Page 28 of Home Run

“Hi, Millie, please come in,” said a stern-looking woman, peering around the frame of the door to usher us inside. Her eyes scanned the length of my body, before landing back on my face with a raised eyebrow. “And you must be the father?”

I stuck my hand out, not expecting to receive quite such a firm shake back. “Tanner.”

“Great. Sit down, please.”

The doctor took a seat on the other side of her desk from us, behind a screen that almost completely blocked her view, and began typing. “Your bloodwork’s come back to confirm your pregnancy.”

From the corner of my eye I noticed Millie’s fist clench, before she rammed them between her legs. I wantedto reach out and hold her hand, but I figured she’d only snatch it away.

“So, have you made a decision on how you’d like to proceed?”

Millie glanced briefly at me and nodded. “Yes, we’re going to go ahead.”

“Okay.” The doctor opened her drawer and pulled out a thick wedge of leaflets, which she placed in front of us. The top one had a picture of the baby I’d been expecting in the reception area. I left it where it was. “First thing you need to do is make an appointment with your OBGYN. Have you got one in the city?”

She saidobigeewyenso quickly I was still trying to figure out what it was and whether I had one, but Millie shook her head. “No, she’s back in D.C.”

“Well, given that your last period was in May and intercourse took place not long after, we know your baby will be due roughly sometime toward in the middle of March?—”

“During the preseason.”

The doctor and Millie stopped talking and stared at me.

I coughed away the lump in my throat that had appeared out of nowhere. “Sorry, I just meant, the preseason starts in February and the regular season end of March.”

The doctor pulled off her glasses, two large creases appeared on her brow. “What season?”

“Baseball, ma’am. Um…sorry, I mean, doc. After Spring Training.”

“Oh, right. Okay.” The doctor frowned and turned back to Millie. “As I was saying, if your OBGYN is in D.C., then you might want to think about getting one up here ifyou want to have the baby in the city. Have you decided on your plans for school?”

Millie nodded. “Yes, I’m going to defer a year.”

“But you’re staying in New York? Or going back to D.C.?”

The way the conversation was playing out caused my heart to pound hard in my chest. The idea that Millie would be pregnant and in another city hadn’t occurred to me, and from the way my mouth dried up, I didn’t like it. Especially when Millie turned to me with an apologetic smile.

“We need to talk about it, I guess. We’re still getting used to the idea.” Her eyes flicked to the doctor and back. “I guess it makes sense to stay here for appointments. You’ll be here for the rest of the season. That’s easier for you, if you’re sure you want to come with me.”

The flash of panic subsided with a deep breath as I smiled gratefully at her, even if I didn’t like the way she saidif you’re sure. “Yes, I’m sure. Let’s get one of these OBGYNs in New York.”

The doctor cleared her throat. “We can set you up with one in the city. Doctor Humphries is one of the best OBs we have in our practice here. I can set up an appointment with her for your twelve-week ultrasound if you’d like? We can share notes with your D.C. doctor if needed.”

“Thank you, sounds good.”

“Excellent,” said the doctor, clacking away at her keyboard. “August eleventh?—”

“It needs to be early morning,” Millie interrupted, and the way her eyes glanced my way, along with a small smile, had my heart kicking hard in my chest.

“Ten a.m. then.” The doctor picked up the leaflets and this time held them out for one of us to take. “Read through these and they’ll give you all the information you need about what will happen. I’m going to suggest some prenatal vitamins for you, and let me grab your blood pressure before you go, then we’re all set.”

The doctor scribbled everything down on a pad, and I took the list from her. While she got busy taking Millie’s blood pressure, I shot a quick message to my nutritionist. He provided me with all the supplements I took on a daily basis, so I figured he could get these, too, and drop them off at the club with my usual supply.

“Good luck, call me if you need anything,” the doctor said as the pair of us stood. We must have both been wearing that caught-in-the-headlights expression because she added, “You’re going to be fine.”

Once again, we walked in silence until we stepped outside and the AC was replaced by the humid New York air and the honk of traffic. I looked down at my watch; 9:40. It was rare I was even awake at this time, especially during the season.

I stifled a yawn. “Hey, you wanna go get coffee? We can read over the leaflets?”

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