An hour later and he still hadn’t called back. I debated on calling him or not. Maybe he had forgotten that I’d called. I could always borrow Bethy’s car and go to my appointment. On Monday when I’d told him about it he’d seemed excited about going. I couldn’t just leave him.
I pressed his number again. It rang four times this time.
“What?” Nan’s voice startled me. Was he at Nan’s?
“Uh, um…” I wasn’t sure what to say to her. I couldn’t tell her about my appointment. “Is Rush there?” I asked nervously.
Nan let out a hard laugh. “Unbelievable. He told you he’d call you back. Why don’t you give him some breathing room? Rush doesn’t do needy. He’s visiting with his family. My mom and dad are here and we’re getting ready to go have a family lunch. When he is ready to talk to you he will.” Then she hung up.
I sank down onto the bed. He was having a family lunch with his sister, mother and my father. That was why he hung up on me? He didn’t want me to know he was with them. His family lunch came before me and the baby. This was what I’d expected but then he’d been so sweet and protective. Was I being needy? I wasn’t a needy person but I had turned into one. Hadn’t I?
Standing up, I laid the phone down on the bed. I didn’t want it anymore. Nan’s hateful voice as she told me they were eating with her father taunted me. I grabbed my purse. I had time to walk down to the offices and borrow Bethy’s car.
I was sweating by the time I made it to the course offices. So much for looking nice for my appointment. That didn’t matter really. It was the least of my problems. I walked up the steps and Darla met me as she was coming out of the door.
“You don’t work today,” she stated when she saw me.
“I know. I need to borrow Bethy’s car. I have a doctor’s appointment in Destin that I… uh … forgot about.” I hated lying but telling her the truth was just more than I could handle.
Darla studied me a moment then reached into the pocket of her slacks and pulled out her keys. “Take my car. I’ll be here all day. I don’t need it.”
I wanted to hug her but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure she’d be comfortable with that kind of reaction to a simple doctor’s appointment. “Thank you so much. I’ll put gas in it,” I assured her.
She nodded and waved me on. I hurried down the steps and climbed into her Cadillac to head toward Destin.
The drive over wasn’t bad and I only had to wait fifteen minutes before they called me back to the exam room. The nurse was all smiles as she pulled out a machine with a small screen on it.
“You’re only ten weeks along so to hear the baby’s heartbeat we’re gonna need to do an ultrasound. We should hear the heartbeat and see a little bitty baby in there too,” she explained.
I was going to see my baby and hear it’s heartbeat. This was real. The few times I’d imagined this day I hadn’t imaged being alone. I had thought someone would be with me. What if they can’t find a heartbeat? What if something is wrong? I didn’t want to be alone for this.
The doctor walked in with a comforting smile. “You look terrified. This is a happy moment. All your vitals are good. No need to be so nervous,” he assured me. “Now lay back.” I did as he instructed and the nurse put my legs up in the stirrups.
“You aren’t far enough along to do this externally and be able to see or hear the baby. We need to do a transvaginal ultrasound which means we need to go in vaginally. It doesn’t hurt. You’ll feel some pressure from the wand, that’s all,” the nurse explained.
I didn’t watch them. The idea of him sticking a wand up me only made this worse. I focused on the screen.
“Okay, here we go. Easy, be still,” the doctor instructed. I watched the black and white screen, waiting patiently for something that resembled a baby.
A small thumping sound filled the room and it felt like my own heart had stopped beating.
“Is that…?” I asked, suddenly unable to say anything else.
“That’s it alright. Thumping just right too. Nice and strong,” the doctor replied.
I stared at the screen and the nurse pointed to what looked like a little pea. “There he or she is. Perfect size for ten weeks.”
I couldn’t swallow past the lump in my throat. Tears rolled down my face but I didn’t care. I just sat transfixed looking at the tiny miracle on the screen while his heartbeat filled the room.
“You and the baby are both doing excellently,” the doctor said as he slowly pulled the instrument from inside me and the nurse pulled down my gown and gave me her hand to pull me up.
“A little blood tinged discharge is perfectly normal after this procedure so don’t be alarmed,” the doctor said, standing up and going over to the sink to wash his hands.
“Keep taking those prenatal vitamins and come back to see me in four weeks.”
I nodded. I was still in awe.
“Here you go,” the nurse said, handing me a small pictures from my ultrasound.
“These are mine?” I asked, looking down at the pictures of my baby.
“Of course they are,” she replied with an amused tone.
“Thank you,” I said as I looked at each one and found the small pea I knew was alive inside me.
“You’re welcome.” She patted my knee. “You can get dressed now. Everything looks great.”
I nodded and wiped away another tear that had broken free and was rolling down my face.
Rush
“Where is she, Bethy?” I demanded walking out of Blaire’s bedroom holding her cell phone. She’d left it here.
Bethy snarled at me and slammed a kitchen cabinet door. “The fact your sorry ass doesn’t know where she is only makes me hate you more.”
What the fuck was wrong with her? I’d had a day from hell. Telling my mom she had to get another house and then telling them I was going to ask Blaire to marry me had sent them all into a wild rage. Well, not all of them. Blaire’s father had seemed fine with it. Nan and my mother had gone ballistic. We’d spent several hours yelling at each other and I’d made threats I intended to keep. Nan was supposed to leave to go back to school on Monday. She’d be gone until winter break and I was sure she’d end up in Vail with friends then. It was what she did every year. Normally I went too but not this year.
“I’ve had to deal with my mother and sister for the past four hours. Kicking Georgianna out of the house and informing her and Nan I intend to ask Blaire to marry me isn’t exactly an easy battle. So forgive me if I need a little help remembering where Blaire is!”
Bethy thumped the bottle of water down on the bar and her angry snarl became more of a disgusted frown. I’d thought once she heard I was going to propose to Blaire that she’d be happy. Apparently not.
“I hope you didn’t buy a ring,” was her only response.
I was tired of her games. “Tell me where she is,” I roared.
Bethy put both her hands on the bar and leaned forward giving me a furious scowl I didn’t know the girl was capable of. “Go. To. Hell.”
Fuck. What had I done?
The door opened and Blaire came walking in smiling until her eyes met mine. Then her smile faltered. She was mad at me too. Not good.
“Blaire,” I said as I walked toward her and she started backing up.
“Don’t,” she replied, holding up both her hands to stop me from coming closer.
She was holding something. It looked like pictures. What the hell did she have pictures of? Was it something from my past? Was she pissed about some girl I’d done something with once?
“Is that what I think it is?” Bethy asked pushing past me and running to Blaire.
Blaire nodded and handed her the pictures. Bethy covered her mouth. “Oh my God. Did you hear the heartbeat?”
At the words “heartbeat” my chest felt as if it had just been ripped wide open. Understanding dawned on me. Today was Thursday. It was Blaire’s doctor’s appointment. She’d called to remind me and I’d hung up on her.