FOURTEEN
Ava couldn't think straight as she stared down at her phone screen frozen in place. She couldn't hear the busy New York traffic, she couldn't hear if her neighbor was still yelling at the game.All she could hear was her pounding heart.
We need to talk ASAP.
Corey could mean millions of things with this message. She could be wanting to talk about the latest gossip going around the college campus or talking about one of her million trips to the mall. But Ava couldn't let those possibilities slide into her mind and settle on them. Her gut was telling her that she knew about the baby, that she knew that Ava was a bad friend.
Shaking her head, she got the courage to lock her phone screen and stand up from the cold tiled floor. She wanted nothing but to curl up in a ball on her bed and binge watch every episode of Supernatural episode she could before she fell asleep from misery, but she knew she couldn't. She had to check up on her baby and see if she needed to take precaution on her daily schedule.
Grabbing her car keys and a jacket, she left her apartment building and leaves the text message from Corey behind so she could focus on the only thing that is important to her now. Her baby.
●~ ● ~●
When Ava entered the waiting area after checking herself in, her eyes skimmed across the room looking for the blonde mess of Grayson Knight, who has yet to show up. Swallowing her disappointment, Ava takes a seat in one of the chairs close the window and looks at the fish tank with multiple fish swimming around, oblivious to the world they live in.
Ava would give anything to be a fish at this moment. It may not be her first appointment, but it would be her first appointment alone. Wren, her little sister was supposed to come to her with this one, but when the girl falls sick there's only so much she could do and now getting some hope that Grayson would keep to his word and be there with her at this appointment, whether it be for support or not, it still hurt Ava that Grayson couldn't do this one thing.
"Did they already call your name?"
Ava snaps her head away from the colorful fish and over to an out of breath Grayson. Ava shakes her head crossing her arms over her bag and averting her eyes back to the glowing tank.
"No, if they did I wouldn't be out here."
Grayson doesn't say anything but takes a seat next to her. From the corner of her eye she could see his knee bouncing up and down in rythm something he only does when he is nervous.
"Why are you nervous?" Ava spoke grabbing one of the magazines from the table, a little staring at her as he ran his racecar along the covers of the other ones.
"I'm not nervous," Grayson scoffs as Ava just hums her reply.
She was reading an article about how a mother dealt going through her pregnancy alone while her husband was deployed overseas. It was a heartwarming story and had tears in her eyes when she read the husband was allowed to go home for his daughters birth.
It was stories like these that made Ava smile and happy about the good in the world.
"Ava Johnson,"
Ava put her magazine down as she stood up from the chair, Grayson following right beside her. The same nurse that was helping her from her first appointment smiled warmly at her.
"It's good to see you again Ava, how have you been?" Adam asks shutting the door behind them after they enter the tiny hallway.
"I've been good, what about you?"
"I've been good thank you for asking. I assume this is the father?" He asks smiling at Grayson who nods his head.
The nurse opens up a free room, the smile never leaving his face as he instructs Ava to take a seat on the bed while she goes and fetches Dr. Raine. After Adam left the room, Ava directs her attention over to Grayson who was looking down at his feet.
"Did you tell Corey yet?" She asks causing Grayson to snap his head up and stare at her in confusion.
"No, why?"
Ava shrugs her shoulders breaking eye contact to look down at her nails that she got done the other day for her interview. "Corey messaged me today before my appointment telling me we needed to rally as soon as possible."
"I haven't spoken to her at all this week. Are you sure you haven't told her anything or anyone else?" Grayson asks scratching his chin while looking over at Ava who shook her head with a frown.
"No, both Wren and Dylan hate Corey and I know they wouldn't tell her knowing that we should be the one to tell her."
Grayson nods his head and looks down at his hands that was holding his phone. "I was planning on telling her today after the appointment, figured we could do it together if that's alright with you."
Ava purses her lips. She wanted to tell Corey and get it done and over with, but apart of her wanted to still hold onto the the little bit of friendship that they still had she wanted one moment where she thought everything would be okay before ruining it by dropping this big of a bomb on her best friend, a friend she shouldn't even be considering as one.
"Is that what you want?" Ava asks looking back at Grayson. Grayson nods his head, but before he even got the chance to speak, Dr. Raine knocks on the door before entering.
"Hello Ava, and you must be the father." Dr. Raine says holding his hand out for Grayson to shake, which he does. "Remind me your name."
"Grayson Knight."
Dr. Raine nods his head smiling before turning towards Ava. "Have you been taking her vitamins?" Ava nods her head. "What about morning sickness, has that happened? Most woman get it, some don't."
"I sometimes get it a couple days a week but nothing too major." Ava says nodding her head while speaking. Dr. Raine takes a note of that and puts it in her file.
"That's good, now you're roughly two months along, have you felt any pressure in your breast or back?"
"My breast will hurt for a little bit, and I find a hard time finding a comfortable position sometimes at night."
Dr. Raine writes down what Ava just said before looking up at her. "Which is all perfectly normal, are you ready for today? You get to see your baby for the first time."
Ava smiles brightly. "Yeah, I have a small bump, nothing too noticable but I am ready."
"That's good, and what about you Dad? Are you ready?"
Grayson looks taken off guard as Dr. Raine directs his question towards him, not really sure what to say, Grayson nods his head awkwardly. Adam turns off the light as Dr. Raine wakes up the machine next to Ava's body before instructing Ava to lift her shirt up until under her breasts.
"Now the gel will be a little cold at first but it won't hurt the baby." Ava nods her head her shoulders relaxing as she turned her head to the side so she could look at the small screen attached to the machine.
Dr. Raine applies the gel on her lower abdomen causing her to flinch at the coldness. He pucks up the mouse and slowly presses it against her stomach. Just then, the once silenced room was filled with the thrilling sound of their baby's heartbeat.
Word Count: 1303