Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
As soon as she mentions Ariella’s maiden name, my mood changes. I walk behind her, sitting down beside her, trying not to show my irritation. I sit, putting my ankle on my knee as I move it up and down.
“What’s up with you?” She looks over at me, rubbing her belly that looks like she swallowed a basketball as the straw from the milkshake is half in her mouth.
“Nothing.” I shake my head.
“Don’t nothing me, Jaxon,” she says and I look back over at her.
“I’m annoyed is all.” I look to the side and see they have the same magazines they had last week.
“And why are you annoyed?” She puts her hand on my leg and rubs it.
“I’m annoyed they are calling you Weber instead of Stevenson.”
“Oh, is that why you’re annoyed?” she says, her voice soft. “How about me being annoyed that your child is a week late? He or she is seven days late on their lease. They need to vacate my uterus and it’s almost like they don’t give a shit. It’s like they want to stay in there forever.”
I roll my eyes and she gasps, but the secretary calls her name, so I get up and hold out my hand for her. “Let’s go, Ms. Weber,” I say sarcastically.
She slaps my hand away as she rolls out of the chair. “I don’t think I want you to come in with me.” She glares at me and I glare back at her. “I’m telling your father how unsupportive you are.”
I try not to laugh, but I can’t help it. I grab her face and kiss her lips. “I love you so much, Ariella, I wish you knew how much.”
“Not enough, you didn’t take the baby out of me when I asked you to.” She walks past me and into the examining room. I try not to laugh as she waddles down the hall.
“It’s okay,” the nurse assures me. “When the baby is out, they come back to normal.”
I hold up both my hands and cross fingers on each hand. “My fingers are crossed.” I walk into the room right after Ariella.
“Are you done flirting?” she accuses me, stepping on the stool and then sitting on the exam chair. “Don’t let me interrupt you. I’m just over here having your child.”
I look at her confused. “With Gladys, who is older than my mother?”
She’s about to say something when the doctor comes in. “Ariella,” she says, “I was hoping I wouldn’t be seeing you here.”
“You and me both,” she snaps. “I think it’s time we do something about it, don’t you?”
“The cutoff is forty-two weeks,” she informs her and I swear I think Ariella’s head looks like it’s going to explode.
“Did you try all the things we talked about in your last appointment?”
“We did,” she confirms. “Spicy food, long walks. We had lots of sex.”
“We aren’t doing that again.” I hold up my hand and the doctor laughs while Ariella just glares.
“Baby, I love having sex with you but you don’t like it right now, so we aren’t doing that.”
“Wow, you aren’t even trying to help.” She glares. “You put it in there. It’s time for you to help take it out and you won’t even do your part in that.”
“Okay, why don’t we check and see if maybe we do a membrane sweep,” the doctor suggests, and I hold up my hand.
“Is that safe?” I ask, not sure I like the sound of those words.
“It’s totally safe, but it’s a bit uncomfortable for Ariella,” she starts to say.
“Like having a turkey living inside me isn’t?” She reaches for my hand so she can lie back on the table. “Do whatever you need to do down there.” She puts her feet into the stirrups.
“It’s just loosening up the amniotic sac,” she explains, putting on a glove and then grabbing a white sheet to cover Ariella’s bottom half.
“Ouch!” Ariella yelps, her face grimacing with pain.
“We’re done,” the doctor states, wheeling away and taking off her gloves.
“So now what happens?” I help Ariella sit up.
“Most women begin labor within forty-eight hours after the membrane sweep. But if that doesn’t work, I’ll have Gladys call you in four days. We’ll give you a date and we’ll have to induce.” She smiles at us before she leaves. “It’s almost over, Ariella.”
“Yeah, you said that last week,” Ariella mumbles. The doctor laughs silently as she leaves and we walk out of the office. “Do you want to say goodbye to your girlfriend?” Ariella side-eyes me as I grab her hand and bring it to my lips.
We get into the SUV and start to make our way home when the phone rings and it’s her mother. “Hey, Mom,” she says, putting the phone on speaker. “You’re on speakerphone, I’m with Jaxon.”
“You’re on speakerphone also. Manning and Evelyn just got here,” she shares. “We’re just going to go for lunch and thought you might want to join us.” The four of them have been in town for the last three weeks on baby watch, none of them wanting to miss anything.