isn’t it?” Dr. Hillyer said. “I see so many of these and I’m moved every time. Go ahead and get dressed, then meet me in my office.”
With that, she left the room and gave Tori her privacy.
Tori sat up and used the paper towels provided to wipe the gel off her stomach. Despite the positive pregnancy tests, Tori had still wondered if they hadn’t been wrong. The ultrasound, though, sealed it for her. She was going to be a mother. Although the image hadn’t looked like much, she was having a baby and it was depending on her for nourishment. She’d never been so happy or so humbled.
She dressed and went to the doctor’s personal office. Dr. Hillyer was already seated behind her huge mahogany desk. “Based on when you were taking the antibiotics for you infection and on the results of the ultrasound, I’m estimating your due date to be December 30. You just might have a New Year’s or a Christmas baby. All the doctors in our practice deliver their own babies, and I will be in town that week.” She grinned. “Try not to have it on a holiday, though, okay?”
“I’ll try,” Tori said, sensing the doctor was joking. Babies showed up when they chose and Tori had every intention of delivering naturally.
“Good. Here’s a prescription for prenatal vitamins. This next sheet I’m giving you is a list of the hospitals I deliver at. Most of them schedule tours of their maternity wards, so you’ll want to go visit them and decide which one you like best. Then let me know and we’ll get you pre-registered. That’s done about two months in advance.”
Dr. Hillyer handed over another sheet. “This one is a timetable of your office visits. I’ll see you once a month, then, as the date gets closer, we’ll schedule the appointments every two weeks, then weekly until the little one arrives. This last sheet is simply a list of symptoms to watch for. If you experience any of these, call my office immediately. Got that?”
“Got it,” Tori said. The doctor handed her a folder to put everything in.
Dr. Hillyer smiled. “Then, unless you have any other questions, you’re free to go. My nurse is Eileen Swikle. Ask for her whenever you call, and she’ll answer any questions you might have over the next six months. She’ll become your best friend through all this.”
“Thanks,” Tori said. She stood. “For now I’m good. Slightly overwhelmed, but good.”
“Understandable,” the doctor said with a nod. “First pregnancies are a learning experience. After that, the next one is a piece of cake. And you should know that you have no restrictions—sex, travel, working out. You’re free to indulge. Just remember no alcohol or smoking.”
“I don’t smoke and gave up drinking,” Tori said.
“Good girl,” Dr. Hillyer said, and with that, Tori was on her way to the scheduling desk, where she made her appointments through October. There was a moment when she turned a little queasy; the receptionist had a sliced turkey sandwich on her desk and for some reason the smell set Tori off. The woman quickly put it aside when she saw Tori go a little green.
Armed with her vitamin prescription and her folder, Tori left the office. As she stepped out into the afternoon sunshine, she sighed as the enormity of her pregnancy hit her. She’d seen her baby. This was actually happening.
Even though there had been definite lines on the pregnancy test, maybe the logical part of her hadn’t quite believed the results. The heat enveloped Tori as she hit the remote and unlocked her two-seater sports car. She loved the little convertible but she was going to have to trade it in for something more practical.
She slid onto the warm leather and ran her fingers across the steering wheel. She’d have to buy something with a back seat. She cringed as a minivan drove by the parking lot. No. She just couldn’t drive a minivan. Not yet. Surely there had to be something less “suburban mom.” She made a mental note to start researching what was out there.
Although it was hot enough to want to turn on the air conditioner and hide from the sun, Tori lowered the convertible top. She figured she might as well enjoy her toy a little longer. Her cell phone rang, and despite Jeff’s statistical lecture on why not to use it while driving, she popped in the earpiece and hit the connect button.
“Hey, I finished all my shopping, so I’m running early—I’m already here. Are you on your way?” Lauren asked.
“I just finished my last appointment, so I can head in that direction now,” Tori told her. Lauren had called last night and announced she was coming into town a day early for her aunt’s sixtieth birthday party. “Did you find a gift?”
“I did,” Lauren said. “It took me about five stores, but I finally found the right thing. This is the first real shopping I’ve done since having Hailey. A trip to the supermarket just doesn’t count.”
“I’m getting on the highway now. I’ll be there in thirty minutes, tops.” Tori accelerated, letting her hair blow as she made her way toward Country Club Plaza, Kansas City’s premier shopping area. Lauren was staying with her aunt, who lived nearby. Tori navigated the route easily and soon sat across from Lauren in one of the Plaza’s restaurants. The two ordered and were soon munching on appetizers as they discussed how Hailey was doing.
“Jeff says hi,” Lauren suddenly said, sliding in her words at a break in the conversation.
“Tell him I say hi, too,” Tori said, working to make her voice casual. She wasn’t sure how much Lauren knew. “Except for work, I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“He said you two were just friends now,” Lauren admitted. She watched Tori’s face carefully, looking for revealing expressions, but Tori remained matter-of-fact. “I wanted you to know that I hope you and I can always remain friends.”
“Of course we can,” Tori insisted. She took another bite of her salad and waved her fork in the air. “It’s better this way. Relationships just don’t work out when you’re in two different cities. Besides, it was probably time for both of us to move on.”
“It’s good you two can be friends,” Lauren noted.
“We were always friends first,” Tori said. At least that much was true. She took a drink of her water. Lauren was having a glass of wine and she took a sip, rolling the merlot she’d ordered over her tongue.
“Enjoying that?” Tori said, realizing that it would be at least another nine months before anything alcoholic touched her lips.
“Oh yes, I am,” Lauren said as she took another sip. “I never drink anything but water when I’m out with Hailey, so being out with another adult female means I can indulge a little.” She stabbed a piece of the thinly cut beef that topped her blue-cheese-and-steak salad. “This is good,” she said. “And the company is great, too.”
“Thanks,” Tori said. “You gave me an excuse to get away from the office.” With Lauren’s visit and the doctor’s appointment, Tori had taken the afternoon off.
“So how’s work?” Lauren asked.
“We won a major contract to redo Fredrikberg Finance’s network. They’re a loan brokerage with ten offices all over the city. We haven’t had a glitch during the procedure, but their president calls me every day anyway for reassurance.”
“Well, you look healthy,” Lauren said. “You’ve got a glow about you I haven’t
