Page 75 of Surrender

“I see. Do you mind if I do an ultrasound to rule out a few possibilities?”

“Um… sure.”

“Great. Give me a second to grab the machine.”

“Okay.” Just as she opened the door, the nurse who walked me back was about to come in.

“Oh! Dr. Jenkins. I was just coming to inquire about Mrs. Mitchell’s last period.”

She handed her a piece of paper. Dr. Jenkins looked at it and then back at me.

“This is accurate?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am. I ran it twice just to be sure.”

“Thank you. Could you grab me the ultrasound machine?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She left, and I sat there with a confused look on my face.

“Is something wrong?”

Dr. Jenkins giggled. “No, nothing is wrong. We found the source of your issue. You’re pregnant.”

“But… but how? I took a test, and it was negative.”

She handed me the paper, and sure enough, right there in black-and-white, it confirmed that I was indeed pregnant.

“I don’t understand. How can one be right, and the other be wrong?”

“It could have been a faulty test, or you could’ve been too early to tell. We can further confirm with the ultrasound just how far along you are.”

I sat staring at the paper in my hands. Pregnant. I thought back to all the wine I’d consumed. I thought about the blackout drunk night with Myra and Jessa. What if I’d done damage to my baby?

The nurse rolled the ultrasound machine in. She plugged it up while Dr. Jenkins gathered the necessary items needed. She had me lie back and draped a blanket over me before pulling my gown up. The jelly was cold as she squirted it into my stomach.

The moment she placed the wand to it, the screen lit up with an image.

“There is your little bean. Judging by the size, I’d say you’re about six or seven weeks. There’s the heartbeat. He or she is strong and healthy.”

She pointed at the spot on the screen, and I burst into tears. Thank you, God! Dr. Jenkins and the nurse both gave me reassuring pats on the hand as I tried to gather myself.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I was terrified. I’ve had alcohol and wine since I had no idea. It’s been a very stressful couple of months.”

“I understand it; life happens. Just no more drinking. It’s very unlikely that anything is wrong with the fetus, but now that you are aware that you’re pregnant, I need you to be as careful as possible.”

I nodded. “Yes, yes of course.” I stared at the screen with a wide smile on my face. “I’m gonna be a mommy.”

“Yes, you are. Congratulations!”

“You’ll have to bring the hubby by so I can meet him. I’m sure he will be ecstatic about the news.”

“He will. He’s the whole reason I’m here in the first place. He was so disappointed when the test came back negative at home. I can’t wait to tell him.”

“I’ll make sure to have these pictures printed out for you.”

“Thank you.”