“I’ll be sitting right here the whole time,” I remind her.
No way am I leaving some man alone with her in our own bedroom, especially Compton.
Brooke rolls her eyes, too tired to argue anymore, and after some chit-chat when Compton arrives, he examines Brooke.
“We could run some tests,” he says vaguely. Looking from me to Brooke and then back to me again. He leans over and murmurs a few questions to her I don’t hear.
Brooke nods and answers in a low voice then groans loudly.
“Brooke? Doc, what is it? Don’t whisper man, tell me straight up. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think anything’s wrong,” The doctor says with a smile, handing me a fridge magnet with his office details on it.
The words ‘Family Practice’ are in bold print, which he seems to take delight in handing to me.
“I’ll leave a test kit here, and you guys can call me if there’s anything else. Look forward to seeing you again, Trent.”
I feel myself frowning, wondering if this is what eight years at medical school gets you these days. But Brooke calls me over to her, Dr. Compton seeing himself out.
“What is it, baby?” I ask, stroking her head, kissing her forehead, really getting worried now.
“Brooke?” I ask her again, and she finally speaks to me.
“Remember that first night. The first time we...” she asks, smiling up at me.
“How could I forget?” I tell her truthfully.
The truth is I haven’t forgotten, and every time since has been just as good, maybe even better.
She sits herself up in our bed, fingering the oblong box the doctor left her with.
“Only one way to be sure,” she whispers. “But I think the doc is right,” she adds, letting me see the box properly.
It’s a pregnancy test.
I make an involuntary sound, hardly able to speak as I stand, starting to pace the room.
When I slow down enough, turning to face the bed, I notice Brooke is gone. The sound of the bathroom door closing giving her away.
“Are you mad?” she calls out, sounding worried I might be annoyed to have called the doctor all the way up here for...
For the most amazing news of our entire lives?
“Mad? Honey, are you kidding me?” I ask, starting to laugh hysterically, hoping it’s true.
Willing it to be so.
“Hurry up will ya!” I shout out to her, needing to know now, wanting nothing more than to have such great news.
“Stop shouting,” she chimes calmly. “I get pee shy when you do…”
“Sorry,” I shout back, barely able to contain my excitement by now. Wearing out the carpet by the door to the bathroom, biting my nails.
A flood of emotions washing over me.
Could it really be true?
I do some quick math. Factoring in all the times we’ve been at it.
Hell, a circus monkey could tell me what the chances are, I don’t need a damned doctor or a pregnancy test.
The morning sickness, the tiredness. She says she’s gained weight, but I never see it.
Finally, she comes out. Her face is long, her mouth creased to one side.
I sigh out loud, hugging her close and rubbing her back. Feeling bad for putting her under some pressure wanting it to be true.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, knowing we’ll have our time when it’s meant to be.
“Maybe it’s just the flu,” I add, feeling her start to shake in my arms, stroking her hair and telling her it’s going to be okay.
I don’t blame her for crying.
But she’s not crying. She’s laughing.
Peeling herself off me just long enough to hold up the test in front of my eyes, the bright blue cross giving us the best news ever.
“I’m gonna be a mommy,” she sniffs, the laughter turning to tears of joy as I feel my own heart in my throat.
“Oh, Brooke. Oh, baby,” I tell her, squeezing her so tight until I remember her precious cargo and let go of her. “Oops, sorry,” I murmur, my eyes shining with tears.
“I should call my dad,” she says. He’ll be so happy.
“I’ll call him,” I interrupt her. “I have something I’ll need to ask him anyway.”
Brooke looks puzzled, but shrugs, beaming at her test result and clutching a hand to her belly.
I reach Mike on his cell, on his way home, telling him I need to talk.
He pulls over and before I tell him the best news, I have to ask him. Out of respect for him as a father himself.
“There’s something I need to ask you…” I start, reaching for Brooke’s hand as I do.
“I need to ask something that’s been on my mind for a while now and also because something has happened,” I tell him, his own voice rising in pitch as he orders me to tell him what’s wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong, Mike. I just need to ask for your daughter’s hand is all, I’d like to marry you daughter,” I ask, noting the silence. “…Seeing as she’s gonna be the mother of our child and I won’t have our baby come into this world without a proper mom and dad, a family,” I tell him, registering his shock at the news, but relieved when he starts to whoop and holler with happiness, shouting, of course, I can marry her. Of course he approves.