#part38

As the weeks rolled by, Portia began to feel better and by the time she hit the end of her first trimester, the morning sickness had all but gone. She was still living with Susannah but John and Nelson had been visiting her 3 or 4 times a week. She had gotten her appetite back in a big way and she had had to tell John to stop bringing her everything she said she was craving otherwise she’d be the size of a house by the time the baby arrived. Tom had also visited as often as he could and now that exams were over, he was coming around more often. She had been back to see Dr Fairchild a couple more times just to check that everything was ok, it had been on her second visit that he had gotten her to lay down and pull up her shirt, he took his stethoscope and placed it on her exposed belly and after two minutes, he smiled.

‘Would you like to hear your babys heartbeat?’ he had asked

She had not been expecting that. This was all new to her, she had not really experienced the early stages of pregnancy before, with Tom, she had ignored the fact that he existed until she was very far along and even then, she had not fully registered that there was a small human being growing inside her. She nodded and he gave her the earpiece. And there it was, as plain as day duh dum duh dum duh dum duh dum. She was mesmerized. She looked up at him as if to say that’s my baby? He smiled and then slowly, the biggest smile she had ever had spread across her face.

‘It sounds pretty fast’

He nodded ‘Completely normal’

She had gone home and had immediately called John to let him know she had heard their babys heartbeat. He had laughed a little at her giddiness and had then gone silent.

‘You didn’t tell me you were going to the doctors today’

‘It was just a check-up.’ She suddenly felt bad, he had missed the chance to hear it ‘I’m sorry…’

‘Hey, it’s ok, you’ve nothing to apologise for. I just…..I wish I could have been there but you didn’t know that was going to be happening today…’

‘I swear I didn’t….’

‘I know, I know. Don’t get upset about it ok. While we’re talking about it, when you have, like scans and stuff…….if you let me know…..I’d love to be there’

‘Of course I’ll let you know. I want you there too’

‘Ok, excellent. Thanks’

‘John, what are you thanking me for? This is your baby as much as it is mine’

‘Ok’

She was almost three months now and was due for her first scan, upon being given an appointment, she had immediately gone home and called John to let him know and he, in turn, immediately booked that day off work. He had picked her up and they had driven to the hospital together. It sounded stupid but she had thoroughly enjoyed the ride, it was like they had never been apart. A happy couple driving to the first scan of their first baby, as in love as they had ever been. They were now waiting for the lady to come in to do the scan.

‘Ms Nathan’ the nurse said as she entered the room.

‘Portia’ she replied

‘And is this Dad?’ she added upon seeing John.

They both nodded. ‘John’ he said, smiling at her.

‘Ok, well, let’s take a look then’ she lifted Portias shirt and pushed the top of Portias pants down her hips slightly. She squirted some clear jelly on to the head of the scanner, placed it on Portias belly and began to slide from one side to the other, turning it this way and that, trying to get the best vantage point so that Portia and John could take a good first look at their child. She was making some notes, taking measurements to make everything was growing properly.

‘Ok, everything is looking great. Baby has a very strong little heartbeat and everything looks like it’s growing nicely, you see this here?’ She pointed at what looked like a tiny string of pearls ‘That’s babys spine and if you look just here’ now she was pointing at a curve line above the string of pearls ‘this is babys head and just here, we can see one arm, don’t worry, baby has two arms, one is just hiding from us right now and these two little bumps here, legs.’ She looked at them ‘Baby is coming along very nicely. Would you like a picture?’

Portia nodded, she didn’t want to look foolish in front of this nice lady but she was struggling to hold back tears. She hadn’t realised that John had taken her hand, his face just a couple of inches from hers and to her relief, when she looked at him, he appeared to be struggling just as much as she was at holding back the tears. When he spoke, it was almost a whisper, like he was breathless.

‘That’s our baby Portia. That’s our baby’ and he kissed her.

They were in the car, driving back now. Portia was staring at the small printout of the scan.

‘Why don’t you come back with me tonight. Nelson will be psyched to see that. I can make us all dinner and then I can drive you back to Susannahs later. I mean……if you want to?’

‘I’d love that’. Portia pulled out her cell and dialled her mothers. ‘Hey Mom, I’m going to have dinner at Johns tonight’ she was silent for a moment ‘Yeah, it went really well, everything’s great, the baby is growing exactly as it should be. I got a printout of the scan, I’ll show it to later when I get back’ she paused again ‘Ok, I will. I’ll see you later’ and she hung up.

Portia seemed completely fine with tonights arrangements but John knew that once she stepped inside his home, their home, again, that he would be unable to let her go again, he knew that once she was there with him again, he would not want to drive her back to Susannahs. That night or any other night. She belonged there. With him.

Less than an hour after they had gotten home, Nelson was walking through the door. His face had lit up once he had seen Portia sitting in the chair. John had told him that he wouldn’t be at school today because he was going with Portia for her first scan.

‘How’d it go? Everything ok?’ he asked

‘More than ok. You wanna see?’ she replied, holding up the scan picture for him to see.

He took it from her and had a long hard look at it ‘Aw……..’

‘You don’t know what you’re looking at, do you Nels?’ John said with a big smile

Nelson laughed ‘Uh……No.’

Portia sat and watched John explain to Nelson what he was looking at.

‘Aw man, that’s awesome’ Nelson finally said before bending down and hugging Portia tightly.

‘Portias going to stay for dinner tonight’

‘YES! Awesome’

‘Everything’s awesome, huh?’ John laughed. Nelson sat down with Portia, both of them talking about how their day had been. John went to the kitchen and busied himself with making dinner.

A couple of hours later, everyone was full. Portia missed Johns cooking. Nelson had parked himself in front of the TV. John didn’t want to know what he watching, it was loud, whatever it was. Portia was helping him clear the dishes, John was washing, she was drying. Suddenly, he was behind her.

‘I miss you. Stay with me tonight’ and forever he was thinking.

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck ‘Yes’ she almost whispered.

They stood like that for a while. Just holding each other.

Part 38/?