Sweet Caroline {Ryan Blaney} ✔️

three

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"Alright Lydia," The doctor poked her head into the curtained room before stepping in. The doctor glanced down at her laptop, "You're here for a pap smear?"

Lydia nodded, her eyes floating up towards the ceiling. She hated getting these done but the few seconds of discomfort are way better than having cervical cancer. She slipped her feet into the stirrups as her doctor took a seat in between her legs.

"Let's just take a look..." The doctor's voice trailed off. "Lydia, did you realize that you're pregnant?"

Lydia nearly fell off of the exam table. "What?" There was no way. She had been so busy with law school that sex was just a pipedream -- besides her night with Ryan was enough to keep her company whenever she was lonely.

The doctor stood up, "Let me get an ultrasound machine but your cervix is closed which only means one thing." Before Lydia could say anything, the doctor hustled out of the room.

Lydia's eyes returned to the ceiling, her heart pounding. It had been nearly four and a half months since her night with Ryan, the only time that she had had sex in a year. How could she have not known that she was pregnant? This had to be a mistake.

"Here we are." The doctor pushed a big metal cart to the side of her exam table. "Let's see what we find. Do you remember the first day of your last period?"

Lydia thought for a moment before shrugging. "I honestly can't remember. Law school is stressful and my period has never really been regular so I just thought..."

"Right. Can you lift your gown?" The doctor grabbed the ultrasound wand, "If it makes you feel better, this happens way more often than you think."

Lydia chuckled dryly, "I don't know how I didn't realize it sooner..." She thought back to the nausea, the cravings, the headaches, the tiredness, the weight gain -- she had contributed them to the start of law school.

Lydia winced at the cool gel on her belly before turning her eyes to the doctor and the screen. "Let's see what we have here..." The doctor's eyes widened a little as she studied the screen, "You look like you're at least 20 weeks along."

Lydia closed her eyes, nodding a little. A million thoughts rushed through her head. She had no idea how she was going to navigate law school with a baby, she could barely manage now as it is. She felt sick to her stomach -- this was not how she had visioned her life going. A fresh start meant that she was going to accomplish everything that she had ever dreamed of but now there was a baby and Lydia could almost see all of her dreams fading.

"Would you like to see?" The doctor turned the screen towards Lydia.

A warm, oozing feeling washed over Lydia as she studied the little figure on the screen. The way the nose sloped into a little button like hers, the little fingers that were covering part of their face. "Can you tell the sex?" She found herself asking, suddenly curious. Her previous panic had faded a little at the sight of the fetus on the screen in front of her, instead love washed over her.

The doctor moved the wand a few times, "Looks like you're having a little girl. We'll get you set up with the OB in the office, okay?"

"Do you think she's okay? I didn't know so I didn't take any prenatals..." Her voice wavered a little, guilt starting to creep in that she had already failed her daughter. She was thankful that she had never been one to drink or smoke so she knew that was a non-issue.