Life's Perfect Plan (The Life Series) (9 page)

She pulls more tissues out of the box. Dammit, this is not how I imagined things would go. “Elizabeth, first off there is nothing wrong with your babies. I just assumed you would want a more experienced doctor. Don’t get me wrong I’ve done my share of multiple and high risk pregnancies … I just thought … shit … what I want to say is not coming out right.” Looking at her is breaking my heart. I just want her to smile; I want that glow to return that she had when she was sleeping. I want to take all this pain from her.

“I don’t understand?” She says quietly and giving me a perplexed look.

I can’t say what I want to say. It will scare the shit out of her. I will be the biggest ass if I say what is on my mind. Again, I am chicken shit and take the easy way out. “Elizabeth, I just wanted to give you an option in case you felt I wasn’t the doctor you needed or wanted. Nevertheless, I want you to know that I am here for you no matter what.” I walk around my desk and squat next to the chair she is sitting in. I take the tissues out of her hand and lay them on the floor. I grab both of her hands and hold them in my palms. “I was around a lot when you were in the hospital. Ella told me a lot about you, I feel like I know you, but then I look at you and I feel I know nothing about you. But I just feel … any friend of Ella’s is a friend of mine.” I hand her my business card and grab a pen off my desk. I write my cell number on the back of the card. “Here is my number in case you need something and can’t reach me after hours. I want you to understand that I am here for you, pregnancy related or not. Just don’t call me if you have a plumbing question, which is something to leave to the professionals.” There it is! She smiles at my ridiculous joke. Her green eyes sparkle as she looks at me. I pat her knee as I stand up.

Taking my card she places it in her purse. She stands up and puts her hand out for me to shake. “Thanks Dr. Alexander, for all this.” As she holds up the folder and papers. “If you don’t mind I would like to remain as your patient.”

Letting go of her hand I tell her that I don’t mind at all. I walk her to the reception area and tell her I will see her in two weeks. Before I go on to the next patient, I walk back to my office. It smells of her sweet pea scent. I pull out a bottle of Jack and take a few gulps. My nerves are still not calm, and I’m not sure if they ever will be having Elizabeth in my life now. Then I take a swig of water, from the bottle on my desk. As, I stand up to pull a piece of gum from my pocket, I watch from my office window. I watch her walk to her hot, red Camaro. I see that she is still crying, she has the phone to her ear. She throws her bag in, and steps into her car smoothly with ease. Within a few seconds she is gone from the parking lot. I leave my office, counting down the days until I see her again.

It’s hard to believe that December has arrived. The year has flown by; the year that started off so magical, and has ended with heartache, despair, and anxiety. I’m finally out of my first trimester. It’s a week before Christmas. Do you think I have done any decorating for Christmas … Nope! I can’t do it. I can’t bring out all the memories that Grant and I have accumulated over 9 years. Also, I can’t crawl up in the attic, so this year since it is just me. I am not decorating. I will be starting the New Year with seeing a realtor, I can’t live in this house, knowing that this house was meant for Grant and me to raise our children. With him not here, it feels wrong and unwanted.

I have seen Dr. Alexander every week since my eight week visit. After that visit I saw Cole and Anna to give them a copy of the ultrasound. They were speechless to hear the news of having three grandchildren. Anna is over the moon and has offered her grandma-sitting services. I will happily oblige! Cole is excited, but hits him with a double-edge sword. Due to my high risk and carrying multiples, it was lectured to me by Dr. Alexander and Ella to live a stress free life as much as possible, and relax as much as I can. I have got to keep them in me for as long as possible. So I let Cole know that I had to resign from the practice. One, it was for the pregnancy and two; I haven’t been back since Grant had passed. I couldn’t go into the office that he and I shared five days a week. I couldn’t go into his office and see everything of his without him being there. One of our associates, Indira, packed up his and my personal items and shipped them to me. They are still in the garage. I can’t go through it. I know what is in there. I can’t go through the memories right now. Cole was great and assured me that once I was ready to come back that I will be accepted with open arms. I’m not sure if I ever want to go back.

Getting ready for my twelve week appointment I am nervous. It’s that mark in any woman’s pregnancy where it can go downhill or uphill. Where you wait for the twelve week mark to tell friends you are pregnant, but it’s also that mark where it can go bad. Knowing that I could lose one or all still weighs heavily on my mind.

Kate is going to go with me. I haven’t told her it is triplets. I want to surprise her with the ultrasound today! I was there when she found out she was having twins. I wanted to continue with tradition. Kate picks me up in her dark blue Ford F-150. I grab the oh shit bar to haul my butt up in the seat.

“Kate, how in the hell did you get the girls in the back seat?” I ask exasperated from pulling myself up.

“Girl, where in the hell do you think I got my guns from.” As she is flexing her biceps to me. “Bethy-baby, just wait, you pick out this cute infant seat, but you don’t realize that this seven pound baby does a lot of growing in its first year. Times that by two and you got yourself a continuous workout, but don’t worry you can just snuggle your little wee one in that hot car of yours and be fine. I had to hoist up the girls in this truck. By their first year they were over twenty pounds plus the weight of the seat. UGH!! I don’t miss those days. It’s nice to tell the girls to jump in and then all I do is buckle”

I just smile, because she has no idea … I have no idea what I am in for.

Realization sinks in. I’ve got to sell my pride and joy. “Kate, did two seats fit in the truck ok, was there room for a third person to sit back there?”

She looks at me with her eyebrows scrunched together, “Umm, yeah there was room. When we went out as a family I sat in the middle to watch over them. Why do you ask?

“Oh, just wandering. By the way you didn’t get those arms by lifting car seats, you got those arms by shoveling horse shit.”

“Car seats … horse shit it’s all manual labor, baby!”

We pull into the office. I warn her of how hot my doctor is. I tell her how we have made small talk during the last month. That when he touches me he makes me light up like a damn Christmas tree. We wait in the waiting room. Kate is fidgeting, she holds my hand, then her foot is tapping the coffee table a mile a minute, then she is rubbing my belly and talking to the babies. Kate has never been diagnosed, but just by being with her I can tell you, the woman is ADHD. She doesn’t need caffeine, she has adrenaline running through her blood.

“Kate, you’ve got to stop, the women in here are probably thinking we are a lesbian couple.”

“Who cares?” As she pulls my face to her face with her hands then gives me a quick kiss. I pull back and just laugh. As I turn around I see that Ella has witnessed the whole thing.

“Look at you two! I didn’t know your relationship swung that way?” Ella says while trying to control her laughter. Since all these women are just staring at us.

“Kate, you are too much!”

“What? This place is so uptight, gotta loosen the vibe in here. Women are here to check on their baby, not to get their colonoscopy. Now that’s an uptight waiting room!” She just cackles all the way to the examining room.

I am sitting on the table and waiting. Ella has left to go get the ultrasound machine. Kate is playing with the blood pressure cuff. “Kate, you are such a child, will you have a seat! GEEZ you would think you were pregnant?”

Kate laughs out loud. She sits down and places her elbows on her knees and head in her palms. “UH, No, you would have to be having sex to get pregnant and I haven’t had sex in months. Beth, I need to get fucked.”

Just as Kate had the F-bomb come out of her mouth Dr. Dreamy walks in. Kate looks up and then laughs to herself as she places her head back in her palms. “Talk about making an ass out of myself.” She says quietly to herself.

Dr. Alexander walks over to the table, “How are you doing, Elizabeth?”

“I’m doing well. The nausea has somewhat stopped, just tired. This is Kate, she is my friend who doesn’t think before she speaks.”

Walking over to Kate, he puts his hand out to shake her. She obliges and sinks further into her chair. “Nice to meet you.” As he walks to the table I look at her as she is fanning herself. She mouths “Fuck me, please!” I just smile and look into those beautiful blue eyes. I bite my bottom lip to keep me from smiling so big.

“This is all good news I am hearing. Being tired is expected for your condition.”

He measured my rapidly growing belly, then squeezed the gel over my belly. I hold Kate’s hand as she leans into me. “This is so exciting!” She whispers into my ear.

“Oh just wait it gets better.” I say as I turn and whisper into her ear. Ella just snickers and gives us both a wide toothy grin.

“Ok, let’s see what is going on.” Dr. Alexander mutters as he waves the wand over my belly. The images appear on the screen. He is doing his usual measuring and recording. He turns the screen towards us so we can see the whole screen. “Baby A is here, this is baby B and tucked over here is Baby C.”

“HOLY SHIT!!! Beth you are having triplets!!” She just stares, her lips are moving, but nothing is coming out.

“Elizabeth, everything looks great. The babies are doing well. Hopefully in a month we will be able to tell you the sex if you want to know. Keep off your feet as much as possible. Let’s keep your blood pressure in check, too. Did you decide on flying or driving to your parents?”

“I’m flying, is that alright?”

“Yes, your flight shouldn’t be that long. You’ll be fine.”

“Ok.” I say … man this guy has serious bedroom eyes. They literally change color with his clothing. This week he has on a grey collared shirt. His eyes are ice blue, last week they were green.
Wonder what they would look like when he’s naked?
Seriously, these hormones need to taper back some.

I rub the gel off my stomach, and pull my shirt down. Dr. Alexander looks at me, like he wants to say something, but not sure how.

“Uh … um … ah … Elizabeth, I know this is going to sound so unprofessional. I don’t want you to think less of me as a doctor, but I want to ask you something.”

“Ok” I say.

“My office doesn’t do a Holiday Party, we do something entertaining every year. This year we have sky box seats to Chris Daughtry’s Concert. I was wondering if you would like to go with us, Ella and her husband will be there if you feel uncomfortable.” Ella just smiles and nods her head yes. “I … it’s … uh … I’ve just heard great things about you from Ella and I … I just wanted to get to know you more. I think we have a lot in common.”

I smirk and sarcastically say to him. “Oh do we? So you are carrying triplets, too?” He just gives me a beautiful smile.

“Come with us Beth, it will be fun. Look you get a concert and your doctor making sure you are ok?” Ella tells me as she pats my knee.

“Sure, I would love to go. I’m not much of a music fan, so I won’t know most of his songs.”

“Not a problem, I’ll help you out. So are you free around five? I’ll take you to dinner beforehand.”

“Uh, dinner?”

“Yes, Elizabeth, dinner. Friends can go out to eat and have dinner. Is that OK?”

“So, it’s not a date, because I’m not ready to date, plus you’re my doctor.”

He just chuckles. “Yes, I am your doctor and no, it’s two friends having dinner before we meet with more friends. “

Deal!”

“Good, I’ll pick you up at five, if that is ok?” He softly says to me while looking at my file.

“I’ll see you at five.” I say as I bend down and pick up my purse from the chair. He opens the door for us, and we walk out.

“Thanks Elizabeth.” Dr. Alexander says as I walk out of the office.

“Ella!” I call loudly for her. She gives me her shit eating grin smile. “He’s not gay is he?”

“Whatever do you mean, Beth?” She replies in her sexy Spanish accent.

“At my first encounter with Dr. Dreamy, you told me he was gay!”

“Oh, well I just found out he’s not.” She bats her eyes to me.

“You are such a weasel Ella! I can’t believe you … oh … wait … yes I can.”

“Holy shit, Beth! Did I just witness that you are having three babies and that your doctor just invited you to a concert. Or am I totally dreaming this Jerry Springer episode?”

“Katie-bear you witnessed one crazy doctor appointment.”

“Beth, that man is fucking-hot! Shit forget the damn Christmas tree. That man would light me up like Times Square. Makes me want to get knocked up just so I can see that man for nine months.” She watches me as the tears trickling down my face. “Uh-oh, what’s wrong?”

I get in the front seat and pull tissues out of my purse. “Kate, I feel like I am on the emotional roller coaster from hell. I lost Grant. I feel such sadness that he is not here, yet I am so completely horny. Then I see that man in there.” Pointing to the doctor’s office. “It’s taking a toll on my sanity.”