Chapter 18: Chapter 18

REECE

I was thrilled when Etta asked me to accompany her to the doctor’s appointment. I wanted to be part of this journey, but I wasn’t going to force my way into it.

It was important that she wanted me there with her.

We were currently sitting in the lobby, waiting for the nurse to call us. Most of the women here were accompanied by their partners, and I couldn’t help but feel a little out of place.

“Are you okay?” Etta asked.

“Yeah, why?”

Etta pointed to my knee, which was bouncing nervously.

“I feel a little out of place,” I admitted.

“You don’t have to stay; you can wait out in the car.”

“No, I want to be here with you.”

“Odette?”

I was grateful when the nurse called us. It saved me from having to admit that I was nervous about messing up the whole father-figure role.

After all, if things went as planned, I would be the father of this child.

“How are you doing today?” the nurse asked.

“We’re doing well and excited to see the baby today.”

“First child?”

“Yes,” Etta answered excitedly.

“Then I’ll make sure to print a lot of pictures,” the nurse said.

“Thank you,” I said to the nurse.

Etta was smiling the entire time she was talking to the nurse. She seemed made for motherhood, and seeing her genuinely happy made me smile.

“Since it’s your first appointment, you’ll need to undress from the waist down so the doctor can do a pelvic exam. Cover your waist with the folded blanket on the table.” The nurse quickly left the room and closed the door behind her.

“I can step outside,” I offered.

“You can turn around. It won’t take me long.”

“Okay.”

It didn’t take her long to get situated, only about a minute or two, but I still felt awkward.

“I’m done.”

She was on the bed with the sheet over her lap, her pants folded on top of her.

“Can you put these on the chair?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“When she comes in, can you stand next to me? If you stay over there, you’ll get a view of all this…” She made a circular motion above her pelvis. “And I’m not ready for you to see me like that.”

I let out a laugh. “You have nothing to worry about.”

I walked around to her left and stood by her head. Just as I got into the position she wanted me in, the doctor came in.

“Are you ready to see this precious little baby?” the doctor asked.

“I am,” Etta answered enthusiastically.

“I’m going to do the pelvic exam first and then the ultrasound,” the doctor advised.

“Sounds good,” Etta responded.

The doctor helped her feet into the stirrups and situated her knees so she could roll her seat between her legs. I was kind of curious and wanted to peek over.

I’d never been with anyone to the gynecologist, let alone a birthing center, so I was curious about what they were doing.

“Good job, everything feels and looks normal. You can put your feet down and slide up and pull up your shirt so we can get a look at the baby.” The doctor was nice and made sure she explained everything to us as she went along.

The doctor squirted the gel on Etta’s stomach and picked up the wand. She placed it on her stomach and moved it around.

“There’s your little bundle of joy.”

I was captivated by what I was seeing. I expected to see a bean-like image, but I could clearly see an image of a baby.

The doctor pushed a button, and a sound started coming out of the machine.

“Is that the heartbeat?” I asked.

“It sure is,” the doctor confirmed.

I looked down at Etta, and she had tears rolling down the side of her face.

The love I felt for Etta had passed on to this child. I had a lump forming in my throat watching the baby and hearing the heartbeat, but watching Etta is what got me.

I knew from this moment on she and this child were mine. I would do anything for them.

“We’ll get some pictures printed for you guys. Everything looks like it is developing well. Do you have any questions or concerns?” the doctor asked.

“I do,” Etta spoke up. “The night before I found out I was pregnant, I was drinking. How is that going to affect the pregnancy and the baby?”

“It’s hard to tell. Right now, the baby looks good and seems right on target, so I doubt you’ll have complications,” the doctor said. “However, we can only see so much on the ultrasound. Don’t worry. Just take care of yourself for the rest of the pregnancy, and things should be fine.”

The doctor left us so Etta could get cleaned up and dressed. I handed Etta her clothes and turned around as she got dressed.

“I’m done,” Etta stated.

I turned around and walked to her. Framing her face with my hands, I kissed her.

“I love you,” I blurted out as I pulled back from the kiss.