Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“I’m Stephanie, Dr. Ringman’s nurse,” she tells us as we follow her down the hall. “We’re going to get you weighed.” Stephanie motions for Peyton to step onto the scale and tells her this is her starting point, and they’ll monitor her weight increase from this point forward. Being the good husband I am, I turn away. While I know how much my wife weighs, I don’t need to look at the numbers and make her feel self-conscious about anything.
Stephanie directs Peyton to leave a urine sample in the bathroom, which leaves me standing in the hallway, like a weirdo. Maybe this is why the other partners don't come to the appointments. When Peyton comes out of the bathroom, the nurse brings us into a room, jotting down information on a piece of paper. Inside, she takes Peyton’s blood pressure and checks her oxygen and her temperature, which I find odd.
“Do you have a fever?” I ask in a hushed tone.
Peyton shakes her head.
“The body produces more heat while pregnant,” Stephanie tells me. “We like to track everything.” She laughs.
“Everything?” I question.
“Everything,” she reiterates. “Knowing how the body changes throughout the pregnancy helps.”
“Interesting.” I quiet down while Stephanie asks Peyton a series of questions, mostly the same ones Peyton answered on the pile of paperwork they sent to our house.
“Okay, I’m going to step out. Go ahead and strip down. Put this gown on, open in the front, and cover your lap with the sheets. Dr. Ringman will be in shortly.”
“You have to get naked?” I ask as soon as the door closes.
Peyton shrugs. “This is my first time doing this.”
“My bad. I wonder if one of our baby parenting books gives us some idea of what you should expect from each visit.”
“Are you going to come to each visit with me?”
My eyes widen at her question. “Why wouldn’t I?”
She shrugs and continues to undress. I watch her, reminding myself that this shouldn’t be for my enjoyment. When she goes to sit on the table, I help her up.
“Why did you ask me if I’ll come to your appointments?”
“Well, you didn’t see any other spouses out there, and once we get into football season, you’ll be busy.”
“I don’t care about other spouses or my job right now. I care about you and our child. Honestly, I don’t want to miss any of this. If you decide we’re one and done, I want to be able to say I was there every step of the way.”
“One and done isn’t just my decision.”
I scoff. “It absolutely is, Peyton. I will not, in good conscience, ask you to put your body through anything you don’t want. If you tell me this one is all we’re having, so be it. I will not pressure you for another, let alone hint or ask for one.”
She reaches for my hand. “How’d I get so lucky?”
Another scoff. “You have no idea how backwards you have things.” I wink.
The door opens. A tall female wearing a skullcap walks in dressed in blue scrubs and a white coat. Stephanie comes in behind her and shuts the door.
“Hi, Peyton. I’m Dr. Ringman.” She shakes Peyton’s hand and then mine.
“Noah,” I tell her.
“It’s nice to meet you.” She sits on the rollie chair and looks at the computer screen. “I went through the notes from the fertility clinic. It looks like things went smoothly. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
“It says they implanted two embryos?”
“Yes,” Peyton says. “They were the only two viable.”
The words hurt, but I fight to remain composure. We’d hoped for more. Well, Peyton had. I had a tough time coming to terms with having viable embryos we may not use.
“Hoping for multiples?”
“I’m a twin, so if we have twins, we’ll be good,” Peyton says.
Dr. Ringman nods. “Okay, let’s get started. Do you want Dad to stay in the room?”
Dad . . . I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to someone referring to me as Dad. Peyton looks at me. I smile softly. “Whatever you want, babe.”
“I want him to stay.” She doesn’t take her eyes off mine. Right then, I wonder what Dr. Ringman thinks. Does she wonder if I’m forcing Peyton to answer this way? Does she think Peyton’s in some abusive relationship? Now, I’m uneasy, thinking the worst. I swallow hard and step forward, clutching Peyton’s hand.
Once Peyton’s settled, she’s back to staring at me and not paying attention to what the doctor’s doing to the lower part of her body. When Peyton winces, I want to demand the doctor stop but know this is necessary.
“All done.” Ringman moves away from Peyton and covers her lower half. “Are your breasts sensitive?”
“Yes. Some days are worse than others.”
Ringman moves Peyton’s arm, checks her breasts—which I think should be my job—and then covers her up before coming to my side. I step away but am back at her side as soon as Ringman’s done. She moves back to the computer, sitting on the stool I desperately want to sit and zoom around the room on. I help Peyton sit up.