It Started With a Cake

Ch10. Appointment

My arm is wrapped around his, both of us squeezing tightly as my foot anxiously bounces up and down. I begin to feel incredibly nauseous as we sit in the waiting room, though I'm unsure if it's from my nerves or pregnancy, or possibly even a mix of both.

It's been almost exactly a week since we found out I was pregnant and since then my symptoms have skyrocketed, hardly ever having a day now that I haven't been nauseous and bed ridden the whole day.

Even today was a challenge to get out of bed, Peeta had to practically carry me down here. Still we made it down to the small building in good time, with help from the reminder of why we were doing this.

"Why's it taking so long?" I whisper semi frustratedly into Peeta's shoulder.

I hear him chuckle beside me, "it's only been five minutes"

I whine back in response, squeezing his hand tighter and bouncing my foot faster.

As if my silent prayers had been answered right than and now, Dr Jenkins calls us back to the same room we met her In a week prior.

I still haven't let go of my grip on Peeta's arm, clinging on to it still as I take a seat on the bed.

"So, how have you been?" She finally asks me, smiling brightly at us both.

I nervously smile back, "good" I hesitantly tell her, looking to Peeta for support, he just nods for me to continue, "sick" I finally add on shyly.

She smiles back comfortingly, "well, that should be a good sign. Though I'm sure it hasn't been very pleasant"

I nod.

"Would you mind explaining what the past week's been like for you? What you've experienced sickness wise" her words are gentle and I find myself easily recounting the week's events to her.

She nods at my words as I tell them, writing down bits here and there, while prompting further questions. The conversation flows fairly easily with input from Peeta every so often filling in the silence with any details I've forgotten.

Once our discussion is out of the way she instructs me to lie down and I lift my shirt up to reveal my stomach.

The gel isn't as cold this time I notice as it's squeezed onto my abdomen, then before I have anytime to think any other thoughts the grainy picture comes onto the monitor, captivating my attention.

Lucy moves her little wand around for a moment as she searches the black and white image, quickly finding what she's looking for and showing it to us.

"Well it appears to have stuck in there" she cheerily tells us, barely lifting her eyes off the screen to look at us. She inspects the screen with a inquisitive look, making me wish I could know the things she was thinking right now.

"I'm just taking some measurements" she tells us, seemingly knowing both Peeta and I deeply interested in every one of her movements.

It's another moment of silent staring and watching in aww before she speaks again.

"Everything seems to be measuring well, and on track for an eight week pregnancy" she informs us, "though you can't see much at this stage anyway"

I finally look to Peeta as the screen turns off, his look of wonder immeasurable.

"Great, now what?" I find myself saying perhaps a little too sharply, however Lucy just smiles.

"Well I will order in another blood and urine test for you to do today, then depending on results we'll book you in for say the next couple weeks or month if everything looks good"

I nod hesitantly looking over at Peeta who seems to be sharing my thoughts of worry, though his exterior is slightly more confident than mine.

He squeezes my hand as he notices how worried I look. "Everything's going to be okay" he tells me as he pulls me into his tight embrace.

I'm about to list every way that it may not be okay when Lucy walks in again with the required equipment.

She asks us more questions as she quickly completes each of her new tasks, these ones getting slightly more personal compared to the health side ones earlier.

She's very friendly I can't help but think as she tells us more about herself in turn, it's very clear she has a kind heart, unsurprising as to why she became a doctor.

Her personality reminds me of multiple people, she was destined to be a carer just like my sister was. She's got a very similar sense of humour to greasy sae, and I can see a friend in her as I did with Madge.

The thought of all the people we've lost, asides from Sae of course; nothing could kill that woman. Compels the tears to run, but I don't allow it, not here at least. Besides I've done enough crying in the past week to last me a lifetime.

"Are you okay" Peeta's voice is the one to bring me back into reality, making me suddenly realise we had left the office completely.

"Yeah" I choke. Cursing my voice for giving away any shred of hope for hiding my feelings, not that I really had much hope in that department.

Luckily for me he doesn't question further, only pulling me closer into his side to caress my side as we walk back home.

To keep my tears at bay, I instead try to focus on our new little baby. I'm so unbelievably grateful that it stuck, my mind wandering over every thought of this new little life inside me. What will they look like? What will their personality be? Will they be introverted and stubborn like me, or outgoing and kind like Peeta?

But as the thought wanders I can't help but fear. I can't take care of a baby, how do I teach it things? What way do I hold it? Can I even get it out of me? I've seen full term women before and they are huge, how does it even come out of me?

Once again Peeta has seemed to notice my sudden shift in mood.

"What are you thinking about?" He gently asks me, bringing the feeling back to my shoulder as he rubs it warmly.

I gulp, "the baby" I decide to tell him, hoping in some way those two little words can covey in every way the feeling of joy, happiness, dread and fear that I feel jumbled all together in a mess of feelings.

He nods, but even as he tries to show me a comforting glance in solidarity, he can't seem to contain the joy that reaches his eyes.

At least he's overjoyed with the baby, I tell myself once again, he's the reason you are doing this in the first place.

"It's okay to be scared" he finally settles on, moving his hand from my shoulder to my side, I nod slowly, "I'm scared too, but we're doing it together and we're learning together" he adds when it's clear haven't got anything to say.

"It will be okay"

I smile hopefully, entering our home with a lot more emotions than I left with.

I hope so.