Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

35

Molly swallowed and pressed her tongue into the roof of her mouth, hoping this small act would help stem the nausea. Andrew sat next to her in the waiting room, his fingers entwined in hers and his long legs crossed at the ankles. He was jiggling his foot absentmindedly.

"Andrew. Stop it. You're making me want to puke," Molly said quietly.

"Shit, sorry love," he apologized. He shifted in his seat and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm just really nervous. And excited."

She smiled at him weakly. "I can tell."

He'd been giddy all morning and it was cute at first. Now it was just annoying. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a hard candy wrapped in plastic. It crinkled as he unwrapped it and offered it to her. She took it gratefully and popped it in her mouth, happy for the relief from the nausea.

"Is it normal to be this nauseous?" he asked, stroking her back.

"You're asking the wrong person," she sighed, leaning forward.

"Molly Stanley?" a nurse called, appearing in the waiting room.

"Yeah," Andrew replied, standing.

He kept a firm grip on Molly's hand as they followed the nurse back toward the exam rooms. This clinic was different from the one she'd gone to previously. Once they decided she was keeping the pregnancy, Molly was adamant about finding a new doctor. She didn't want the reminder of how she'd almost terminated the pregnancy every time she walked in.

She was also wary of the press finding out. The last thing they needed was for this to become front page news. She was actually surprised nobody commented on the ring on her finger when they were photographed outside Balfes two weeks beforehand.

Caroline had explained that it was probably because the press was wary of commenting about her after the pepper spraying incident. The Sunday Times had come under extreme fire when their assailant revealed he was motivated by the article they'd written. Ever since, it seemed as though all of the other papers and websites were happy to give her some space. But she doubted that they'd be as happy to give her space once they found out she was carrying the first child of Ireland's favorite musican.

"Just in there," the nurse instructed. "If you'll change into the provided gown, I'll be back in a few moments to begin the exam. We're doing a full pelvic, so everything comes off."

"Thank you," Andrew said, following Molly into the small exam room.

He stood in the center of the room awkwardly as Molly changed her clothes.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling on the cotton gown - a big improvement from the rough paper one before.

"I just...I don't know what to do," he replied. "Where do I stand, what do I do?" he asked nervously.

"You can start by tying this for me," she instructed, turning her back to him.

Grateful for the task, he completed it quickly. A knock came at the door and the nurse entered. "I see you've filled out the questionnaire, so that makes things easier on us. If you could just hop onto the scale here, we'll get your weight." Molly did as she was asked and the nurse recorded it.

"Is this Dad?" the nurse asked.

"Andrew," he replied, holding out his hand. He could tell the young nurse knew exactly who he was, but he appreciated her feigning ignorance all the same.

"Excellent. Having a good support system from the start is essential for mums," the nurse said. "We're going to get your blood pressure and then do a few draws to confirm blood type as well as test for any genetic issues. Then the doctor will come in and do the full exam."