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ChapterThree
~Lexi~
There wasnothing I hated more than sitting on the cold vinyl table in the doctor’s office so that my bare thighs that weren’t covered by the flimsy paper gown stuck to the surface uncomfortably.No.There was nothing I hated quite that much, unless, of course, it was sitting on that table in a thin gown waiting for the doctor to come in and tell me what I already knew but wasn’t sure I wanted confirmed.
The wait was torturous.I looked at the clock for at least the tenth time, but it still showed only five minutes had gone by.Not the thirty it felt like.The paper gown scratched at my neck.I tugged at it, trying in vain to make it a little more comfortable.I was just about to give up and pull my clothes on when there was a knock on the door and it opened.
“Lexi?”Dr.Colbert walked into the room.A woman not much older than me, her smile warm and friendly, I could imagine we’d be friends under different circumstances.As it was, it was hard to be friends with someone who routinely gave you bad news.It was a bit of a friendship killer.
I nodded in greeting and bit my bottom lip.I already knew what she was going to tell me.I took the pregnancy test the day before.It was positive, just as I knew it would be but I’d somehow managed to talk myself into ignoring the result until it could be confirmed by the doctor.Pregnancy tests weren’t always effective and with any luck, it was wrong.Or maybe it was right.I no longer knew what I wanted the answer to be.
Positive or negative?
Either way, the end result would be the same.
No baby.
“How are you, Lexi?”Dr.Colbert perched on her stool, clipboard in her hand.I was going to rip it out of her hand and check the file myself if she didn’t just tell me what I wanted to know.Positive or negative.One word.That’s all I needed out of her.
“Honestly?”I took a deep breath and tried to force a smile but there was no point.“I’m a little nervous.”I nodded with my head to her clipboard and she smiled.
“Understandably so.”The doctor flipped through a few papers before she looked at me again.“I think you already know what the results were.”
The air left my lungs in a whoosh and a flutter of excitement lit up deep in my stomach.I guess I did know what I wanted the answer to be.A smile so wide I could feel it tug at my cheeks crossed my face.But there was that twinge of worry there, too.A big twinge.A really,reallybig twinge.The smile faltered a little and Dr.Colbert noticed.
“Lexi, I don’t want you to worry, okay?”
How could I not?
“I mean it.Worry isn’t good for the baby.You need to try to reduce stress and just carry on as normal, okay?”
I nodded, but in my head I mentally listed all the ways I couldn’t possibly reduce stress at that moment and then I immediately felt guilty about doing that, because that was stressful, too.
“Lexi.”I focused on the doctor who stared at me, concern etched across her face.“Stop.I really need you to stop.”
“It’s hard.”I sucked my lip between my teeth again and bit down to keep from crying.The situation was too messed up.I was supposed to be excited.Pregnancy was supposed to be a time of celebration, not concern.
The doctor flipped open her chart and scribbled.“I’m sure it’s very hard, but we’ve run all the tests and there’s no reason that your body shouldn’t be able to carry a healthy pregnancy to term.That being said, I do think it’s prudent to take a few precautions.Try to rest, as I said; reduce stress if possible; maybe spend some time with your family just relaxing and enjoying yourself.What about a vacation?There’s a few days off of school coming up, isn’t there?Why not get away for a bit?”
It wasn’t a bad idea.And there was a small school holiday scheduled for next week.Plus I had a few personal days to use up and Ben’s birthday was right around the corner.But where would we go?A holiday was a good idea in theory, but—
“Consider it,” Doctor Colbert said.“Even to let yourself adjust to the idea of the pregnancy.You should never underestimate the power of positive thinking.Based on the dates you gave me, I’d say you’re just past twelve weeks.That’s longer than any of the other pregnancies.In fact, I’d hesitantly say you’re out of the danger zone.Why did you wait so long before coming in?”
We both knew the answer to that question.I’d become more than a little cautious when it came to pregnancy.She didn’t push me on the point, instead adding, “We should schedule an ultrasound.I’d like to get a look at the little one and make sure our dates are on.Based on your history, and the fact that your periods haven’t been all that regular over the last year or so, there’s a chance our dates are wrong.Should we schedule the ultrasound for two weeks from now?That would give you a chance to take that little holiday we were talking about.”
I nodded again.I started to feel like a bobblehead.I would consider it.I would consider doing anything that would help this pregnancy.I wasn’t sure I could handle going through the loss again.And if I really was so far along...could it...maybe?
“Good.Here’s another prescription for prenatal vitamins.Lots of water and healthy food and plenty of rest.But you know all that.”I nodded and she moved to stand up.“And Lexi, honestly, it will be okay.Just live your life.The human body is extremely resilient, and sometimes you just need to trust.”
I sat on the table for a few minutes longer after she left the room, the prescription clutched in my hand.My eyes blurred with unshed tears but I knew she was right.I had to think positively and I would, too.But I’d do it quietly.At least until after the ultrasound.My hand fluttered to my belly and I let my fingers dance across the paper gown.Yes, I think this baby would be my little secret.At least for now.
~Leo~
I was taking a risk by planning everything before I talked to Lexi, but once I got the idea in my head, I couldn’t shake it.Besides, it had been way too long since I’d surprised her with anything.It wasn’t too hard to arrange the details.With the school holiday coming up, all I needed to do was talk to Principal Henderson and let him know Lexi would need a few extra days off, which turned out to be easier than I thought because Lexi never took a day off.
Principal Henderson promised to keep everything quiet until I had a chance to tell her myself.I’d left a note for Ben’s teacher, Liz, to put together a few assignments for Ben to make up while he was gone.He’d only miss a few days, but still, I didn’t want there to be any excuse for Lexi to reject the trip.If I took care of all the details, she’d have to go along with it and even more than that, she’d be able to relax and enjoy herself.And that, more than anything, was what I wanted.The last few years, a seriousness—almost like a deep concern—had settled over my beautiful girl, and I needed to bring back the light in her eyes for good.I knew she probably wouldn’t think so right away, but returning to Vegas would do that.I was sure of it.And I’d prove it to her.
Once the details at the school were confirmed, the only thing left to do was buy the tickets.So I did that, too.And then I printed them out, put them in an envelope and tucked them into my computer case.I didn’t really have a plan for asking Lexi—or more specifically, telling her—about the trip, but I wasn’t too worried about it.There were still a few details I needed to take care of as far as the inn was concerned.
