You're Still The One

  Chapter Nine

  Logan and I got half of the nursery painted yesterday and he says he can finish the rest this evening. My plan was to have it all painted before the baby shower takes place tomorrow and he promises that it’ll be right on time. Once I figure out what I’ve got, after the shower, I can go buy everything else and that is one thing I’m really excited about.

  I’ve always loved shopping, but it seems I love it even more when it’s for Julianna. I’m almost five months pregnant and it seems like the next four months will take forever to get here. I can’t wait for her to arrive and I know Logan feels the same way.

  He seemed more like himself yesterday, he seemed genuinely happy. Every time I talked about Julianna, his eyes would light up. I know we have a lot to go through before the baby gets here and I know the disorder doesn’t just disappear all at once, I wish it did, but it doesn’t and it’s just something we’ll have to work through one day at a time.

  But I have to say, yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had since he came home. He was joking around and we had so much fun painting the nursery, it was just unbelievable. I loved that side of Logan, I missed it…

  “I talked to Mom, she said their flight was leaving shortly and she wouldn’t be able to make it to the Doctor’s appointment, she said she was sorry, but she would keep in touch,” Logan says walking into the bedroom.

  “Hmmm, that’s odd… She seemed so excited when I asked her to go.”

  “I think you might have scared her at the hospital with the monitors, you know.”

  I roll my eyes, “She was the one that made them go off in the first place.”

  “I know, I know.” I hear a honking noise from outside as Logan and I head to the front of the house and look out the window. Katie’s Four Runner is sitting in the driveway.

  “Time to go,” I add as Logan grabs his keys off the counter. We walk out into the garage as I raise the door. I walk over to Katie’s SUV as she rolls down the window, grinning.

  “You ready to go, girly?” She asks, excitedly.

  “You know it.”

  “Now, once we get out of there, don’t be surprised if I leave in a hurry. I have a lot to do for this baby shower, you know.”

  I smirk, “I know and I’m very excited to see what you’ve done.”

  “You following us?” Logan asks, pulling Crimson out of the garage.

  “Yep, lead the way.” I get into the passenger’s side beside of Logan as we head out of the subdivision with Katie following close behind. “Did you get anything out of her?”

  I shake my head, “Nope, all she said was for us not to be surprised if she left in a hurry after the appointment. Apparently, she has a lot left to do.”

  “She always tends to do things at the last minute.” He adds as we continue through town. Within ten minutes or so, we arrive at the office building. By the time we get on the right floor, we have five minutes to spare. Logan and Katie sit down in the corner of the waiting room as I sign in. The receptionist assures me that it should only be a few minutes as they had a few patients cancel at the last minute.

  I sit down in between Logan and Katie as Katie starts flipping through magazines. “Oh, look at that! Isn’t that the cutest thing you ever did see?” She points to a purple onesie with ‘My Daddy defends our Freedom, what’s your Daddy’s superpower?’ engraved in the center.

  I nod, “That is adorable.” Logan looks over, “We have to have that.”

  After a few more minutes of looking through magazines, the nurse calls my name. She checks all my vitals and they seem to be really good. The only thing I wasn’t too keen on was that I had gained almost twenty-two pounds, but I kept telling myself that was just a part of the pregnancy.

  I was told that I didn’t have to change, this time, they were just going to do an ultrasound, so it wouldn’t take long. I laid down on the bed as the Doctor came in. “Good afternoon, Caroline, so glad to see you again. And who do we have here?” Dr. Salins shakes everyone’s hands.

  “This is my husband, Logan and my best friend, Katie.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you both.” She looks down at my chart, “I see here that you were admitted to the hospital a few days ago for high blood pressure. Is that correct?” I nod. “Well, your blood pressure seems to be very good today. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and if you feel dizzy, be sure to sit down… Now, let’s take a look at this baby.” She pulls the monitor around the bed and picks up a white bottle. “Now, this is going to be cold.” She spreads the gel across my stomach and picks up the wand. “So, have you had any aches or pains lately? Any movement?”

  I shake my head, “No, not really. The dizziness is all I’ve encountered so far.”

  She moves the wand around, “I’m guessing the ER Doctor already told you the gender, right? They never let me give the news.” She smiles.

  “Yeah, he said it was a girl.”

  “He would be right. Have you picked out a name?”

  I nod. “Julianna Nicole.”

  “Very pretty… The baby looks very healthy. You’re five months now, so you should start experiencing some movement very soon. You’ll also begin putting on weight a little more rapidly as Julianna does as well. You’ll probably start feeling a little tired and back pain will become frequent. You may experience shortness of breath, but it’s nothing to be concerned about. Let’s take a listen at the baby’s heartbeat before we go.” She presses a few buttons on the computer and then turns the monitors up. “Here she is.”

  First, I hear a static noise, but then a very strong, steady heartbeat. It was a very surreal feeling, being able to hear her. It made me realize that she was really growing and before long, she would be here. I would be able to hold her, to bring her home. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became.

  “Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?” She says, wiping my stomach off with a white cloth. “So, any questions for me?” She asks.

  I shake my head, “Not really, no.”

  “Wonderful, I’ll see you in a few weeks.” She smiles as we head toward the front desk. “Well, I’ve got to run, I’ll see you both at my house tomorrow at one ‘o clock, don’t be late!” Katie adds sternly and quickly disappears.

  “I’d love to know what she’s up to,” I mutter as the secretary plugs all my new information into the computer.

  “Alright, we’ll see you back in about six weeks.” She hands me an appointment card then Logan and I head for the car.

  “Julianna’s heartbeat sounded strong, do you know what that means?” Logan asks as he opens the door for me.

  “That she’s healthy?”

  “Well, yeah, but it also means she’ll be a fighter, just like her mom.”