The Pregnant Scam

Chapter Twenty-Six

That Saturday Anthony and I sat in the Women's Health Clinic for a baby checkup. I was pretty excited today and a little nervous today would be my first ultrasound! I looked around the clinic at the other expecting mothers. They were all in their late twenties or thirties, they were so much older than me I felt a little weird. I couldn't imagine how Anthony felt being the only guy coming to a women's clinic.
"Do you want to go back to your house afterwards? We could study or play Mario Kart or Minecraft."
He smiled down at me, "Sounds good to me."
A nurse wearing Dr. Seuss scrubs opened the door that led back to the patient's rooms, "Julia Blade."
We stood up and hand in hand we followed the young nurse down the light tan hallways to a patient room.
"Dr. Stallcup will be with you shortly." The nurse replied before closing the door.
I sat down on the blue leather patient chair while Anthony sat in a plastic chair with his feet wide apart. I tugged nervously on the white string that tied in a bow on the right side of my white maternity shirt.
"Hey, it's going to be okay." Anthony said trying to comfort me.
"I didn't say it wasn't going to be."
"You didn't have to, I know you remember?" He flashed me a grin.
I smiled, "Just, what if the ultrasound shows something wrong? I haven't felt the baby kick yet. I'm just big and bloated."
"You're not fat Jules."
I laughed, "Have you not seen my feet?!" I asked holding up my feet which were swollen.
"That's just because you've been on them all week at school, you just need to get them up and rest."
Dr. Stallcup walked in just then her short brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a clipboard in hand. "Who's ready for their first ultrasound!" She said excitedly. A stethoscope hung around her neck and her long white coat went down to her knees.
"I guess we are." I said meekly with a nervous smile.
As if Dr. Stallcup could read my thought she said, "Don't worry the first ultrasound is fairly simple. It's just checking to make sure the baby is okay and then we'll also check the heartbeat today."
"I.... I haven't felt my baby kick at all."
"You're only nine weeks pregnant I wouldn't be worried about that yet. Most new mother's don't feel their baby kick until twenty five weeks." She placed both her hands on my baby bump and listened to the heartbeat with her stethoscope. "Your baby's heartbeat sounds healthy. Have you been taking your pregnancy multivitamins everyday?"
I nodded, "I usually take them after breakfast before school."
"Good." She took her stethoscope off her ears and placed it back around her neck. "Now have you ever seen an ultrasound done before?"
"Yes, for my younger sister. The doctor put some gel on my mother's stomach and moved a sensor around to see the baby on the tv screen." I replied remembering the day clearly.
She nodded, "Yes that ultrasound is for mothers who are farther along. Your baby is too small yet to see the baby that way, so we will be doing an internal ultrasound."
"Woah, internal you... you .... mean....mean like inside her..." Anthony stammered his face turned a light shade of grey as color faded from his face. 
"Yes, we'll put a small tube up that will help us see your baby."
Anthony stood up and swayed a little bit grabbing onto the arm chair.
"Are you okay there, baby daddy?" Dr. Stallcup asked taking
Anthony's arm she lowered him back down into his chair and held her finger on his wrist she searched for his pulse.
"I... I don't feel so good." He mumbled.
"Sit tight, your pulse is low. I'll see if a nurse and bring you in some orange juice." Dr. Stallcup left the room.
I leaned over and put my hand on top of his which was shaking.
He leaned his head against the wall and slowly smiled at me, "I'll be okay."
Dr. Stallcup returned with a nurse who handed Anthony some orange juice, "Drink all of this and don't make any rush movements. You got light headed, it happens. It wouldn't be the first dad I had to almost pass out." She smiled kindly.
Anthony drank the orange juice while Dr. Stallcup got the tube ready and had me lay back in the chair with my knees up and legs spread apart. I looked over at Anthony some color had came back into his face.
Dr. Stallcup laid a blue cloth over my legs, "Now Julia, you might feel a little bit of pain or tingling as I insert the tube that is normal. You can look at the tv screen if you want and we should be able to see your baby soon.
I nodded and laid my head back, I winced as I felt a sharp jab then a tingling as Dr. Stallcup moved the tube up slowly.
"Ahh there's your baby!" Dr. Stallcup said a few minutes later.
I turned my head to the screen which showed a black and white image of a tiny baby, MY baby. Tears of happiness fell as I looked at my baby who's head looked too big for it's tiny body. Little delicate toes curled around and it looked like she was curled up in a ball. "She.... She's beautiful." I smiled and reaching out I brushed the screen with my fingers, "Is my baby a girl or a boy?" I asked realizing I didn't know.
"It's too early to tell your baby is about the size of a cherry right now, but we can do an ultrasound again in a month or so and see." Dr. Stallcup informed.
"Okay." I smiled as I looked at my baby through the screen it amazed me that I had a little life growing inside me that one day come out into a world of good and bad and that I'll have to teach my child how to life.  "Anthony do you see her errr or him?" I asked.
"Yeah," Anthony smiled as he stared at the screen he squinted his eyes as he looked closer, "Where are it's hands?" He asked.
Dr. Stallcup chuckled, "The hands haven't formed yet. Right now at this week the nose is starting to take shape and the eyelids. But your baby will have arms I assure you." She smiled. "I'll print of pictures of the ultrasound for you guys. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
I looked at Anthony who had finished his orange juice, "No I think we're good, thank you."
"Alrighty I'll take the tube out and then you'll be set to go."
Anthony and I left the clinic with my ultrasound photos in hand. I flipped through the pictures while Anthony drove.
He slowed the car down for a red light and looked over at me, "You know the baby kinda looks like an alien."
"How can you say that?!" I asked in surprised that he would even think that a baby looks like an alien!
"Look at the big head and small body, and it has no hands. How do you know it's not an alien? Maybe they'll among us." He said in an eerie voice.
I laughed, "It's just not done growing yet."
"We'll find out in seven months when you give birth to a green blob." He joked.
I nudged him as the light turned to green, "Stop it." I said laughing.
"You know I never knew babies grew in stages. I thought it just all grew at once you know? Kinda like a vegetable." He looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.
Laughing hysterically I lost it. "First you think the baby is an alien and now a vegetable!" We shared a good laugh.
Anthony pulled into the driveway as his Avenger Theme ringtone went off, "Hey Eugene, what's up?" He held the phone away from his ear as he whispered to me, "You go on ahead, I'll be there in a minute."
I climbed out of the car and made my way to the porch and up into the Baez' white town house with the red window shutters. It was nap time for Wanda's children in her home daycare that she ran from the basement in her home. Wanda was sitting on the brown couch with her legs crossed playing a game on her phone.
"How did the appointment go?" She asked in her thick Puerto Rican accent.
"It went good, we had our first ultrasound."
"AAHHH I wanna see my grand baby!" She cried in excitement waving her hands in the air she stood up and hurried over to me. I handed her the photos. "Awww what a beautiful baby and so tiny just like us Puerto Ricans we're all built small. Boy or girl?"
I smiled I could tell Wanda was really happy to see the baby pictures which made me feel a little guilty. Wanda thought I was having Anthony's baby and that she's getting a grand baby. How long can Anthony and I keep pulling this off before the truth came out? "It's too early to tell the sex. But if you want one of the pictures you can have one."
"Aww absolutely! I'll put it on my fridge." Wanda walked proudly into her kitchen and place one of the pictures on the fridge with a magnet. She turned to the open doorway that led down to the basement where her kids were sleeping, "I think I hear one of the babies, pardon me." she disappeared down the stairs.
I walked over to the window to see Anthony leaning on his car still on the phone to his best friend. He raised his hand and waved at me then held up one finger motioning that he won't be much longer. I walked to the carpeted tan stairs to head upstairs to his room but I stopped as Lexi started to come down. I waited at the bottom of the stairs for her to finished coming down. She wore short booty shorts and a black tank top. She was holding an icy cappuccino from Macdonald's.
My fingers fumbled with the ultrasound pictures, "Lexi I had an appointment today will you like to see the pictures of the baby?" I asked nicely.
She scoffed, "Umm why would I want to see pictures of YOUR baby? We're not best friends remember? You're a walking betraying, back stabbing cappuccino."
I frowned not sure what she was even talking about. "What do you..." I said just as Lexi took off the lid to her iced cappuccino and tossed the cold beverage all over me and my white shirt.
Anthony opened the front door just in time to see Lexi purpose pour her drink on me.
"Serioiusly Lexi?!" I said angrily looking down at my drenching wet and stained shirt. I really liked this shirt, thankfully her beverage was iced and not scalping hot.
"Now you look just like who you really are. A dirty slut." She hissed.
"Lexi, what the hell!" Anthony stepped in front of me blocking Lexi from doing anything else. He glared at his twin sister, "Bullying someone with posters is just damn cruel, but this? This is assault! Apologies right now to Jules!"
Lexi stepped up to Anthony and glared at him as she stared him down, "Never! You both don't deserve to be together after what you guys did to me!"
Anthony laughed sarcastically, "Because I'm having her baby?! This has gone on long enough Lexi! It isn't what you think Julia  was actually......"
Frantically I grabbed his arm and turned him towards me, "No! Stop Anthony." I stepped in front of him and glared at Lexi, "She's not worth it."
Lexi rolled her eyes and marched out of the house slamming the front door behind her.
"Are you okay?" Anthony asked. I nodded, he sighed, "I'll go get you one of my shirts." He took the stairs two at a time.
I wiped my eyes as tears threatened to fall. I was more upset that Anthony almost told Lexi that I was raped than Lexi's little cappuccino fiasco. I sniffled as I made my way up stairs to the bathroom. Pulling my shirt off I held the shirt under water and viciously rubbed the coffee stain.
Anthony leaned in the doorway with a red t-shirt in his hands, "Hey, you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah I've been assaulted before so what's another." I mumbled avoiding his gaze as I scrubbed my shirt.
"Julia, stop."
"Why!" I yelled throwing my shirt in the sink, "He sure didn't when I told him too!"
"It's going to be okay, come here." Anthony pulled me close and I buried my face into his shirt, "You're not alone you know that? I'll always be here. Don't worry about Lexi either, she's hurting and misses you. She just has that Puerto Rican pride inside her and won't admit it. That's why she's acting out instead. She misses you though, as much as you miss her."
I wiped my eyes and took the red t-shirt from him I slipped it on. Anthony was a lot taller than me so his t-shirt fell past my butt and covered most of my shorts that I was wearing. "It's too late for us." I replied grabbing my drenching white shirt, "I'm going to go through this in the washer."
I walked downstairs to the basement where the washer was and started a load of laundry to run with my shirt.
Wanda walked in with one of her babies on her hip, "What happened?" She asked noticing me wearing Anthony's t-shirt.
"Cappuccino accident." I said with a wearily smile.
When I went back upstairs to the family room Anthony had wiped up the extra cappuccino spill that was on the floor. Good thing it was just wooden tile I thought to myself. Anthony and I sat on the couch and played some Mario Kart together.
It wasn't long though till Anthony fell asleep on me. He must have been drained of energy from almost fainting.  He rested his head on my lap his black curls falling into his face. I reached one hand down and pushed his curls out of his face for him as I concentrated on the race on the tv and maneuvered my race car along the track.
Around five o'clock Anthony was still sleep on me, I leaned down and whispered softly while gently shaking his shoulder, "Anthony, I got to go." I gave him a quick kiss on his lips as he opened his eyes, "I'll see you Monday." I slipped a picture of the ultrasound  into his jean pocket slipped his head out from under me and gently laid his head back down on the couch.
I drove the forty-five minute drive home. Town houses, stop lights, and lights bleared together until they became farm houses, cornfields, and woods. I parked my car in our driveway and walked up to my house with my last two pictures of the ultrasound. Excitedly I bounded up our wooden front porch and opened the door. I found my mother paying bills at the wooden kitchen table.
"Hi mom."
She looked up from her pile of bills, "Hey Julia."
"I had my first ultrasound today." I handed her the picture.
She took the picture and pushed her reading glasses up on her nose, "Yeah the baby looks good." She gave me back the picture.
I stood there motionless staring at my mother then down at my ultrasound picture and up to my mom's fridge which was bare of magnets, pictures, restaurant numbers, and other things people usually put on their fridge.  Finally I spoke, "This picture is for you, where do you want it?"
"Oh, umm just on the counter is fine." She replied going back to writing checks.
Laying the picture on the counter I knew it would soon be covered up with papers and forgotten. I walked to towards my bedroom wishing my mother was excited as Wanda was. Wanda had always kept dozens of pictures of Lexi and Anthony on her fridge as well as coloring pages her kids from daycare drew her, and restaurant numbers. My baby wasn't even going to be Wanda's real grandchild and she was excited enough to put the picture right on her fridge and my mom was going to be the grandma and didn't even care enough to put the photo up.
Opening my closet door I stood in front of my magnet board that held many cards, a picture of Anthony, Lexi and me at the beach,  and other important things to me. "Don't worry, baby, I care about you." I removed an old birthday card and place the ultrasound picture on the board with a little heart magnet to hold it up.