You Saw Me

75

So it was settled. My bridesmaids would be Gayle, Glenne, Ana and Sarah. But I had one more in mind; Gemma. I decided to call her when I was back at home, filled up with joy and love for my dress. It needed minor alterations that a seamstress would take care of, and I would be back for a fitting the week before our wedding. 

I sat down on the sofa and called Gemma. It would be around 9 PM in London, so I hoped it wasn't too late to call her. 

"Hello Ellie?" Gemma answered, sounding sweet and happy to hear from me.

"Hi Gemma, how are you?" It was great to hear her voice. She told me about work and what she and Michael had been up to recently. She filled me in on how proud Anne was that we were getting married, and that they couldn't wait to come see us. I desperately wanted to tell her that I was expecting her niece or nephew, but I needed to respect the decision we had made together. We would let people know at the wedding.

"I wanted to ask you something", I said feeling a little nervous. 

"What's up?" She said.

"Would you be my bridesmaid?" I asked, feeling like I was a 10-year-old asking her to be my friend.

"Really?" She said, her voice emotional. "You want me to be a bridesmaid? I'd love to, Ellie". 

I smiled and took a deep breath, my nerves disappearing. "Phew, I'm so happy!" I said. "We're going to find dresses for the bridesmaids, but I don't know if we just need your measurements, or..." I trailed off, not knowing what the best solution was. 

"I could fly over?" Gemma suggested. I would love for her to come, and I knew Henry would be so happy to have his sister with us. "I know we're coming over for the wedding, but I could come for a long weekend, like next weekend?" 

"That's perfect, Gemma, let's arrange it!" I said and created a group chat for my bridesmaids, where we could arrange and share ideas. 

***

Henry and I were sitting in the waiting room at the obstetrician. I was having an ultrasound and a routine check up. I was feeling anxious and excited at the same time. Henry was holding my hand, whispering calming things in my ear. 

"Ellie Parsons?" A nurse came out and called. Henry flinched when he said my last name. 

"I can't wait to change your name to Stiles", he whispered and I giggled. 

"You're not changing yours to Parsons?" I said teasingly as we followed the nurse. He chuckled and tickled my side. 

My obstetrician, Dr. Walters, was a young woman around Henry's age. She was lovely and warm and made us feel comfortable. She gestured for me to get up on the exam table and asked me to lift my top and lower the lining of my skirt. The nurse who was assisting her was a guy, who had a great sense of humour and he made both Henry and I laugh and relax a bit. He squeezed gel on my stomach, preparing me that it would be cold. I made a little sound, much to Henry's amusement. 

"Right, let's have a look, shall we?" Dr. Walters put the transducer on my stomach and moved it around a bit. The screen was turned away from us to begin with, which made me anxious. It felt like forever before she said something. 

"There we go", she said and turned the screen. "Here's the little one. I understood from your file that you weren't aware you were pregnant?" She asked, smiling while she measured on the screen. 

"No, we didn't know", Henry replied for me, as I was completely mesmerized by the little human, bouncing around on the screen. 

"Sometimes it takes babies longer to find the right mom and dad", the nurse said and squeezed my shoulder. If only he knew how long it had taken this baby to find me, I thought to myself.

Dr. Walters checked everything that needed to be checked and took her time, so we got to see as much as possible. "Oh, I see the sex. Do you want to know?" She looked at us, smiling. 

I looked up at Henry, and he shrugged. "What do you think?" He said and squeezed my hand. 

"I'd like to know", I said in a small voice. Henry nodded and kissed me on the forehead. 

"Okay, let's hear it, Doc", he said cheerfully and charmingly as only he could. 

She moved the transducer and paused the screen, so she could show us. "Do you see that little area there?" We both nodded. "That's the sex, and it's a little girl". She smiled at us. 

"A girl?" Henry's eyes were filled with tears as we hugged each other. "You're giving me a little girl?" He cried into my shoulder. 

I knew how much it meant to him and it made me so emotional that I started crying as well. Everything was so surreal. 

"And everything is fine and dandy. She's exactly like she should be. Why don't you get dressed , and then I'll see you in my office in 5 minutes, so we can check you out as well?" Dr. Walters and the nurse left the room. 

Henry kept holding me, unable to let go. He was kissing me and whispering how much he loved me and that he would never, ever let me go. 

I kissed him and caressed his cheek. "I think you're going to have to, Dr. Walters doesn't have all day", I smirked at him. He chuckled and helped me up so we could go to her office for my check-up. 

***

In Dr. Walters' office she checked my blood pressure and my weight. Everything was perfect, she said. Henry smiled at me and held my hand while we sat down to have a talk. 

"So is there anything you've been wondering about?" she as as she was typing in my journal on her computer. 

I cleared my throat, and gathered the courage to ask what we had discussed. "How is it with... sex? Can we, can't we?" I blushed a little asking it, but I knew she of course got these kinds of questions all the time. 

"You can, certainly", she smiled. "Your pregnancy is healthy and low-risk. That means you're safe to have sex. There are actually many benefits from having sex when pregnant such as stress reduction, intimacy between partners, and increased blood flow to the pelvic area, which can be beneficial for the baby's well-being. You just have to be aware of the signals your body is sending you, if something feels uncomfortable, stop. Some sexual positions are not comfortable when pregnant. You can play around just as much as you want. It won't hurt the baby, if that's what worries you?" She looked at Henry, who was looking a little nervous. 

"Yeah, that is what I worry about. I mean, Ellie and me, we... Well it can get kinda...", he was blushing and covered his face with his hands. I couldn't help but giggle and Dr. Walters let out a laugh as well. 

"I hear you, I hear you", she laughed and smiled kindly at the both of us. "Sex and intimacy is important in a relationship. There are plenty of ways you can pleasure each other without it being wild and crazy. Just listen to your body, Ellie and be aware. If there is anything that worries you, you call us, okay?" 

I nodded and squeezed Henry's hand. "Well then we better get home", I said, not realising how it sounded, much to Henry's amusement. 

"Alright then", he said, smirking and winked at me. 

Dr. Walters laughed heartedly and shook our hands before showing us out.