It wasn't until Thursday that they got the phone call saying that their results were in.
Six days may not seem like a long wait for some people but to them, it felt like a lifetime.
Rebecca didn't want to go. She didn't want to go and find out what she already suspected - that she couldn't have kids but as he did on Friday, Roger made them some food but unlike the last time, he didn't force her to eat. In fact, he didn't eat anything either, he just read yesterdays newspaper again to take his mind off of it.
Rebecca watched him silently, sipping at her tea as he turned the page.
"Rog?"
"Yeah, darling?"
Darling. That was a new one.
"Bex?" he asked when she didn't answer him, placing his hand on hers, "What's going on in there?"
"If it's bad news today," she starts slowly, trying to choose her words carefully, "I mean if it's me, I'd understand y'know, if you want-"
"Don't," he said sternly, shaking his head, "Don't say that."
"You didn't sign up for this, Roger."
He stands up and moves around the island to stand beside her, cupping her face in his hands to make her look at him.
"In sickness and in health, remember?" he whispers and she nods, "If I can't have children with you, I wouldn't have them with anyone else, Rebecca. I couldn't. It's always going to be you. Always."
||-||
They arrive at the clinic in record time and as she gazes at the building, releasing the breath that she didn't know she was holding as Roger cuts the engine.
They both sit in silence for a bit before they go in and he clears his throat.
"Hey, no matter what happens," he starts and Rebecca looks at him, "No matter what she says, we'll get through it, yeah?"
She nods and gets out of the car, holding her hand out for his when he walks around it.
Dr Johnstone is chatting away to the receptionist as they enter and the smile she gives them in greeting gives absolutely nothing away.
"Roger, Rebecca," she shakes their hands, "That was quick."
"Traffic wasn't that bad," Roger replies as they head towards her office.
"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Water?" she offers as she closes the door behind them but they both shake their heads.
"We'd kind of like to just get this done," Rebecca says, hoping that she's not coming across as rude but Dr Johnstone, having seen a lot of this just nods in understanding.
"Of course. Well, if you'd like to take a seat, I'll just go grab your file."
"Thank you," Roger says quietly, looking at Rebecca when she squeezes his hand.
"I think I'm going to be sick," she whispers and he brings her hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the skin.
The doctor sits back down across from them and looks at her, "Rebecca, we'll start with you."
"Okay," she almost whimpers and it's Roger's turn to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Well, as you know, we've got your bloodwork back and they show..."
She nods, wanting to close her eyes - maybe that'll soften the blow that she knows is coming but she can't. She can't look away from the woman's face but her hand does tighten its grip around Roger's.
"Rebecca," the doctor smiles, "Rebecca, you're pregnant."
The two of them stare at the woman and Rebecca's sure that her mouth has fallen open at the doctor's words, a rush of air leaving Roger as he exhales loudly.
"Pregnant?" he repeats, "She's...are you joking?"
Rebecca's still staring at her as she lets out a laugh, "I wouldn't joke about this, Roger. She is indeed pregnant. Around twelve weeks, I reckon."
"Twelve..." Roger trails off, running a hand through his hair, "That's three months."
"It is."
Rebecca finally speaks, speaking so quietly that they almost don't hear her, "That...that's impossible. I mean, I would know. Surely...the tests were negative."
Katie nods and shuffles some papers from their file in front of her, "Some women don't know that they're pregnant for months. What normally happens and what I think has happened in your case, Becca, is that your baby is emitting a very low dose of HCG, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or the pregnancy hormone."
"I don't..."
She gives them a reassuring smile, "HCG is what allows home pregnancy tests to determine if you're pregnant or not. So, if a fetus is putting out low dosages of it, an at home pregnancy test will always read negative. No matter how far along a woman is."
"I'm pregnant?" Rebecca whisper, feeling the burn of tears in her eyes.
"You're pregnant," Katie confirms one more for them and that's all it takes for her to start crying into her hands.
Roger's out of his chair in seconds, pulling her out of her own so he can wrap her up in his arms.
Doctor Johnstone wordlessly places a box of tissues on her desk before she steps out of the room to give them a moment.
Roger holds Rebecca tightly, pressing kisses to her hairline every few seconds as she cries into his shirt and he takes the moment to let the news sink in.
They're having a baby.
When she pulls back to look at him, he's kissing her, pecking her lips over and over again as she lets out a breathless laugh.
"I love you," he whispers as Katie comes back into the room and Rebecca can't even bring herself to be embarrassed as he kisses her once more.
"I love you too."
He lets her sit back down again, handing her one of the tissues as he too sits, clearing his throat to look at the doctor, "Is the baby okay?"
That's what we're going to find out," Katie smiles, "I want to do an ultrasound just now, just to safe. We'll see and hear baby, try and work out your due date and of course, make sure that they're growing nicely. Is that okay?"
"Yes," Rebecca says immediately, "Yes, Of course."
"Great, if you'd just like to follow me next door..."
They do and when Rebecca sees the small bed that she has to lie on and the machine, she feels her nervousness build again.
"If you'd like to just hop on up there, Rebecca." the doctor instructs and she does as she's told with the help of her husband, "Roger, you can grab that stool so you can see too."
Grinning, he wheeled the stool over and sat so he could see the ultrasound screen over her stomach.
"Little bit of pressure," she hums, pressing the wand against Rebecca's skin and Roger takes hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers as they both concentrate on the grainy image that's on the screen and it's quiet. Too quiet.
"You're not all that far along," the doctor tries to explain, her eyes squinting to find what she's looking for. "Sometimes it takes a bit to find the heartbeat early on."
Roger's grip on her hand tightens in reassurance as Rebecca turns her eyes to the ceiling while he focuses on the screen.
It's silent for a solid minute before the sound of their baby's heartbeat - strong and steady - fills the room.
Rebecca turns her head back to look at the screen in time to see a small orb of light grey popping up and Roger lets out another breath, leaning down to press his forehead against the side of her head, "Thank god."
"There we are!" Katie grins, "I knew we'd find you."
She breathes a shaky sigh of relief, cursing herself when she starts to cry again, the tears rolling down into her hair as she looks between the screen and Roger's face. When he looks at her again, she sees that his eyes are filled as well and he leans in to kiss her squarely on the lips and once more on the forehead.
"You've got a strong one here," the doctor smiles, "Steady heartbeat, nothing to be worried about at all. Sometimes it's just difficult to find the little ones at first."
Rebecca nods absentmindedly, completely mesmerized by the screen beside her. She's never loved anything as much as she loves that blurry, grainy picture on the screen.
"Here's the head," Katie points, pressing a button to take a frame, "Though it might be a little difficult to make out."
"They're perfect," Rebecca whispers as she continues pressing buttons to take some more frames, "Absolutely perfect."
And that night, when they return home and she's getting something out of the fridge to get the milk for tea, she sees that their ultrasound photos have been stuck up on the door with magnets and in the dimmed lights of the kitchen, she sees a scribble of dark letters and squinting slightly, she reads Sprout and the date in Roger's handwriting.
"Sprout," she hums, testing it out for herself, "Yeah...sprout."
||-||
surprise? ❤️
i decided to update tonight instead of tomorrow because i am out all night won't be able to update on the go
also,
Brian back at it again with this cute content