Face The Music

First Appointment

This was going to be a busy week. My first appointment for the baby was Tuesday, and Thanksgiving was on Thursday. I was living off ginger chews and hoping the nausea would go away soon. I honestly wanted to just take Monday and Tuesday off, but then I wouldn't be able to have any in-person gossip time with Natty.

I got to school a little early so we could hang out in the cafeteria before going to our homeroom. Natty, Hudson, and I went to the most prestigious school in the area: Jane Willow Academy. Tuition: thirty grand a year. That was if you lived locally and not in one of the dorms on campus.

The grounds were absolutely stunning, full of old, gothic architecture. We had state-of-the art everything, college prep everything, but the best part was the on-campus Starbucks. I spent a lot of money at that place over the years.

I was sitting under one of the big oak trees with Natty, which was our signature place to people watch and chit chat as we saw everyone come in. Hudson used to be here with us, along with his fwb, and our other former friend, Easton. Easton sided with Hudson over everything, obviously, and Natty sided with me. It tore our fearsome foursome in half, but whatever.

"I'm sorry your life is such a hot mess," Natty said, taking a bite out of her pastry.

"Yeah. Everything sucks. You're literally the only friend I have left, so thanks," I said.

"And I always will be!" she said, giving me her bright, semi-toothless smile. I was so excited that my mom was almost finished with her implants. "You were there for me when my life went up shit's creek last year, so now it's my turn. We'll just keep going back and forth until we get old and die."

We both started laughing, but were silenced when we saw Hudson coming from the parking lot with his backpack. He made eye contact with us, then looked the other way and went inside.

"Do you think he's still pissed at me?" I asked.

"Judging by that look, that's a hard yes."

I sighed. "It takes two to tango, but I wish he'd acknowledge his baby. I know we're young and want to live our lives and everything, but like, we're having a baby."

"I think he'll come around. You know how he is. He's stubborn, but just give him some time."

"I hope you're right," I said, getting to my feet. "Let's just get this day over with."

School was, well, school. Nothing exciting. But once it was lunchtime, I could finally leave. I got my laptop out of my locker, put it in my backpack, and started walking down the hallway as the rest of my grade walked towards the dining hall.

"Bye! Make sure you get lots of pictures!" Natty said from the other side of the hall, which was in earshot of Hudson.

I drove twenty minutes away to my Aunt Andrea's office and got myself checked in. They sent all the forms to my mom to fill out the night before, since I was still a minor. I sat in the waiting room, watching their fish tank for a second before turning my attention to the TV mounted on the ceiling. There was one of those house hunting/home reno shows on.

"Matt and Zuri are looking for the perfect accessible dream home, but can they find one within their budget?" said the narrator.

I watched as a happy couple with a toddler came onto the screen. The girl had bright pink arm crutches. My pregnancy hormones started to kick in. That girl obviously overcame a lot, and still managed to find love, have a baby, buy a house, and get on TV.

I put my hand onto my small baby bump. I wished my little baby had a dad who loved them. I wished I had a guy in my life who wanted to love me.

"Denali," a nurse said.

I got up and followed her back to the hallway. She took my height and weight, then brought me into the exam room. Once the nurse took all my vitals and everything, I got brought back to the room where they'd do my ultrasound. I laid back on the table and the tech came in a short while later.

"Hi Denali, my name is Brittany. I'll be doing your ultrasound today," she said. "So I understand you've already had an ultrasound elsewhere?"

"Yeah. At Planned Parenthood. I'm a hundred percent a feminist, but I just couldn't go through with it."

"For sure. I completely understand. So you know about how far along you are, then?" she asked.

"Should be about ten weeks, I think."

"Okay. I do see you have a tiny little bump there, so we can do the ultrasound abdominally, which I'm sure you're happy about."

"Yeah, definitely," I said.

I lifted my uniform shirt and she squirted the warm gel on my baby bump. After she looked around a bit, she turned the monitor on across the room. It felt like sparks were going through my body when the baby came up on the screen.

"You're right, looks about ten weeks," Brittany said.

I watched as my little baby wiggled. Brittany took all her measurements and printed out a slew of pictures for me. After that, we listened to the heartbeat, which I made sure to take a video of so I could just watch it all the time. And to show my mom and Natty, of course.

Once my ultrasound was all done, I went back into one of the exam rooms, where I got changed into a gown. My aunt came in a few minutes later. It was weird seeing her in her lab coat, looking all prim and proper. She was usually really relaxed, wearing a sweatshirt to almost every family event. I gave her an awkward smile.

"Uh...hey," I said.

She had a mix of expressions on her face. Even though she was a doctor and I was her patient, she was still my aunt and I was still her niece.

"Deni, what happened?" she asked.

"I know my mom. I'm sure she already told you every last little detail, so there's not much for me to explain," I said.

"Your...best friend Hudson? Is he the one that came to the New Year's Eve party at your Aunt Abbie's last year?" She asked. I nodded. "Over the past few years, ever since that ordinance, I've had a lot of pregnant teens I've seen. I just never thought one would be from my own family."

"I was stupid. I know," I said.

"No, you weren't. You're very smart, Deni. You just made a mistake. We all make mistakes. And you know how our family is. We'll all be here to help you. We're disappointed, but that doesn't change anything. We all love you. Me, grandma and grandpa, and all our aunts, uncles, and cousins. Never feel like you're alone, okay?"

I nodded again, holding back tears. A lot of adopted kids go into really awful families, but somehow, I didn't. I got to be accepted into a huge family full of people who did nothing but love and accept me, even though I didn't look anything like them or want to become a doctor like everyone else.

"Thanks Aunt Andrea," I said.

"How about we just get into your exam?" she said, smiling.

We went over everything and she gave me my official due date: June twenty-first. Summer was always my favorite season, so I really hoped my baby would actually come on the first day of it.

"Everything looks good on my end. Baby seems perfect," my aunt said. "I'll see you on Thursday. Text me if you need anything in the meantime, okay?"

"Okay," I said, giving her a hug before she left.

I got my regular clothes back on and went back to the front desk so I could check out. I set up my appointment for the next month and went out the door. Everything seemed good. I'd hop in the car, buy some ice cream on the way home, and watch TikToks for the rest of the day until Natty was done with school.

But that wasn't what happened. Because when I got out the door, I found a frazzled Hudson who was rushing over to me. He ran over, trying to catch his breath. I didn't know what to do or say, so I just kind of stood there until he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said, finally able to get the words out. "I missed it, didn't I?"