She asked me for my full name, date of birth, and all that stuff, and then asked Callie if she’d ever been pregnant before, if she smoked, how much alcohol she drank, about her mental and physical health.
“And do you have a job, Callie?”
“I run a bakery with my mum.”
The midwife paused and looked up from her iPad. “Not Callie’s Wee Cakery?”
Callie smiled. “That’s the one.”
“Oh my goodness.” Verity beamed. “I am in love with your bakery. My wife and I make a trip into Ardnoch once a month just so I can get my fix. The new pastries are to die for. I could swim in a vat of those Ardnoch Saint Honorés.”
“Thank you so much. That means a lot.”
“I knew you looked familiar and now I know why. I’m sorry if I’m fangirling, but I always tell my wife how lucky we are to have a bakery like the cakery so close when you could be working in a top restaurant.”
Joy lit Callie’s eyes and pride filled mine as I lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. I could have kissed Verity, too, because she had no idea how much my girlfriend needed to hear such kindness about her talent.
The appointment lasted an hour. Verity took Callie’s measurements, measured her blood pressure, took some blood and urine, and explained exactly why she was doing all that. I tried not to let myself get anxious about all the bloody things that could go wrong with this pregnancy, even as Verity assured Callie that she was young and healthy.
We discussed how the baby would develop over the coming months, what kind of diet would be best and what foods to avoid, antenatal classes, breastfeeding, if she intended to have the baby at the hospital or at home, the tests and scans that needed to be scheduled. I hung on to every word because I wanted Callie to know that other than actually physically having the baby, she was not alone in any of this.
“Do you regularly exercise, Callie?”
“Pilates and tae kwon do.”
“She’s a black belt,” I offered proudly.
Callie smirked. “We both are.”
Verity nodded. “How long have you been training in tae kwon do?”
“Fifteen years.”
“Okay. Well, Pilates is perfectly safe to continue while you’re comfortable to do it, though you may have to avoid certain positions the further along you get. I encourage you to keep that up. However, I do think you should tell your martial arts instructor you’re pregnant.”
“He knows, and I’m already excluded from sparring and breaking.” It was part of the rules that Fyfe had to enforce as an instructor.
“That’s good. I think since you’ve been training for years, it’s safe to continue classes as long as you’re avoiding physical combat with your peers.”
We’d talked about tae kwon do after Fyfe agreed to let Callie back into his class. He was nervous of her being there while pregnant, and Callie was frustrated by the limitations set on her but willing to oblige. Though I knew she already missed sparring. I’d reminded her it was only for the next six and a half months, and then she could try to kick my arse any time she pleased after that.
Not long later, Callie and I were walking back to the car.
“Verity was really lovely,” she said with relief.
“She was. How are you feeling?”
“Like reality is kicking in a bit. You?”
“Same.” I held open the car door for her and hurried around to the other side. It had been a few days since I’d been out on the Harley and while I missed it, I had more hope than ever that once the baby was here, I’d have Callie back on my bike.
“Did you take everything in that she said?”
“I did,” I promised. Then as we started driving out of the car park, I forced myself to say, “I’ve been checked. I know she’s running tests for STIs, but I want you to know that I had a health check after Roisin. And you were the last person I slept with.”
“I know. You don’t have to worry about that. I had a health check after Gabriel. So I’m pretty certain all is good there.”
Gabriel.
