Jaya was due for another prenatal checkup that week. It was the one they'd been waiting for since her stint in the hospital—the one where she might get the all-clear to resume her pre-bed rest life—which, to her, meant finally going back to renovating her house. Well, as long as she didn't lift anything heavy.
"Nervous?" she asked Noah on their way into Gus's practice.
He held the door open for her. "Yeah. You?"
Nodding, she took a big breath and walked across the threshold.
Please, let it be okay.
Once she was checked in, the nurse sent Jaya to the restroom, so they could test for urinary protein—one of the diagnostic criteria for preeclampsia. Good thing she needed to pee half the day anyway.
After that, the nurse led them into the exam room to take Jaya's weight and blood pressure. Because hypertension would put her right back on bed rest, regardless of the other results, Jaya tried to relax as best as she could by doing the breathing exercises Emma taught her when she was a kid.
Breathe in for a count of four... hold it for four... breathe out for four...
If only they didn't have to stick another needle in her. She was sure Gus was overdoing it with all those tests because he felt guilty he hadn't caught the anemia in time.
Less than a minute after the nurse had left the room, Gus and Felicity joined them. Being the doctor's little sister had its perks: low costs, no wait times, and an Ivy League care team that went above and beyond—what every pregnant person should have.
Noah pushed a chair up to the exam table, sat next to her, and reached for her hand the same time she reached for his. At this point, Jaya couldn't tell who was holding on tighter. They needed some good news for a change.
"You look anxious," Felicity said with a compassionate smile, as she prepared to take Jaya's blood. "It's going to be fine."
Jaya closed her eyes, anticipating the prick of the needle, but felt Noah's lips against hers instead. Her stomach did a little flip, and she opened her eyes when Felicity said, "All done."
"Wow, I didn't even feel the needle. You're a miracle worker, Feli. From now on, you're the only one who's allowed to poke me with a sharp object."
Grinning, Felicity pointed at Noah. "He deserves all the credit."
Jaya looped her arm around Noah's. "He sure is great with his mouth," she said, biting her lip.
Gus and Noah shook their heads.
"TMI, sis." Gus set up the ultrasound. It was the same procedure as last time but still mind-boggling to see the baby floating around inside her.
"Do you want to know the baby's sex?" Gus asked them once he'd determined everything looked normal. She and Noah answered at the same time—with contradictory opinions. "I'm glad you're on the same page. Not that I expected any different. So, where does that leave us? I tell one of you but not the other?"
"No," she said, "I don't want you to tell him either."
"Please. I'm so curious." Noah tried to reason with her. "We'll fight less about a name if we know what we're looking for."
"Why would we fight about the name?"
He looked at her like she'd grown a third eye. "Because we disagree about everything except food and how we spend our free time."
She shrugged. If they fought anyway, what difference did it make?
Gus handed her a towel so that she could clean herself up. "How about you tell him why you don't want to know the baby's sex?"
Jaya wiped off the conductor gel, her gaze trained on the fluffy, white towel. "I need to maintain some distance in case things go wrong. And I don't want you to buy stuff in pink or blue—that way, everything will be gender-neutral."
Noah nodded and said, "Okay, we'll wait."
"That's it?" She eyed him with suspicion.
Taking her hand, he said, "I'm sorry I didn't take what happened to you into account. Do you want to give the baby a unisex name? There are some nice ones like Jesse, Taylor, Sam. Well, maybe not Sam, that doesn't fit with our last names."
It still amazed her how much the baby meant to him, and they weren't even born yet. "I want to see the baby before I decide on the name, but we can come up with a shortlist."
Noah gave her a quick kiss, which made her forget that they weren't alone in the room.
"Okay, moving on." Gus clapped. "We'll discuss the other test results tomorrow over lunch, but I'm optimistic."
***
Gus's intuition proved right. Jaya's test results continued in the standard range, so Gus saw no reason why she couldn't fully enjoy the rest of her pregnancy.
Jaya was so happy about the news that she danced around the house Risky Business style—without the whiskey cola, of course, but with socks on so she could slide across the living room floor. She'd even grabbed a candle stand from the console to use it as her pretend microphone.
Gus was on the couch laughing, so she put extra effort into her performance. Her brother needed a good laugh. He still blamed himself, even though she'd told him to stop a million times.
After lunch with Gus, Jaya took Penelope over to her house.
She sighed as she stepped inside, inhaling the woodsy scent. Heaven. "Time to get back to work, Sweet P."
Penelope joined her upstairs, where Jaya reviewed the state of the bedrooms. Something in the smallest of the four rooms called to Penelope. Jaya followed the puppy, curious to see what it was. There, on the hardwood floor, was a reflection of rainbow colors. Jaya crouched to get a closer look.
So beautiful.
Penelope sniffed the reflection and then promptly parked her butt on it.
Grinning, Jaya walked up to the window to see where the reflection was coming from. And sure enough, there in the shade of the tree hung an old CD, swaying in the breeze, catching the sunlight. As she stared ahead, Jaya's vision wavered and blurred, and an image appeared before her eyes. A little girl in a crib squealed with joy, trying her best to grasp the multicolored reflection.
In a half-trance, Jaya began restoring the room's hardwood floor, feeling a strong urge to finish this room first. She worked for two hours before going back to Noah's with her sleeping bag in tow; it needed a wash before she could sleep in it.
Around six, Penelope took off toward the front door barking, announcing Noah's return. Jaya followed her, eager to tell Noah the good news.
"What's the word?" he asked the moment he locked the door behind him. He kissed her cheek in greeting. There was nothing sexual about it, but with her raging hormones, it was enough to make her imagination run wild. She envisioned him pushing her up against the wall, sliding his hand under her dress, grazing her thigh...
"Jaya?"
She licked her lips, and when her gaze met Noah's, he eyed her curiously. Whether it was because he'd picked up on her arousal or because he really just wanted to know her test results, she couldn't tell. So she cleared her throat before she answered to make sure she didn't sound as turned on as she felt.
"Gus said I should take it easy as much as possible, but other than that, I'm cleared to do pretty much anything I want. And you get to enjoy your last four months of freedom," she said, tapping his chest.
Noah, however, looked like she'd slapped him.
"I thought you'd be happy."
He leaned against the console below the framed drawing of the surfer woman and said, "I am happy."
"Really? Tell that to your face." She pointed at herself and did the Carlton Dance, silly face and all. Nothing was going to bring her down today. "This is the appropriate reaction to what I just told you."
Smiling, he reached for her and pulled her into a hug. "I want you to stay."
"But I'm good now."
"I want to be there for you for the remainder of the pregnancy, and that's easier if you stay here. Besides, your house is covered in dust. What if you step on a nail and take a dive down the stairs?" He let go of her and put his palms together in a prayer gesture. "Stay with me, please."
She took a moment to think. Her house was nowhere near ready, and she felt comfortable in his home. Plus, Noah was the tidiest person she'd ever met, and he was an amazing chef. "Okay."
Now he did a silly happy dance.
---------------------------
Thanks for reading! :) Please remember to vote and feel free to leave comments. xo—A