I'll Be There

Alex and Steve waited patiently for the obstetrician to enter the rooms that Alex could receive her first ultrasound. She and Steve were excited at the fact that they would get a first look at their unborn child as well as find out how far along the pregnancy Alex was.

"Hello," greeted the obstetrician. "You must be Alex. I'm Dr. Wong, I'll be performing your ultrasound today. Now if you could just lie down on the examination table there and lift up your shirt, we can get started," Dr. Wong stated as she walked over to the ultrasound machine and took out ultrasound gel from one of the cabinets.

Alex obliged, turning her attention, afterword's, to the blank image on the computer screen that would soon show her and Steve their baby.

"This might feel a little cold," Doctor Wong noted before Alex felt a cool sensation on her abdomen followed by the ultrasound transducer pressing against her.

Alex's eyes lit up when the image on the computer screen was no longer a blank one, but instead showed a series of grey waves and the outline of a tiny human head and body.

"Steve, look at our baby," Alex piped.

"I see," Steve responded as he observed the image on the screen. "He's a bit bigger than I thought her would be."

"Well," Dr. Wong interrupted, "Considering that Alex is about twelve weeks pregnant, I'd say that your child is just the right size."

"Wait—twelve weeks?"Alex asked in astonishment. "That's about three months."

"Indeed it is," Dr. Wong replied nonchalantly. "You should be due in April."

"Wow," Alex uttered as she inhaled deeply.

"Are you alright, Alex?" Steve asked with concern as he turned to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just— everything is happening a lot faster than I thought it would," Alex admitted.

"Alex, I'm so sorry," Steve began, "If you want to slow things down and postpone the wedding."

"And then have our baby born out of wedlock?" Alex gasped which caused Steve to lift an eyebrow in confusion. "That was a joke," Alex sighed. "It's fine. Everything is fine. I'm just a little overwhelmed with what's going on, but don't worry."

"Alex, are you sure you're okay with everything?"

"Of course I am," she reassured Steve while she thinking, "Am I really ready for all of this?"

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"No, no, no. I need the banner to be a bit higher," Alex instructed two of the decorators.

"Alex, it's just a banner. It's not a big deal," Monica pointed out.

"I know, it's just—the wedding is tomorrow and—"

"And you need to stop stressing and come have fun with me and the girls tonight," Monica interrupted.

"But—"

"No buts!" Monica declared as she placed her hands on Alex's shoulders and led her out of the reception hall.

"Monica, where are you taking me?" Alex questioned as she was lead to a red convertible in which Natasha and a two other of her female friends were. Alex raised an eyebrow as she noted that everyone was clad in a party dress and their hair and make-up was a bit 80's.

"Isn't it obvious?" Monica questioned as she walked over to the driver's seat and went in. "We're going to your bachelorette party."

"But we're in Long Island [1]. There's no place to party here!" Alex exclaimed.

"Girl, the city is only a hop, skip and a jump away," Monica stated. "Besides, why should lover boy have all the fun before the big day?"

"Okay fine," Alex sighed as she opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. "But no alcohol for me, I don't want to have to deal with a hangover before tomorrow's ceremony.

"Come on, one or two shots won't kill you," Monica begged with pleading eyes.

"It's never one or two shots with you," Alex stated plainly, her hazel eyes staring down Monica's chocolate brown ones.

"Fine, okay," Monica huffed as she put the car into drive and made her way onto the highway.

Alex sighed in relief that Monica had believed her reasons for not wanting to drink. She and Steve had wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret and Alex thought that avoiding alcohol until after the wedding would have raised suspicions. Thankfully, it didn't.

"So," Alex began as she took a glimpse of the girls from the review mirror, "What's with 80's dos? Where are we going?"

"Monica thought it would be a good idea to party like it was 1989 [2]," Natasha answered as she handed Alex a bag with clothes in it. "Here, change into these before we get to the venue."

Alex looked through the contents of the bag. It had contained a short white dress similar to Natasha's and a plastic tiara veil.

"So who's idea was it make me stick out like a sore thumb?" Alex asked sarcastically. "I mean honestly, why didn't you just get me a sash saying 'Here Comes the Bride'."

"The store was out of those sashes," Monica giggled. "And it was my idea—brides get free things like lap dances," she teased.

"Monica—I swear, if you're taking me to a strip club—" Alex warned as her face began to turn red.

"Alex. I promise, you're going to have fun," Monica reassured.

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Monica had been right; Alex was having the most fun she had had since she had gotten engaged. As she moved her body to the beat of the song, she allowed her worries about the wedding to slip away and decided to sing along to the song playing.

"I want to be the one to walk in the sun," Alex sung off key.

"Oh, girls just want to have fun," Monica and a few other women at the venue chorused.

When the song had finished playing, the DJ had announced that the next song was a slow song.

"Monica, come over here," Alex requested. "You're slow dancing with me."

"Umm…you do know slow dancing is just a classy way to feel people up before they have sex in the bathroom, right?" Monica commented.

"No it's not," Alex scoffed. "And if it is, I hope you brought protection," Alex joked as Monica moved closer to her, hugged her and began to move to music.

"Well, if we do end up doing it, then you can't marry Steve. Once you go black, you can't go back," Monica teased.

"Thanks for the warning," Alex giggled as she followed Monica's steps. "And thank you for the bachelorette party. I really needed it."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Of course," Alex replied with a smile.