I ***ed up Again

"Wow, Miss Palmer, it looks like your baby has quite the growth spurt this month!" Doctor Griffin smiled as she walked into the office.

"I've got the stretch marks to prove it!" I laughed.

John just stood next to me awkwardly and shifted from one foot to the other.

"This is John, the baby's father." I introduced. He stepped over to the doctor to shake her hand politely.

"Hi John, how are you?" She asked.

"I'm fine, thanks." He nodded.

"We're excited to find out the sex." I told her as she got the ultrasound machine ready.

"Me too, actually. Have you picked out any names yet?" She asked as she squirted the goo on my stomach.

"Yeah, we were thinking John Cornelius for a boy and Dana Elizabeth for a girl." I answered.

"How did you pick John Cornelius?" She asked as she rolled the handle over my stomach.

"That's John's name. He's the fifth in his family." I told her proudly.

"Aw, that's so neat. So are you hoping for a boy then?" She asked him.

"It doesn't matter to me." He replied.

I smiled up at him and his cheeks got red.

"Here's the heartbeat." She said as thumping began.

"Is that your heartbeat or the baby's?" John asked with a confused look on his face.

"The baby's." I chuckled.

The look he got on his face after that almost made me cry. He looked so happy and emotional all at the same time. I knew how excited he was for the baby, but the look on his face just blew me away.

I kept trying to ask him what he wanted with the baby and he kept insisting that he didn't care, as long as the baby was fine. Even when we shopped for baby things I couldn't get it out of him. I wanted twins so we could have one of each, but I knew there was only one baby inside me, so I kind of wanted a boy.

"Well, I know what the sex is." Dr. Griffin smiled.

"What is it!?" I cried.

"Whoa, calm down, Palmer." She chuckled. "You'll see when you get your appointment papers at the end. But your baby looks very healthy and well. Everything seems good and healthy. Any questions or worries?"

I was about to shake my head 'no' when John spoke up.

"The baby kicked her pretty hard the other day, is that normal?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, once your little one starts moving it won't stop. If the baby is this active now then you're in for a treat in your last trimester." She smiled.

"Oh, and what about music? Can the baby hear it?" He asked.

"Yeah, actually the baby can. The baby can even recognize your voices at this point." She told us.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, when it's born it'll be able to recognize mostly your voice since you're carrying it, but probably John's too depending how much the baby hears his voice." She said.

"That's awesome." He grinned.

"I know! That's so cool." I squealed.

"Anything else I can do for you?" She asked with a smile.

"I'm good." I nodded.

"Me too." He said.

We walked quickly to the front desk to schedule my next appointment and to get the papers from this one. The papers usually consisted of what she saw in the ultrasound this time, what should be happening with the baby next month, what I might feel next month, and some things I should be doing to stay healthy.

Once I scheduled my appointment, the receptionist handed me a bundle of papers and we walked out the door.

"I can't look." I told John.

"Then let me see!" He whined like a little kid.

"Mmmm...okay." I said as I bit my lip and handed him the bundle of papers. He stopped to read it and I watched his face while he grinned widely.

"What?" I asked.

"See for yourself." He smiled as he gave me a sheet.

I looked down and read through the words when I saw a colorful sticker at the bottom of the page.

"Is this what you wanted?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it is." He said with a small grin as he reached out to lace our fingers.

"I knew it!" I laughed before hopping in the car.

I watched him as he walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"Yeah, yeah." He said as he looked through the rest of the packet. He stopped at one page and started digging through his pocket. He took out his wallet and put the picture of the baby in it.

"You don't mind, right?" He asked.

"No." I answered softly. He's going to be the greatest dad.

"I just want a picture to show my friends and stuff." He said.

"It's fine." I assured him. "I think it's adorable."

"So's our little baby." He smiled as he started driving out of the parking lot. "Do you mind if we go tell my parents?"

"Umm..alright." I agreed nervously.

"It'll be fine." He told me, looking over at me.

I just looked down.

"Hey, trust me." He said.

"Okay." I said softly.

"I need to start talking! I want the baby to recognize my voice." He exclaimed. "Hey baby! Are you excited to come out of your mama's stomach in a few months? I love you." He cooed as he reached over and rubbed my belly.

This made me smile, until I got a kick in the side right where John's hand was.

"Whoa! This kid is a kicker." He laughed.

"Yeah, it's funny because you don't have to feel it."

"Sorry." He smirked.

A few minutes later we pulled into his parent's driveway, luckily Josh wasn't there.

We walked through the door and into John's mom's office.

"Hey mom, we've got something to tell you." He grinned as he pulled me in. I stood bashfully behind him as he pulled out the picture to show his mom.

"Is Palmer pregnant? Oh, wait." She snapped.

I looked down and nervously pulled at my shirt.

"Mom." He warned.

"I'm sorry, but this is going to take some getting used to." She sighed as she took her reading glasses off.

"I know, mom but we talked about this. Can you just be happy for us?" He pleaded.

"Yes, I'm happy. I'm sorry, Palmer I'm just stressed out because of work and everything." She said before standing up and giving me a hug. "You look gorgeous, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Sarah. And I'm really sorry." I frowned as I pulled away.

"Don't worry about it. What's done is done. Now let me look at this picture of my grandbaby." She smiled. "Aw, how cute. Did you find out the sex?"

"We did." John grinned.

"And...?" She asked happily.

"You'll be happy to know that you're finally getting a daughter." He smiled.

"Oh, that's great news! I'm so happy for you two!" She said sincerely.

"Thank you so much." I grinned as I rubbed my belly.

"Hey mom, who's here?" A voice asked before we heard the front door close.

I stared at John for a second with a fearful look in my eye and he put his arm around me, telling me that it would be okay.

"Oh, it's you." He said as he stepped into the office.

"Hi honey, John and Palmer are having a girl!" Sarah told him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Congrats." He mumbled before walking out of the room.