“Yep. And the party is on Sunday, so what time should I expect you in the city?”
“Knock, knock.” I heard Dr. Harris’ voice.
“You can come in,” I said, and the door opened.
“I got you, Key.”I spoke back into the phone.“Let me hit you back though, okay?”
“Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I ended the call, and Dr. Harris entered with a warm smile. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Morning, Dr. Harris.”
“How are you two feeling today?” she asked, setting my chart down on the counter and pulling her stool up to the exam table.
“I’m tired as always. Baby is practicing their karate skills.” I let out a small laugh.
“That makes me happy. An active baby is a healthy baby. You being tired is expected. Any pain? Have you been feeling uncomfortable?”
I shook my head. “No. A little anxious though. I’m just ready to meet my little baby.”
“Well, you don’t have too much longer. You’re creeping up on your third trimester. Today, we’re checking baby’s growth. And then, we’ll do your glucose test.”
My nose scrunched up, and I groaned softly.
She chuckled. “I know you’ve been dreading it, but it’ll be quick. It’s really not that bad.”
“Oh, so you’re drinking it with me?”
“I didn’t say all that.” She grinned. “But I can promise you’ll survive.”
“You haven’t let me down this far, so I’ll take your word for it.”
We started with measuring my belly first. Then, she handed me a small bottle filled with bright orange liquid.
“Ahhh, man. The people say this is the worst flavor,” I said, holding it up in the air.
“Girl, take that to the head. You got this.” She sounded like my mother, encouraging me with an amused smile.
Shaking my head, I twisted the cap off and chugged it, hoping that I could miss the taste as it quickly went down my throat. It was sweeter than anything I had in a while, and not a sweet that anyone would enjoy. Swallowing the last of it, I shivered and handed the bottle to her.
“You made it through. I’m gonna have you sit for a bit, so it can work through your system, and then, we’ll do your ultrasound.”
“Sounds good.”
Twenty minutes later, I was laid back on the exam table, and Dr. Harris squeezed the cold gel onto my stomach and used her magic wand to show me what my baby was up to. The machine hummed softly as she moved the wand across my skin. When the screen flickered on, my baby popped up. I beamed instantly. No matter how many times we’d done this, it was always like the first time. Emotion rose in my chest because I thought about one person whenever I heard the baby’s heartbeat. Pryce.
“You need a minute?” Dr. Harris asked gently.
I shook my head quickly and wiped my eyes, realizing that I was crying. “I’m good,” I replied with all the confidence I could muster up to make me believe that I was okay.
She didn’t push, which I appreciated. Instead, she nodded and pointed toward the monitor.
“Here’s baby’s head. And here’s the spine.”
The baby moved again, causing us both to chuckle.
