She looked at him perplexed. “Why not?”
“He’s not there.” Luke ran his fingers through his head. “He told me he tried to get in touch with you, even went to your apartment. You two have a fight?”
Sam cut through her brother’s question. “If he’s not here, then where is he?” She swallowed the lump in her throat, suddenly gripping the banister in fear.
“He needed to go back to Seattle to tie things up.” He watched the color drain from his sister’s face. “He’ll be back at the end of the week. It’s not a permanent thing, Sam.”
Sam’s eyes filled instantly, but she turned her head not to meet Luke’s gaze. “Right.” She said as her body went numb. Her biggest fear now her reality.
“Sam, it’s not like last time.” Luke said, his voice sounding miles away to her.
No this time he left before she could tell him they were having a baby. This time he left without her even knowing. She glanced at Luke. “No, it’s not.” She whispered hoarsely.
Chapter Nineteen
Sam sat in the sterile examining room at the gynecologist office. She folded her hands in her lap as the nurse tested her urine sample. She turned around and smiled warmly at Sam, confirming the positive test she had taken at home was indeed correct.
“Okay the doctor will be in to examine you in a few minutes. Congratulations.” The nurse said as she placed her chart in the pocket of the door, before she left Sam alone.
Sam took a deep breath as she looked around the room. Pictures lined the walls of a baby’s development through the three trimesters along with a list of do’s and don’ts during pregnancy. She took it all in and felt a little bit sorry for herself. She never pictured herself doing this alone. She hadn’t told a soul other than Phillip and Mallory that she was pregnant because she didn’t think it was fair for anyone else to know until Nick did. Despite the fact that he left, he was still her baby’s father. She wondered how co-parenting would work if decided to stay in Seattle, she knew she shouldn’t think like that, Luke had assured her countless times last night that he would be back. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if he really would come back, in truth, she knew nothing about his life in Seattle maybe there were things there, people there that would make him want to stay.
She had stopped herself from dreaming of him coming home and being the perfect little family, fearing that she would only get her hopes up to get them squashed again. She needed to be level-headed and prepare herself for any outcome. It wasn’t just about her and Nick anymore, it was about this baby she was carrying. With or without Nick in her life, she vowed to give this baby the best life possible. To shower this baby with unconditional love and let he or she know she was always wanted.
There was a soft knock on the door before the doctor entered. He was middle-aged and presented himself as quite the gentlemen, making Sam feel comfortable.
“Hello. I hear we have a baby on the way.” He said as he skimmed her chart. “How are you feeling?”
Sam lifted her gaze to the doctor and smiled slightly. “I don’t feel much different. If anything I kind of feel like I’m on the verge of getting my period.”
“Well, that is an early sign of pregnancy. You may feel some cramping in the first trimester, they can compare to menstrual cramps. Not to worry though that’s the uterus expanding to give the fetus room to grow. You’re also going to feel tired. Have you been experiencing any morning sickness yet?”
Sam shook her head and tried to think if she had been feeling anything out of the ordinary. The doctor sat down on a stool and wheeled over to her side next to the sonogram machine.
“Okay, because you’re approximately six weeks, in order to see the fetus we need to do an internal sonogram. So lean back and relax.” He said as he covered the probe with what looked like a condom. Sam leaned back and placed her legs in the stir-ups. She inhaled sharply and glanced at the blank screen while the doctor covered the tip of the probe with a blue jellylike substance.
The doctor slid the probe inside of her and the screen began to display a black and white fuzzy image. He focused on a circular image and zoomed in by pressing a few keys on a keyboard.
“Okay, this is the uterus and this is the sac and there is your baby”. He said as he took some measurements of the fetus to better depict how far along she was.
Sam stared at the little image that was inside of her, her eyes welling with tears. She smiled and when her vision, blurred she blinked releasing some of her tears. She couldn’t get over the tiny miracle that was inside her. Seeing the baby made it real for her. She was having Nick’s baby.