World Tour

Brisbane: XIV

They waited in silence, each minute feeling like a day, until at last the door opened and a white-coated middle aged man with kind eyes walked in.
¨Ms Chen, hello.¨ 
The doctor sat down on the free chair, and his eyes shot from one to the other. 
¨Can you tell me what the setup is, here?¨
Belle looked at Eddy, waiting for him to speak. 
¨Er...¨ he said. ¨I'm Eddy Chen, Belle is my sister and our surrogate, and this is my husband Brett, who is the biological father.¨
The doctor nodded, as if this were the most normal thing in the world, and Eddy was grateful to him. He didn't need to deal with any additional shit right now. 
¨Well,¨ the doctor said, ¨I'll give you an ultrasound and we'll see what's going on. You're a bit early in the pregnancy to see a heartbeat anyway, but we'll have a look. Bleeding is not uncommon in the early stages of pregnancy, and doesn't always mean bad news, but I understand you've bled quite heavily.¨ 
Belle just nodded. 
He got up and motioned to the chair.
¨You can take off your trousers and underwear and lie down on the chair, I'll give you a sheet so you can cover yourself. I guess the men will wait outside for a moment?¨
He gave them a pointed look, but Eddy just looked at him in amazement. Why did she have to take her clothes off?
Then the doctor smiled slightly, clearly interpreting his look correctly. 
¨I can't do an ultrasound on the belly yet, it's too early for that. It'll have to be a transvaginal ultrasound.
Fuck. 
¨Er, Belle,¨ Eddy said hesitantly. ¨What do you want? Do you want us here? Or do you want us to wait outside?¨
She shook her head very suddenly. 
¨Of course I want you here. Please. Just... let me get installed, okay?¨
He nodded, and they left the office for a minute, standing in the hallway staring at each other wordlessly. Their whole fate hung in the balance, or so it seemed to him. He took Brett's hand, and willed some of his strength to come back to him. 
It didn't take long for the door to open again, and Belle was lying with her legs in the stirrups, her modesty protected by a white sheet. Eddy stood next to her and held her hand, while Brett kept a bit more distance, his eyes weary. 

The doctor put a condom on a white wand type thing and his hand disappeared under the sheet. The screen above their heads flickered to life, and they saw what looked like a whole bunch of white noise, with strange shapes. 
No one spoke as the doctor moved the wand around, clearly looking for something, but it all looked exactly the same to Eddy. 
¨Ah, there it is.¨ the doctor said then, pointing to a little shape in the middle of the screen. There was a little blob and a circle. What did that mean? Eddy offered up another silent prayer, he didn't even know to which deity. Please, please, let the baby be okay. 
¨Okay, this is good news.¨ the doctor said suddenly. 'I'm actually detecting a fetal heartbeat, see, there is a little blink over there.¨
Eddy squinted, but he couldn't see a blink to save his life. Good news? What did this mean? 
¨Okay, so if you guys give her another minute, we'll all sit down and I'll explain everything.¨

Eddy looked at Brett, grabbed his hand and pulled him back out of the room. 
¨He said it's good news.¨ Brett whispered as the door closed behind them, and it was the first time he had spoken since they got in the car. Eddy nodded. 
¨He did. It'll be okay, Brett...¨ he said, even if he didn't really believe it himself yet. 
They were let back in then, and Belle was sat on one of the chairs, her face pale. Eddy sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. 
¨Okay.¨ the doctor started, his face kind. ¨Like I said, bleeding in early pregnancy is not uncommon. And yes, it can mean there's something wrong but it doesn't always. In this case, the embryo at the moment is very much okay, and the fact that there is a heartbeat already is very encouraging. It could mean that there is an issue with the cervix, and we'll have to monitor you closely.¨
Belle nodded, still so pale, her mouth closed and tight. 
¨I would encourage you to take it very easy for a few days. Have you been experiencing any symptoms yet?¨ the doctor asked. 
¨Erm, I've been feeling a bit sick.¨ she said in her brittle voice. 
The doctor smiled.
¨Well, I know it sounds terrible but that's actually a good sign. It means your body is making the right hormones. I'll make an appointment with you in a few days' time, and until then, please rest as much as possible. Then we'll know more about what's going on. Okay?¨
They all nodded. 
¨Thank you so much for seeing us, doctor.¨ Eddy said, extending his hand, his ingrained manners taking over. 
¨Of course. Please call if there are any concerns. 
Belle gave the doctor a hand as well and then the three of them walked back out of the austere building.