A Place to Land

Jimi

I pulled into the parking lot and climbed out. We walked in and checked in at the front desk and then waited in the waiting room. I grabbed her hand and held it until they called her name. I was gently rubbing my thumb back and forth on the top of her hand.

After waiting about fifteen minutes, a nurse came out and called her name. She squeezed my hand and looked at me. We stood up and followed the nurse back. She did her checkup before getting the doctor. Once everything was good to go, the nurse went to send the doctor in here.

"What if they can't find a heartbeat?" Karen asked me.

"They're going to find a heartbeat. There is definitely a little baby in there. Trust me. You wouldn't be throwing up multiple times a day everyday if there wasn't" I said. I stood up off my chair and walked in front of her. She was sitting on the exam table with her feet hanging off. I stepped between her legs and put my hands on her waist.

"Everything is going to be fine" I said and kissed her.

A few minutes later the doctor walked in. She had Karen lay back on the table. I sat next to her and she reached for my hand. I grabbed it with both hands and held it. The doctor started the ultrasound and was moving the wand across Karen's stomach. The more she did that, the more Karen squeezed my hand. After about thirty seconds of moving it around we heard a heartbeat.

"There's the heartbeat" the doctor said with a smile. Karen let out the breath she was holding and smiled.

"And there's your baby. That little jelly bean right there" she said and pointed to the screen. All Karen could do was smile.

"How have you been feeling?" the doctor asked Karen.

"The morning sickness hits at all times of the day" Karen said.

"That's normal. Has it gotten any better?" she asked.

"It's been the same for the past three weeks or so" Karen said and the doctor nodded.

"That's to be expected. Just keep drinking lots of water and take your vitamins and hopefully it will subside soon. It will definitely calm down once you're out of your first trimester" she said.

"The morning sickness wasn't this bad when I was pregnant with our daughter. It came and went, but this time it seems like it comes and never goes away" Karen said.

"That's exactly what happened when I had my two kids. The first one was such an easy pregnancy, but the second one, I was throwing up once an hour" she said with a laugh.

"I know how that feels" Karen said and we all laughed.

"Alright, by the next appointment we should be able to see some more baby development. Just remember to take good care of yourself and to make sure the baby is getting all the nutrients it needs. This is a crucial time so make sure you're eating enough and taking your vitamins" she said and Karen nodded.

"I'll see you guys back here in a month" she said with a smile.

"Thank you" Karen and I said and I shook her hand. She left the room and Karen climbed off the table.

"See, I told you everything was going to be fine" I said.

"But anything could still happen" she said quietly.

"Not if you take care of yourself and eat right and take your vitamins" I said. She still looked discouraged. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest.

"This little baby is going to be just fine" I said and kissed the top of her head.

We left the exam room and walked out to the front desk. Karen made another appointment for four weeks and then we headed out to the parking lot to find our car. We headed home and all Karen wanted to do was take a nap.