Page 77 of A Don & His Doll

“I understand,” Jai told her without a hint of judgement in her voice. “No matter what the results say, you’re going to be just fine. “Come with me. Let me show you where the bathroom is. There's a specimen cup and a black permanent marker in the silver cabinet beside the sink. Write your initials on there before or after you urine in the cup,” she instructed. “I’ll be waiting when you’re done.”

“Ok, thank you,” Promise said, walking into the bathroom.

Minutes later, Promise had handled her business, and Jai was standing right there to walk her back to the same room they were in.

“Thank you,” Promise said, feeling sick.

“Dr. Williams will be in to see you once your results are evident,” the nurse stated, closing the door.

Suddenly, the knot in her stomach tightened, and the room spun. Promise ran to the sink, gripped the porcelain, and brought up everything she’d eaten the night before and that morning for breakfast until she heaved. Dr. Williams walked in and immediately went to Promise’s side and held her hair back out of her face.

“Aww,” Dr. Williams crossed the room without hesitation, gathering Promise's hair into one hand, while rubbing slow circles across her back with the other. “Morning sickness can be a beast, but it’s normal.” Dr. Williams waited until her breathing settled before handing her a handful of paper towels. "It happens more often than you'd think."

Promise wiped her mouth. “Normal?” Promise said, her chest heaving.

Dr. Williams laughed. “Yes. It’s very normal for expecting mothers.”

A tear slipped freely before Promise even realized she'd started crying. It wasn’t because she was happy or unhappy… it was because life as she knew it had just shifted beneath her feet. Nothing about tomorrow looked the same.

Promise’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you sure?” She asked before fully registering what was said. “Wait, does that mean I’m pregnant?”

“I’m as positive as your test results,” Dr. Williams said, tucking Promise’s hair behind her ear.

“I’m so sorry,” Promise apologized, immediately running water in the sink.

“Oh no…don’t worry about it. We’ll take care of that. Right now, all I want you to do is calm down and breathe,” Dr. Williams warmly stated. “Come on, let’s switch rooms so we can get an ultrasound and hear your baby’s heartbeat. How does that sound? You can even call your significant other on FaceTime if you want,” she stated, leading the way to the room across the hall.

Promise grabbed her purse and followed close behind her, but was nervous as she could be. She looked down at her phone, and thought about Monroe. Going against her own stubbornness, she called him again, and was sent straight to voicemail. She wanted to share this moment with him, but she couldn’t wait for him to call her back any longer.

“Whenever you’re ready, you can lay back, and unbutton the top of your pants,” Dr. Williams instructed. “Then I’ll use this warmed ultrasound gel on your stomach, and you’ll be able to see your baby on the screen. We will also be able to determine how far along you are.”

“Ok,” Promise replied, sitting her purse on the counter before laying back on the examination table.

Dr. Williams folded the top of Promise’s pants down, and covered her bottom half with a white sheet. “Can you lift your shirt up a little more, please?”

Shortly after Promise lifted her shirt, the sound of her baby’s heartbeat filled the room.

“There’s your baby,” Dr. Williams said.

“Is that his heartbeat?” Promise asked, moved to tears.

“Yes it is, and from what I see, it looks like you’re sixteen weeks pregnant,” Dr. Williams revealed, capturing pictures of the baby to send home with Promise.

Promise was moved to silence. She wasn’t sure how to feel, she didn’t know what to say, and the tears that slid from her eyes as she gazed at her baby settled something deep inside of her. In seven months she was going to be a mother, and the reality of that fact had shifted her in a way she couldn’t explain.

“Would you like for me to call in some prenatal vitamins for you, or would you prefer to purchase some over the counter?” Dr. Williams asked, wiping the ultrasound gel from her stomach.

“Um, I think I’ll purchase some over the counter,” Promise said, quickly remembering how sick they made her sister.

Dr. Williams nodded, adding notes on her laptop. “Do you have any questions for me?” She looked up from her laptop and asked.

“Not that I can think of right now,” Promise said, gazing out of the window.

“Ok, well don’t hesitate to call me if you think of anything,” Dr. Williams said with a smile. “I’d like to see you again in a month, so please don’t forget to set up an appointment before you leave,” she said, stepping out of the room.

“Yes, ma’am, I will,” Promise said, standing to button her pants.

Meanwhile, Monroe sat on the balcony of a secluded, high-rise condo in Malibu overlooking the city while smoking a kush-filled blunt. Jeezy’s F**k The World streamed through the speakers as water waves crashed into the shoreline. He had viewed his phone when it rang, and quickly switched it to DND. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to talk to Promise, he just wanted to have something real to tell her when he did. Monroe read her messages without opening their text thread, and took a long pull from his blunt. Just give me a little time, Doll. I promise I’ma get right back to you, he murmured as if somehow she could hear him.