I study his back muscles as he goes to the laundry room. Quickly, I put on my shoes and grab my purse. Unfortunately, he returns fully dressed.
"Okay, let’s go," he says, grabbing his keys.
It takes us an hour to get to San Angelo, and my anxiety is high at not knowing what to expect. It's too soon to feel any kicks or know if the baby is healthy, but I still want reassurance that everything’s going well.
Payton grabs my hand as we walk into the hospital. "You were quiet for the whole drive."
"Just nervous."
He squeezes my fingers. "I'll be by your side the entire time."
I flash him a grateful smile.
Once I'm checked in, we head to the fourth floor and wait.
Five minutes later, they finally bring us back to the room. The nurse checks my weight and vitals before leaving me to undress. Payton turns around so I can strip, and I change into a barely-there gown.
"Thanks," I tell him, then sit on the table and pull the sheet over my waist. "You might want to stand by my head for the exam portion."
He chuckles. "Okay."
"Yes, I know you've already seen it all, but still."
"I didn't say anything."
I narrow my eyes. "You were thinkin' it, though."
As soon as the doctor enters, my mood shifts. Excitement takes over, and I can’t wait to talk about the baby and find out my estimated due date.
After introductions are made, she does an internal exam, asks for the first day of my last period, and confirms that I'm eight weeks pregnant. Then she puts a heart rate monitor over my belly, and we hear a soft flickering sound.
"Oh my gosh." I tear up and look up at Payton. He's smiling wide and proud.
"It's faint, but it's there," the doctor confirms. "I would like to get some photos and a better listen of the heart, so I'm going to send you for an ultrasound. If it all looks good, I'll see you in a month for your twelve-week checkup and again at sixteen. Then we'll do a full ultrasound scan at the twenty-week mark."
"Is that when we can find out the gender?"
She smiles. "Yes, if you want."
After reviewing my list of symptoms, she makes suggestions for what I can do about my nausea and heartburn.
"Based on your period, your estimated due date is March thirtieth, but you could go into labor two weeks before or after that date. But I won't make you wait that long."
"Thank God." I groan.
"But up to a week late is normal, especially for a first pregnancy. We want you to be at least thirty-seven weeks to be considered full-term, but if you have any complications along the way, we'll keep a closer eye."
"What kind of complications should I be lookin' out for?"
"Bleeding, excessive cramping, early contractions, severe nausea or vomiting. Some women in your weight range have other concerns we can cross if we need to, but we’ll have you do regular blood tests, too. We’ll look for protein in your urine, excessive swelling in your legs, and high blood pressure because those can be signs of preeclampsia. Not super common, but it can occur in some pregnancies. You're not considered high-risk, but we’ll keep a close eye on you because of your age."
I want to smack her tight-lipped smile right off her face.
First, she comments on my weight, and now I’m an old maid?
Once we go downstairs, I'm ready to get this over with and go home. I’m feeling more insecure than I was when we arrived.
"Kaitlyn Bishop," a young woman calls, and we follow her to a dimly lit room.