After All This Time

“Everything okay?” Jay’s soprano voice called out, and Kate smiled a bit, nodding her head.

“I’m fine. I’m just sick of playing phone-tag with Kendall. I got his machine again,” she explained, clutching her gleaming black phone in her palm. Jay gave a sympathetic smile, patting her back a bit.

“Oh, to be young and in love,” she teased, and Kate smiled, locking arms with Jay.

“Hey, you are too. I mean, twenty-four isn’t exactly in need of a walker,” Kate joked back, raising her eyebrows.

“No, but being young and in love is so much more fun and spontaneous when you aren’t the size of a bus.”

“Oh, details. Speaking of you being huge, let’s go in there and check out my little niece or nephew,” Kate said, giving Jay’s enormous belly a rub. Jay rolled her eyes, but cradled her stomach lovingly as they walked through the sliding glass doors of the doctor’s office.

The waiting room smelled like disinfectant, and Kate wrinkled her nose in disdain. She sat on one of the stiff chairs as Jay signed in. Expectant mothers littered the room along with dazed husbands or toddlers tugging at their legs. She watched their faces, seeing mostly excitement and joy. Yet in every woman’s eyes, there was the undercurrent of fear or anxiety. Kate shifted uncomfortably, feeling out of place.

“How you holding up?” Jay asked, sliding into the seat next to her. She jumped a bit, causing Jay to laugh.

“I should be asking you that, if I’m not completely mistaken,” she retorted, allowing her heartbeat to return to normal.

“Well, I’m fine. I miss my dork of a husband right about now, but I’m okay.” She ran a finger through her wheat colored curls, trying to arrange herself comfortably.

“Yeah, I know, I miss my dork of a boyfriend,” Kate sighed, playing with the tips of her hair.

“We’ll just have to stick together then.”

“I’m really glad my dorky brother did one smart thing, and married you.” Jay’s blue eyes welled with water as she watched the younger girl.

“I’m so glad to have you. You’re like the sister I’ve always wanted,” she sniffled, throwing her arms around Kate’s scrawny shoulders.

“Ditto. Now knock that off, before I start crying too,” Kate ordered, fanning at her eyes. Jay laughed, swiping her index finger beneath her blue orbs, giving a small giggle.

“Hello hormones,” she laughed, and Kate cracked a smile.

“Jayna Williams?” a young nurse called, standing at the doors leading to the back rooms. Kate helped Jay from her chair.

“C’mon,” Jay whispered, giving Kate’s hand a tug towards the hallway. Kate looked at her, golden eyes wide.

“You want me to come?” she asked slowly, and Jay’s bell-like laughing filled the waiting room with warmth.

“Of course, dummy, now let’s go.” Kate trailed behind the nurse in green scrubs and Jay, completely out of her element. As they found their room, the crinkling of the protective paper filled the air when Jay sat. Kate lingered by the door until Jay waved her over.

“It’s nice to see you, Jay. So, how’s everything been going?” Jay had become accustomed to the routine, and her shirt was rolled up as she awaited the gel. Kate winced as Jay squeezed her hand when it was placed on her ballooning stomach.

“Everything’s going well. My ankles are almost as huge as my stomach, though, and I’m starting to just get tired of being pregnant,” Jay said, and watched as the doctor worked the ultrasound machine. Kate tilted her neck, trying to get a view of the monitor.

“That’s perfectly normal. You’re about 32 weeks, correct?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you don’t want to know the gender yet?”

“No. We want it to be a surprise.”

“Okay. Well, everything looks to be perfectly in order and healthy. If you look right here, you can see the baby’s face.” Both girls snapped to face the monitor, a gasp escaping Kate’s lips. You could see a perfect outline of the profile, and its little hand was at its mouth, almost as if sucking it’s thumb.

“Oh, Jay, it’s so precious,” Kate cooed, a soft smile warming up her face. Jay was on the verge of tears again, brushing her hair away from her face to see more clearly.

“I made that. Oh my god,” Jay gushed, the crystal tears spilling onto her cream colored cheeks. Kate squeezed her hand as the doctor printed off pictures for them.

“Thank you so much for letting me come,” Kate murmured, still fixated on the grainy black and white image embedded on the screen.

“I’m glad you came. Jesse’s gonna be bummed he missed this. I cannot wait till he sees the pictures.” Jay cleaned off her belly, pulling her shirt loosely back over her bump. They thanked the doctor and left, pictures clutched tightly in their hands. When they got out to the Jeep, Kate paused, stopping Jay.

“Here, hold it steady,” she commanded, motioning to the photos. Jay obliged, and Kate pulled out her phone, snapping a picture with it. “And sending; there, all set.”

Jay smiled as she buckled in, leaned her head against the rest and watched the city go by. Kate’s phone buzzed beside her, and she motioned for Jay to get it. Her hands gripped on the steering wheel as she pulled out of the parking lot. Jay smiled, flipping it open excitedly.

“Hey, babe,” she squealed, and Kate smiled, listening to Jesse and Jay talk excitedly about the baby the whole way back to the house. She hoped someday, that could be her and Kendall.