More than Expected

Part 18

February 22, 2013
     It didn't take long for Kate's morning sickness to settle in. She was hit with it last night while eating dinner with her parents. One whiff of her mother's chicken parm and she was sprinting to the bathroom to empty her stomach. Johanna was able to stall Jim by telling him that she must have caught the flu or a stomach bug. She was also able fo convince him that she was taking Kate to the doctor's this morning to see if she had the flu. Kate sits hunched over the toilet after emptying her already empty stomach.
     Johanna rubs her daughter's back, "Do you want some crackers and ginger ale for the car ride?" Johanna asks. Kate nods as she finally stands. Johanna goes downstairs while Kate gets in the shower. There is a knock on the door and Johanna opens it to find Rick on the other side. He feels an uncomfortable pit in his stomach. Kate had told him how she told her mother, but he hasn't seen Johanna since before then, "Hi Rick. Katie is in the shower and then we should be good to go." She tells him. He nods as he steps inside.
     "Ma'am, I just want you to know that I take responsibility for what happened. I should've been better protected that night, but I wasn't and here we are. I also want you to know that I am going to take care of your daughter and our baby. I truly love her. I won't let her do this on her own." Rick begins rambling. Johanna smiles and hugs the young man, "Rick, don't start calling me ma'am now. I know you're going to take care of Katie and the baby. I always had a feeling this would happen for you two. I just thought it would be ten years from now." Johanna says.
     "You and me both." He chuckles. "Mom!" They both hear Kate yell and rush upstairs. In the bathroom, they find the girl wrapped in a towel with her hands gripping the edge of the counter, "What happened, Bug?" Johanna asks as she walks over and places her hand on her daughter's arm and the other on her back, "I just got really lightheaded." Kate says, "Okay, that can happen with pregnancy. I bet the empty stomach and hot shower didn't help. You can't take as hot of showers as you use to, honey." Johanna tells her.
     Kate nods. For the first time, she looks up to notice Rick is there, "Hi." She mumbles. "Hey." He responds with a small smile, "Let Rick help you get dressed and then we can leave." Johanna says. Kate nods as she slowly removes her hands from the counter and grabs onto her boyfriend. They enter her bedroom where he helps her sit on the bed and grabs a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt for her as well as socks, panties, and a bra. "You haven't kissed me yet." She states.
     He smiles and then presses his lips to hers, "Hi beautiful." He mumbles, "Your kid is trying to kill me." She says. He chuckles, "Oh yeah? That's not very nice." He says. She grabs his hand and rests it on her stomach, "I'm scared." She admits. He squats down and places both hands on her hips, "I am too, but you aren't going through this alone. You're never going through anything alone ever again. I promise." He whispers and then presses a kiss to her shoulder, neck, and cheek before kissing her lips again. "I love you." She whispers.
     "I love you too. And this little peanut." He tells her. She smiles before standing up and getting dressed. She combs out her wet curls before twisting them into a messy bun piled on top of her head. The couple makes their way downstairs where Johanna has a sleeve of crackers and a can of ginger ale for her daughter, "You two ready?" Johanna asks, "As ready as we'll be." Kate responds. They all pile into Johanna's car and make their way to the doctor's office. Once they arrive, Johanna helps Kate fill out the paperwork while Rick runs a calming hand over her knee.
      She feels the urge to throw up again when the nurse calls her name to take her back to an exam room and get weighed. She sits on the exam table after her weight and height are taken and bounces her legs up and down. Rick stands next to her, holding her hand while Johanna sits in a chair next to the wall. Dr. Bells comes in, "Hi Kate. I'm Dr. Laura Bells. I understand you're here for a confirmation of pregnancy?" Dr. Bells asks and Kate nods, "Okay. When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?"
      Kate thinks for a moment before answering, "December 18." "Okay, so you've missed two periods?" "Yes ma'am." "Any other symptoms?" Dr. Bells asks, "I've been really tired and I have recently started getting sick." Kate answers. "Alright. I'm going to have you leave us a urine sample and then I'm going to have a nurse draw some blood to confirm the pregnancy as well as check your protein levels. The urine sample should take about five minutes to test. The blood sample will be anywhere between 12 to 24 hours, so we will call you with those results."
     Dr. Bells hands Kate a cup to leave her urine sample before leaving. Kate goes to the bathroom and completes the urine sample before going back out the exam room where there is a nurse waiting for her, "Hi, Kate, my name is Cindy and I will be taking a blood sample for Dr. Bells." The young woman introduces herself. Kate gets back on the exam room and lifts the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Rick grabs her hand, knowing her pure hatred and fear of needles. Kate squeezes his hand the entire time the procedure is done.
     After Cindy takes her blood sample, Kate is left alone in the exam room with her boyfriend and mother again. "How are you feeling, Katie?" Johanna asks, "Tired." She answers as she leans back against the wall. Rick runs a soothing hand up and down her leg as the room falls silent. The silence is broken when Dr. Bells walks back into the room, "According to the urine sample we took, you are indeed pregnant and your protein levels look excellent. I'm going to ask that your mother and partner step out into the hallway while I perform a quick pap smear and then we'll bring them back in for an ultrasound." Dr. Bells says.
     Johanna kisses her daughter's forehead before Rick kisses her cheek and they step out into the hallway. "How are you feeling?" Johanna asks her daughter's boyfriend. He sighs and puts his head in his hands. Johanna places a gentle hand on her back, "Rick?" She asks. He stands up straight and leans his head back against the wall, "Terrified. Inadequate. Irresponsible. But there is a part of me that's a little excited. I just wish Kate didn't look so sad." Rick says looking at the exam room door.
     "This is a scary time for both of you. As more time goes on and you get more use to the idea of having a baby, you guys will get more calm and comfortable. It's not going to be easy, but you need to lean on each other. And you need to be able to depend on her as much as she depends on you." Johanna ensures. Rick nods before Dr. Bells walks back out and invites them back into the exam room. She dims the lights while Johanna takes her seat against the wall and Rick stands near Kate's head.
     He's a little surprised when his girlfriend reaches out and grasps his hand in hers. He leans down and kisses her forehead while Dr. Bells squirts some gel onto Kate's stomach and runs the transducer in circles to spread the gel out. She turns the ultrasound machine on and applied slight pressure to Kate's stomach, "Okay, that black area is the amniotic sac and the small little blob in the middle of the amniotic sac is your baby." Dr. Bells points out to the couple. Kate stares at the screen and can't help the small smile that tugs at the sides of her lips.
     "Based on the date of your last menstrual cycle and the baby's measurements, I'm going to say you're about 7 weeks and 4 days gestation. This will put your due date around October 7, 2013." Dr. Bells says. She removes the transducer and switches it out with a doppler, "I'm going to listen for the baby's heartbeat and then you guys will be free to go." Dr. Bells tells them. It takes a few minutes, but when the rapid whoosh sound fills the room, tears cascade down Kate's temples while Rick smiles.
     "It's really fast." Kate states, "107 beats per minute is normal for a baby at this point in gestation. At your next ultrasound it will be a little higher." Dr. Bells informs the teen. "Everything looks and sounds great, Kate. I'm going to give you a prescription for a prenatal vitamin you need to start taking. I'm also going to give you a prescription for a B12 supplement. If your morning sickness gets to a point where you cannot keep food or water down, start taking the supplement. Get plenty of sleep, eat plenty of food, and drink lots of water."
     "Unless you have any questions for me, I can go get your sonograms printed and you can pick those up at the front desk when you check out and make your next appointment. I would like to see you again in about four weeks." Dr. Bells says. Once Rick and Kate clarify they have no questions, the OB/GYN leaves the room. Johanna also leaves giving her daughter and her boyfriend some privacy, "How're you feeling?" He asks her, "I'm so scared." She begins to cry. Rick holds her to his chest, "We're going to figure everything out, okay?"
     She nods as he presses kisses to her cheek, "I love you." He whispers, "Love you too." She mumbles before wiping her cheeks. After scheduling her next appointment and collecting their sonograms, the three get back in the car and go back to the Beckett residence. Johanna quickly heads off to work while Kate and Rick stay cuddled up in her bed looking at their sonograms, "It's kinda cute." Kate says after hours of staring at the pictures, "I didn't expect our kid to be anything but cute." He assures her before kissing her forehead, "Thank you." She mumbles, "For what?"
      "It's not common for teenage boys to stick around when their girlfriend ends up pregnant. So, thank you for staying." Kate says again, "Hey, I'm in this for long haul. I was in this for the long haul way before a baby came into the picture. Did I picture our life playing out in this order? No. But we are going to figure everything out. As long as I have you and this little peanut, I'm good. You two are my family now, Kate. My top priority." Rick says. Tears well up in Kate's eyes, "I cry a lot easier now." She says causing them to both start laughing.
     "Everything is going to be okay." He promises her. She smiles and nods before pulling him down for a kiss. His hand travels down and rests atop of her flat stomach, "It's so crazy that there's a baby in there." Rick says. Kate's hand moves down to join his, "I know. We created a person, Rick." She says, "They're going to be so perfect." He tells her. She smiles and snuggles into his side before closing her eyes. She knows he's right: everything will work itself out. Everything will be okay.
Part 18! This was a longer one. Let me know what you think. Comments and questions are loved. Gender guesses? Baby name ideas? Let me know!