FicWad

HURRICANE

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Skyla sat in the waiting room and filled out her paperwork. Jared sat beside her with a pair of sunglasses on, texting on his BlackBerry. He looked over at her as she shuffled through the papers, making sure they were all finished.

“Do you want me to go in the room with you?” he asked her quietly.

“It doesn't matter to me.” She leaned back in her chair and grabbed the newspaper. After a few minutes of reading it, a nurse called her back.

“I'm sorry for your wait. Today has just been hectic. Do you have your paperwork?” she asked her. She turned and looked at Jared. “You can either go in the room with her or wait in the waiting area with the other husbands.”

“Can I...?” Jared asked her.

“Yes, you can go and wait.” Skyla didn't really want him in the room with her anyways; she knew a lot of things were going to be happening and she would much rather have him wait.

After a weigh-in and a urine sample, Skyla was sitting on a table waiting to be seen by the doctor. Soon the doctor came in and helped Skyla out by explaining what she will be going through the next nine months. The doctor also did her first sonogram and showed her the small image of her baby on the screen. Skyla's face lit up with a smile.

“I'll leave you here alone.” The doctor left.

About ten minutes later, the nurse came back in and asked Skyla how she was doing.

“Can I get a copy of my sonogram? For my husband to see?” she asked.

A few minutes later, Skyla went to fetch Jared. He was propped up on his arm, asleep. She shook him awake. “Jared!”

“Huh?” He jerked awake and looked at her. “Ow, my arm is asleep.”

“I got a copy of my sonogram.” She handed it to him.

She noticed Jared's eyes beginning to tear up before he said, “Let's go ahead and go.”

As they headed out of the office, a different nurse came running up to her with another copy of her sonogram. “The doctor forgot to give this to you. She also wants you to come back next week.”

“Why?” Jared asked before Skyla could.

“She needs to be prescribed a few prenatal vitamins, but since we're about to close our office for the day she has to come back next week.” The nurse gave Skyla her chart and showed her how to get back to the front without getting lost.

Skyla made her appointment for the following week and left, finally speaking again to Jared after they were out of the office. “Next week? What-”

She didn't have time to finish her sentence. Jared headed back into the office and had a short discussion with one of the women behind the counter; when he came back out he had a few prescriptions in his hand and began stuffing them in his jacket pocket.

“You just have to come back in to have the doctor explain the medications to you, that's all,” he told her. “Come on, let's go.”

Skyla turned and looked back at the doors to the doctor's office as they headed to the closest elevator; as they were going down to the first floor she watched as Jared took another look at the sonogram and held it close to his heart. She looked at her own and felt a flutter in her heart. She dipped her head and held back tears.

As they walked toward the parking lot and Jared's car, Jared got a text from Emma. He stopped for a few seconds to reply and then he kept on walking. Skyla was waiting for him at the car and, as she was getting into his car, she noticed Jared was taking off his sunglasses.

“Emma texted me. She can't wait to see the baby's sonogram,” Jared told her. He pulled out of the parking lot and began driving back toward the house.

“I bet everyone can't wait to see the sonogram,” Skyla said quietly.

Jared drove past Shannon's beach house, then the river park. When Jared and Skyla finished out their ride in silence, they talked over everything that could possibly–and will–happen, from Skyla's morning sickness to false labor.

“If you weren't there earlier-” she began.

“I know. And no need to tell me, either.” Jared helped her out of the passenger's seat and gave her a hug. “You need a break. How about you go back home for a bit?”

“No! My parents don't know yet...” Skyla said. Her normally bright eyes looked downcast.

“Then they don't need to know.” He gave her a long kiss and helped her into the house. When they got in, Emma was the first person to greet them.

“Where are the sonogram pictures?!” she begged.

“Right here,” Skyla told her. Emma grabbed them and ran to show Vicki, Tomo, and Shannon.

“Great. At least you still have that other one,” she told Jared.

“Yeah,” Jared said, dazedly. Skyla looked over his shoulder at the pictures and grabbed his arm.

“I can't believe it!” Skyla whispered to him. She pointed at the little blob that was their baby. “That's it!”

“Yeah...” Jared repeated. He sat down and stared at the sonogram.