Logan stood outside the medical office complex holding two coffees and waited for Rory to arrive. He was getting impatient, their doctors appointment was only 10 minutes later. He finally sighed in relief when he saw Rory walking towards him.
"Sorry. I actually got lost on my way here!" Rory said as she arrived.
"You got lost?" Logan smirked. "We are literally on Main Street!"
"Yes! Seriously, you cannot believe how crazy being pregnant is! The baby is taking all the blood flow away from my brain!" Rory laughed.
"Sorry, Ace." Logan winced.
"Sorry? Um, for what?" Rory frowned.
"I kinda feel responsible, you know. For the pregnancy." Logan admitted.
"You feel responsible? Huh. Ok." Rory replied with raised eyebrows.
"I should have been more responsible." Logan went on.
"Hold on. Yes, we should have been more responsible. But we are equally at fault here. It happens. We didn't use good judgment and use a condom. Also, apparently certain homeopathic sleep aids can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills. I didn't know that until recently." Rory replied as they walked into the building. She gladly accepted the offered coffee from Logan, but scowled when she took her first sip and realized that he had brought her decaf.
Logan chuckled at her expression. "I thought you were off caffeine."
"Reduced caffeine, not eliminated entirely. But thank you in any event. I'm down to one cup of real coffee a day." Rory replied as they got on the elevator.
"Uh-huh. And that's ok?" Logan asked.
"No, it sucks. But it's the doctor's recommendation so I'm going with it." Rory smiled as they arrived on the correct floor. She led Logan to the Ob/gyn's office and they entered at precisely Rory's appointment time.
"Lorelie Gilmore. I have an appointment at 11." Rory said to the receptionist. She was directed to take a seat and she lead Logan to the waiting area.
"Ok. So, I'm not sure what exactly will be done during this appointment. It's only my second one and the last time was just about confirming the pregnancy and setting me up with prenatal vitamins." Rory began to explain.
"Ok. We will find out together. If you want me to step out at any point, just let me know. I realize that this is your appointment, I'm just here for moral support. And to ask a few questions." Logan began.
"Well, actually, I disagree. This is for both of us. You're the baby's father. Anything about the pregnancy is your business. I want you to be a full participant. Feel free to ask any questions you want. There is a lot of info that I got the last time, and it's only fair that you get all the info as well. It's just easier if you can come to as many appointments as you can manage, your schedule permitting, so that you get the full picture." Rory responded.
Logan swallowed and nodded, appreciating how open Rory was willing to be. He knew she didn't have to be, and it was heartening that she was. "Thanks. You mentioned something outside about sleep medication interaction with birth control? Is that what you think happened?"
"It's my best guess. Nothing is perfect, but I'm very careful about my birth control. Or at least I was. But I had no idea that herbal sleep meds could counteract the pill. I asked a bunch of questions during my first appointment and the doctor told me that it could be the sleep herbs. Sorry." Rory smirked at Logan.
"Are you?" Logan whispered.
Rory stared at him for a few moments before she smiled. "Not anymore. Honestly, I know the timing sucks and this is not ideal. But I'm actually pretty excited. And I always pictured any children I had to have your blonde hair and smirk." She shrugged. "I guess.... I'm kinda ... I don't know how to put it. I guess it just feels like this was always supposed to happen."
Logan felt his heart rate speed up. He stared at Rory, mesmerized by her blue eyes and the joy he could see in her expression. Their baby. The thought finally struck him that there was going to be a whole new person that was part of both of them. "As long as the baby gets your eyes, I'm ok with a blonde." He smiled at her.
Rory held her breath for a moment as they sat, staring into each other's eyes. She could feel a change in him, but wasn't exactly sure what it meant. She felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him building up in her. She was seconds away from acting on the impulse when she heard her name called.
"Here." Rory responded, standing up. She reached out and took his hand and lead him with her into the exam room.
~~~
Logan sat quietly during the initial appointment while the doctor and Rory discussed her pregnancy symptoms. He was shaken by Rory's honesty in the waiting area, but it had left a warm feeling in his chest. Rory had thought about having his children before she got pregnant. It was a small thing, but the fact that she had admitted it to him so easily was something new for them.
He listened intently to all the information that the doctor was giving them, and waited patiently. Finally the doctor asked Rory to lie down on the examination table and began taking measurements of her lower abdomen and seemed pleased with the results.
"Ok. So, everything seems in order. Do we want to try to hear the heartbeat? We may not be able to get it on this machine, but we may get lucky. Logan felt his heart leap into his throat. He nodded eagerly. Rory smiled and nodded as well.
Logan felt the earth shift under his feet as he heard the fast paced rhythmic swooshing noise over the speaker broadcast throughout the room. He turned to stare at Rory with tears in his eyes. "That's our baby's heart?" He managed to force out around the lump in his throat.
Rory smiled at him and nodded.
"Did you get to hear her the last time?" He asked.
Rory shook her head gently. "No, it was too early. This is the first time." Her voice was low and husky with emotion.
Logan lowered his forehead to lean against Rory's. "Thank you." He whispered, a swirl of emotions running rampant through his head.
"Of course, Logan. You get to be here for all of these moments." She whispered back.
"No, I mean... you didn't have to do this. You could have decided not to go through with the pregnancy. Thank you for giving me this. You have no idea what this means to me. I get to be the father of your child." Logan was actively crying now.
The doctor discreetly left the room. Rory reached up and put her arms around Logan and began to sit up until she was able to embrace him fully. She kept their foreheads pressed together and they continued their conversation at a whisper. "And I get to give you that. Logan, there was never any other decision for me. This is our child. Of course I had to carry the baby to term." She pulled back a bit to look him in the eye. Tears were glistening on her eyelashes and a huge smile spread across her face. She watched the wonder on his expression and realized that it had finally sunk in for him.
Logan leaned forward and placed a hand on her bare abdomen. There was no sign, no bump, no indication that she was pregnant. But it had become real for him now.
Rory placed her hand over his and pushed a little. "Do you feel that? That hard lump? That's our baby." She whispered.
Logan closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again he could see Rory watching him intently. He moved his other hand from her back to her cheek and caressed her face until he drew her closer and kissed her passionately.
