Page 20 of Friar
“You want me to wait outside?”I asked, suddenly aware that this might be more intimate than she was comfortable with.
She shook her head without looking at me.“Please stay,” she whispered, the words barely audible.
The nurse instructed Cheri to change into a gown and left us alone.I turned my back while she changed, listening to the rustle of fabric and the crinkle of paper as she climbed onto the examination table.When I turned around, she was perched on the edge, looking small and pale against the stark white of the room with its blue accents.Her hands were clenched in her lap, knuckles white with tension.
I leaned against the wall in the corner, trying to project calm I didn’t feel.This whole situation -- the sterile room, the waiting, the pregnant girl who might be carrying my child -- felt surreal, like I’d stepped into someone else’s life by mistake.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears.
Cheri nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the door, her jaw tight with anxiety.When Dr.Parkes entered a moment later, Cheri flinched like she’d been struck.
Dr.Parkes was in her fifties, with silver streaking her dark hair and crow’s feet deepening around her eyes when she smiled.She wore a white coat over simple slacks and a blouse, a stethoscope around her neck.There was nothing soft about her appearance, but her eyes were kind when they settled on Cheri.
“You must be Cheri,” she said, closing the door behind her and setting a chart on the counter.“I’m Dr.Parkes.I don’t know if anyone told you, but I won’t be your regular doctor.I was able to work you in today, but I’m not accepting new patients.You’ll be assigned to Dr.Cooper after this.Now… Friar tells me you’re about ten weeks along.”
“Yes, ma’am.”Cheri’s voice was barely audible.
Dr.Parkes nodded, pulling on latex gloves with practiced efficiency.“Let’s take a look, shall we?I’ll need you to lie back and lift your gown just above your belly.”
I watched as Cheri complied, her movements stiff with embarrassment.Dr.Parkes rolled a machine toward the table -- an ultrasound machine, I realized.
“This gel will feel cold,” Dr.Parkes warned, squeezing clear gel onto Cheri’s abdomen.Cheri gasped slightly at the contact, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, refusing to look at either of us.
Dr.Parkes pressed a wand against Cheri’s stomach, moving it in slow circles as she watched the screen.Static filled the room, gray shadows shifting on the monitor that meant nothing to me.The doctor adjusted something, moved the wand slightly to the left, and suddenly a rapid whooshing sound filled the room -- fast, rhythmic, unmistakably alive.
“There’s your baby’s heartbeat,” Dr.Parkes said, smiling slightly.“Strong and steady, just as it should be.”
Cheri’s eyes widened, her gaze snapping to the screen where a tiny form was visible among the shadows.Her lips parted in wonder, tears welling in her eyes as the sound continued to fill the room.The heartbeat was faster than I’d expected, a rapid drumming that seemed impossible for something so small.
I straightened from my position against the wall, drawn forward by that sound.Something shifted in my chest -- a tightening, an opening, I couldn’t tell which.I’d heard heartbeats before, felt pulses flutter beneath my fingertips, but never like this.Never a sound that made the hair on my arms rise, that sent a jolt of recognition through me so powerful it almost hurt.
“That’s… that’s the baby?”I asked, my voice rougher than I’d intended.
Dr.Parkes nodded, pointing to the screen.“Right here.See this flicker?That’s the heart.Everything looks normal for ten to eleven weeks gestation.Good size, good position.”
Cheri couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from the screen, one hand reaching out as if to touch the image before stopping halfway, her fingers curling into her palm.A tear slipped down her cheek, then another, but she made no move to wipe them away.
“I’d like to run some standard blood tests,” Dr.Parkes said, moving the wand to different positions, taking measurements that appeared at the bottom of the screen.“Check your iron levels, blood type, screen for any infections or conditions we should be aware of.”
“What about STD testing?”I asked, forcing myself to focus on practicalities rather than the strange feeling spreading through my chest.“That’s important, right?”
Dr.Parkes nodded, her expression neutral, professional.“Absolutely.We’ll include a complete STD panel.Results should be back in a few days.”She glanced between us.“Friar mentioned your… situation.That there’s some question about paternity.”
Cheri’s cheeks flushed crimson, her gaze dropping from the screen for the first time since the heartbeat had filled the room.Shame and embarrassment radiated from her in waves, but there was something else too -- a fierceness in the way her hand moved to her stomach, protective and determined.
“There are non-invasive prenatal paternity tests available,” Dr.Parkes continued, her tone matter-of-fact.“They’re quite accurate -- about 99.9% for inclusion and exclusion.They can be done as early as seven weeks, so you’re well within the window.The procedure involves a blood draw from the mother and cheek swabs from potential fathers.”
“And it’s safe?”I asked.“For the baby?”
“Completely safe.The test analyzes fetal DNA found in the mother’s bloodstream, so there’s no risk to the pregnancy.”She paused, glancing at Cheri’s face.“But it is expensive.Insurance typically doesn’t cover it, and we’re looking at around two thousand dollars for the test.”
Cheri inhaled sharply.“Two thousand --”
“We’ll do it,” I interrupted, watching the emotions play across her face -- relief, fear, gratitude, pride.She couldn’t seem to look away from the screen, from the tiny flickering light that represented her baby’s heart.Our baby, maybe.“Whatever it costs.”
Dr.Parkes nodded, pressing a button on the machine that printed out several images of the ultrasound.“I’ll have my nurse draw blood from Cheri today, and you can schedule a time for the potential fathers to come in for cheek swabs.Results take about a week unless they’re backlogged.There have been times it’s taken a month or two.It also depends on when we send in the samples.”
She handed the ultrasound images to Cheri, who took them with trembling fingers, staring at them like they were made of gold.“I’ll give you a moment,” Dr.Parkes said, moving toward the door.“The nurse will be in shortly for the blood draw.”
