“Are you okay Shelley?” Nick asked from the other side of the bathroom door.
The only answer he received was the sound of his fiancée throwing up yet again.
Ten minutes later Michelle walked out of the bathroom and saw that Nick was about five feet down the hall talking on his cell. She walked down the hall to him and snaked her arm around his waist and waited patiently for him to finish his call.
“Okay, we’ll be there soon,” Nick said and hung up.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “I thought you and the boys had an interview.”
“We did but I’m not going,” he held up his hand as she started to protest. ‘I called Kevin. I told him you were sick and that I wasn’t leaving you alone. He understands, he’s the same way with Kris.”
“But where are we going?’ she asked again.
“To your doctor’s appointment. You need to get ready or we’re going to be late.”
Michelle turned and walked into their bedroom. She hated it when it felt like Nick was ordering her around. She pulled a pair of jeans from the closet that she had bought a week ago and was mad when she couldn’t get them buttoned. So she pulled out a different pair and pulled them on and added an oversized “House of Carters” t-shirt that Aaron had given her months ago.
They left the house and headed to Dr. Andrews office.
There were only two other patients in the waiting room. As soon as she signed in she was ushered into an exam room. Fifteen minutes later Michelle’s doctor walked into the room.
“Jordan, how are you?” she asked.
“Fine how are you?”
“I’ve felt like crap for days now.”
Nick sat back watching the exchange between his fiancée and her doctor. This was the first time he’d been to the office with her and to him it seemed like they knew one another.
“Nicky this is Jordan Andrews, my doctor and one of Brandon’s oldest and best friends. Jordan, this is my fiancée Nick.”
The two men shook hands and Jordan began the exam.
Just before he drew blood Jordan informed her that she’d gained ten pounds since she’d last weighed herself about a week and a half ago.
“I’ll have the lab run some tests and I’ll be back with the results as soon as I get them.”
“Thanks Jordy.”
He left and Nick and Michelle did all they could. They waited.
Forty five minutes later Jordan came back into the room with a HUGE grin on his face.
“What?” Michelle asked. She had seen that grin twice before. The first time had been when he told her that Brandon’s girlfriend was pregnant and then again when he’d come over with the news that he’d gotten into medical school. And since she was pretty sure that those tests he’d run hadn’t gained her admittance into medical school… “I’m pregnant?” she asked quietly.
“Congratulations Squeaky. You’re going to be a mother. Congratulations Nick.”
Nick and Michelle stared at one another for a moment and then Michelle said, “Thanks Jordan.”
Michelle told Jordan, “Don’t tell Brandon. If he knows before I tell him I’ll…I’ll toilet paper your house again!”
“That was you!?”
“I told you not to tell my father didn’t I?”
Jordan and Nick started laughing as Jordan recounted the toilet paper incident to Nick.
Just before they left Michelle asked, “Is there anything special I need to start doing?”
“You should be back to feeling normal once you begin taking vitamins and eating right.”
Hoping down from the exam table she said, “Thanks again Jordan.”
“You’re welcome hon, congratulations again.”
They left the office in a daze. When they were safely inside the car Michelle broke the silence, “Can you believe it? We’re having a baby.”
Nick smiled, “I wouldn’t want to with anyone else.”
Instead of going home right away they called Leighanne and Brian, who was done with the interview Nick had missed, to see if they and Baylee would like to go out to lunch.
They met up a half hour later at Tiger’s, a restaurant owned by Howie’s older brother.
“Uncle Nick!” Baylee screeched as he ran toward them.
“Baylee,” Nick began as he bent to reach the child’s height. “What’s new buddy?”
“Mommy says you and Michelle are getting married. Does that mean she’s going to be my auntie just like Auntie Susan?”
“If you want her to be,” he answered looking over his head into Michelle’s eyes.
“Well, I want her to be,” he said enthuastically as he held his arms up to Michelle for a hug.
She picked him up and he wrapped his arms around her neck and said, “I love you Auntie Michelle.”
“I love you too Baylee.”
Brian hugged her as she wiped her eyes; she couldn’t wait for the day when she would hear the child she was now carrying to tell her “I love you.”
They were seated a short while later and as they looked over their menus Nick almost choked when Brian asked, “So what’s new with you tow besides getting married?”
“Not too much. We’re getting ready for my dad and Sarah to come down for a week,” Michelle answered.
Nick nudged her under the table as the waitress appeared to take their orders. “Later,” she whispered as Leighanne placed her order.
Michelle ordered Parmesan chicken strips, Caesar salad and an iced tea.
They talked about trivial things while they waited for their food to come.
As soon as the waitress set Brian’s food in front of him after giving everyone else their food Michelle felt sick and jumped up and ran to the bathroom.
She was in the stall for quite some time and when she came out Leighanne was leaning up against the baby changing table. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine now.”
“What’s wrong? I’ve never seen you move that fast?”
“Brian’s food made me sick.”
“Why would a cheeseburger make you sick?”
“Because I’m pregnant,” Michelle said. “And apparently I’m not too fond of beef products right now.”
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You’re pregnant!”
“Yes. We’ve established that.”
“Who knows?”
“So far, me, Nick, my doctor and now you,” she answered.
“Awesome.”
“Yuppers. I suppose we should get back before they send in a search party.”
They giggled and walked out of the bathroom and back to their table.
“Are you okay Shelley?” Nick asked.
“I’m great.”
As they began to eat Leighanne said, “Congratulations Nick. You must be so excited.”
“Thanks Leigh, I am,” He answered.
Poor Brian looked clueless, Excited about what?”
“We’re having a baby Brian,” Nick told him.
“You guys are pregnant!?”
“Yuppers.”
“Uncle Nic be daddy too?” Baylee asked with wide eyes.
“Yup,” Nick answered.
They kept a conversation going throughout lunch and parted ways when Baylee began to fall asleep in the remnants of his tomato soup.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I hope you like this chapter. Particularly the surprise Nick and Michelle get.
