Evelyn
“Ugh,” I groaned as I brushed my teeth again. “This nausea is terrible.”
Nathan gave me a warm smile, hugging me from behind. He placed a kiss behind my ear and simply watched me.
He was always loving towards me, but since we’d found out the news, it was as if he couldn’t keep his hands off of me, not that I minded. This was nice.
It was three a.m., and he had to go to the gallery in a couple of hours. Despite insisting that I could handle the nausea myself, Nathan was by my side every time it would reappear.
We’re having a baby.
“I can call Jesse, tell her that I can’t be there or—”
“Stop.” I laughed. “I’m fine. You’re getting out early for my appointment already, aren’t you?” He nodded, sighing. “Then don’t worry. I’ll be fine. Now let’s go back to bed because you need to be up in four hours.”
Without warning, he swept me off my feet and into his arms, carrying me off to the bed. If it would have been up to him, he would carry me everywhere, wouldn’t let me lift a finger.
He laid me down, pulling me into his arms; his hold around me was tight and comforting. His hand rested on my tummy, drawing circles as if he couldn’t help himself. Quietly, we both fell into deep sleep, while I held our little baby in my belly and Nathan held both our lives in his arms.
***
That afternoon, I had lunch with my ex-professor, Thomas Lanthorn. Saying it was awkward was a huge understatement—especially after hearing him fucking some random woman in my boyfriend’s apartment.
Professor Lanthorn, or Tom, tapped his fingers on the table of the small diner while avoiding my gaze at all costs. I took a sip of my chocolate shake and forced a smile while he looked out the window.
The waitress approached us after a few minutes and set our plates in front of us; we both uttered a quiet “thank God” at the much-needed distraction. At least we could now focus on our food rather than the uncomfortable silence.
It wasn’t like I didn’t like him. I just didn’t know what to say. What could I say? Thanks for causing a misunderstanding? I’m sorry about your wife cheating on you, but I’m still pissed about you being in my boyfriend’s apartment and causing a problem?
“Are you going back to school?” he asked me after a few minutes.
Relieved that he finally gained some balls to say something, I looked up at him. “Yeah, maybe take a couple of classes this upcoming semester. I just need to be sure I can still register.”
He nodded. “You decided on your major yet?”
“God no,” I snorted, feeling ashamed. I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to do with my life. The two things I knew for certain were that I didn’t want anything to do with business and I wanted to do something I loved.
“You’ll figure it out.” He smiled. “You’re a bright girl, Evelyn.” Thomas cleared his throat, nervously eyeing me after a few quiet seconds. “I’m very sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. I suppose I’m having a bit of a midlife crisis with everything going on.”
“Midlife crisis? Aren’t you, like, under forty?”
The professor chuckled. “Yes, I am. But as you can imagine, finding out that your whole marriage has been a lie is quite a shock. I haven’t been making the best decisions. And breaking into Nathan’s apartment like that was one of them. I took advantage of him trusting his keys and well…”
“It’s okay. I know what it’s like.”
“I suppose you do.” He smiled. “So we’re good? You’re good with Nathan, too? I didn’t fuck it up for you two, did I?”
Not at all.
The rest of lunch was relaxed. He was right; I couldn’t look at him as my ex-professor anymore. Not when he was good friends with Nathan and would more than likely be around for a while.
Thomas was easy to talk to, and just like he’d forged a friendship with Nathan, I felt we would do the same.
After a while, we headed to the gallery where Nathan and I would leave together to my appointment. There was no hiding my excitement. We’d be hearing our baby’s heartbeat for the first time; there was nothing else I wanted more.
We could hardly see through the crowded gallery.
“They are busy today,” Thomas whispered.
Now I wasn’t sure if Nate would be able to go with me. After searching, I saw him speaking to a young couple who seemed very interested in what he was saying. He waved, smiling as soon as he caught sight of me.
I smiled, silently letting him know that I’d wait for him until he finished.
“I hope I’m invited to the wedding.”
I rolled my eyes at Thomas, who simply raised a knowing eyebrow. I felt like screaming to the whole world that we were having a baby but contained myself, knowing well that we still needed to be sure everything was okay.
“Evelyn!” I jumped back, startled at Jessica’s voice. Her red hair was up in a half-do, and she had a small smile on her face. “Nathan’s almost done. They’re potential buyers,” she informed.
“Oh, that’s good.” I smiled at her.
Somehow after everything that happened, I didn’t feel she was necessarily a threat.
“How are you, Tommy?” Jessica asked Thomas. He shrugged, making her scoff. “Lighten up, Tommy dearest. Life’s too short to be worrying over things that won’t change. You know that. Tell him, Evelyn.”
“I don’t want to get dragged into this,” I mumbled. “But she is right.”
“Thank you,” Jessica nearly yelled. “Now, if two women are right, then they can’t be wrong, right?”
Thomas frowned, clearly not understanding what Jessica said. Oddly, I did understand and laughed because of that. Within a few minutes, I saw Nathan shaking hands with the couple and waving them goodbye before heading our way.
He pulled me into his arms despite being at the gallery and pressed a small kiss on my forehead before greeting Thomas. They shook hands as friends, a sign that their problems stayed behind.
“You think you can handle the gallery for a couple of hours?” Nathan asked Jessica as he glanced around the establishment.
“Of course.” Jessica waved him off. “I’ll be fine. Go do what you need to do or who you need to do,” she added, giving us a smirk.
“Oh my God.” I hid my reddened face behind Nathan’s arm as he laced our fingers together.
“All right, I’ll be back later,” Nathan said.
The whole way to the clinic, his hand rested over my still-flat belly as if unable to stay away. Comfortable silence surrounded us, while we both thought about what the future held for us. For some reason, I wasn’t scared. This was what I had always wanted: a family.
We waited eagerly in the lobby while Nathan eyed several magazines in silence. His eyebrows would furrow every time he read something surprising, and his eyes would widen in shock every time he read something unexpected about pregnancy.
“Holy shit,” Nathan breathed, loud enough for other patients in the waiting room to hear him. He didn’t seem to care. “Did you know the baby is basically going to pee inside you?”
My eyes widened at his loudness. “Be quiet, Nate.”
“Oooh.” He raised his eyebrows this time, smirking. “Orgasms induce childbirth.”
“Nathan,” I hissed, covering my face when a few couples looked back at us.
“What? It’s good to know in case you go past your due date. I mean, we don’t typically have a problem in that department so—”
“Evelyn Carson?”
“Oh, thank God.” I stood up quickly, rushing over to the nurse while leaving Nathan behind, though I knew he followed.
“Wait, Evie.” He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes when he caught up, placing his hand on my lower back.
Oh goodness, I couldn’t even imagine the type of questions he would ask the OBGYN when he saw her.
Oh no.
After weighing me, taking my blood pressure, and doing a urine test, we were finally in the exam room, waiting patiently for the doctor. Nathan kept looking through magazines, thoroughly amused at the information he was learning.
He was so excited, although I could have done without knowing some of the things he was telling me.
“Did you know you can have a bowel movement while in labor? Oh, and you’re basically growing a new organ, babe, your placenta.” He emphasized the word, widening his eyes for exaggeration. “So you’re a grower right now; your belly is growing, you’re growing a baby, you’re growing a placenta. Your boobs—”
A knock on the door interrupted my very excited boyfriend from saying anything else, and quickly, he closed the magazine and stood by my side.
Dr. Casey Murray walked into the exam room with a pretty smile, her light brown hair up in a ponytail and a tablet in her hands.
“So this is the new expectant couple. I’m Doctor Casey Murray, but you are welcome to just call me Casey.”
“Evelyn and my boyfriend Nathan.” Nathan greeted her, nervous.
“Well, according to the urine test, you are very much pregnant, so congratulations. We will be doing a couple of things today, including a cervical exam to test for any infections just to be cautious, a blood test to determine your hCG levels as well as to check for anemia and other conditions, and last but not least, an ultrasound to check the baby’s heartbeat. How does that sound?”
I nodded slowly.
“I know it’s overwhelming, but it’s best to have everything thoroughly checked out from the beginning of the pregnancy to avoid any problems in the future. Do you remember when your last period was?”
“I haven’t been keeping track of it, to be honest. But I do know I haven’t had one in over a month,” I said meekly. It was true. Since I hadn’t really been sexually active in the time Nathan was in Pennsylvania, there was no need for me to keep track of it. And when he arrived, I really wasn’t thinking about my period at all.
“Okay, then we can confirm how many weeks you are. Any other medical conditions I should be aware of?”
“She has a history of anemia,” Nate blurted out before I had the chance.
“Oh, that is definitely something we should watch out for,” the doctor said. She pulled a machine with a screen next to us. “Now, I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes, so you can undress from the waist down and cover yourself up so we can check the little bean of yours, hm?”
I nodded, now my nerves at an all-time high. It was obvious she loved her job, and knowing that put me a bit at ease. Once undressed, I lay back and waited for the doctor to come back in. Nathan kissed the back of my hand, his attitude now anxious. He smiled down at me as the doctor sat next to us and placed a bit of gel on my tummy.
“All right, let’s see…” The doctor placed the probe over my belly, her forehead creasing as she looked at the screen.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, my heart racing.
Suddenly, a quick heartbeat filled the room…strong and the sweetest music to my ears.
“Everything is perfect.” The doctor smiled, looking at the screen. “That’s your little bean. You look to be a little over eight weeks pregnant with a very strong baby. Congratulations.”
I was speechless as I looked at the screen at the little figure. I could already picture the small little limbs, though it all became blurry as my eyes teared up.
“It’s our baby…”
If his eyes shone with love when he looked at me, they were now bright with adoration at the sight of our baby. He brushed my hair away from my forehead and kissed me, not caring that the doctor was still there. “Thank you,” he whispered.
After the appointment, we headed back to the gallery, a new picture placed on his dashboard and hand in hand, knowing that now more than ever, neither of us would ever let go.