“I don’t want to talk about Gina. You think you can get back to sleep?” I ask her. I don’t want to upset her, but my gut tells me Gina is not who she wants us to believe.
“Yes.” She pauses. “After I use the bathroom again.”
“You just went.”
“Well, your daughter must be lying on my bladder because I need to go again.”
My daughter. I can’t wait to meet her. “You need help?” I offer. I hate that she’s doing all the hard work, and I’m just here watching, waiting to meet our baby that she’s growing.
“I can manage.” I hear the smile in her voice as her feet hit the hardwood floor and she pads her way to the bathroom.
When the bathroom door opens, I hold the covers up for her as she slides back into bed. My arms wrap around her, my hand resting on her belly. “Marry me,” I whisper into the darkness.
“I love you, Harrison Drake.”
“I love you too, Winnie. Night.” I kiss the back of her head.
“Goodnight.”
Today is our twenty-four-week appointment. That’s something I’ve learned. Pregnancy is referred to in weeks. We heard the heartbeat at the hospital and again at our first appointment at the OB/GYN office and we told our parents at twelve weeks, we found out we’re having a baby girl at twenty weeks. Winnie has this book about the stages of the baby’s growth. It says that currently our daughter is the size of an ear of corn, and should weigh a pound. It’s so hard for me to believe that my wife is growing a tiny human that we created.
Today’s appointment is early, and a long one. Something about glucose testing. So I’m driving us and will head to the gym later today. Chase is there to keep Gina in line. Not sure what happened with them a few weeks ago. He said he drove her home, without going in, but that’s not like Chase or Gina from what I can tell. They were all over each other on the boat, so it’s hard for me to believe he just dropped her off. Chase swears that’s all that happened, and I’ve known him for years; he’s never been one to lie.
“Winnie!” I yell up the stairs. “You about ready?”
“Yes,” she says, appearing at the top of the steps. She has on a pair of maternity jeans, that still make her look incredible, and a white tank top.
“Babe, it’s a little chilly out. You might want to grab a sweater.”
She holds up a pale pink sweater and grins. “I’m on it, Daddy.”
Daddy. We’ve gotten in the habit already of referring to each other as Mommy or Daddy. Every damn time she says it, my heart trips over in my chest. Sixteen more weeks and we can meet our little girl. Weeks and I’ll be responsible for a tiny human. Thankfully, I have Winnie. She’s great at everything, and I have no doubt motherhood will be the same.
“You’re beautiful,” I say when she reaches the last step. My hands go to her belly. I can’t pass up the opportunity to touch her, and our daughter. In the last four weeks, she’s really started to show. She looks like she’s swallowed a basketball. From the back, you can’t even tell she’s pregnant though.
She’s glowing.
“You sleep beside me at night, I’m a given. You don’t have to butter me up,” she teases.
“Don’t go talking like that and get me all excited. We have an appointment to get to.”
“Yeah,” she agrees.
“You okay?”
“Definitely. Just tired.”
“Baby girl is taking all your energy. The last couple of weeks, you seemed to be tired all the time. Maybe we should mention it to the doctor today.”
“I’m an incubator for a baby. Of course I’m going to be tired.” She rubs her protruding belly affectionately. “Now, let me pee, and we can go.”
“Get moving,” I say, tapping her lightly on the ass as she clears the bottom step and heads in the direction of the half bath off the kitchen.
“So, where are we going?” she asks as I pull into the lot of the department store.
“Shopping.”
“Shopping? What are we shopping for?”
“Baby girl.”
“Harrison, we’re going to have a baby shower. Our moms and Gabby are already all over it. She’s going to be spoiled rotten as it is. Not to mention I have a doctor’s appointment.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, Mommy and Daddy get to spoil her too. And we’re early. Come on, let’s just take a look.”
“I guess it won’t hurt to look,” she concedes. I can hear it in her voice. She’s excited, as I knew she would be. Hell, I’m excited too. All of this is new to both of us.
Five minutes later, we’re in the big chain baby store with a cart and a mental list of everything we’re going to need. “What do you want to look at first?”
“Everything.” She laughs. “There is so much stuff, and I know we’ve registered, but I just want to look at it all.” She walks along beside me as I push the cart. “We need to pick out her furniture.”
“We do. I assumed paint would be picked out first and then we could go with furniture. Are you still thinking white? I agree that seems like a good fit for a little girl.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “White is good. Are we going to have a theme? You know like princesses or Winnie the Pooh?”
“Are we supposed to?”
“There is no supposed to. Some people have a theme for the nursery.”
“What do you want?”
“I kind of just want to make it girly. Nothing cartoonish, just… feminine for our sweet little girl.”
“I have no preference. You tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen.” That’s the least that I can do since she’s doing all the work here. I’m just kind of along for the ride.
“What if I changed my mind?” she asks, picking up a small blanket. “This is the cutest thing ever.” She holds it up so I can see it. It’s a small blanket with pink and gray elephants on it. “I’m thinking light gray walls, white furniture, and pink, gray, and white decorations. I wonder if they have this bedding?” She walks further down the aisle. “Look.” She points to a large bag of bedding. “It’s the entire kit for the crib.”
“You like it?”
“I love it. It’s so cute.”
Walking to stand next to her, I pick up the bag and place it inside the cart. “Now what?”
“Harrison, we shouldn’t. We’re having a shower.”
“We didn’t register for this, so we should be good to buy it. Besides, we need blankets and clothes, and bottles and toys, and all that other stuff that I can’t remember. I think we’re safe. You love it, so it’s happening.” I kiss the tip of her nose and go back down the aisle and grab the blanket she was just holding. “Winnie,” I call out to her. “They have crib sheets and a mobile.” I hold up the package that tells me the coordinating items to look for. “Do we need that?”
She grins. “Yes.” She joins me and adds a few matching items to the cart. “Okay, I think we’re good. We should wait to buy anything else.”
“This is only the first aisle,” I tell her. “We’ve got more to see.”
“How much time do we have?” she asks, biting down on her bottom lip. I know my wife and she could get lost in here shopping for our baby girl. Hell, I could too. I’m man enough to admit it. This is an important time for us, and I want to share all of it with her.
“We have about thirty minutes before your appointment.”
“I guess we can look at a few more aisle’s, she says grinning.”
“That’s my girl. I figured we could browse a little, go to your appointment, which I knew was going to be a longer one, and then grab something to eat.”
“Come on, Momma. Let’s go see what else we can find.”
She grins and turns on her heel, heading down the next aisle.
I toss in a rug, and a lamp that matches the bedding. I don’t know if we need it, but it matches, and she needs decorations in her room, right? I really have no damn idea what we need, but it’s putting a smile on my wife’s face so re
gardless, it’s worth it.
“We should go,” she says, eyeing the cart that is now overflowing. “We just came in here to look.” She eyes the cart. “It’s been what five minutes and you have this thing overflowing.”
“You might have just come to look. Why do you think I got this cart?” She gives me a beautiful smile, and her green eyes light up. Something I’ve not seen much of these past few weeks. She’s been exhausted. “However, I agree we should get moving so we’re not late getting to your appointment.”
Checkout is quick, maybe because it’s early morning, I’m not sure. The back seat of my truck is loaded down with lots of pink, and it brings a smile to my face. This weekend, we’re going to go pick out the paint so I can get started. I just need to feel like I’m doing something. Like I’m contributing to our family. Sure, I work, but as far as the baby goes, it’s all on Winnie. I need to do whatever I can to be involved and take the stress off her.
“So, I was thinking after your appointment we can go check out some paint colors for the nursery. I’d like to get started,” I say once we are in the truck and headed to her appointment.
“Don’t you have to get to the gym?”
“I do, but Chase is there today, so I have some time.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about what you said about moving. I think we’re good where we are, for now at least. We’re settled, and the thought of moving right now stresses me out.”
“I’d take care of it, but I agree with you. I want to get her room all set up, so you can start your nesting.”
“What?” Her giggle fills the cab of my truck.
“Nesting. The book I read said that new mothers begin to nest closer to delivery. I want to have the room ready, so you can do that.”
“What am I going to do with you?” Her voice is muffled with laughter.
“Marry me?”
“We’re getting there.” She smiles.
“Yeah?” I ask her, because more and more she’s hinting that she might be ready.
“I just want to make sure we do this for the right reasons.”
“There is only one reason, Winnie. We love each other. I think we both learned what not to do the first time around, well, except for Peanut.” I reach over and rest my hand on her belly. “We definitely need to do that again.”
“Let’s bring this little one into the world, and then we can see about siblings.”
“Deal,” I agree, parking my truck. We make our way inside, and before we are done signing in, a nurse is calling her name.
“You’re going to see Dr. Taylor later. First we’re going to start your glucose test,” the nurse explains. “You’ll have an hour before you see the doctor, so you can leave and come back. Just check in with the receptionist when you get back so we know.” She twists the lid off a small clear bottle filled with orange liquid. “I need you to drink all of this, and then in an hour, we’ll check your glucose reading.”
“How bad is it?” Winnie asks the nurse.
“Meh, not too terrible. We keep it cold, which makes it easier to take. My suggestion is to just get it over with.”
“Here goes,” she says, placing the bottle to her lips. She takes a big drink and then cringes. “It’s sweet.” She scrunches up her face. I watch her as she takes a few more large gulps and finishes it off. “Ugh, that was nasty.”
“What next?” I ask the nurse.
“Now we wait. I’ll check back in with you in an hour and draw some blood. Dr. Taylor will see you after.” She gives us a wave and is out the door.
“That was bad,” Winnie makes a face that tells me she did not enjoy consuming that little bottle of liquid.
“I’m sorry, babe. So, we have an hour,” I say trying to get her mind off of it.
“How are things at the gym?”
I go on to update her with the progress of all of our new locations, and how in the back of my mind I’ve thought of branching out even further. “More of a franchise,” I tell her. “So I would sell the name and the operation procedures, but we wouldn’t be running the facilities.”
“All Fit is your baby, you sure you want to do that?”
“No, this,” I reach over and lay my hand on her belly. “Is my baby, you are my wife, and I’m not willing to take on more and take more time away from either of you.”
She smiles. “We’ll work it out, Harrison.”
We chat about our parents, and how they’re taking to being grandparents. To say that they’re excited is an understatement. We talk about the possibility of her staying home full time with the baby. Time flies as we can an hour just for us. We both know the communication is important and what it can do to a relationship if you lose it.
“How long does it take to get your results from this test they have to do today?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “Twenty-four to forty-eight hours, but she said very rarely is it longer than the next day before they get the results. Depending on how busy the lab is.”
A knock sounds at the door before Dr. Taylor is pushing it open. “Good morning.” She smiles warmly. “How are you?” she asks Winnie.
“Good,” she says brightly. Way too brightly. “Aside from that nasty tasting drink.”
“It’s definitely not a fan favorite. How are you feeling otherwise?”
“She’s been tired a lot,” I chime in. Winnie turns to look at me, but I can’t read her expression. “She’s also thirsty all the time, and she seems to have to pee more frequently, but she tells me that the baby is lying on her bladder.” I spill everything that I’ve observed since our last visit.
“Harrison, I’m fine,” Winnie protests.
“Babe, it’s better to ask just to make sure. We’re both new at this, and we need to make sure everything is okay.”
“He’s right,” Dr. Taylor says, lifting her eyes from the computer screen. “You’ve gained eight pounds since the last visit. We talked about gestational diabetes, and from what Harrison is telling me, your symptoms go hand in hand. Have you been watching your diet, and getting plenty of water and exercise?”
“Wait.” I stand and walk to the exam table where Winnie is sitting, wringing her hands together. “You talked about diabetes? Where was I?” I’m running the details of our last visit through my mind, and nothing stands out to me.
“At Gwen’s last visit.”
“I don’t remember that,” I admit. Surely, I didn’t forget something as important and critical as this?
“It was before you got here,” Winnie confesses.
Fucking Gina. “Why didn’t you tell me?” I question. “I could have been helping you. I thought we were in this together?” I’m stunned that she’s kept this from me. I thought we were past that. I thought we were no longer hiding our feelings. “Winnie?”
“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice breaking. “You were upset that you were late, and I know how much stress you’re under with the gym, and the new locations. I did everything that Dr. Taylor suggested I do.” Her eyes are glassy with tears, and those tears tug at my heart.
“Baby.” I cradle her face in my hands. “I’m never too busy for you and our baby. Never. I know I used to let work come between us, but I promise you that’s not going to happen this time. You have to tell me these things. How am I going to take care of you if I don’t know what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry,” she says again, this time a single tear rolling down her cheek. I capture it with my thumb.
“We should have the blood results back tomorrow. I see here there is still a trace of sugar in your urine, not more than your last visit, but something to watch.”
“What does that mean?” I ask her. I place my arm around Winnie’s waist, where she sits on the exam table.
“The blood test will tell us more. Lots of women acquire gestational diabetes, which means the issue resolves with delivery.”
“So she’s okay? What about the baby
?”
“Mom and baby are both safe. We typically see higher birth weight in babies of moms who have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It’s important to eat a healthy balanced diet, drink plenty of water, and get some exercise.”
“What kind of exercise? What’s safe?” I’m already thinking of a workout I can design for her that’s safe for both her and the baby.
“Walking is the best exercise.”
“Treadmill? Elliptical?” I ask.
“Yes to both. A recumbent bike, swimming, and yoga are a few others that are completely safe. Nothing vigorous, and everything within moderation. You don’t need to exercise all hours of the day. Thirty minutes a day, with your heart rate up five times a week, is what we recommend.”
I nod. “We can do that.” I’m already working through a low-impact routine for her in my mind.
“What happens if the test comes back high? Then what?” Winnie asks. I reach out and take her hand, and her grip tightens. She’s worried. I hate she’s been handling this alone. Sure, it’s only been four weeks, but that’s four weeks that I could have helped carry some of the burden. It makes sense to me now why she’s stopped drinking her beloved chocolate milk.
“If you fail the one-hour glucose, the test you took today, we then have you come back in for an extended glucose test. It’s a three-hour test, where we draw your blood once every hour for three hours. You will have to be fasting for this one, and the drink is the same orange delicacy.” She chuckles.
“Okay,” Winnie says, straightening her shoulders.
My hand is gripping hers as the real fear of something happening to Winnie or the baby takes hold. I’ve never met our baby, but I love her all the same. And Winnie, she’s been my world since the night we met all those years ago. I’ll do everything I can to help her through this. To fight to keep them both healthy and here with me.
“Now, let’s see how you’re doing.” She asks a few more questions, and I step back so that Winnie can lie back on the table and the doctor can get measurements. “Measuring bigger than you should be at this point, but that’s okay. It’s nothing that causes a red flag currently,” she assures us.
Fair Lakes Series Box Set Page 18