Part 40

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December 2, 2013
      It's been a rough day in their household. Rick and Kate were staying at Martha's apartment since both of her parents came down with the flu. Royce is also experiencing a sleep regression which is causing both parents to obtain little sleep and the impending absence of Rick as he goes to North Carolina is causing tension between him and Kate. The lack of sleep they got resulted in them waking up late and rushing to get ready for their son's two month check up. They breakout in another fight in the car, "Please stop driving so fast." Kate snapped.
      "I'm five over the speed limit and I'm trying to make sure we make it to Royce's appointment on time." Rick argues, "Not gonna need an appointment if we get in an accident." She huffs, "Can you please trust my driving? I'm the one that drives 99% of the time." He throws back at her, "Sorry, I'm making sure our son gets the stuff he needs in case he wakes up." Kate rolls her eyes and looks out the window. Rick's jaw tenses as he pulls into a parking spot and gets out of the car, slamming the door.
      "Can you not do that please? He's sleeping." Kate starts a new argument, "He's fine." Rick insists as he picks the car seat up and begins walking towards the entrance. Kate grabs the diaper bag and rushes to catch up to her boyfriend and son. They're silent in the elevator and waiting room as they wait to be called back. Thankfully, it's not long until a nurse calls Royce's name and they walk back into an exam room. "Let's get him undressed and on the scale." The nurse says. Kate takes charge trying to make their couple tension unnoticeable.
       The nurse records Royce's weight, "He's now 11 pounds 2 ounces so he's gained 1 pound 7 ounces since his last appointment which is perfect and he is now measuring at 23.25 inches. His measurements are perfect. Dr. Swann will be in shortly." The nurse says with a smile before leaving. Kate puts Royce back in his onesie and holds him against her chest. "Kate, I'm sorry about earlier." Rick says, "Not now." She insists. "I'm trying to apologize." Rick says, "And I said not now." She says through gritted teeth. He rolls his eyes and sits in the uncomfortable plastic chair.
Dr. Swann walks in with a smile on her face, "Good afternoon. How is Mr. Royce?" The pediatrician asks, "Perfect." Kate answers as the first genuine smile of the day graces her face, "That's wonderful to hear. So I'm going to do a physical and then this little guy will be receiving six vaccinations today: his PCV, DTaP, Hib, polio, and hepatitis B vaccines are all shots and the rotavirus vaccine is given orally." Dr. Swann says. Kate nods and takes a deep breath. Shots aren't something they've had to deal with yet.
She lays Royce on the table and steps to the side, still keeping her distance from Rick. They watch as their pediatrician checks every inch of their baby boy. "He's developing perfectly. Make sure you're still giving him the vitamin D drops and that he is laying on his back. Nurse Sarah will be in in a few minutes to administer his vaccinations. Do you guys have any questions for me?" Dr. Swann asks. They both shake their heads, "Alright, then I will see you guys in February for his four month check up." The woman says before leaving the couple alone once again.
Kate walks over to Royce to make sure he doesn't slide off of the exam table. Rick doesn't try to engage with her. Nurse Sarah walks back in with a small tray of shots, "Alright, two shots will go in his left leg and three in his right, but I'm going to do the oral vaccination first." The nurse says. By the time the vaccinations are completed, Royce is a screaming mess and Kate is anxious to soothe him. She lifts him off the table the minute the last shot is administered, "We ask that you guys just stay here for fifteen minutes so we can make sure he doesn't have an adverse reactions." The nurse says and they nod.
Kate sits once they're alone and lowers her top to allow him to latch, "We need to get him on bottles." Rick says, "Okay, well, we didn't pack any." Kate huffs, "I was just saying." He argues. The tension continues as the fifteen minutes pass until they leave. When they make it back to the apartment, Kate passes Royce to Rick, "Since you're so adamant on bottle feeding, I'm going to go pump and then take a shower." Kate says, "Kate."
She doesn't even stop when he says her name, just hurried upstairs. Rick sits on the couch and for the first time in their relationship, he wonders if they'll survive this rough patch.
Part 40. Will our fav couple survive this tough time? Let me know what you think!

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