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“I don’t know,” Nick admits. “I have no idea what happens. I don’t know if they can make me return it or if it plays out in court. No clue.”
“Maybe you need to get a lawyer?” I suggest, and there goes more money we don’t have. “You could see if someone could look over your contract. Maybe there’s something in there that says you don’t have to pay it back if you’re injured or something.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Nick says, dropping a kiss to my shoulder. “I’ll see what I can figure out today, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go back. I’m sticking with our plan and staying here.”
“Yeah, but if you do have to go back, maybe just being back there will convince them that you’re not ready for jumping,” I suggest, again, worrying about reinjury when he tries to do anything that could put strain on his knee.
“Don’t worry, Lis, it will all work out,” Nick says, and I wish it were that easy. “What time do you want me to pick you up for your appointment today?” he now asks, changing the subject.
“How about around one? My appointment is at one-thirty so that should be good,” I tell him and he nods.
“We’re going to be okay, Lis,” he whispers, and I swipe my fingers under my eyes. Hearing him say it is hard because we have no idea if it’s true.
My morning goes by quickly,super busy with tourists and all the bookings. I love when the day is like that because it gives me something else to focus on, and after my appointment, I’ll be back at the ski lodge till six and then it’s dinner with Harper, Zoey and Delaney.
“Hey,” Nick says when I sit down in the car. “How’d the morning go?”
“Busy, which is good. The place has been packed since the renovations and people are loving it. I don’t think the Badger Creek mountains have ever seen this much action.”
“That’s awesome. Maybe you could get me a job there too,” Nick says, but I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. He is going to need a job, and why not have us both working there? But I also know, that isn’t for him. He needs to be skiing to be happy. Maybe a job at the ski school would work.
I don’t bring it up, instead changing the subject. “You ready to see what’s going on with our baby?” I ask, smiling at him and he turns to look at me, a smile on his face. This is the first time since all this shit went down with his coach that I see a true smile.
“Fuck yes,” he says with an excitement that I can feel.
“I have no idea what happens at an appointment like this. I should have asked Harper,” I say as we pull into the parking lot for the doctor’s office.
“I could have asked Max too. I’m sure he went with Harper for her first appointment,” Nick replies. “I should start asking him for some tips since he’s well-versed in the whole dad thing.”
We chat mindlessly as we walk into the doctor’s office, and when the nurse calls my name, I’m still filling out the paperwork I was given when I checked in.
The nurse hands me a cup and tells me to use the bathroom and explains that I will have to give a urine sample every time I come. She also tells me they’ll do a blood draw, and the doctor will go over the information with me.
It’s a lot of information and for some reason, I’m nervous. It’s funny that for most of my life I spent it trying not to get pregnant, but here Nick and I are, excited about having a baby.
Nick and I are sitting in silence, Nick taking in all the diagrams and pictures in the room, and I can tell by the look on his face, he’s nervous too.
There’s a knock on the door and both Nick and I jump, laughing at our reaction as the doctor comes in.
“Hi Elissa,” Dr. Emerson says. He’s been my doctor since I went on the pill at sixteen. “This must be the famous Nick O’Connor.”
“I’m not sure famous is the right word,” Nick replies, shaking the doctor’s hand. “Right now, I’m just here as dad-to-be.”
“Sounds good,” Dr. Emerson says, and begins to fill us in on how things are going to work. “So I’ll see you every four weeks and at the twenty week mark, we’ll do an ultrasound to see how baby is doing. As of right now, your blood work looks good, your hormone levels are high and in the range where we want them.”
“I do have a question,” I say, kind of embarrassed that I have no idea when I got pregnant, not really remembering when I last got my period. “I have no idea how far along I am. I think I missed two periods.”
“No problem,” Dr. Emerson says. “Here’s what we’ll do, I’ll send you for an ultrasound next week and that way we can get an accurate reading on the baby. But for today, let’s see if we can get a heartbeat.”
The doctor takes out this small machine, placing it on the table next to me, he lifts my shirt and asks me to unbutton my jeans. Tucking a towel into the waistband, he squeezes some gel onto my stomach.
“This little machine allows us to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and since you think you missed two periods, we should be able to hear it.” The doctor turns the machine on and places a small wand against my stomach, moving around slowly.
“It just sounds like wind,” Nick jokes, and he’s right, it’s just this whooshing sound. The doctor looks up at me, winking.
“Don’t worry, something cool is coming,” he tells us, slowly sliding the wand along my stomach, and that’s when it happens.
“Oh my god, is that the heartbeat?” Nick shouts, jumping up from the chair. He’s now standing next to me, the tiny little thumping echoing in the room, and it’s a sound I will remember for the rest of my life.
