Ipaced around the room, looking at the informative diagram posters on the wall without really taking them in. The doctor was running late. The only reason I wasn’t kicking up a stink about it was because Vivian said she was comfortable and rather liked this OBGYN. I’d taken her to meet several doctors in the last couple of months, determined to find her the best care available for her and the babies and this was the one she’d landed on.
“Would you please sit, babe?” she asked me sweetly. “You’re making me a little anxious.”
“But you said you weren’t feeling well this morning. I want the doctor to check you out as soon as possible.”
“Jesse,relax. I was probably just bloated.” Vivian rubbed her stomach, which was now large and swelling. The babies were getting big. I had no idea how Vivian managed to get around the way she did, still surprisingly nimble and quick on her feet. “I shouldn’t have eaten all those cookies.”
“I did tell you to pace yourself.”
“I know, I know. You wereright.” She said this with a pout, but I knew her well enough to know she was only pretending to be upset.
I checked my watch. “What’s taking her so long?”
“She probably has other patients.”
“Yes, but we have an appointment.”
“Babe,” Vivian said firmly. “As much as I appreciate the protective Papa Bear in you, I need you to reign it in a little. Everything’s fine.”
I took a seat next to her and held her hand, kissing the back of her knuckles. “I just want to make sure you have everything you need, angel. And I’m excited.”
Vivian grinned. “I’m excited, too. Ava has money on the twins being girls.”
“Funny. Theo bets it’s boys.”
“Which do you want?” she asks jokingly.
“Doesn’t matter. As long as they’re happy and healthy.”
Vivian leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You’re so cute.”
“I am.”
She stuck her tongue out. “When did we get so gross?”
“I don’t know, but you probably started it.”
There was a knock at the door. The OBGYN walked in, examining a chart in her hands. “Miss Jones,” she greeted with a smile, “and Mr. White. Good to see you two again. Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
“Oh, no problem,” I said coolly, earning a pointed stare from Vivian.
The doctor sat down in a rolling stool and scooched over to Vivian’s bedside, still reading her chart. “It says here you’re five months along?”
Vivian nodded. “That’s right.”
“Any discomfort? How’s your appetite?”
“Appetite’s fine,” she answered. “But I feel full really fast. I hope I’m getting enough nutrients.”
“Yes, that tends to happen when you’ve got two buns in the oven. There isn’t a whole lot of space for food. But your bloodwork’s just come in. It looks like you’re getting what you need, though I always strongly recommend a calcium supplement.”
I whipped out my phone and wrote everything down in my note app. “Any particular brand?”
“Any of them will do. What matters is the consistency in which you take them. At least one a day to make sure your bones stay strong.”
Vivian placed a hand on my wrist. “I’m sure he’ll get on that straight away.”
“Already ordered off Amazon.”