“Thanks, John,” said Lori softly. “This wasn’t exactly a planned pregnancy but there’s worse things than another pair of little feet.”
“That’s true,” conceded the doctor with a smile. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“When did you realise you were pregnant?”
“Just last week,” she admitted sheepishly. “I’d been feeling tired in the mornings but not nauseous. I put it down to being a bit stressed with everything that’s been happening. It was only when I was sick one morning that the penny dropped. That’s the only time I’ve thrown up.”
“Well, at least you’ve not known and ignored the signs,” sighed John Brent. “I’m sure this will all work out fine. Dr Marcus will take good care of you.”
“Thanks. I hope so.”
In contrast to John Brent’s waiting room, the waiting area in the maternity unit was packed. Almost every seat was taken. Spotting one empty chair beside the window, Lori made her way across the room then carefully sat down between two heavily pregnant women. Judging by the size of their swollen bellies, birth was imminent. A shiver of fear rattled down Lori’s spine as she remembered how large and whale-like she had felt during both her pregnancies and how dramatic both her labours had been. Subconsciously, she rested her hand on her still flat stomach and prayed that this would all go smoothly.
“Mrs Power!”
Having barely been waiting for five minutes, Lori felt the angry stares of the other expectant mothers as she got to her feet. A smiling young nurse led her down the hallway, explaining that they were going to do the ultrasound first.
“Have you had plenty of fluids?” checked the nurse.
“Two bottles of water and, if this scan isn’t done soon, I’m going to pee my panties,” confessed Lori, sounding more than a little anxious.
“Will only be a few more minutes then you can visit the restroom,” promised the nurse. “Dr Marcus is going to do the scan herself.”
“Ok,” said Lori as they reached the exam room.
Familiar with the routine, Lori climbed onto the exam table and loosened the waist of her jeans, pushing them down a little then rolling up her top. Just as she had made herself comfortable, a woman entered the room,
“Apologies for keeping you waiting, Mrs Power,” she said. “I’m Juliet Marcus.”
“Hi and its Lori.”
“Pleased to meet you. I promised John I’d take good care of you,” said Juliet Marcus warmly. “I was just getting up to speed with your history. Looks like you’ve had two dramatic births before now!”
“Slight understatement,” giggled Lori nervously. “My daughter was born on our sun deck and we only just made it to the hospital here to have my son.”
“So I read. Emergency C-sections in our ER isn’t the way we like to do things here.”
“Wasn’t in my birth plan either.”
“Right, let’s take a look and see who we have this time,” said the doctor, lifting a tube of gel. “You know the drill. This is going to feel cold on your skin for a few seconds.”
Pressing down firmly, the doctor moved the probe across Lori’s stomach. The urge to pee doubled at the pressure but, just as she thought she couldn’t hold on any longer, a flicker of motion on the monitor screen caught her eye. There, before her, was the first image of the baby. It’s tiny arms and legs were thrashing about then, almost as if it was camera shy, it curled up into a ball and rolled over.
“Perfect,” declared Dr Marcus. “Gives me a good clear view of that tiny spine.”
“Is everything ok?”
Nodding, the doctor said, “Give me a moment to take some measurements then we can talk.”
Mesmerised, Lori watched the screen, smiling when the baby slowly uncurled and stretched for a few seconds then instantly curled back up into a tight ball.
“Part kitty,” laughed Dr Marcus as she wiped the gel from Lori’s stomach.
“Certainly seems to prefer being curled up,” giggled Lori. “Dr, I really need to pee now.”
“Of course. Go and make yourself comfortable. Restroom is in the corner.”
When Lori returned to the room, the doctor indicated she should take a seat and passed her two printed scan images. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the two photos. As she gazed down at them, Dr Marcus asked her a few routine questions then said, “Considering this is your third pregnancy, I’m mildly surprised you didn’t recognise the signs sooner.”
“Me too,” admitted Lori quietly. “Life’s been a bit manic. We lost a close friend at the start of July and I guess I didn’t pick up on the early signs. There’s been no morning sickness apart from that one day last week. That was when I realised.”
“Well, baby’s having the last laugh here,” teased Dr Marcus with a smile. “You’re due on April 1st.”
“You’re joking!”
“No joke.”
“Something Freudian about that.”
Out at JJL, Jake was struggling. The migraine from the night before hadn’t fully lifted and, as he tried to focus on the bridge he was tracking, the bright studio lights were making it worse. The whole room was starting to spin. After an hour, he stopped playing and called out to Jim Marrs, “Sorry, I need a break. Lights are killing me in here.”
“You ok, Jake?”
“Migraine,” explained Jake, sitting with his head in his hands. “Feel like shit.”
“I’ll dim the lights,” offered the producer, reaching for the switch. “You should’ve said.”
Jake merely nodded.
“Why don’t you go out and grab some air for a bit?” suggested Jim. “I’ve some emails to deal with. Take a half-hour
