side, smiling comfortingly and listening to the doctor talk about the future appointments. When we were done, Doctor Abraham did a quick pelvic exam.

“Everything looks good so far,” he said. “We’re going to take you over to get your sonogram done and some blood tests. Then you can be on your way. Please don’t hesitate to call us with any questions or concerns you might have.”

“Thank you.” I smiled and shook his hand.

The nurse took us back to the sonogram station and got me all set up. As she moved the wand around, Scott’s eyes grew big, and without evening thinking about it, we grabbed each other’s hand. On the screen was our baby, no bigger than a bean, all comfy cozy inside. I could feel a warmth in my chest, and I glanced over at Scott and saw a tear form in the corner of his eye.

I turned away as we finished up, not wanting him to know I saw his emotion. He smiled unabashedly, letting go of my hand and helping me off the table. The nurse walked us back to the other room where they drew some blood and gave me about a million different pamphlets. I felt a bit dizzy after they took my blood, so Scott helped me get my clothes back on. The entire time he was quiet and calming. There just weren’t any words to say that seemed right. It was incredibly emotional.

“You need to set up your next appointment?” he asked, walking me back to the lobby.

“I should,” I said. “I won’t remember to call if I don’t.”

He walked me over to the nurse’s station and stood there as I made the appointment. I tried to schedule it during his lunch break but didn’t tell him that. He was there, and that meant a lot, so the least I could do was help make it easier for him to continue to come to the appointments without having to miss too much work. When we were done, he walked me outside.

“You didn’t drive?” he asked.

“No. I took an Uber,” I said.

“Would you like me to give you a ride home? It’s no trouble,” he said. “I took the rest of the day off because I wasn’t sure how long it would take.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, then yeah, sure. I’d really like that,” I said.

“Perfect,” he said, reaching out his hand.

He helped me out into the parking lot and opened my door for me, holding my hand until I was inside. He shut the door and climbed into the driver’s seat, looking over at me with a charming smile. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had such a peaceful time with each other. It was long before the drama had started, that was for sure.

“So how are things with you?” I asked, making an effort.

“Actually, really good.” He smiled. “Beyond seeing that beautiful baby, something else really good happened.”

“What?” I asked, smiling and raising my eyebrows.

“Well, Landon and I have been talking a lot, and he has decided that he wants to be my partner in the hardware business,” he said. “We met on Wednesday, went over all the financials—which we more than met—ideas for legal entities, and we started laying out a plan to get going on everything.”

“Wow,” I said. “Scott, that is really amazing, honestly. It’s been so long that you have been working toward that. I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks,” he said, looking at me with a grin.

I was in shock. I didn’t think I would hear that from him for a long time, especially after getting fired from my father’s company not that long ago. Everything in his life was starting to work out, and instead of feeling any animosity toward him, I was genuinely happy for him. He deserved that. He had been working on it for over a decade, and when everything happened between us, he thought it would never come to fruition.

“What does Landon do now?” I asked.

“Well, he was an accountant,” he said, “but he has hated it since day one and finally got into it with his boss the other day and quit on the spot. He knew I had been really trying to make things work, and I had mentioned it to him before, but I never thought he would want to go through with joining me in the business.”

“That is awesome,” I said. “And you won’t need to hire an accountant. He can do it all for you.”

“I know.” He chuckled. “He’s a one-stop shop.”

“Well congrats,” I said. “That’s really awesome.”

I looked down at my hands, feeling awkward. I didn’t know what else to say to him other than congratulations. Everything in me wanted to reach over and hug him, be incredibly excited for him, but we weren’t a couple anymore. I had to remember to keep boundaries even though I really didn’t want those boundaries to be there. It was confusing and stressful, but that didn’t make me want to be away from Scott. It actually made me want to be even closer to him, to feel his arms wrapped around me and all the comfort that brought me.

“Can I ask you a question?” he said.

“Sure,” I replied.

“I haven’t received any death threats or sniper fire, so I was wondering if you had told your dad about the baby yet.”

I sighed. “No, I haven’t. It hasn’t felt like the right time. Not that there will ever be a good time to tell my father I’m pregnant.”

“And with my baby. I’m sorry you have to go through that. I thought about calling my aunt, who was like a second mother to me, and telling her, but I figured I would wait until after the first appointment.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” I said as he pulled up my driveway to the gate.

“Do you want me to drop you off here?”

“No. The code is 65289,” she said. “My dad is away on business all weekend, so you can drive up the driveway.”

“No booby traps?”

I laughed. “No booby traps.”

He pulled around to the front of the house and got out of the car, walked around, and opened my door. He reached down and took my hand, pulling me out. I tripped, and he caught me in his arms, our faces only inches apart. We stared at each other for a moment, and I cleared my throat, backing up.

“Thank you for bringing me home,” I said. “Much better than riding with a stranger.”

“No problem,” he replied. “I can always pick you up or drop you off.”

“I appreciate it.”

“If you need anything, I want you to know you can call or text me no matter what time it is,” he said.

“I will remember that at three in the morning when I am craving pickles and ice cream.” I chuckled and tilted my head.

He smiled. “Please do.”

I thought about inviting him in. In fact, I almost did. Then I hesitated. It was awkward, but I didn’t really want it to end. It was the first time in a long time that I was smiling and laughing with Scott. It felt right, especially with our baby growing in my belly.

“Well, I’ll see you at your next appointment,” he said. “Call me anytime.”

“Okay,” I said. “Thanks again.”

I walked up to the house and opened the door, turning around and waving at him as he drove away. There was sadness in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t want him to leave. He had gone out of his way that day to be as attentive and interested as possible, and I had even seen the emotion in his eyes when we saw the baby for the first time. He was being such a good guy, and it reminded me of the man I fell in love with, the one I made the beautiful baby in my belly with. Maybe things would work out one day. Only time would tell.