Putting a hand on Mallory’s, Dr. Miller said, “You’re pregnant, sweetie.”
She was pregnant? As in...right then, right there, inside her, she had a new baby? She wasn’t just Mallory Harris, divorced mother of a deceased child anymore?
She was an expectant mother?
“I ovulated,” she said through a dry throat, swallowing to try to fix that malady.
“An ovulation test will commonly show up positive if you’re pregnant.”
She hadn’t known that.
“I’m pregnant?”
“Four weeks,” Dr. Miller was still smiling. “That’s one benefit to insemination—no guessing as to gestation timing.”
Mallory sat there in her gown, the blanket wrapped around her, hugging her stomach, and nodded.
“You’ll need to see your OB as soon as possible,” the doctor continued, talking about vitamins, prenatal care, the rounds of tests she’d be going through. Most of which she’d done with Tucker, too. “I’m recommending that they do a six-week ultrasound,” she said. “It’s common with fertility and insemination procedures, just to make certain that everything is okay.”
She added Mallory’s projected due date: December 10th. And then said, “I’ll leave you to get dressed. It was nice meeting you, Mallory. Good luck and Merry Christmas!”
The woman was out the door and Mallory sat there with her mouth hanging open.
Merry Christmas! Last Christmas she’d been on a boat with friends, feeling more alone than she’d ever felt in her life.
By next Christmas she was going to be a family again. A mother. With her own baby to hold. Assuming everything was okay.
I’m recommending that they do a six-week ultrasound...just to make certain that everything is okay.
As she remembered Dr. Miller’s words, fear struck. Instantaneous and sharp.
Assuming all went well with that, she’d have to get past the five-month mark before she’d really be home free.
No. Shaking her head, she slid to her feet, reaching for her clothes with shaking hands. She wasn’t going to let fear rule her life. Her past would not steal from her future.
She was going to be a mother again! That was this moment’s truth.
Her mind would remain firmly on what was, not on what could be.
She would control her fear.
Reality was she had a baby growing inside her!
Holy crap!
The Elliott Clinic was not far off the freeway. Using his GPS to find a nearby place for a quick lunch, he’d texted Mallory with the address. She was already there when he arrived. Already seated among a far wall of booths, all filled with well-dressed, mostly business-looking patrons. The two men right behind her seemed to be in serious discussion.
Just as he’d been the day before when he’d met with his top investor.
At the moment, he envied those two men. He’d much rather be talking money than telling his ex-wife that he was dating again. If he and Anna did hook up on a more serious basis, he’d need to make certain that he didn’t have to dread an emotional conversation like the one that could be potentially ahead.
Him dating wasn’t that big of a deal. He’d told Mallory half a dozen times about going out with various different women.
But Anna was different.
She was L.A. The start of his new life.
At least that’s how he feared Mallory was going to see it. She’d make a bigger deal of it than it was at the moment.