Unexpected Love Story (Love 2)

“At nineteen, my period stopped. I went three months without, so I went to my OB/GYN. I thought the stress of nursing school and working full time had just knocked my system off a bit.”

She looks down at her hands and then up again. I walk to her side, sitting next to her, and hold her hand. “Well, he did a couple of routine tests. He called me back in to tell me that I had no eggs. My body was nineteen, but my reproductive system wasn’t.” I bring her hand to my mouth. “Every year, I would go in for routine tests and always ask if anything had changed. They didn’t.”

“So your last menstrual cycle was when?” he asks while he writes notes on his paper.

“Six years ago, maybe seven,” she says, and he goes to place his paper down. Grabbing gloves, he says, “Okay, lie back. I’m going to do an internal exam, and then we’ll get an ultrasound to see what’s going on.”

She lies down, putting her feet in the stirrups that Dr. Sprung pulled up from the sides of the table. He examines her. “Everything is where it should be.” He takes off his gloves, rolling to the light switch and flipping it off. “Let’s see what we have,” he says, squeezing the blue gel on her stomach, and he places the wand on her. The sound of the galloping fills the room again as both of us look at the screen. “Strong heartbeat,” he says, moving around her stomach. “Active little one,” he says. “I’m trying to get the length, and it’s almost impossible.” He laughs. “I see a stubborn little one. A very stubborn one.” He clicks a couple of things. “Okay, so from what I can see, you’re about fourteen weeks along. So you are over the twelve-week scary mark. Do you guys want to know what you’re having?”

“You can tell?” she asks, looking at me. “Do we want to know?”

“It’s up to you, doll face.” I smile at her.

“I don’t want to know because it doesn’t matter as long as he or she is healthy.” She looks at Dr. Sprung.

“So far, everything looks like it’s in place, ten fingers and ten toes.” He smiles. “But now comes the bad news of sorts.”

My heart stops. “What?” Crystal whispers.

“Well, considering what you told me, I would have to say that this is technically a high-risk pregnancy. So”—he wipes off her stomach—“she should be off her feet for at least the next month, just in case, and I want to see her weekly to make sure everything is growing okay.” He smiles. “Then we will go from there.”

“So I’m having a baby?” she cries. “Like, it’s not a dream?”

“Not a dream, Crystal. You’re having a baby.” He smiles. “I’ll be in your office,” he says to us as he walks out.

“Holy shit, I’m going to be a mother.” She puts her hand over her face as she cries out tears of happiness.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Crystal

Walking out of the room after Dr. Sprung left us, Gabe says, “You can’t work today, so you should go home and rest.”

“I can do paperwork,” I tell him, approaching the nurses’ station.

“Oh, good. Dr. Walker, Ava just called in sick,” Mia says.

“See, I can do the board while Mia helps you.”

“The doctor said …” I put my hand on his lips, shushing him.

“I swear, if at any time I feel tired or anything, I will stop. I can even do it on the computer, so I can sit down.”

I look at him, and fuck is he ever hot. He hasn’t shaved this morning, so his beard has grown out a touch, the white dress shirt is open at the neck, showing me a little of the ink he has there. His dark blue slacks hugging him. “You’d better stop that,” he says, lifting his hand to fix his collar.

“You’re hot,” I tell him. “Have I ever mentioned how hot you are?” I smile and then walk to his office to finish my appointment.

Sitting in the chair next to Dr. Sprung, he goes over my dos and don’ts. “Okay, here is a list that I made. No exercise at all, not to lift anything over five pounds, no sex, no baths/hot tubs, etc. No swimming, no sleeping on your stomach. Also, no sushi.”

“When you say no sex …” I ask him as he smiles. “What does that mean?”

“It means no penetration and no oral either. For her.” He smiles at Gabe. “Basically, just lie around and take it easy.”

“Can she work?” Gabe asks with his hands over his chest.

“Not on my feet, sitting at the desk.”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “That’s a no. I also want you taking a prenatal vitamin.”

“Get ready. I’m going to drive you home,” Gabe says to me while Dr. Sprung stands. “So we will come see you in one week.”