on the father's side and I was so glad that J.J. wanted to be here because I wouldn't have had any of the answers I needed.
Which would have looked strange considering we were married.
I was also uncomfortable because a lot of the medical questions pertaining to me were extremely personal and I wondered if the doctor was going to ask me for further clarification in front of J.J.
We didn't have to wait long after I turned in the longest worksheet packet I'd ever filled out.
Within ten minutes, they called us back and showed J.J. the room where he needed to wait while I peed in a cup and then went through the process of being weighed, having my blood pressure taken, and my height measured.
"Well, you're definitely pregnant, darlin'," the nurse said as she came out of the little lab area next to the bathroom. She peeled off her gloves and washed her hands in the sink next to me. "I'm pretty sure the doctor will want to do an ultrasound today and, based on your dates, we may have to do an internal one, so you need to drink some water and fill that bladder up."
Lovely. It made perfect sense to make me pee in a cup and then fill my bladder back up. I cracked open the bottle and drank down a third. Oh, well, I was thirsty anyway.
The nurse seemed to read my mind. "I know it seems silly, but we like to confirm the pregnancy with a urine test and blood test and then do an ultrasound. Speaking of which, let me grab what I'll need and I'll meet you in Room 4 to draw some blood."
I nodded and walked to the room she'd pointed out. J.J. was sitting on the edge of his seat, staring at the upper corner of the room.
On the counter next to where he sat was a model of a uterus with a fetus inside preparing to exit the birth canal. Directly across from him was a poster-sized drawing of a uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries with detailed labels.
Well, I could completely understand why he was staring at the safest spot in the room—a blank corner.
"Wow, so now I'm worried," I said, pointing to the model on the counter.
J.J. glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. "I have a basic understanding of how pregnancy and childbirth works but that model makes me want to apologize to you. And to my mother."
I laughed a little and turned to the table, stopping short when I saw the cotton gown and paper blanket sitting on top.
"Oh, joy," I muttered.
I glanced around the room, relieved to see a pair of swinging doors at the rear of the space. A quick peek told me that it was a changing area.
"I'll be out in a minute," I told him as I carried everything inside.
Since the nurse mentioned an internal ultrasound, I assumed I needed to take my underwear off. I folded my clothes once I was changed and left them stacked neatly on the wooden bench on one side of the room.
I was grateful that the gown closed in the back and wasn't going to leave me struggling not to expose myself when I walked past J.J. to the table.
I'd just lowered my bare butt to the cold, paper-covered table, when a brisk knock sounded at the door and the nurse came in with glass tubes and a capped needle.
She smiled at both of us. "Don't look so nervous, you two. I promise you'll enjoy your visits here. Especially when the little one is big enough for you to see their face in the ultrasounds."
I glanced down at her nametag. She hadn't introduced herself when I came in, but I figured I'd be here pretty often over the next few months and I would need to know her name.
Her tag read Faith Lovejoy. With the font and spacing, it almost looked as if it were one of those signs with inspirational quotes on it.
As she wrapped a piece of rubber tubing around my arm and briskly rubbed the inside of my elbow with an alcohol pad, my eyes shot to J.J. and widened.
He misunderstood the intent behind my look and was on his feet beside me in a split second, my other hand clasped in his.
I inhaled sharply in an effort to control my laugh and squeezed his hand when the needle pierced my arm. I barely felt it, but J.J. seemed to think