Page 23 of Remember Me

November 25¦Birdie

FRIDAY AFTERNOON FOUND ME TUCKED BACK INHAYES’ BIGFORD PICKUP TRUCK, TRYING MY HARDEST TO APPEAR LESS NERVOUS THANIWAS.Although I’d tried to talk him out of it, he had insisted on accompanying me to my doctor’s appointment. I was still trying to figure out how to best keep him at arm’s length during such an intimate activity.

He didn’t seem afflicted with the same anxiety. He had given me a cheerful, “morning, Mini,” as he bundled me into the vehicle, and was now singing along with George Strait with oblivious disregard for the actual melody.

“They call me the fireman, that’s my name.”

“Making my rounds all over town, putting out old flames.” I clapped a hand to my mouth. “Holy shit! Hayes, I remember the song! And the person who sings it...it’s George Strait?” Another thought struck me, and I cringed. “Did I really listen to this stuff?”

Hayes laughed. “You listened to everything, including classic country. And it is. George Strait, I mean.” He sent me a hopeful smile. “It’s a really old song, though. It’s possible that you remember it the way you do less recent people and events.”

“Huh.” I looked out the window. “Way to rain on my parade.”

He reached over and took my hand. “No, it’s a good thing.” I nodded, biting my lip, and watched the scenery passing by.

I wasn’t certain what to expect when we reached the women’s health center, but it wasn’t for Hayes to park and stroll inside with me, confidence oozing from every step. I observed him from under my brow as he opened the door for me. That couldn’t even be accurately dubbed confidence. It wasswagger.It hadlook at me ladies, I made a babywritten all over it. Inwardly I rolled my eyes. I should have known after that story he spun about how we met that a little thing like a vagina visit wouldn’t phase him.

He smiled at the woman waiting at reception and urged me forward with a hand on my lower back.

“Hi,” I started, easing my bag onto the counter. “I have an appointment with Doctor Blankenship.”

The receptionist handed me a clipboard with several papers clipped to it. “We’ll need you to fill these out, please. Do you have your insurance card with you?”

I pulled my mother’s insurance card out and handed it over. Technically, I was still on her insurance for another few months. I needed to find a job, though, and make sure it offered benefits that would cover the pregnancy and the baby.

One more thing to think about.

The woman got me checked in and then sent us to the waiting room. I was hyperaware of the scrutiny of the man beside me as I filled out my patient profile and HIPAA forms. He was curious about everything I was doing, especially the privacy information. I wrote Mom’s name down as someone authorized to obtain medical information, and then hesitated over the optional second line.

“Put me down,” Hayes said.

“Big…” I sighed, rubbing my forehead with a finger.

“It’s obviously up to you, and I know you don’t feel like you know me. But I am that baby’s daddy, and I need to be able to take care of both of you. I can’t do that if I’m in the dark.” He paused. “And chances are I’ll never need to ask for any information. After the accident, though, it’s not a chance I want to take.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I wrote his name down. Hayes Ellison. Relationship: baby daddy.

Hayes snorted and sat back in his seat.

I had just finished signing my name when the nurse called me back. I looked down at my signature for a second before I joined her at the door, wondering if my muscle memory was intact or if my signature looked completely different from before. With a mental shrug, I handed her the clipboard and followed her down a short hall to the examination room.

It wasn’t until I stepped over the threshold and paused that I felt a warm presence behind me and realized Hayes had accompanied me.

Awkward.

Not appearing the smallest bit disturbed, Hayes sat in the room’s single chair, leaving the paper covered exam table for me. He was too large for this tiny room, his body dominating the small space. I focused on the nurse and tried to ignore him.

She made small talk as she efficiently took my weight, height, and blood pressure, notating each measurement in an electronic chart. “Is this your first baby?” I nodded. “So sweet! I love that Dad’s here. That’s unusual. It’s something special, let me tell you. Your life will never be the same.”

I didn’t know how to reply. She had no idea. None. Everything had already changed, more than my poor brain could handle.

Seeing that I was tongue-tied, Hayes took charge of the conversation, chatting easily with the woman while she handed me a paper gown and left a minute later.

I clutched the gown and looked at him. He’d started reading a pamphlet from the receptacle on the wall, his dark head bent fixedly over it.

“Hayes.”

“Yes?”

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