Page 65 of Who's Your Daddy?

“Just got a lot on my mind.”

“Like what?”

“Like how good you look in that seat.”

She giggles. “It’s a Bugatti. Anyone can look good in the front seat of a Bugatti.”

My head is a mess right now. I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred different directions, and I don’t know where to focus. We don’t say much during our drive to the doctor’s office. I remain quiet as she fills in the forms to open a patient file, reading the many thank you cards stuck on the wall. This office is covered with baby pictures, and it’s incredible to think that one doctor brought so many lives into this world.

“Are you nervous?” Lia asks.

“A little...yeah.”

“Me too.” She reaches over to squeeze my hand. “It’s scary...but at least we’re in it together.”

I look down at our hands, then up at her. She sees something on my face and somehow misinterprets it because she slowly pulls her hand away.

“Sorry,” she says, sounding sheepish.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I just—”

“Dr. Cheng will see you now,” the receptionist announces.

I huff out a quick breath as I stand up, trying to get rid of the nervous energy building inside me. I follow Lia into the doctor’s office, and we take a seat in front of the wide oak desk.

“It’s Mahalia?” Dr. Cheng asks, looking down at the forms in her file.

“Yes.”

She looks at me. “And you are?”

“Uh...Peter...Peter Danahay.”

“Great! Lovely to meet the two of you. Your file says you’re here for a pregnancy check-up.” She smiles warmly. “First-time parents?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I answer.

“Okay. I can tell both of you are nervous, so let’s start with your medical history and a few basic questions?”

The questions she asks cover Lia’s allergies, existing medical conditions, and family history before she moves to the pregnancy. “Lia, when was the first day of your last menstrual period?”

“Um...I can’t really remember. I don’t get my period regularly. I think it must’ve been around...mid-May. Yeah, it was right after my birthday.”

Shit, I don’t even know when her birthday is. How am I having a kid with someone when I don’t even know something as basic as her birthday?

“Okay.” Dr. Cheng nods and makes a note of it. “Have you experienced irregular periods in the past, or is this a recent occurrence?”

“No, it’s always been like that. I would say it’s gotten more regular as I’ve gotten older, but it’s never been an every month sort of thing.”

“And have other doctors ever diagnosed any other medical conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome or thyroid disorders, anything that could impact your menstrual cycle?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“Okay.” Again, she makes a note of it. “Now, have you been experiencing any morning sickness, fatigue, or changes in appetite?”

“I’m definitely nauseous, but it’s not limited to the mornings. It’s really bad in the afternoons, but most days it gets better closer to the evening. Appetite? I can’t stomach much, and just the smell of meat makes me want to hurl.”

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