“Holy fuck! Congratulations!” he shouts back. If my smile wasn’t already the biggest it’s probably ever been, his level of immediate excitement would have it growing even more.
“I mean, obviously she made the right choice! No one else could be a better fit. But still, it’s so exciting to have it official and confirmed! Oh my god! We have to start getting the nursery together! You should make a registry! Ohhhh, do you think she would want to be at a baby shower? Obviously the team is going to throw one. I wonder if I could get your mom to fly out for a few hours, if I set up backup, on-call nursing staff to be available for your dad. He wouldn’t want to come, would he? I could set up a wheelchair van with medical staff to drive him, even across states if he wanted. I’ve looked into it, and it’s a little pricey, but it’s an option,” he rambles.
I have to take a few moments to process everything he just said. He’s researched ways to get my dad to Chicago? That’s probably the most thoughtful thing anyone’s ever done for me, and he just said it so casually. I’m actually a little choked up thinkingabout it.
“So what happens now?” he asks when I’m unable to respond quickly enough, and his question reminds me of the reason I was calling.
“She offered to have me go to her doctor’s appointments with her.”
“That’s amazing!”
“There’s actually one today, and when I said I was out of town, she asked if you’d want to go and call me, or take a picture and tell me all about it later, whatever makes the most sense. If you’re free that is. No pressure, I know how busy you are.”
“Oh my god, Hudson! Of course I’ll go! What an honor. Send me the details, and I’m there.”
I sigh in relief. I was so excited about the opportunity to participate in the prenatal appointments, and I know I’ll be able to go to another, but having Adrian help me be a part of the one today, so soon after I found out that the baby will be mine, is a huge relief. “Thanks, Charming. You’re the very best.”
“I’m honestly happy to do it, Hudson. I’m so excited for you! You’re going to be a dad! Congratulations!”
There’s another part of me that’s excited to have him involved for more selfish reasons. I want him to be a part of everything in my life, including this adoption. And hearing Adrian say those words, that I’m going to be a dad, somehow makes them feel even more real.
My dreams are coming true. Maybe Adrian will even want to continue to be a part of things after I move out, too.
All my goals for becoming a parent are happening… Why not the ones about Adrian and I?
28
ADRIAN
“Hello, I’m meeting my friend Emily here for her appointment at twelve thirty. She isn’t already back there, is she?” I ask the person in cute pink scrubs sitting behind the counter in the OBGYN lobby Hudson passed on the info for.
The office is in a hospital, which I thought would be kind of intimidating at first, but I guess would be super convenient for the doctor who needs to be delivering babies. Now that I'm inside, it feels like any other doctor’s office, except I never really thought I would be in an OBGYN appointment, so I’m far more nervous than I’d care to admit.
“No, she hasn’t checked in yet,” the woman confirms. “Feel free to sit wherever you’d like.”
“Thanks.”
I might be a little early, so I’m not surprised that she isn’t here yet.Okay, I’m really early.But Hudson asked me to come to this appointment in his place. This is a huge fucking deal! He’s officially going to be a dad, and he asked me to be a part of today. I know he’s had me come to a lot of stuff with him during theadoption process, but this is different. This is actually his baby. He’s trusting me to represent him with the mother of his child.
Realistically, I have another half an hour or so before Emily will probably get here, so I decide to spend that time planning the nursery. I’ve done research on them already over the last few months, but Hudson and I agreed that preparing a room for a baby before he matched with anyone felt like it could jinx his chances. Now that Emily has chosen him, it’s time. Should he get a convertible crib so he can upgrade it whenever the baby is ready? Or maybe something more traditional? There are so many things to consider for the nursery itself. I also start a list of suggestions for other typical baby registry items.
“Hey, Adrian! You made it,” Emily says, pulling me out of my deep-dive into the best type of humidifiers.
I immediately stand but catch myself before touching her. “Hello! Are you a hugger? I don’t want to overstep.”
“Thank you for asking. You have no idea how many people think they can touch my stomach just because I’m pregnant.” She shudders, but then stretches her arms out. “We can hug though. I think we’re going to be good friends.”
I beam at her prediction as we embrace. “I would love that.” I sit back down, and she takes the spot next to me. “So, what should I expect? Believe it or not, this is my first time at an OBGYN appointment.”
She chuckles. “Well, they usually check my vital signs, measure my stomach, ask if I’m having any new symptoms and warn me about what to expect. They also check the baby’s heartbeat. I thought that would be what Hudson would want to hear.”
“Absolutely! He’ll be so excited.”
“Emily, we’re ready for you,” another person in scrubs interrupts, and we head down a hallway. Emily has me hold her bag while she stands on a scale, and then they lead us into the room. Thenurse pulls a curtain and asks for Emily to change into a hospital gown. “Wow, this is kind of intense,” I whisper when she’s changed, with a sheet over her lap to cover her legs, and it’s just the two of us.
“Pregnancy is pretty intense,” she confirms easily. “There are so many things that can go wrong for mom or baby. They have to monitor everything they can to try to catch anything out of the ordinary.” The nurse comes back in and checks her blood pressure and other vitals while asking her a million questions about how she’s been feeling. Before I know it, an older woman is knocking on the door.
“Good afternoon, Emily. Oh! You brought a friend, how lovely. Or are you the father?”
