“We’re gonna miss you around here,” a nurse smiled. 

“It’s been amazing to be here, you all have been great, but I’m ready to go home. Well, we have a doctor visit first, then home.”

“You bring that baby here once the first round of shots are done.”

“I promise.  You all have been so great.”

“I’m just glad I figured out what kind of chair you guys had in there, definitely putting that in the nursery or something to sit with Liam, or maybe in the living room… I got one delivered last week, I just need to find the right place for it.”

Jenna walked over to the chair JC had been sitting and sleeping in, her eyes widening as her body relaxed into it.  “Yeah, this is going in the nursery so we can fall asleep with him in case he just cries all night.”

“Well, here’s hoping he’s an angel for you and lets you both sleep, now and after he’s here,” one of the nurses smiled.  “Still a long way until then.  Don’t be a stranger, though.”

“Of course not.  It’s not too far from home, so I’ll make sure we stop by after doctor visits.  Speaking of which, we do need to go, we have an OB appointment in 45 minutes,” she said excitedly.

JC had pulled the Jeep up to the entrance, opening the door for her, Jenna getting in and doing everything herself. She knew he wanted to help get her in, but also wanted to prove to him, the doctors, and herself that she could do it.  She hadn’t had a seizure since before the surgery, feeling like this was a new chapter of her life, their life together.

The staff waved as they pulled away, JC driving to her doctor’s office. “I can’t wait to see him on that screen, see how much he’s grown since the last time.”

“Honestly, it’s not gonna feel like much at this point.  I’m curious when I’ll start getting the baby bump, that’s how we’ll really know he’s in there and how much he’s growing, moving around.”

“I’d do these appointments every day if I could, to see him,” JC smiled.

“They do make home machines, but it’s more special this way, and they also aren’t super healthy for me or the baby, so that’s why they try to limit them to when necessary to monitor growth.”

“Then I’m making sure I don’t miss any of these appointments with you.”

“I mean, I have to get there SOMEHOW…” she laughed.

“You’ll be back driving soon enough.  Which means you’ll need a car.”

“Josh, you’re not buying me a car…”

“I guess you could use the Jeep, I’ll take my motorcycle everywhere.”

“Ok, fine.  Just nothing too fancy.”

“Wow, changed your mind really quick.”

“The thought of you driving that motorcycle full time scares me a little.  Not you, but the other people on the road.  I’m good with a pre owned, something safe and reliable.”

“We’ll look at cars soon, once you’re closer to being able to drive.  That gives us time to figure out what you want.”

“Something practical,” she insisted. 

“I drive a Jeep…” he chuckled. “I’m about function over form with most things.”

“Your taste in women says otherwise.”

“My taste in women is you, which sounded weird coming out of my mouth, but you know what I meant.”

“It didn’t use to be.”

“It is now. I can’t wait to get you home and taste you.”  His hand rested on her upper thigh, his voice husky with want.

“I like the sound of that. We haven’t been able to be like that since San Francisco.”

“We’ve had sex, but definitely not like that, you’re right. Is it gonna be weird if I’m turned on during the appointment?” he chuckled. 

“My doctor might need access to that area on me, so that could be awkward. I read they can tell if you had sex just by looking down there, which is so weird to think about.”

“Note to self, no sex right before your appointments.  It’s only awkward if she knows who I am. This is your first time seeing this doctor, the others were just hospital staff, right?”

“Yeah, this is my regular OB now that I’m out.  I haven’t seen her since before we got together, so this could be interesting, we’ll see.”

They pulled up to the hospital, parking near the mother and baby offices.  Jenna smiled at the signs for parking in her third trimester through 6 weeks postpartum, knowing someday she’d get to use that to be seen quicker.  The little things about pregnancy she never thought she’d get to experience.  

They entered the office for her doctor, Jenna checking in.  It was just after lunch, so it was still pretty empty in the waiting room, JC glad of that fact that there were fewer eyes to potentially recognize him.  He wasn’t ashamed of the situation, far from it, but a fan recognizing him and putting together where he was, who he was with, it could spread out of control thanks to social media.  

They called Jenna back fairly quickly, JC going with her as they took her weight and blood pressure.  They noted she had lost some weight since her annual exam in June, but she chalked that up to having her surgery and all that.  She hadn’t had morning sickness, sometimes not feeling hungry during the day, but otherwise no real ‘typical’ symptoms of pregnancy.

They sat in the room, Jenna sitting on the examining table, JC looking at the Christmas cards and birth announcements for babies the doctor had delivered over the years.  “Liam’s gonna be the cutest,” JC smiled.  

“I still remember my dream vividly.  He looked like you, I’m guessing, cuz he didn’t look anything like me as a baby.  Your darker hair, your blue eyes…”

“You have blue eyes, maybe he gets his eyes from you.”

“I dunno, I got lost in them, so maybe they’re yours.”

“I get lost in yours, so I guess we’ll just have to see.”

“I dunno.  I just know in my dream I said that was why I wanted to name him after you and you said no.  Though I think at that point we’d decided on Liam and I just asked to be sure once we saw him.”

The tap on the door reminded them where they were, her doctor opening the door.  She walked into the room, looking at her chart, her eyes widening as she looked up and saw JC.  JC’s heart pounded, knowing that look on her face.

“I’m guessing you’re the father?” she asked, JC nodding.  “I’m Dr. Liu, pleasure to meet you.  Jenna, you know I have some questions to ask you, do you need him to leave the room?”

“No.  I know a lot has changed since I saw you in June, before I lost my insurance, but he’s never hurt me, I’m in a safe and healthy relationship.  I have no reason to think he would ever hit or abuse me in any way.”

“I still had to ask.  I’m glad you found someone.  If I may be so unprofessional…”

Here we go, JC sighed.

“You found quite a handsome man, and I’m glad you’re happy.  This was quite unexpected to see you for this…”

“I was just as shocked, honestly.  I had been hospitalized after a seizure and wasn’t taking my birth control as part of my daily medications.  It’s a blessing, and we’re very excited in spite of things.”

“Well, let’s get started then, shall we?  Your records show you’ve had the transvaginal scan already, so I shouldn’t need to do that unless I can’t find it externally.”

Jenna pulled her pants down a bit on her hips, JC torn between wanting to watch the screen and imagining her pulling her pants down lower.  Once the image came up on the screen, he was riveted. The screen was dark, a shape similar to ones in the ultrasounds they’d gotten before appearing on the screen.  He heard the whooshing sound of Liam’s heartbeat, calming him in a way he didn't know he needed.  He took out his phone, recording the sound to have in case he ever got overwhelmed, to possibly use as an anchor to calm and center himself, focus on the important things.  

“Baby is tracking well growth wise, which is good, especially with everything you’ve had going on lately.  If you’re feeling ok and baby is doing well, that’s all we can ask for.  We’ll finish this portion of the appointment and one of the nurses will direct you to someone to go over paperwork to start everything for our files.  I’ll see you next month.”

Jenna wiped the gel off her belly, pulling her jeans back up before getting off the examining table.  “Is it bad that this is the highlight of my last month or so?”

“Not at all, baby.  You’re gonna be a mom, something you’ve always wanted, and I’m getting something I never knew I wanted until you came into my life.  I think we’re allowed to be excited and have this be the best thing in our lives.”  

Jenna stopped at the reception desk to make her next appointment, JC putting it into his phone.  A nurse motioned for them to join her in walking down the hall, leading to an office, the door open.  

“Hello, have a seat,” the woman behind the desk invited.  “Some of this is paperwork we’ll need as time goes on, but there’s also information we need to give to you now so you can decide on how to proceed.”

“How to proceed?  I’m keeping the baby,"Jenna said, her voice cautious.

“Let me rephrase the statement.  Given your age, there are options for you that younger mothers don’t normally need to take.  After 35, any pregnant mother is considered a geriatric pregnancy.  All of these tests are optional and carry some form of risk to you or the baby.  The lowest risk to either of you is the NIPT, or non-invasive prenatal testing.  We put in an order with our lab to have you come in and give a blood sample.  This can be done as early as 10 weeks along to make sure there’s enough fetal cells in your bloodstream, since you and baby share blood supply right now.  We use this to check for likelihoods of most of the genetic disorders that tend to be more prevalent in older pregnancies.  It can also be used, if you want, to find out the gender of your baby before it would show up on an anatomy scan.  In the event you have a high probability that the baby is genetically predisposed to one of these disorders, you can choose to keep or end the pregnancy at that point.  If you wish to do further testing, there is the amniocentesis, where they put a needle in through your stomach and pull cells from the amniotic sac and can tell with better certainty on genetic disorders.  It does carry a higher risk of mortality, as high as 20%.  Again, this is optional.  We just know some people prefer to know before having the baby if there are going to be any genetic issues where the baby would need more specialized care.”

Jenna looked at JC.  “What do you think?”

JC looked at the woman.  “Do we have to decide now on the testing?”

“Technically, no, but most couples that come in usually will opt for the blood draw since it carries the least risk to the baby.”

JC looked at Jenna.  “At least we’d know for sure if it’s a boy or girl.  Anything else would be extra information.  I’m not really worried about the results for the other tests, but it also doesn’t hurt to know just in case.”

“I was thinking that, too.  It would calm our minds and give us certainty with different things.”

“Very well. I’ll just need you two to complete the paperwork here and we’ll put in the order for your lab work in the next 2-3 weeks.”

Jenna and JC completed the paperwork that was in front of them, handing it to the woman once they had finished.  The woman perused the paperwork, her eyes widening.  “I thought you looked familiar…”

“I also trust this falls under doctor/patient confidentiality?” Jenna said, her tone serious.

“Absolutely.  I didn’t recognize you at first, but seeing the name…”

“While I won’t lie that getting any preferential treatment would be great, but I also don’t need anything being leaked or using this to get me better treatment over someone else who needs it more. Do you understand?”

“We all know the rules, anything that breaks our privacy rules results in termination. That includes looking up charts if they are not assigned to your care.  If a patient should see you, we can’t do much if they decide to say anything.  But the staff here will be professional in every capacity.”

“I believe we’re finished here for now, correct?  I’d like to get home, it’s been a long day and an even longer 5 weeks.”

The woman nodded, Jenna and JC getting up and walking out of the office.  JC looked at jenna, in awe of how she had handled herself just now.  She was determined and very sure of herself, and finding he liked it more than he should.

They got in his Jeep, beginning the drive home.  “Jenna, can we talk about what happened in there?”

“I guess.”

“I admit I thought your doctor was going to recognize me, but to have an admin be the one…”

“I knew it would happen at some point.  You had millions of fans back in the day, we’re bound to run into them as we live our lives.  I’m really hoping she just knows your name and isn’t judging me for being your baby mama.”

“If anything, I feel like your doctor was surprised.”

“Yeah, I got that feeling, too.  But at least she handled it well, and didn’t seem to recognize you.  I meant what i said, if I get preferential treatment over someone who needs it more, I couldn’t live with myself.  As great as getting special treatment because of you can be, I don’t want to expect it, either.”

“You handled that very well, not needing me to step in at all.”

“After dealing with my mom all these years, I learned how to be my own advocate.  I’d talk to my doctors apart from my mom, telling them what I really wanted, and they would present things to my mother as professionals, and she would totally go along with it, even though she’d say no when I said the exact same things.”

“Well, I will always want what’s best for you, and trust that you know what that is.”

“I know, and thank you for that.  You’ve proven that over and over in such a short amount of time.  I can’t tell you how much it means to me.  I still can’t believe how often you’ve gone toe to toe with my mom.  Steve was always intimidated by her.”

“I’ve dealt with my share of people like her, as I’m sure you know.  So to help you be your own advocate and do what you want is extremely important.  Things would have gone very differently if I just caved in to what she wanted.”

“I could have died waiting for treatment doing what my mom wanted.  Honestly, Josh.  I don’t think she knows that, but she was wanting to take a wait and see approach, that at the point she’d want to do something, it would be too late.  You tried your best to get me into the hospital when the headache started, you took my word and saw how much pain I was in.  My mother would have said I was overreacting.”

“You’re a warrior in ways I’m just starting to see, and it gives me hope.”  He pulled her in close, taking in the scent of her shampoo, her body wash that lingered on her skin.  “I also find it sexy as fuck and want to do something about it.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Jenna giggled, JC kissing her deeply before lifting her off the ground and carrying her to their bedroom.