揤ery much so,?Haley answered, 揵ut at least I wasn抰 sick this morning, so the first trimester must be coming to an end.?
揇o you have a good idea of exactly when you got pregnant??Mary Nell asked.
揘ot really,?Haley answered. 揑 kind of figure it was the last night we were together, but it could have been before that. I thought I抎 missed the first period because of stress.?
揌aley Macall,?the nurse called out.
Haley stood up and said, 揟hank you for coming with me. Everything is still surreal, from Mama抯 death to us making the decision to work with Jessica and Wade, to being pregnant. I抦 not sure I could do any of it without all of you.?
Mary Nell stood up at the same time. 揧ou are very welcome, but it抯 only by the luck of the draw that I got to be the one to come along today. Jessica and Risa are both jealous and sitting by their phones.?
Thinking about Oscar holding straws in his big, calloused hands and letting Risa, Jessica, and Mary Nell draw to see who got to go with Haley to her first doctor抯 visit put a big smile on Haley抯 face. 揂ll right then, let抯 go see if we can find out when this critter is due.?
搼Critter??Mary Nell frowned. 揘ot little angel or sweet baby boy? And I didn抰 realize that I could go in with you. I thought I抎 have to sit in this waiting room.?
揘ope.?Haley shook her head. 搼Critter?is good for today. I don抰 imagine we抣l know what the sex is until later, and right now I don抰 care if we have a boy or a girl. And support means you go with me.?
揟hat抯 a great attitude,?the nurse said. 揌ow long have you been partners??
揥e抮e not partners, as in married partners,?Haley said, 揵ut we抳e been best friends since before we went to kindergarten. I will be a single mother, and my three close friends are going to help me raise this child.?
揥ell, it抯 great that you have that kind of support.?The nurse led the way back to an examination room.
揧es, it is,?Haley agreed. 揟his is Mary Nell Wilson, one of those friends I just mentioned.?
The lady pointed to her name tag. 揋loria Anderson. I will be your nurse through your pregnancy. We like to form a relationship with our patients from the start to make them feel more comfortable. The first thing we are going to do today is weigh you.?
揌ere抯 where we find out how much damage Risa抯 cooking has done.?Haley stepped up on the scale. 揥e抮e remodeling an old church into a bar at Riverbend, and Risa will be the chef. She抯 been practicing on all of us.?
揑 heard about that.?Gloria wrote down a number, but didn抰 say it out loud. 揑 can抰 wait until you抳e got it up and running. I love to dance on the weekends, and I抣l be one of the first people to walk through the doors. Jukebox or band??
揓ukebox here at first,?Mary Nell answered. 揗aybe a band later, when we get our bar legs under us. This is all new. None of us have ever done anything like this before.?
揕ong as it抯 music and the beer is cold, I抦 good with either.?Gloria pointed to an open door. 揧ou抣l need to undress in here. Put on the gown and leave it open in the front, then go through the other door into the exam room. Mary Nell and I will be waiting on the other side for you.?
Haley stepped into the room, which was no bigger than a closet, and sat down on the bench to remove her shoes. Her hands trembled and went all clammy. She had never been claustrophobic, but the walls began to weave, and she couldn抰 breathe. She bent forward and put her head between her knees to keep from passing out. She had accepted that she was pregnant and the idea that she would be a single mother, but the exam would leave absolutely no doubt in her mind. Sure, she抎 been sick and the test had been positive. But she抎 told herself that the sickness could be stress, and the test could have been wrong. Hopefully, if her doubts had been right, the team would be relieved and not disappointed.
Finally, the dizziness subsided, and she was able to get undressed. She even opened the adjoining door into the exam room with a smile on her face. 揑 feel a little exposed in this thing,?she said as she wrapped the gown around her a little tighter.
揥e all do,?Gloria said. 揌op up here on the table, and I抣l cover you with a sheet. Dr. Jeannie will be in soon.?
Haley lay back on the bed, and Gloria spread a fresh-smelling sheet over her. 揧ou just rest a few minutes, and we抣l be back to do the first ultrasound so we can determine a due date.?Then she left the room and closed the door behind her.
揇r. Jeannie??Mary Nell raised an eyebrow.
揑 did my research. She抯 the best OBGYN in the area. I had a female doctor in Alabama and really liked her,?Haley answered.
揂re you nervous??Mary Nell returned the magazine she had been looking at to the rack.