I let out a huff, picked up my coffee cup, and made my way down the hall to the employee lounge. A fresh pot of coffee had just finished brewing, thanks to my wonderful assistant, and I poured myself a fresh cup.
"Hey, Chase. How have you been?" I heard a familiar voice ask.
I turned in time to see Chelsea walk into the lounge and sit down at the table. Chelsea and I had dated once or twice over the past year—nothing serious, just a fun romp or two when we were both lonely. Not one of my wisest moves, since we had a rule at our firm that we didn't mix business with pleasure.
"Good, thanks. Yourself?"
"I'm good. Listen, Chase, I have a family event to go to in a couple of weeks. I just broke up with my boyfriend. My mom and dad are expecting a plus one, and I was wondering if you would be interested in accompanying me? I promise I will make it worth your while."
I turned and met her eyes, but the only person who ran through my mind was Sophie. "Um, I, ah… I can't. I have a prior engagement," I lied.
"But you don't even know what weekend it is," she laughed.
"I said I am busy." I picked up my coffee cup, pushed by her, and left the room, walking back to my office.
I walked into my office to find my cell phone vibrating on my desk. I set the mug down and picked up the phone. I saw a message from Sophie was waiting for me. She had texted to tell me that she was just now getting to the doctor. I'd gotten the appointment time wrong.
I blew out a breath and instantly the need to know calmed. I was just about to text her back when reception buzzed my office to let me know my next appointment was waiting for me. I dropped my phone and left my office to go meet my clients. Sophie would have to wait, and this would help me pass enough time to hopefully keep my mind off the news.
Soon one appointment turned into two, and the next thing I knew, it was almost six. I had shut off my laptop and grabbed my cell and checked the last messages exchanged between Sophie and me. It was still the same: she hadn't said anything more, but I was sure she should know by now.
I grabbed my jacket from the back of the door, shut the lights off, and made my way down to the parking lot. I pulled out of the parking lot, my wheels spinning, and began the drive across town to Sophie's office.
19
Sophie
It was a little after four-thirty, and I sat in the waiting room flipping through one of the parenting magazines that sat on the table. I was still waiting for the doctor to call me in for my results. I glanced at the clock. I was glad that I had canceled my appointments for this afternoon. This was taking far longer than I had originally thought it would.
I shifted in my seat, trying to get comfortable again. I picked up my cell phone, glancing at the messages Chase and I had exchanged, trying to figure out what I could say to him to ease his mind.
"Sophie," I heard my name being called and looked up to see the same nurse who had taken my blood work earlier standing waiting for me.
I smiled. I could barely contain my excitement. I already knew that the answer was going to be yes. I could feel it. My period was two weeks late, I was bloated, and call me crazy, but I could already feel the life of my unborn baby boy or girl living inside of me. I hadn’t told Chase, but I'd taken a drugstore pregnancy test and gotten a positive result and figured I should see the doctor just to be sure. I quickly folded the magazine and placed my cell phone in my purse, zipping it closed.
I followed her as she led me down the hall. I stopped abruptly when she stopped outside of one of the exam rooms and opened the door. "Just have a seat. The doctor will be with you shortly."
"Thank you." I walked in and took a seat, once again pulling out my cell phone to figure out what to message to Chase. I read over his last few messages and was just about to let him know I would call him as soon as I got home when the door flew open and the doctor came flying into the room.
She smiled and took a seat across from me, quickly signing into the computer. "Sorry to keep you so long, Sophie. The lab was behind. It's been a crazy day here today," she said, blowing out a breath and typing yet another password into the computer.
"It's not a problem, really. I booked this appointment more as a formality than anything. I'm pretty sure I already know the answer anyways."
"You do?" she said, looking over at me. "Well, why don't you tell me then, and we will see if the power of intuition is right," she said, leaning forward and placing her arms on her knees.
I smiled. "Well, my period is a week late. I am so bloated and tired all the time. I finally broke down and took one of those drugstore tests and it came back positive. I mean, I didn't really need to because I already know I am pregnant. I can already feel him or her inside of me," I said smiling, resting my hand on my belly.
"I see. Well, I always tell my patients that those tests at the drugstore aren't always accurate, and that is why I suggest popping in for a visit too. I am glad to see you took my advice." She sat back and flipped across a couple of screens, reading over what I guessed were my test results. She looked over to me and back to the screen before saying anything.
"Yes, I'll agree with you, all the symptoms line up, so I wasn't really surprised when I got a positive response on the test."
I smiled.
"Sophie, hon, I'm afraid your test results have come back negative."
The room spun as her words hit me like a punch to the stomach. "That's...that's impossible. I mean, I have symptoms. I have all the symptoms."
"Sophie, you have symptoms of many things, not just pregnancy. You said on the intake form you have been feeling very stressed, your diet has been off, and you haven't been sleeping well. Those three things right there will make your period late."