The Guardians (31 page)

I nodded. “Okay, if you think so.”

“I really do.” He rose up and started for the door. “And Cassie.” I turned to look at him. “This little set back doesn’t mean I’m any less proud of you, or that I take back what I said earlier.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Thanks, Gabriel. That means a lot to me.

“Goodnight,” he said, pulling the door behind him.

Exhausted, I fell onto the bed, trying desperately to quiet my raging mind so I could sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Seven:  ELIJAH

The moment of truth had come—the day I had to accompany Abby to the doctor. I tried pushing the nagging feeling of nervousness away as I followed her into a brightly lit office. The moment the door closed behind me, I knew I’d made a serious mistake. From bright, pastel colored chairs and couches, women in various stages of pregnancy looked expectantly up at me. My face flooded with color. I may have spent seventy years working with children, but I had never,
ever
experienced pregnancy.

Abby noticed my hesitation because she grabbed my hand, pulling me along behind her. At the glass partition, a receptionist peered expectantly at us. “I’m Abby Thomas, and I have an appointment with Dr. Field.”

The receptionist nodded. She opened the window and shoved a clipboard into Abby’s hands. “Fill these out, and we’ll be right with you.”

Abby nodded. Since I was still out of my element and painfully uncomfortable, I let her lead me over to a mint green couch. As she started filling out the paperwork, I glanced over at the assortment of magazines filling the table. My throat closed as titles like
Breast Feeding Blunders
and
You and Your Uterus
screamed up at me. I stiffened.

Abby threw me an amused look. “Are you all right?” she whispered.

Unable to speak, I merely nodded my head. I decided it would be best to stare straight ahead until we were called back. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long. I followed Abby out of the waiting area and back through the maze of examining rooms.

A nurse stopped Abby in front of some scales. “Let’s get your weight, dear.”

“Wonderful,” she grumbled, as she stepped onto the scales. Her eyes widened at the numbers. “Oh my lord, I’ve already gained seven pounds!”

The nurse chuckled. “Oh honey, that’s nothing.”

She led Abby back to an examining room. Just like before, as soon as the door shut behind me, I knew I’d made a serious mistake. Lining the walls like explicit wallpaper were diagrams and drawings one might use to teach sex education. Abby pushed me over the threshold, but I kept my eyes on the floor.

I knew Abby was on the examining table when I heard the white paper crackling underneath her. Unsure of where I should sit, I glanced around before finally leaning up against the counter. I ignored the model of the female reproductive system behind me as I raised my eyes to the heavens and prayed to make it through the next thirty minutes unscathed. I stared down with mock fascination at my shoes, feeling the floor was the safest place to look.

“Let’s get your blood pressure,” the nurse said, putting a cuff around Abby’s arm. Once she had the results, she scribbled them on Abby’s chart. “I’m going to need a urine sample, and then you need to undress from the waist down.”

My gaze snapped up from the floor. The room spun around like I was on a crazy amusement park ride. As I felt lightheaded, my arms flung out. I desperately tried bracing myself, but my hands slammed back against the counter, knocking the contents to the floor. Horror stricken, I watched as a plastic ovary flew across the room, thudding to a stop against the door.

The nurse raised her eyebrows in surprise while Abby giggled behind one of her hands.

“Are you all right?” the nurse asked.

My throat was so tight I couldn’t find my voice, so I nodded weakly.

“Son, you better get a hold of yourself, or you’ll never make it in the delivery room,” she chuckled. She started for the door and turned back to Abby. “Dr. Field will be with you in a just a few minutes.”

When the door closed, I exhaled loudly. Abby hopped down from the table and grinned at me. “I’m sorry this is so embarrassing for you, Elijah. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“That’s okay. I’m sorry for being so ridiculous. It’s just…”

She shook her head. “You’re doing fine. Most guys wouldn’t go within a five mile radius of an OB/GYN. My mom said when she was pregnant, she had to threaten my dad within an inch of his life to go to the doctor with her.”

Abby went into a bathroom off of the examining room to change. I took slow, deliberate breaths. There was a voice far off in my mind that I tried desperately to tune out. It was the one who was insanely curious about what Abby might look like as she disrobed.
No, no, no!
Shaking my head furiously from side to side, I couldn’t bear thinking about her like that! Damn, these male hormones and how they seemed to rage and roar at the most inopportune times.

She emerged with the sheet wrapped tightly around her waist. “Don’t worry, I’m decent,” she giggled, as she brushed past me. I bit my lip. She was
too
close. She and her practical nakedness were too close to me. The room seemed to become an inferno. When she sat back on the table, she swung her legs back and forth. I knew it must be part of a nervous tic, but it also meant her legs, visible up to her thighs, came insanely close to me.

Get a grip, Elijah!

Thankfully, Dr. Field burst into the room, bringing with her a fragrant smell of lavender. “Hello,” she said, shaking Abby’s hand. Dark haired and dark eyed, she was a kind looking, middle-aged doctor. “So this is your first official appointment?”

Abby nodded.

Dr. Field rattled off several questions which Abby answered. She then turned to me, smiled, and extended her hand. “And you must be the proud father.”

Before I could answer, Abby shook her head. “No, he’s just a very good friend.”

Dr. Field gave us a knowing look. “I see,” she replied, as she flicked Abby’s chart closed. “Why don’t we do the physical examination first, and then we’ll do the sonogram?”

“Okay,” Abby said. She reached for my hand as she started to lie back on the examination table. I quickly went to her side. If I had known exactly what the physical examination would have entailed, I would have run for my life instead. I once again raised my eyes to the heavens and willed myself to keep breathing. It wasn’t the fact I could see anything I shouldn’t. It was just knowing what the doctor was doing that was excruciating.

I glanced down at Abby’s face. She winced in discomfort and squeezed my hand harder. I smiled at her in reassurance. “Sorry,” she mouthed, realizing how I was still uncomfortable.

“It’s okay.”

She smiled.

“All right then, all done,” Dr. Field said. I helped Abby back to a sitting position. “By the information in your chart and your examination, you appear to be around twelve weeks.” Dr. Field picked up an odd shaped organizer and lined up the dates. “Looks like you have a due date of April 15
th
.” She grinned. “Tax day.”

I smiled, but Abby sucked in a breath. Her eyes welled with tears. “That was my mom’s birthday!”

Dr. Field looked to me, and I quickly replied, “Her mother just passed away a few months ago.”

She took Abby’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m so sorry about your mother. Due dates aren’t set in stone. Babies come early and late all the time.”

Abby shook her head and wiped her eyes. “No, that’s okay.” She smiled weakly. “I would be all right with them sharing a birthday.”

Dr. Field smiled. “All right then. Now why don’t we get a look at your baby?”

Abby nodded and lay back down on the table. Behind us was the sonogram screen.

She pushed the sheet down and squirted a jelly like substance on Abby’s belly, which caused her to shiver. “That’s cold,” Abby said, with a grin.

“Sorry about that,” Dr. Field replied.

“It’s okay.”

As she ran the wand over her Abby’s stomach, a grainy image formed on the screen. “There it is!” Dr. Field exclaimed. We both continued staring at the pod sized image. It looked nothing like a baby or what I assumed a baby would look like in the womb. I supposed it was too early for all that. But when you really stared at it, you could see its tiny features.

“And there’s the heartbeat.” A billowing blew in and out on the screen. “Let me let you hear it.” Dr. Field wrapped something that look like a belt with a monitor around Abby’s lower abdomen. Suddenly, the room was filled with a strange whirring noise. Dr. Field smiled. “It sounds strong.”

As Abby listened to the sound of the baby’s heartbeat, her gaze never left the screen. Tears welled in her eyes. “That’s
my
baby,” she whispered, softly. First the tears spilled silently down her cheeks. Then a slow sob rolled through her chest and throat. Before Dr. Field or I could anticipate it, she was shaking uncontrollably on the table.

“Abby?” Dr. Field questioned, putting her hand comfortingly on Abby’s shoulder. Abby ignored her and continued sobbing. Dr. Field once again stared at me for an explanation. I shook my head.

“I’ll leave you alone for a minute or two, okay?”

I nodded. Once the door closed behind Dr. Field, I l leaned down beside Abby. “Shh, don’t cry,” I whispered in her ear.

“Just hold me,” she pleaded.

I nodded as I brought my arm firmly underneath her. Her arms clenched tightly around my back. I don’t know how long she cried. I began to wonder how it was possible for someone to still have tears left to shed.

When she finally caught her breath, she wiped her eyes. “Will you get me out of here?”

“Of course I will.”

Before she got up to change, Dr. Field came back in. “Are you feeling better?”

“I’m all right,” Abby replied. She smiled meekly at Dr. Field. “Sorry about falling apart like that.”

“Don’t you worry one minute. I can’t imagine how traumatic these past few months have been for you. Losing a mother, especially when you’re so young, is one of the most difficult things anyone can ever endure. That in itself would be core shattering, but when you couple that with an unexpected pregnancy, it is unimaginable.” She squeezed Abby’s hand. “I want you to know I’m here for you.”

“Thank you, Dr. Field. I really appreciate that.”

Dr. Field smiled as she looked over at me. “It looks like you have a pretty good support system.”

“Yes, I do,” Abby said.

“Then cling to that. Make sure you surround yourself with supportive family and friends. It’s important you are physically and emotionally strong in the months to come. I want you to eat right, get the rest you need, which I know will be difficult with you in high school, and then take these prenatal vitamins.” Dr. Field handed a large box to Abby. “I want to see you back in a couple of weeks.”

“Okay.”

Before she headed out the door, Dr. Field turned me. “You take good care of her.”

“I will.”

“Good. I’ll be counting on you,” she said, and then she shut the door behind her.

“I’ll wait for you right outside,” I said to Abby.

She smiled weakly. “Okay.”

She emerged a few minutes later looking more composed. “Ready?” I asked.

“Definitely.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight: ELIJAH

When we slid into the car, I could tell Abby wasn’t ready to go home. “Are you hungry?”

She shrugged. “A little.”

I nodded and made a quick right and headed into town. It was almost six when we pulled up in front of A Cup of Joe’s. I held open the door, and then I hurried in behind Abby. “Hey Cuz! Hey Elijah!” Zach called from behind the counter.

While I waved, Abby asked, “Hey to you too. Are you singing tonight?”

“Yeah, at seven.” Zach eyed her tear stained face and then raised his eyebrows at me. I shook my head, and he let it go. “So what can I get you guys?”

“I’ll have a BLT on white and a sprite,” Abby said.

“What happened to getting your favorite club sandwich?” Zach asked.

Abby gave a weak smile. “I read in a baby book that you’re not supposed to eat deli meats.”

“Oh, I see.”

Zach glanced between the two of us. “So, a BLT for my cousin and for you, Elijah?”

“I’ll have the same.”

After Zach finished with our orders, I led Abby over to a table in the corner. She quickly devoured her sandwich. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and she laughed. “I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

“Want some of mine?”

Abby blushed. “Are you sure?”

“Of course,” I replied, as I pushed the other half of my sandwich over to her. As I munched on the remaining chips on my plate, I glanced up to see her staring at me. “What is it?”

“Aren’t you going to ask me about the doctor’s office?”