One of Those Nights

Mike drummed his slender fingers against his thigh and tapped his foot to no beat in particular against the linoleum floor.

He loathed waiting rooms.

"Would you stop?" Mila asked rhetorically, shooting him a grim look.

"Sorry."

"I don't know why I couldn't just go to a doctor in LA."

"My mom recommended her, okay? And I wanted you to have a decent doctor here in San Diego for when you finally move back. I'm just looking out for you and the baby, Mils."

She cringed at the nickname he had given her before speaking again.

"I still can't believe you told your entire family."

"I still can't believe you haven't told yours," he replied.

"I haven't told anyone yet because-"

But Mike cut her off before she could explain, tired of her excuses.

"Mom wants to meet you. So she's invited us over tomorrow for my Abuelas birthday. Just a little family lunch."

Mila folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in the chair. She was good with parents. Great even. But she felt indifferent about Mike's. And she felt like this because of the situation herself and Mike had gotten themselves in.

It had only been a week since Mila had told Mike she was pregnant, and he was already moving fast. She, on the other hand, hadn't even thought about informing her landlord she'd be moving out very soon, or explaining to her clients she would be moving back to San Diego. She was stalling.

"How much do they know?" Mila inquired, trying to keep her voice at a hush.

Mike averted his gaze towards hers, a vexatious look adorned his features.

"Everything," He stated almost weakly, somewhat afraid of Mila's response.

But Mila didn't respond, aware she'd very well make a scene in the waiting room of the clinic if she did. Instead, she turned her head, diverting her spiteful glare elsewhere. At this point she was trying not to imagine what Mike's parents first impression of her were. She could only imagine.

"I couldn't lie to them. My mom would of seen straight through it," he stressed. "You have to understand."

He then leaned forward in his chair and placed one hand on Mila's thigh, trying to obtain her attention for a moment. Mike knew that if she looked at him with those grassy greens, she may believe him.

But she only flinched at his sudden touch.

"Hey," he whispered. "Look at me, Mils."

With her hands still firmly placed across her chest in a defence-like manner, she gave him her full attention.

"They're going to love you," he spoke in a tone of gentleness. "They're understanding and -"

But Mila just shook her head. "They could be the most understanding family in the entire world, Mike, but they're still going to judge me for the situation I'm in and it's unfair because this is not who I am. This was just a big mis-"

But before Mila could finish her rant, Mike cut her off by leaning in towards her and kissing her forehead softly.

Slightly taken off guard by Mike's actions, the tingle of Mike's lip ring sent a minute shiver down the small of her back.

"Stop," he spoke gently against her forehead. "They're going to love you, okay?"

Mike pulled away, his hand still fixed on her thigh as he stared into her eyes.

He could tell she was petrified.

"Miss Kerr," a voice belonging to a female interrupted their stare from a distance.

Mila was the first to look away, rising to her feet immediately, Mike shortly following behind. They both hurried across the floor and to the door of Doctor Denysiak's surgery.

The doctor, who wore a black pencil skirt and a striped blouse, wasn't very tall. She had mousy brown hair, which was pulled back into a tight bun and wore square framed glasses.

She looked down at her paperwork briefly before ushering both Mike and Mila inside, closing the door to her surgery.

The surgery, once inside was filled with diagrams of pregnant women, diagrams of infant growth and diagrams of pregnancy stages. It made the experience more surreal.

"You must be Mila," she smiled.

Mila nodded, returning the smile. "And this is Mike," Mila concluded.

"I'm Doctor Barbara Denysiak. I'll be your obstetrician for the duration of your pregnancy. It's lovely to meet you both," she announced, graciously extending her hand, shaking both Mila's and Mike's.

"Please, take a seat," she directed at Mike. "And Mila, if you could just hop up on this bed right here, that'd be great. You don't need to lay down just yet."

Both Mike and Mila did as they were instructed and waited for Doctor Denysiak to collate the appropriate documentation for Mila's first appointment.

"Now I know we don't have you on file here, Mila, but I believe this is your first child?" Asked Doctor Denysiak, studying a paper attached to her clipboard.

Nervously, Mila nodded, adjusting herself on the bed and running her palms down the dark denim of her jeans. She was scared of what Doctor Denysiak was probably thinking.

"There's nothing to be worried about," assured Doctor Denysiak looking up from the paper at to Mila. "I'm just going to ask both yourself and Mike a few questions and then run a test."

Mike started drumming his fingers against his thigh again but stopped soon after, receiving a glare from Mila.

"Any symptoms or problems you've noticed since your last period? These symptoms can be related to pregnancy or not."

Mila wished at that moment that Mike could disappear out of the room.

"My... Er... My breasts. And my appetite. My appetite has increased. A lot."

Mike smirked as he attempted to suppress a laugh, causing Mila to turn a shade of pink.

He couldn't help it.

"That's quite normal. Have you had any gynaecological problems in the past, Mila?"

"No. No I haven't."

"Any history of chronic conditions, drug allergies, psychiatric problems or past surgeries?"

Mila shook her head.

"Have yourself or Mike suffered from any chromosomal or genetic disorders, any developmental delays or were either of you born with a structural defect?"

Mila turned her head to Mike.

"I haven't," he said.

"Neither," said Mila, relieved.

"Fantastic," Doctor Denysiak beamed. "Now I'm just going to do a quick examination. I'll just grab you a gown."

Mila's heart made a giant thud. She cringed at the thought, overly embarrassed Mike would be seeing her like this.

Doctor Denysiak graciously handed Mila the gown and then proceeded to draw the blind surrounding the bed shut.

Mila then slipped the gown on over her attire, uncomfortably sliding off both her underwear and jeans, propping them into a large paper bag handed to her by Doctor Denysiak.

Doctor Denysiak then re-opened the blind as Mila propped herself up on the bed waiting patiently for the doctor to gather together the appropriate device that would assist in the procedure.

"This may be a little cold," warned Doctor Denysiak as she readied Mila for her check up.

Mila cringed as the device touched her skin and closed her eyes, only to reopen them seconds later when instructed to divert her eyes to the monitor screen.

She felt very uncomfortable.

"There's the cervix. And the uterus. See that? That dark sac there is the amniotic sac. And right there," Doctor Denysiak continued as she pointed to the monitor. "In the middle is the embryo. See that flicker? That's the heartbeat. I'd say you're about eight weeks pregnant," she smiled exchanging looks between both Mike and Mila. "Congratulations you two. How exciting."

Mila stared at the screen examining the eight week old fetus and then to Mike who's expression was full of elation.

Mike smiled at the monitor, examining the miniature heartbeat, knowing that half of that heartbeat was his very own.

He then looked at Mila and smiled.

“Look,” he encouraged.

And it was in that moment that Mila's eyes left Mike's and back to the monitor that Mila felt something that she had never before felt with Mike.