AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll be fine. The girls are right; Amelia has needed her space to work through her feelings. I’m sure it’s been hard for you to let her be. But she’s strong, Nathaniel. And she loves you.”
“I love her too, David,” I said truthfully. “So much.”
He nodded his understanding. “Her ultrasound is tomorrow, you know. I offered to go with her, but she said no. You should be at the appointment; I know she would appreciate it.”
“I was thinking of showing up, anyway. Just to see if she wanted me. If she says no, I'll leave.”
“Go, Nate. Be there for her. Amelia needs you, and you need her.”
Chapter 45
Amelia
The clinic was only ten minutes away from the hospital and my appointment was scheduled for noon before they closed for the holiday.
I had been anxious all morning at work. Sweaty palms, restless foot-taps, nervous and jittery yet excited. The ultrasound felt like a much bigger deal than my initial doctor appointment. I was going to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time, see their picture on the screen, and find out the due date. Important milestones. It was a lot to wrap my head around.
Nathaniel and I had planned to go to this appointment together, but I hadn’t called him yet. I wanted to give everything some time to percolate inside my mind before I decided on my next move. Figuring out how to handle my parents’ dissolving marriage, reeling from the aftermath of seeing my mother kiss Nathaniel, I wanted to sort through the emotions I was experiencing before moving forward.
My sisters told me that he had been asking about me, but he wanted to respect my need for space while I dealt with my feelings about what had happened. I was grateful for his distance, yet I still missed him each day we spent apart.
How had things become so complicated?
I arrived at the medical building, parked in the structure, and made my way down to the clinic, opening the heavy doors decorated with silver holiday garland.
My heart skipped when I walked inside.
Nathaniel stood in the waiting room, wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, hands in his pockets.
My anxiousness transformed into relief, a feeling of gratitude washing over me. All the hesitation and reservations I had felt about our relationship melted away at the sight of his face.
Nathaniel came here despite what happened. He came here because he cared about our baby.
He came because he cared about me.
He shook his palm in an awkward little wave, and I noticed a bandage on his hand.
The wine bottles.
It made me wince to be reminded of that night, and to remember that he had been hurt. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and walked up to him.
“Hey,” he said quietly, a soft smile reaching his golden-brown eyes.
“Hey,” I echoed, shyly smiling back.
“I hope it’s OK that I’m here.”
“I’m glad,” I said quickly.
His eyebrows ticked together, and he opened his mouth to speak again, then stared down at his shoes, kicking lightly at the carpet. “I heard from your sisters you’ve been feeling good,” he said, defaulting to a sort of small talk.
“Yes, pretty good the past couple of days,” I told him. “Cross your fingers for me that the morning sickness doesn’t come back.”
He lifted his bandaged palm again and crossed his fingers in the air, then chuckled self-consciously at the cheesy gesture. I laughed with him.
“It’s good to see your face, Amelia,” he said with a soft tone, all earnestness.
“Yours too,” I replied.
