around for nearly a whole minute before she hits pay dirt and releases the tourniquet from my arm.
She fills four vials with my blood; I feel a slight tug as each vial is replaced with the next one. Then the needle moves around again as she gets the IV set up. The tape comes next, and before I know it she's done. I let out the breath I was holding and Mikah smiles at me.
"Wow. Very well done, Vivienne," Nurse Fang — Amanda , I remind myself — says approvingly.
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
She laughs. "I do try as best as I can. Can you roll back onto your back for me?" I shake my head in protest. "Please?" she pleads. She sounds almost like a whiny teenager and I roll my eyes.
"I'm comfortable."
"I know, but I'm going to get you set up for your ultrasound and the tech will be in here very shortly."
I sigh and reluctantly roll over. I realize I’m putting up a bigger fight than what I really feel.
Amanda repeats the procedure of pulling the blanket up to cover my pubis and raising the gown to reveal the little round mound between my hips. I hear Mikah's sharp intake of breath as my belly is exposed again. I can't tell if he’s in awe or if it’s a tortured sound. For my part, I’m starting to see that the mound and what it represents is unavoidable. Surprisingly, it’s also growing more adorable each time I see it.
Amanda finishes up and leaves.
I look at Mikah. "Are you okay?" I ask him. He nods. "Is it hard for you to look at me like this?"
"Yes." He hears my heart skip a beat. "Not in the way you're thinking," he adds quickly. I give him a puzzled look, but he just shakes his head. "I will explain it to you later. Okay?" he asks, his voice soft.
I nod, still confused but trusting he will tell me later. I look up at the clock and panic sets in. It's three thirty and I'm supposed to be at work in half an hour. Stupid heart monitor goes nuts, and Mikah stands and leans into my line of sight.
"What's the matter?" he says, worried.
"I'm supposed to be at the diner in thirty minutes. I can't lose this job." Panic creeps into my voice.
"It's already been arranged. I spoke with Laura while you were sleeping, and she said that she would deal with Bartie and to keep her posted. If you were going to be gone longer than Sunday's shift we might have a problem, but right now, one day is okay. She said that she was going to tell him that you and Nyssa switched places because of Tuesday night?" The question in his voice tells me he’s relaying a message he doesn’t quite understand.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you," I say quietly. "I do hope you’re right. I can't afford to lose that job."
"Yes, you can." Or at least I think that’s what he said. He was mumbling incoherently.
"What?" I scowl at him.
"Later."
"Why all this ‘later’ crap with you?" I huff.
"Because the doctor is coming in." And sure enough there is a knock on the door. How the hell did he know that? I leave the question for later and instead roll my eyes.
"How're you feeling?" Dr. Alston asks.
"Okay, just sleepy." She nods and walks over to the machine Amanda brought in, clicks a few buttons, and the screen flickers to life.
"I'm going to go ahead and handle your ultrasound," she says gently. Then she presses a couple of keys on a keyboard that came with the monitor and grabs a white bottle that looks a lot like the ketchup bottles at the diner, but with a shorter nozzle. I can’t tell what’s actually in the bottle.
"This might feel a little cold,” she says right before the substance hits my belly. I watch as my belly flinches at the clear gel being squirted on it. "Now I'm going to use this." She holds a wand type thing that is wide and flat at the top. "I'm going to place it against your stomach and see what we can see. Okay?"
I nod. My heart starts pounding; it sounds super loud on the machine. Dr. Alston reaches over and presses a couple of
She fills four vials with my blood; I feel a slight tug as each vial is replaced with the next one. Then the needle moves around again as she gets the IV set up. The tape comes next, and before I know it she's done. I let out the breath I was holding and Mikah smiles at me.
"Wow. Very well done, Vivienne," Nurse Fang — Amanda , I remind myself — says approvingly.
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
She laughs. "I do try as best as I can. Can you roll back onto your back for me?" I shake my head in protest. "Please?" she pleads. She sounds almost like a whiny teenager and I roll my eyes.
"I'm comfortable."
"I know, but I'm going to get you set up for your ultrasound and the tech will be in here very shortly."
I sigh and reluctantly roll over. I realize I’m putting up a bigger fight than what I really feel.
Amanda repeats the procedure of pulling the blanket up to cover my pubis and raising the gown to reveal the little round mound between my hips. I hear Mikah's sharp intake of breath as my belly is exposed again. I can't tell if he’s in awe or if it’s a tortured sound. For my part, I’m starting to see that the mound and what it represents is unavoidable. Surprisingly, it’s also growing more adorable each time I see it.
Amanda finishes up and leaves.
I look at Mikah. "Are you okay?" I ask him. He nods. "Is it hard for you to look at me like this?"
"Yes." He hears my heart skip a beat. "Not in the way you're thinking," he adds quickly. I give him a puzzled look, but he just shakes his head. "I will explain it to you later. Okay?" he asks, his voice soft.
I nod, still confused but trusting he will tell me later. I look up at the clock and panic sets in. It's three thirty and I'm supposed to be at work in half an hour. Stupid heart monitor goes nuts, and Mikah stands and leans into my line of sight.
"What's the matter?" he says, worried.
"I'm supposed to be at the diner in thirty minutes. I can't lose this job." Panic creeps into my voice.
"It's already been arranged. I spoke with Laura while you were sleeping, and she said that she would deal with Bartie and to keep her posted. If you were going to be gone longer than Sunday's shift we might have a problem, but right now, one day is okay. She said that she was going to tell him that you and Nyssa switched places because of Tuesday night?" The question in his voice tells me he’s relaying a message he doesn’t quite understand.
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Thank you," I say quietly. "I do hope you’re right. I can't afford to lose that job."
"Yes, you can." Or at least I think that’s what he said. He was mumbling incoherently.
"What?" I scowl at him.
"Later."
"Why all this ‘later’ crap with you?" I huff.
"Because the doctor is coming in." And sure enough there is a knock on the door. How the hell did he know that? I leave the question for later and instead roll my eyes.
"How're you feeling?" Dr. Alston asks.
"Okay, just sleepy." She nods and walks over to the machine Amanda brought in, clicks a few buttons, and the screen flickers to life.
"I'm going to go ahead and handle your ultrasound," she says gently. Then she presses a couple of keys on a keyboard that came with the monitor and grabs a white bottle that looks a lot like the ketchup bottles at the diner, but with a shorter nozzle. I can’t tell what’s actually in the bottle.
"This might feel a little cold,” she says right before the substance hits my belly. I watch as my belly flinches at the clear gel being squirted on it. "Now I'm going to use this." She holds a wand type thing that is wide and flat at the top. "I'm going to place it against your stomach and see what we can see. Okay?"
I nod. My heart starts pounding; it sounds super loud on the machine. Dr. Alston reaches over and presses a couple of
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