This is part one of who-the-fuck-knows-how-many parts. The original request came from forever ago and its in my @im-still-writing-out-of-time inbox and I’m too lazy to go find it but the basis of it was ‘Hamliza, living in a studio apartment, struggling, Eliza finds out she’s pregnant.’ So enjoy.
Warnings: I don’t really think there are trigger warnings, but sex is mentioned, obviously, and it goes through an ob/gyn appointment in pretty decent detail. But it also talks about how to properly give yourself a breast exam, so you probably shouldn’t skip it.
Alexander sat at the desk, his head in his hands. “Eliza, I don’t know how we’re gonna make it this month. I really don’t.”
He was surrounded by a pile of papers- bills, receipts, the “things that need fixing” list, his works in progress that no one wanted.
Eliza walked to him and leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck. “We’ll make it, Alexander. We always do.” She brushed a light kiss against his cheek before grabbing his hands and pulling him to a stand. “Come. You need a shower or something to relax.”
“Come, Alexander. You need to relax.” She pulled him to the tiny bathroom just down the hall. It was just big enough for a full size shower/tub combination, a sink, and a toilet. There was no room to move around in, but they made it work. She pushed him in the bathroom and walked back down the hall to grab a couple of washcloths and towels.
Eliza looked at the box of pads in the cupboard and frowned. How long had it been since…? Three months? It had been at least three months since she got her last period. Eliza walked back to the bathroom where Alexander was filling the tub in his boxers.
“Hey, I found this bath bomb under the sink. Wanna use it?” It had been a gift from her sisters from their wedding. There was an entire box of them under her bed, but she always kept one under the bathroom sink for easy access.
“Sure,” she smiled. “I figured you would have chosen to take a shower instead.”
“Why? Do you want to shower instead?”
“No.” She smiled softly. “You just surprised me. Usually you jump for quickest and most efficient.” She leaned down to where he was squatting by the tub and rubbed his shoulders. “You’re always so tense,” she whispered.
“I know, Betsey. I’m sorry. I just don’t know how we’re gonna make it through this month. Once we pay bills and insurance and everything, we’ll barely have enough for groceries if we get the bare minimum. I just-” His voice broke. “I don’t know how we’ll do it.”
Eliza knew better than suggesting borrowing money from her father- her father would refuse any money in return, but Alexander was too proud for a handout. The last time she had suggested it, they had a huge fight that ended with Alexander running out and spending the night at Hercules’s house.
“Just like we always do. Someone will buy your writings, darling. They will. Just like someone will pay for my commissions eventually. We just have to be patient.” Eliza stood back up and peeled off her clothes, climbing in the tub beside Alexander as he turned off the water. She grabbed the bath bomb from beside the tub and lowered it into the water slowly. She was sitting on Alexander’s lap, leaning back on his shoulder as the bath bomb turned the water a glittering gold.
“This bath bomb looks so pretentious.”
“Oh just shut up and enjoy it,” Eliza teased, turning her head to meet Alexander’s cheek. Her head was spinning with the thoughts of three missed periods. It had to just be stress. That was probably it. Right?
“I can hear you thinking,” Alexander whispered against her ear as his hands swirled through the glittering water. “What’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours?”
“Just thinking,” she sighed. Alexander was stressed enough. She didn’t need to inform him of something that was only a possibility at this point. Especially since a baby on top of everything else would only stress him more. “I’m thinking about inviting Angelica and Peggy over one of these days. What do you think about going to visit the guys for a while?”
“Today maybe? You’re right. I gotta take a break or I’m gonna fucking snap. I’ll text the guys and you can call the girls or something?”
“Mmm,” Eliza hummed, leaning back against Alexander. “Maybe. I’ll have to see what they’re doing today. But for now,” she paused. “For now we relax and cuddle.” Eliza couldn’t believe her luck. She hadn’t been expecting Alexander to agree so easily. “I bet they’ll be up for a girls day.”
The couple sat in comfortable silence until Eliza sat up slowly. “What’s wrong Betsey?”
“Nothing. Lemme wash your hair.” They shifted awkwardly in the tub until Eliza was sitting behind Alexander. She lathered up the shampoo between her hands and began to massage it through Alexander’s hair. The sudsy bubbles began to run down the side of his face and Eliza’s hands moved to scoop the suds back behind his hairline.
“Thank you ‘Liza,” he whispered as she began using the bath water to rinse his hair.
“You’re welcome. Now hand me the conditioner, glitter hair,” she teased, reaching her hand out for the green bottle. She spread the conditioner through his hair and tied it in a bun to the top of his head. “Do you ever condition your hair?”
“Do I really need to?” He scoffed.
“Well you don’t need to. But it makes your hair softer.”
Eliza stretched out her legs and wrapped them around Alexander’s waist. He leaned back on her chest, and she winced in pain. When the fuck did her breasts start hurting?
She lifted her arms and pulled the hair tie out of Alexander’s dark waves, before she grabbed the cup from the floor beside the tub and rinsed the conditioner from his hair. The glitter sparkled throughout his thick wavy locks and water ran down his back, soap and golden glitter dancing around on his skin.
“You’re so good to me, Betsey, you know that?” Alexander awkwardly shuffled his body so he was facing Eliza, staring into her dark eyes. He leaned back and pulled the plug from the water, pausing to set the plug on the lip of the tub. “I mean it. You left a life of luxury for me, and now we’re barely making it, barely scraping by each month, and yet you stay. You stay with me through thick and thin, and I couldn’t ask for a better wife than you. I love you, Eliza, with every fiber of my being.” His eyes had started to well with tears. “I’m so glad you’re mine.”
“Someone’s emotional today,” Eliza teased, leaning in to kiss Alexander. Their lips met in the middle, in a slow, sweet, passionate kiss. “I love you too, Alexander. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you.”
Alexander stood up and squeezed the excess water from his hair. “Do I have to leave covered in glitter like this? The guys will never let me live it down.”
Eliza pouted as she stood up. “I think you look fine. I like it.”
Alexander grumbled and rolled his eyes, smirking as he grabbed the towel from the counter and dried off. “Why’d you get washcloths if we didn’t even use them?”
Eliza shrugged as she sat back down in the tub, swirling the water around in her hands. “I thought we might so I grabbed them in case.”
Alexander nodded and walked out of the room to get dressed. Eliza’s hands pushed the glitter around the tub until Alexander walked back in, fully dressed. “I texted the guys and we’re gonna go hang out at John’s. Are you gonna be okay alone until the girls get here?”
“I’m a big girl, Alexander,” she teased. “I’ll be fine.”
“Well, I ask because I care. And because I worry about you sometimes,” he smiled back sweetly. “I love you.”
“I love you too Alex. Now go have fun with the guys.”
He rushed in the bathroom and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll try babe. You too.”
She smiled until she heard the front door slam shut. The smile immediately fell from her face and she lunged from the tub, wrapping a towel around her. She paced around with her phone in her hand, terrified to call her sisters. She jumped, dropping the phone as it rang in her hand, her sister’s face showing up.
“Hi!” She squeaked, still surprised. “I was just about to call you.”
Angelica had FaceTimed her. Her sister’s face was shining at her through the screen, a smile adorning her features. “Great minds think alike, Eliza, you know that. So what’s going on? You look stressed.”
Eliza smiled sadly at her sister as she sat on her bed, towel still wrapped around her. “Just another month of I-don’t-know-if-we’re-gonna-make-it. Plus it was just brought to my attention by the full box of pads in the cupboard that I’ve missed three periods and I have to take a pregnancy test, and if it comes out positive what am I going to do Angelica? Alexander won’t let me get money from daddy to tide us over, what would we do with a baby? I can’t tell him, but I needed someone to talk to. Do you think you and Peggy could come over?”
Angelica’s eyes fill with pity. “Oh, Eliza. I didn’t know it was that bad. You know I’m willing to help you guys out if you need it.”
“I know Ange. But Alexander is too proud. Could you pick me up a test from the store on the way over? Please?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll grab Peggy and fill her in and we’ll be right over. I love you E. We’ll see you in a bit.”
“I love you too, Ange,” she said as her sister kissed at the screen. She blew a kiss back and the screen went blank as Angelica hung up.
Eliza set the phone on the bed and walked to the dresser, shucking the towel to the floor. She pulled on a pair of underwear and slipped a t-shirt on over her head. She looked down at her stomach; was it really a little rounder than usual or was she just bloating? Maybe she was just imagining it because she was worried. Yeah. That was it.
A knock sounded through the apartment and her head bolted up. She padded barefoot through the apartment and looked through the peephole in the door. She opened the door wide, her sister’s arms opening to embrace her. She rushed into them immediately and buried her head in Angelica’s shoulder.
“What am I gonna do, Ange?” She whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
Angelica stepped back, holding her sister by the shoulders at arms length. “You’re going to take the tests before you get all worked up, okay? If you’re not pregnant, there’s no need to worry.”
Peggy reached forward and wiped the tears from Eliza’s cheeks. “Then you’ve got us by your side. We’re always here for you, ‘Liza. You know that.”
Eliza stepped back and wiped at the residual tears on her face and nodded. She grabbed the grocery bag that Peggy held out to her and stared at it for a moment. “What do I do?”
“You pee on them, Eliza,” Peggy said slowly.
Eliza sniffled and laughed. “I know that, dummy!” She said. “But I don’t have to pee.”
“Just go try. Maybe pee in a cup and try it like that? Do you have an old medicine cup or something?”
“I’ll just grab a cup from the cupboard,” Eliza said. “It’s not like we don’t use hot water to clean them. It’ll be fine.” She grabbed a small glass and disappeared into the bathroom while her sisters took post on the living room couch.
“Wanna place bets?” Peggy asked, nudging the eldest sister.
“Peggy,” she whisper-yelled. “We can’t place bets on our own sister.”
“I bet she’s pregnant. And if she is, I bet it’s a boy.”
“Ten bucks for each bet, twenty total,” Angelica said, shaking on it. “But we don’t tell Eliza.”
“Tell Eliza what?” Eliza questioned as she walked up behind them.
“Well Eliza, obviously we weren’t going to tell you. Why would we now?” Peggy grinned.
Eliza plopped down on the couch between them. “You guys suck,” she said. “The tests are started and the timer is running. Countdown has two and a half minutes left.” She clicked her phone off and set it on her lap. Eliza’s leg was bouncing in anticipation, anxious to know the answer of the tests. Her sisters were talking over her body, but she wasn’t listening. She was waiting for the buzz of her phone, the little ding signaling the end of the three minutes.
The second the alarm sounded, she shot out of her seat and ran to the bathroom, her bare feet slapping against the floor. Her hand was surprisingly stable as she held the first white stick in her hand. Positive. She glanced at the other two and saw the results; two parallel lines on each. She smiled at the results, knowing she was secretly pleased. She collected all three tests and walked to the living room.
“So what’s the results, ‘Liza?”
“Aunt Ange and Aunt Peggy,” she said, holding up a single test.
Both women screamed and launched themselves off the couch, tackling their sister in a hug.
“Oh my god, really?” Squealed Angelica.
“Yeah,” she breathed, still in disbelief. “Yeah, really.” Her arms wrapped back around her sisters, the tests held tight in her fist. “What am I going to do now?”
“We can bring you to the doctor and see if they can fit you in for an appointment.”
“Yeah, we can try. Should I call first?”
“I mean, if you want to. I would just walk in though,” shrugged Peggy.
“Okay,” said Eliza. “Let me go put on some pants first and then we’ll head out.” She moved back to her bedroom, the wheels in her head reeling as she pulled on a pair of jeans. Now that she was paying attention to it, they did fit a bit different than they had when she bought them. They weren’t tight yet, but they curved lower on her abdomen than they usually did. She yanked the hem of her t-shirt back down and slipped on a pair of flats from under the bed.
She grabbed her purse from the counter and slipped the pregnancy tests in before running to the bathroom and grabbing the unused box and hiding that in her purse as well. Angelica and Peggy were waiting by the door, keys in hand, watching Eliza bustle around the small apartment. She ripped a sheet of paper out of a random notebook and scribbled on it, leaving it next to the door- a note for Alexander presumably.
“I’m ready,” she said, grabbing her keys from the hook. The girls locked arms and walked down the hall to the tiny stairwell. They unlocked arms to snake down the stairs and immediately locked them once more as they walked to the car.
Peggy lunged towards the back of the car, releasing Eliza’s arm. “Dibs on the back seat.”
Eliza laughed at her sister’s antics. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who actually wants the back seat.”
“I can lay down back here,” she grinned, spreading herself across the seat, tucking a blanket under her head. “Angelica, I don’t know why you have a blanket back here but thanks. It makes an awesome pillow.”
Angelica chuckled slightly, a devious smirk spreading over her face. “No problem, Pegs.” Her sister didn’t need to know that her and John have sex on that blanket during their picnics. “Glad I could help you out.”
The drive to the OB/gyn office was nearly silent, the only noise coming from Angelica, humming as she drive through town. She pulled in and put the car in gear, turning to look her sister in the eyes. “Do you want us to go in with you?”
“I think I can do it,” she said. “But I’ll call you if I need you, okay?”
She exited the car and moved towards the office doors. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she shivered as the air conditioner brushed over her bare skin. Goosebumps raised on her arms as she stood behind the glass window for the receptionists’ desk.
The woman slid open the window and smiled at her. “Hello, who is your appointment with today?”
“Um, actually, I don’t have an appointment but I was wondering if I could schedule one, or if there was any chance I could be squeezed in today.”
The woman glanced at her computer screen, her fingers clacking against the keyboard. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she searched through the schedule. “I have an open appointment in an hour, but if you wait here, she might be able to fit you in here earlier than that.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.”
“Elizabeth Hamilton.” Eliza went through the list and answered all the woman’s questions. Date of birth, address, insurance, phone numbers… reason for today’s visit. That was a little awkward to explain to the receptionist, especially with the glances to her apparently obvious rounded figure. Was it that obvious to everyone else? Were her and Alexander just completely ignorant?
“Alright, Mrs Hamilton, the doctor will be with you as soon as possible. Thank you for waiting.”
Eliza smiled kindly at the receptionist and pulled out her phone to text her sisters to keep them updated. The small tv attached to the ceiling was showing the news. A woman on the other side of the waiting room had a car seat at her feet, a yellow blanket protruding slightly. Eliza was staring, trying to catch a glimpse of the baby. The car seat turned towards her and she blushed, knowing she was caught. “Sorry,” she said.
“No, it’s okay. You can come closer.” Eliza moved over a few seats over to get a good look at the baby.
“He’s beautiful,” she murmured.
“Thank you,” the woman smiled. “I think so too.” There was a comfortable silence as both women stared at the sleeping infant. “How far along are you?”
“I don’t know,” Eliza admitted. “Life has been so stressful lately that I didn’t even realize I was at least three months late until earlier this morning. So at least that long. It was sometime just before my sister’s wedding.”
“So you haven’t had many symptoms then?”
“No, I guess not. The ones I have had I just wrote off as something else I guess. But this morning, my husband was stressing over financial issues and I forced him to take a bath. That’s when I noticed the full pad box in the cupboard. Then I noticed my breasts hurt, and then I realized I’ve been extra tired lately. But I’ve only thrown up a few times these last few months and Alexander had been throwing up too, so I assumed it was food poisoning.”
The woman chuckled slightly. “Damn, you got it easy. I was throwing up even before I got a positive test and I didn’t stop until about a six hours after I had him.”
Eliza paled. “Oh god, I don’t think I would survive.”
The comfortable silence returned once more as they looked at the rise and fall of the baby’s chest, tiny snores escaping his mouth.
“Do you want a boy or girl?”
“I don’t really know. Alexander and I never really talked about having kids any time soon. I’d like a girl, but I think it’s a boy. Mother’s intuition I guess,” Eliza said smiling.
“Now don’t joke about mother’s intuition, it’s a real thing.”
Eliza smiled back. “I think Alex would like a boy. I just want a healthy baby.”
“Now where is your husband?”
Eliza sighed. “He winds himself up so tight worrying about things, and working, and he writes nonstop, so this morning I made him take a break to de-stress and now he’s out with some of the guys. I don’t know how I’m going to tell him about having a baby though. He thinks we’ll have barely enough money for groceries this month, let alone have enough left over for a baby. And he’s too proud to take money from daddy, because he thinks it’s a handout. He’s very stubborn, Alexander is.”
She was cut off as one of the nurses called her name from the doorway.
“That’s me, I’m sorry.” She picked up her bags and the car seat and walked to the door. “I hope it all works out well for you.”
“Thank you,” Eliza trailed off as the woman disappeared around the corner, the door falling closed behind her. She sat back in her original seat and stared at the posters on the wall. Many of them were support groups for new moms; single moms, breastfeeding moms, just moms in general, and many more. There was one poster that was almost entirely covered up by the posters surrounding it, and she stood up to move the posters out of the way.
Must be able to paint large mural (9’ x 28’)
Paints and mural design will be provided
Please ask receptionist for any further details
She pulled the tack out from the poster and stuck it back in the bulletin board, the paper in her hand. “Excuse me,” she said to the receptionist. “I saw your poster up on the wall. Do you still need someone for the job? I’m a painter.”
The receptionist’s face brightened. “Yes absolutely! We want someone to paint the waiting room wall right here. Let me be right around and I’ll explain what they want.” She got up from her desk and disappeared, only to come through the side door a matter of minutes later. “Okay,” she said, gesturing at the empty wall surrounding the window. “This is what they want painted. They had someone draw a mock-up, but apparently they’re more of a small scale colored pencil artist. Which, don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome, but not exactly what we need for a wall that’s almost thirty feet.” She held up a piece of paper with the design on it and set it on the receptionist counter. “This is what they want.”
It was a beautiful piece of work. It was an ocean scene, wildlife swimming through different parts of the piece; turtles, fish, an octopus. It was calm and serene, and right in Eliza’s painting capabilities. “I could absolutely do this.”
“Well we have a decent budget set aside, how much do you charge?”
“I usually charge about fifteen dollars per square foot but I’m flexible.”
The receptionist smiled again- she was either a very chipper person, or she had a really good customer service smile. “We have $5000 set aside. I think it ends up being a little over nineteen a square foot. We have the paints and brushes and everything, but we’d need your time. Is it something you’re interested in?”
“Yes! Absolutely. I’d love to work on it.”
“Awesome, now I don’t get final say, but if you have some examples of your work, the doctor would love to see them.”
“I’ve got some on my phone. I could-”
“Eliza Hamilton?” A nurse poked her hand out the side door.
“That’s me. I’m sorry. I’ll be back to talk after.”
The receptionist followed Eliza through the door. “No need. I’ll tell the doctor to talk to you before you leave.”
The nurse led Eliza to a room. “You can set your stuff down in here and I’ll take your weight and blood pressure and then I’ll send you to the bathroom for a urine sample, okay?”
Eliza set her purse down on the small chair in the corner of the room and sat on the very edge of it. The blood pressure cuff wrapped around her arm and the whirring of the machine filled the room. The machine released her arm and the nurse removed the band. “122/76. That’s almost perfect. Alright, get up and we’ll get a weight and a urine sample.”
Eliza followed the nurse out of the room and down the hall to the scale where she stepped up. She watched the nurse move the small weight across. And then across more. And more.
“147. How much were you pre-pregnancy?”
“Uh, I weighed about 121 a few months ago but my doctor was trying to get me to gain weight.” It made Eliza uncomfortable that everyone kept telling her she was definitely pregnant. Did she really look that obviously pregnant?
“Alright you’ve gained quite a bit but I think that puts you in the perfect weight zone currently. How far along are you?”
Eliza stepped off the scale. “Uh, I don’t know. I only took the test this morning. Maybe three months?”
“Alright, the doctor will probably send you out for a sonogram just to make sure everything is okay with the baby. Don’t worry, it’s just routine,” she said at Eliza’s wide-eyed reaction. “But you’ll also get a reading on how far along you are.” She held up a plastic cup. “Okay, so you’re going to get a urine sample, cap it tight, put it behind the little door in there, and the doctor will meet you back in your room. Okay?”
“Okay,” replied Eliza, grabbing the cup.
She locked herself in the bathroom and stared at the cup. She just went pee at home. She didn’t even have to go then either. She shrugged and pulled down her pants, sitting on the cold toilet seat. Somewhere from the recesses of her bladder, she managed to get a sample in the cup. She crinkled her nose as she tightened the cap and set it inside the tiny door on the wall.
She stood up, the toilet flushing automatically behind her. “Holy shhh-” she trailed as she pulled up her pants and adjusted her clothes. She looked in the mirror as she washed her hands. How was she supposed to tell Alexander about this?
She went to the room and sat on the edge of the exam bed, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear people walking outside the door as well as the woman in the next room. A knock sounded on the door to her room and she sat up straight on the bed. The doctor peeked her head in and smiled.
“Mrs Hamilton? Hi, I’m Dr Reynolds. How are you doing today?”
Eliza smiled back nervously. “I’m doing well, thank you.”
“Alright, Mrs Hamilton, so it says here that you’ve come in to confirm a pregnancy?”
Eliza nodded. “Yeah. I think it’s less of a confirmation now that everyone makes me feel huge. I feel stupid, almost, for taking so long to realize that I’ve missed my period.”
“Okay, so how long has it been?”
“It’s been at least three months since my last period. I don’t have an exact date but I could look at a calendar and figure it out. It started the Wednesday before my sister’s wedding back in April.”
“Okay, so we ran your urine test for an hCg sample, and it came back positive, so you definitely are pregnant. Congratulations.” Dr Reynolds smiled again. “That means that today, I’m going to feel your stomach and measure the baby. Looking at your stomach, and taking in your last menstrual cycle into account, I’m going to assume that you’re far enough along to feel the baby. Based on your last period, I’m going to guess that you’re due sometime around early February. Then, I’m going to take some vaginal and cervical swabs to test for any STIs. It’s purely routine. And after that I’ll send you for a sonogram so we can get a better estimate at how far along you are. Okay?”
Eliza nodded again, feeling overwhelmed at all the information in her head.
The doctor stood up and got a gown and sheet from the cupboard on the wall. “Okay, so I’m going to go back out for a few minutes. I’ll leave this gown with you. I need you to completely strip. The tie goes in the back, but there’s really no sense in tying it since I’ll need to do a breast exam while you’re here. The sheet will keep you covered while I move your gown around, that way you’re not completely exposed. So here’s these,” she said handing over the thin fabrics. “And I’ll be back in a few.” She pulled the door shut with a click behind her and Eliza stood up from the bed and shucked off her shoes.
She stripped off her jeans and set them on the chair, folding them as she moved. She pulled the t-shirt over her head and added that to the jeans on the chair. She grabbed the gown and pulled it up her arms, wrapping it around her. She pushed her underwear to her ankles and stepped out of it, folding it and hiding it under the t-shirt. She pulled the gown around her tight as she could before hopping up on the bed and sitting down.
The silence was deafening as she looked around the room. She was sure to focus on her breathing as the situation suddenly just became so much more real. She was feeling anxious the longer she was left alone and she was waiting for the gentle knock on the door.
The moment she heard knuckles on the door, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Are you decent?”
“As decent as I can be in this gown,” joked Eliza.
Dr Reynolds walked in, her dark curls bouncing around her face. “I completely understand that,” she laughed. The nurse walked in behind her, grabbing gloves from the box on the counter. “So Miss Allison is here to hand me the swabs, and then she’ll leave and it’ll be just you and me for the rest of it, okay? So there’s no need to be so tense.”
Eliza smiled nervously and nodded her head. The doctor’s demeanor was putting her at ease little by little.
“Alright, I’m gonna need you to lay down,” she said, her hand on Eliza’s back to help her back.
Eliza laid back, her feet lifting to rest on the footrest Dr Reynolds had pulled out. Her back was curving at an odd angle, but she stayed quiet, shuffling in place. A sheet was placed over her waist as her gown was pulled up slightly.
“Okay, so I want you to put your ankles together, and let your knees fall apart. I’m gonna take a couple swabs.” The nurse held out the swabs, along with the empty container to seal the samples in and Eliza stared at the ceiling, waiting for it to be done. The snap of the q-tip handle sounded as Dr Reynolds put the sample in the container and the nurse took the lube and squeezed a dollop onto the doctor’s gloves before she left the room, samples in tow. “Okay, so now I’m just going to feel your cervix, and make sure it’s not dilated, and if it hurts at all, I want you to tell me.”
The doctor spread Eliza’s legs slightly and Eliza looked everywhere but the doctor.
Eliza shook her head. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but it didn’t hurt. The doctor stepped back up and pulled the sheet completely down past Eliza’s knees. She pulled off her gloves and grabbed a new pair, tossing the old pair in the garbage.
“In all reality, I should have done the breast exam first, but Allison is going on break and I didn’t think you wanted your first appointment here to have everyone seeing everything.” She pulled the top of Eliza’s gown back. “Okay, have you ever had a breast exam?”
“This is my first time being to an OB/gyn at all, so no. My primary care doctor doesn’t do that, and I’ve never been taught to do it myself.”
“What you’re gonna do,” she said, holding up two fingers. “Once a month, you’re going to start at your nipple and press using small circles until you feel your entire breast. You’ll feel things that feel like the squishy part of your finger, that’s normal. Those are milk ducts. They’ll get a little bit harder as you start coming into your milk, but you should never feel any hard lumps, that feel like the back of your fingers, the boney part. If you do, come in immediately. So, once a month, do a self breast exam.” She eased Eliza’s arm out of the gown and lifted the arm above her head. “Make sure your arm is above your head, okay? Because the breast tissue goes all the way up under your armpit.”
She moved to Eliza’s other side and finished the breast exam, easing Eliza’s arms back into the sleeves. “All good. So now I’m going to measure your uterus. I’ll just take a measuring tape and hold it against your stomach, and then I’ll get you an appointment for a sonogram today and we’ll be all done here after I check the baby’s heartbeat.”
She moved to the cupboard and rummaged through, grabbing a folded up paper tape measure. She held one end directly on Eliza’s pubic bone, her other hand slowly pressing into her stomach, moving up.
“Okay, so the top of your uterus is right here,” she said, pressing into Eliza’s stomach. “It’s just above your belly button. Do you wanna feel?”
Eliza’s hand moved down to press into her stomach. “And that’s my baby in there?”
“That’s your baby,” she replied smiling. “And-” She places the tape measure right where her fingers had left. “According to this measurement, you’re somewhere around eighteen weeks along.” She tossed the tape measure in the garbage and turned back to the table, fetal heart monitor in hand. She moved the sheet back over Eliza’s waist, lifting the gown once she was properly covered. The doctor grabbed a bottle of lube and squeezed it onto the wand before pressing it against Eliza’s abdomen.
There was a swishing noise that filled the room, empty static that shifted as the wand moved across her stomach before a quick pattering flooded from the speakers. Eliza’s eyes grew wide, a smile shining on her face as she realized that she was hearing her baby’s heartbeat. “Oh my god, there’s really a baby in there.” She wiped at the tears that were welling in her eyes. “Can I record this on my phone?”
Eliza turned and reached for her phone sitting on the chair before moving back. She opened the voice memos and began recording as Dr Reynolds found the heartbeat again. The sound of the heart beating filled the room as Eliza continued recording.
“The baby’s heart rate is 146. That’s right in the correct range.” She removed the heart monitor and clicked it off, the room becoming quiet again.
“Wow,” breathed Eliza as she turned her phone off. She grabbed the paper towel the doctor offered her and wiped the gel off her stomach.
The doctor held the heart monitor in one hand and grabbed Eliza’s hands with the other to help her sit up. “What I’m going to do now is write you a prescription for prenatal pills. You can either use those, which I recommend, or you can go to the store and get some over the counter prenatal pills. But you need to start taking them right away.” She grabbed the laptop from the counter and looked at the notes the nurse had left. “Okay, so I’m going to see what time they can get you in for a sonogram at the hospital.”
Eliza stared down at her stomach. There was really a baby in there.
“It seems like they can fit you in today around 3:30. Does that work for you?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’m having a girl’s day with my sisters, so I’ll probably be in town until they decide they’re done with me,” she joked.
Dr Reynolds smiled. “Alright, so I’ll book an appointment for you. Now you’ve got time to go out, get something to eat, do a little shopping. One thing that they recommend for the ultrasound is having a full bladder. It can help make it easier to see the baby and get a clearer picture. So drink lots of water, which you should be doing anyway.” She stood up. “I’ll see you back here in a month. You can get your clothes back on and make an appointment with the front desk. Have a great day, Mrs Hamilton.”
Eliza changed back into her clothes fairly quickly and walked out to the receptionist’s desk. “I need an appointment for one month.”
The receptionist started clicking her nails against the keyboard while the receptionist that signed her in cane over. “Did you talk to the doctor about doing the mural?”
“Uh, no, it didn’t really come up. I was too busy being in disbelief that there actually is a baby in there.”
The receptionist laughed and waved Dr Reynolds back over. “Mrs Hamilton here said she’s a painter and expressed interest in painting the waiting room mural.”
Dr Reynolds smiled. “Then call me Maria. Do you have any examples of your work I could look at?”
Eliza opened her phone and searched through her Facebook. “I put most of my projects on Facebook, so I should be able to- Oh here they are.” She handed her phone over to the doctor. “I haven’t done any large scale projects in a couple months but these are a few I did for last Christmas.”
“Eliza, these are phenomenal. Are you seriously interested in the waiting room mural?”
“Yeah, absolutely. I saw the concept art and the idea is gorgeous. I’d love to do it. It would probably only take me a couple weeks if you’ve already got the supplies and the mock-up.”
Maria handed the phone back to Eliza. “I think your work is beautiful, and you couldn’t have come at a better time. The office will be closed next week and the week after so our staff can have a vacation. We’d pay half now, half when the job is done. It’s a $5000 job total, so we’d give you $2500 now and the other when you’re done. Does that sound good?”
“That sounds amazing. I can start on Saturday if that work for you guys.”
“That works. So let me get you the money, and I’ll call you with any other information.” Maria disappeared behind the counter into her office and came back with a check with the hospital emblem on it. “So there’s that, and I’ll call you if I think of anything else okay?”
“Sounds good,” Eliza smiled, tucking the check into her purse.
“Alright, I’ll see you Saturday then. Have a good day, Eliza. Don’t forget your sonogram appointment today.”
“I won’t,” she said, smiling as the doctor walked away.
The receptionist handed her an appointment card. “It’s September 21 at 1:00. We’ll see you then.”
“Thank you so much. Have a good day.”
“You too,” replied the receptionist as Eliza left through the door.
She walked to her sister’s car and climbed in, her energy levels through the roof.
Peggy was asleep in the back but Angelica turned to her as soon as she sat down. “So?”
Eliza started to tear up. “There’s a baby in there,” she laughed, wiping away tears. “There’s really a baby in there.” She opened her phone to the voice recording. “Listen.”
The sound of the heart beating filled the small car. Angelica was in awe, listening to the recording. “Wow, E. That’s awesome.”
“I have a sonogram in a couple hours, think you can bring me?”
“Of course, we’re here for you today, even if Peggy is in the back sleeping. So what do you want to do until then?”
“I’m starving. Can we go to KFC or something? I really want mashed potatoes.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “No, I just really like mashed potatoes. You know that.” Angelica murmured an ‘mm-hmm’ as she pulled out of the parking space and turned onto the road. “Peggy, wake up,” Eliza said, slapping at her sister. “We’re going to KFC.”
“Why can’t we just go in and sit down?” Angelica asked her sister.
“I don’t want to. I’m comfy back here.”
“You’ve been sleeping on a blanket that John and I have sex on when we go out for picnics. Just throwing that out there.”
Peggy shot up. “You’re disgusting. You let me sleep on that!”
Eliza burst out laughing. “It’s not like you asked, Pegs.”
“Well yeah but she could have warned me! That’s disgusting. Ugh. You’re gross. You’re both gross. Having sex. And you can’t even deny it Eliza because you’re pregnant and I doubt it’s the baby Jesus.”
Eliza was laughing to the point of tears when Angelica piped up. “Peggy, you’ve been having sex since you were a college freshman. Don’t even deny it because I could hear you guys every time you would bring one home.”
They turned into KFC and ate, joking around the entire time. Eliza finished her food in record time, having not eaten since dinner the night before.
Peggy poked at her stomach. “Are you sure that’s not a food baby in there, ‘Liza?”
Eliza blushed. “I didn’t have breakfast this morning. So sue me. Also, give me your mashed potatoes.” She swiped Peggy’s potatoes from her and dipped her fork in the container.
“Hey, I’m eating for two now. You don’t need the calories, I do. Sure I only need, like, three hundred extra calories a day, but whatever. It’ll be fine.” She looked down at the time on her phone and noticed a text from Alexander.
Hey, Betsey, I hope you’re having a good time with the girls. The guys came over to our house so they’ll probably be there when you get back. I love you, Eliza.
She sent a picture of her sisters sitting across from her, Peggy shoving a forkful of chicken in her mouth, Angelica smiling at the camera. We’re at KFC right now. I think they’re gonna keep me out as long as possible. But I’ll be home for dinner tonight. Maybe I’ll bring home a treat.
I shall count the hours until I see your beautiful face again, my dearest.
Eliza smiled and put her phone down again, noting the time before it shut off. “We still have an hour and a half until my next appointment. What do you guys want to do?”
Angelica’s eyes brightened. “Let Peggy and I buy you some maternity clothes!”
“Guys, I can’t let you pay for me, and I don’t know how I could pay you back.”
Angelica scoffed. “We’re your sisters, E. It’s called that’s-what-you-do-for-the-people-you-love. And if you’re not here to pick them out with us now, we’ll just do it later and make it a gift for you. So really it’s your choice of now or later.”
“I’m going to pay you back somehow.”
“You can worry about that later. Now let’s go shopping.”
Angelica made it to the mall in almost no time flat, speeding into a parking spot right next to the doors. The three women stepped out and walked to the doors, Angelica leading the way.
“Ange, I don’t even know what stores sell maternity clothes here.”
“There’s an entire store dedicated to mommy-to-be needs,” she grinned. “You’re not getting out of this.”
Eliza groaned and trudged after her sisters, following them into a store. A maternity store. For mother-to-be. Like her.
Breathing suddenly became harder to handle as she walked through the racks with her sisters. Angelica would pause to pull a shirt or dress off the rack and hold it up beside Eliza, looking to see if it would fit, or match her complexion, or something. Every so often, Angelica would ask her if she liked something, only for her to nod or shake her head.
Peggy walked up with an armful of skirts, jeans, and maternity bras. “I’ve already picked out what I’m buying you, so deal.”
“Pegs, I don’t think I need that many pants.”
“Well some of them are shorts, and there’s some jeans, and some leggings, and a couple of skirts. And I got you cute bras because everyone deserves cute bras.”
“Peggy, I have bras,” she said, exasperated.
“But not cute mommy bras that are cute, comfy, and functional.” She set them on the counter. “And they’re all in your size, and they’re having a BOGO deal, so stop complaining and let us pamper you or I’m taking you to get a mani-pedi next.”
“And a haircut,” piped Angelica from behind a stack of shirts and dresses. “I’m ready to check out too.”
“Guys, I don’t need all of this,” she whined looking at the piles of clothes.
“I got you a cute cardigan,” Eliza said. “I don’t know what the difference is between a cardigan and a maternity cardigan but it’s cute and you’re getting it and you can’t be mad at me because I know you want one.”
“I really do,” she grumbled. “Okay, I’m going to go wait outside so I don’t hear the totals and have a heart attack, okay?” She put a bottle of lotion on the counter. “Can one of you get this too?”
“I’ll get it,” offered Peggy. “I’m pretty sure my total is going to be less anyway.”
Eliza rubbed her temples and walked out of the store, sitting on a bench outside the store. She doubled in half, resting her head on her knees; or as close as she could get. She dragged her hands down her face and watched her sisters in the store. It seemed like forever before they came out, bags in tow. “Did I break your bank?”
“No, if anything we broke our banks. Because let’s be honest, we have no self control,” said Angelica.
“We really don’t,” agreed Peggy. “And you’re our favorite sister so it’s only fair.”
“You really are,” whispered Angelica. “Where to next?”
“Can we go home before my appointment? We can drop this stuff off.” Eliza breathed heavily as she stood up. “Peggy, I think I’m going to take the back seat this time. I don’t feel so good.”
“Like, morning sickness don’t-feel-good?”
Eliza shook her head. “No, like, how-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-tell-Alexander-about-this anxiety. And nerves. And I feel like I’m going to throw up. What if he hates me for it? What if he wants me to get an abortion?”
“Okay, first off, you’re being ridiculous, ‘Liza. Alexander may be pro-choice, but he’d never want to have his own child aborted. Second off, if he acts like a dick, Ange and I will beat the fuck out of him. Sister’s honor. But Eliza, you know he wouldn’t act like that. Even if you guys are having money troubles, he’ll want that baby as much as he wants you. And maybe he’ll stop being so proud of himself and blast that ego of his and take some money from daddy. He just wants to help, Eliza.”
“I know that. But Alexander just sees it as a handout. And he doesn’t want that. He’d rather pay daddy back no matter how long it takes.”
“Maybe you can get it through his thick skull and tell him that he needs to worry more about this baby than his pride.”
“You know Peggy has a point, E.”
Eliza opened the back door to the car and crawled inside. “Do you have something I can use as a pillow that you haven’t had sex on?”
“The blanket on the floor is clean.” Angelica said, loading the bags into the trunk.
“Really?!” Shrieked Peggy. “You couldn’t have given me the untainted blanket? I had to lay down on your raunchy exhibitionist blanket for picnic sex.”
“You never asked,” Angelica pointed out, climbing in the driver’s seat. “Maybe if you had asked, I would have told you. And it’s not raunchy exhibitionist sex. It’s sex on our own blanket in the woods behind our house where the only people that would find us would be trespassers. So it’s not really exhibitionism. Public sex? Maybe. But definitely not exhibitionism.”
“I’d probably be an exhibitionist tbh,” admitted Peggy. “But I don’t think Stephen is into that.”
“Who’s Stephen?!” Exclaimed Eliza, shooting up in place.
Peggy’s cheeks flushed. “He’s just a guy I’ve been seeing for a while.”
Angelica turned in her seat. “A while?! And you didn’t tell us?”
“Because you guys always act like this! Would you just start the car?” She crossed her arms. “I’ll tell you on the way to ‘Liza’s house.” She sighed deeply as Angelica turned on the main road. “Okay, so Stephen and I have been dating since Angelica’s wedding. He was one of the waiters that cane with your catering company. Well, when he was on break, I sat down and talked with him for a while and we hit it off immediately. I had planned on introducing you to him next week and that being how you found out. But obviously I blew it as usual.”
“So how come you haven’t told us of him before?” Eliza said from the back seat.
“Because you guys are kind of overbearing, especially you, Ange. I really like him and I didn’t want you to scare him away. We’ve been moving kinda fast though and we both decided it was time for him to meet my family. So we planned on having a party next week. But the cat’s out of the bag now so there’s really no point.”
“We can still have the party,” said Eliza. “And I’d just like to state, that for the record, Alexander is the overbearing one, not me.”
“Alright, fair enough. But still embarrassing.”
A silence settled over the car as they sat at a red light. Angelica was staring in the rear view mirror, Peggy was staring straight ahead, and Eliza laid back across the seat. “Do you have any pictures?”
Peggy snorted and threw her phone in the back seat, the photos app open. “It took you longer to ask than I thought. Just keep scrolling.”
“Ohh,” Eliza said. “He’s handsome. What a catch Pegs. You done good.” She scrolled to the side. “And apparently he’s well-hung. I’m gonna keep scrolling.”
“What?! I put all of those pictures in photo vault.”
“Except that one apparently. It’s all good, I’ve scrolled past it already.” She looked at the new picture- both of them clothed thankfully, Peggy blushing as Stephen pressed a kiss to her cheek. “It was a very artsy photo though. Did you take it?”
“Elizaaa,” Peggy whined, Angelica laughing beside her. “Shut up.”
“I’m just curious! You guys look so happy together. It’s really cute,” she commented, scrolling through more photos. “Is this an after-sex selfie?” She turned the phone toward her sister, showing her the photo.
“Lemme see,” she said, turning around and grabbing at her phone. A smile crept across her face as she looked at the photo. “Yeah, I guess it is.” She was curled into Stephen’s side, her face buried in his chest. The look on both of their faces was pure bliss, comfort, and contentment. “Oh, god,” Peggy sniffled, holding back tears. “I’m so in love with him.”
“Aww,” Angelica crooned. “My baby sister has got it bad. You’re still having the party right? We get to meet him?”
“Yeah,” Peggy sighed. “I guess so. But you’d better not embarrass me. Got it?”
“Got. It?” she asked through her teeth.
“Yes, Margarita, we got it. We would never ever ever purposely embarrass you.” Angelica sniggered from the driver’s seat. “Never ever.”
“You guys are so full of shit, you know that?” Peggy crossed her arms and slouched in her seat. She tossed her phone back at Eliza. “Might as well keep looking.”
Eliza scrolled through the pictures, crooning here and there at some particularly cute photos. “You guys look so happy together.”
“We are.” Peggy smiled from the front seat. “We really are.”
Angelica turned her car into the apartment parking lot and shifted it into park. “Are you ready to bring your stuff upstairs?”
“Oh, god, Alexander can’t see these bags. They have maternity plastered all over the side of them.”
“I’ll make up an elaborate story,” Angelica said, waving her hand noncommittally. “No one will know the difference.”
“He’s Alexander, Ange. He’ll figure it out.”
Peggy grabbed the bags. “Then we’ll distract him.”
Eliza grabbed her phone. Are the guys still there with you?
Yeah, why? He replied almost immediately.
Just wondering. We’ll be right up.
“He said the guys are still in the apartment. Please help me.”
“Do you have your set of car keys on you?” Peggy said, walking to the small blue car parked a few spots away.
“Yeah, it’s on my keychain. Why?”
Peggy snatched the keys that Eliza had held out in her hand. “We’ll just stuff them in the trunk. He won’t know until after you can tell him.”
Eliza nodded and grabbed some of the bags from Angelica’s car. “That actually is a really good idea.”
“Well, obviously,” Peggy snorted. “I came up with it.” She tossed the bags into the trunk and slammed it closed. “Now let’s go upstairs. But we have to be quick. Your appointment is in twenty minutes.”
The three women walked up the stairs, Peggy pulling a dreadful Eliza and Angelica following them. “Eliza you have to tell him sooner or later.”
“I know, Ange. Apparently it’s super obvious and everyone at the stupid doctor’s office could tell and I just don’t want to be like, ‘hey, Alex, you know how we’re struggling to survive? Well we’ll be having a baby in four months, so prepare yourself to stop eating or living.’”
“Well, that’s just unrealistic, Eliza. You would never tell him like that. First of all, you never call him Alex. Second of all, just open your front door and lady up. Go tell him.” Angelica nudged Eliza towards the door. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“A lot of things, Angelica! A lot of things! He could-”
Peggy threw open the door. “We’re back losers!” She proclaimed, draping herself over Lafayette and Hercules’s laps on the couch.
“Peggy, really?” Angelica chastised. “You’re old enough to know better.”
“Yeah, Ange, but you’re young enough to live it up a bit and you don’t do that, so it seems as though we are at an impasse.” She smirked before looking at the guys. “There’s gonna be a party at my place next week and you’re invited,” she began to drone.
Eliza walked up behind Alexander and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Can we talk?”
“Eliza, you’ll never have to worry about me not wanting to talk. I literally never shut up. You’ve been married to me for how long now? And you still can’t figure that out?” The smile on his face made it evident that he was joking, no matter how true it was.
“Can we talk in private? Go out on the fire escape maybe?”
Alexander’s smile fell from his face. “Yeah, sure. Let me put my drink on the table and I’ll be right there.”
Eliza walked through the bedroom to the fire escape and sat down, the cold metal pressing into the backs of her legs. Alexander walked through and sat beside her, their legs dangling through the safety rails.
“What’s going on Betsey?”
She leaned into him, her head on his chest. “I just missed you,” she whispered, inhaling the smell of his cologne.
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her even closer. She lifted her legs up from over the edge and curled them into her chest. “Oh, ‘Liza. I’m always right here for you.”
“I know,” she said. For now, her mind provided. “What did you guys do today?”
“You’ll never believe it, Betsey. We were sitting in that coffee shop a few blocks over, right? And I’m complaining about how no one is buying my writings, and I’d basically do anything for a job right now, and this guy walks up to our table and it like, ‘I couldn’t help but overhear,’ yadda yadda yadda and long story short, he offered me a job as editor for the newspaper. It’s not glamorous or anything, but it’s $66,000 starting salary, benefits, healthcare.”
“Oh, Alexander, that’s wonderful!”
“It’s not anything special, but it’s better than nothing, right?”
“Oh absolutely! I actually got a job offer today, too. $2500 up front, the other $2500 when it’s done.” She pulled the check from her purse and showed Alexander.
“They want me to paint a mural for one of their office waiting rooms. Everything is starting to fall in place.” She leaned against Alexander’s chest. “It’s for their women’s health office.” They sat in silence for a few seconds, Eliza listening to Alexander’s heartbeat pounding in her ear. It was much slower than the heartbeat she was listening to earlier. “Alexander, do you ever want kids?”
“I haven’t really ever thought about it. Most of my childhood was spent in less than pleasing conditions. My mother died when I was young, my father left even before that, I don’t even know what a parent is supposed to do. I don’t think so. I don’t know. Maybe eventually but definitely not now. Not until we’re settled down even more and have an actual house instead of the apartment. I want us to be financially stable before we even really think about having kids. Why do you ask?”
“Uh, I saw a newborn when I was in the women’s health building earlier. I was just wondering,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “Can you just hold me for a bit? It’s been quite the day. I missed my husband.”
“Let’s go back into our room then, Betsey. You’re shaking.”
“Oh, I must be a little cold,” she agreed, pawing at the tears in her eyes before standing up. She wrapped her arms around herself, hiding her midsection. She crawled in the window and threw herself on the bed, curling up on herself.
“Eliza? What’s wrong? Was it something I said?”
“Please just come hold me.”
Alexander crawled into bed beside her, his arms wrapping around her ribs to pull her close. One hand found its way to her hair, where he carded his fingers through the pin straight locks. “You’re so beautiful, Eliza,” he whispered in her ear. “You are the definition of beauty itself. I’m so lucky to have you in my life.” He pressed his nose against the crook of her neck and breathed happily. “I’ll still never know how you married a man like me, Betsey.”
Eliza’s body was still shaking with her crying, her eyes staring blankly at the door in front of her. She could feel Alexander pressing kisses up and down her neck, but she didn’t react.
Alexander sat up behind her and eased his face in front of hers, his body hovering just above her. “Eliza, what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? Please, Elizabeth, I can’t help unless I know what’s wrong. I thought you’d be excited to have a commission, and excited that I have a real job lined up.”
She remained staring at the door and Alexander launched himself off the bed, running through the door to the living room. He brought Angelica back, pulling her by the arm into the bedroom.
“I don’t know what I did wrong. We were out talking and now she’s like this and now she won’t talk to me or answer or react to anything I do. Please Angelica. Help me. I don’t know what I did.”
Angelica sat on the edge of the bed. “E, can you hear me?” She eased her sister’s head off the pillow and scooted under it, Eliza’s head resting on her lap. “Alexander, go get her a glass of water.” She rubbed Eliza’s hair soothingly, humming as she played with her dark hair. “What’s wrong, Eliza?”
Eliza began sobbing. “He said he definitely doesn’t want children now. Maybe not ever.”
“Oh, Eliza. I’m sure he didn’t mean that.”
“I asked him if he ever wanted children and he said he doesn’t think so, and then that he doesn’t know, and then definitely not right now.” Her body was shaking harder from the sobbing. “Because of the money.”
“Well did you tell him? Did you tell him everything about-?”
“No, I couldn’t. Not after he said that,” she cried.
“Eliza, babe, you need to tell him.” She sat her sister up on the bed, easing Eliza’s head to her chest, pulling her into a hug. “He deserves to know.”
“I deserve to know what?” Alexander asked, hand clenched around a glass of water. Angelica held her hand out for it and he pressed it into her palm. “Tell me what?”
Angelica handed Eliza the water and watched her drink it before standing up. “I think you two have some talking to do.”
“I’ll be right out in the kitchen, holler if you need me.”
“Angelica, I need you!” Eliza cried.
“Alexander, instead of talking, you might want to consider listening for once,” she said before she closed the bedroom door behind her.
The air in the bedroom suddenly felt heavy. Eliza stood up and moved to the window, throwing it open before sitting on the floor.
“Eliza, I need you to talk to me. Please. I can’t help you if I don’t know what I did wrong.” He sat down on the floor and grabbed her hand. “Eliza, pl-”
