Natasha ~ Present
“THIS IS GOING TO BE cold,” Dr. Richmond said, right before squirting goo onto my belly.
I sucked in my breath, because, yes, it was cold. I watched as she placed the end of the wand on my stomach and smeared the goo around, then turned my attention to the monitor, cognizant of Jericho’s hand in mine and his face also turned toward the screen.
The room filled with a staticy sound, then, suddenly, there was a whooshing.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor informed us, and I felt my eyes fill with tears.
“Wow,” Jericho whispered.
“That’s amazing,” I managed as the tears began to fall.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” I said, bringing Jericho’s hand to my cheek and turning toward him. “Can you believe it?”
Jericho’s eyes were misty as well as he bent down to kiss me first on the forehead, then on the lips.
“We’re going to be parents,” he mused, and I nodded happily.
Never had I imagined when Jericho opened Prime Beef on Main Street, right across from Three Sisters, that we’d be here a year and a half later. I hadn’t allowed myself to have this dream, not once I left him, and I was so grateful that he’d forgiven me, because now . . . I had everything I’ve ever wanted.
“I’ll give you two a few minutes. Go ahead and get dressed, Natasha, and I’ll meet you both in my office,” Dr. Richmond said as she cleaned off my stomach with a tissue and rose from her stool.
“Thank you,” I told her as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed.
I waited until she left to stand up and take off the hospital gown, but before I could put my shirt back on, Jericho was kneeling before me, his hands on my waist. I grinned down at him when he placed a soft kiss on my belly, then felt that same tummy tingle when he looked up at me and took my left hand in his.
“Natasha Rose, ever since I bumped into you on purpose the first day of accounting class, I’ve been fascinated by you, and although we spent some time apart, I always held out hope that we’d end up back together. I missed you and now that I have you back, I never want to let you go. I can’t wait to live our lives here, to raise our children, to grow old together. I feel like I was born to love you, and I want to show you that love every minute of every day. Marry me, and neither of us will ever be lonely again. I promise you a life full of love, laughter, and support.”
I was full-on crying by the time he pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a gorgeous, rose gold engagement ring with diamonds running along the band.
“Yes!” I cried then realized the sound was muffled by the hand covering my mouth. So, I lowered my right hand and extended the fingers on my left and said, “Yes,” once more, louder this time.
I sniffled as he slid the ring on my finger, admired the shine for a moment, then jumped into his arms the moment he was back on his feet.
“I love you,” I said, my hands coming up to pull his face down to mine for another, slightly wet kiss.
“I love you, too,” Jericho replied between kisses. “Thanks for saying yes.”
I laughed happily, then realized I still wasn’t dressed and moved to get my clothes.
“When we tell this story, pretend I had clothes on,” I said as I pulled my shirt over my head.
“You got it, babe,” Jericho chuckled.
Once I was ready, we walked out of the room and down the hall to the doctor’s office. I stood outside for a moment, unsure whether or not I should knock, but Dr. Richmond must have heard us because she called, “Come in.”
Once we were settled, she looked at my hand, then up at the two of us with a friendly smile.
“Looks like congratulations are in order.”
“Thank you,” Jericho and I said, automatically reaching our hands out for each other.
“First things first, here are a few pictures I printed out of your baby. At coming appointments, we’ll be able to use the 3D ultrasound machine to get better pictures, and usually, between your twelve or sixteen-week appointment, we’ll be able to tell the gender of the baby, if that’s something you’ll want to know.”
“Yes,” I said, at the same time, Jericho exclaimed, “Absolutely!”
The doctor laughed and said, “Sounds good. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, we’ll plan to schedule once-a-month appointments for the first two trimesters, and here is a copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting, as well as some informational brochures for you both to start reading.”
“Thank you so much,” I said as Jericho reached over to gather everything off of the desk and placed it on his lap.
“Do you have any questions for me?” she asked.
“Um, yes, I didn’t realize I was pregnant, and I’ve had some wine over the last few weeks, will that harm the baby in any way?” I asked nervously. This was a question that had been bothering me all day.
“No, small amounts of alcohol will not affect your baby’s growth. I recommend that from this point forth you refrain from any heavy drinking, but a small glass of wine now and again won’t hurt.”
I nodded, and let out a relieved breath.
“Anything else?”
“Sex,” Jericho spat out, as if he had to force himself to ask. “Will sex hurt the baby?”
Dr. Richmond smiled, and assured him, “Absolutely not. It’s perfectly safe, and healthy, to have a normal sex life. In fact, once you’re ready to give birth, it actually helps move things along.”
Jericho looked pleased with this information.
“All right then, if there’s nothing else, you can set up your next appointment at the front desk for one month from now. I suggest you take notes as you’re reading and write down any questions that you have for me over the next few weeks, and bring them in with you for your next appointment.”
“Sounds good, and thanks again, Dr. Richmond,” Jericho said as he stood and shook her hand.
“Thank you,” I mimicked, waving goodbye as I led us out of her office, eager to get to the car so I could start reading the material.