Page 55 of Zone Protection

“Archie’s turn. Go, Arch,” Charlie prompts.

But I can’t say what I’m really grateful for. Sure, all the things they’ve mentioned, but I want to say Emma and the baby too.

“I guess same as everyone else. I love y’all, and I’m gratefulto be healthy and killin’ it on the field. Cheers.” I hold my water glass up.

“Oh, wait, Bo hasn’t gone yet,” Pitz says.

“That’s okay, man. I’m good. I’m just glad to be here and part of the meal. Thanks for the invite.” He smiles and lifts his wineglass.

This really is a great group of people, and I’m honored to be a part of this group on and off the field. These guys are the kind of friends you keep forever. I really can’t wait to tell them I’m going to be a dad.

A few days later, Emma and I show up at the doctor’s office for her next checkup. After we get called back into the room, she undresses, but this time, she doesn’t turn her back to me.

I have no idea what to expect, so I ask Emma, “So, what do you think they’ll do today? Do we get to see the baby again, or is that a different appointment?”

“Well, I’m not really sure. I think we’ll get to at least hear the baby’s heartbeat. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine.” She ties the gown around her waist.

Just as she’s sitting down on the table, there’s a knock on the door, and the doctor walks in.

“Emma, good to see you.” Then she says to me, “And I didn’t catch your name the last time.”

I hold out my hand to her. “Archie Griffith, baby daddy.”

That makes her laugh, and Emma joins in.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. So, Doc, what do we have in store for us today?” I ask.

“Do we get to see the baby again?” Emma asks.

“I’m going to check your measurements, your vitals, and we’ll get the baby’s heartbeat. Emma, go ahead and lie back.”

She stands to the side of Emma and pulls apart her gown, keeping the sheet draped over her legs. The nurse who followed her into the room hands her a little machine that has a wand attached to it. Then she squirts some clear fluid on Emma’s belly, and then the doctor turns on the device.

She swipes it back and forth across Emma’s stomach. We hear a whooshing sound and then a nice and steady rhythm.

“Okay, Emma and Archie, this is your baby’s heartbeat. It’s nice and strong—one hundred fifty-four beats per minute. I don’t see a need for an ultrasound today.”

The nurse wipes off the liquid, and then the doctor gets a measuring tape out. She runs it across Emma’s belly and reads off some numbers for the nurse to record.

“Everything look good, Doctor?” Emma asks.

“Yes, it does, but you are measuring a little small, which could simply be just a miscalculation in the due date. But you’re also tall and lean. I’m going to go ahead and order some blood work for you. I also want to talk to you both about the genetic testing. You have some choices. You can find out the sex of the baby through blood work. But I think it would be in your best interest to also get the additional tests based on your family history.”

Emma looks over at me. “Do we want to find out the sex of the baby, or do we want it to be a surprise?”

“I’m good either way, baby.” I ask the doctor, “Can you tell us more about the other tests?”

“Absolutely. You should ask questions, too, for anything you don’t understand.” She smiles at us both. “We’ll continue to doregular ultrasounds, and I’m going to go ahead and order a fetal echocardiogram for the baby, but that won’t need to be scheduled for a few more weeks—closer to your eighteen- or nineteen-week marker. It’s time to get some blood work done, which could show us anything we need to monitor, but I also want to consider doing an amniocentesis, which could potentially tell us more from taking a sample of the amniotic fluid.”

“How is that done?” I’m trying to work it through in my head, and I can’t figure out how they would get the fluid.

“We would take a needle and insert it through the stomach and into the uterus and pull fluid through to test. There are some risks involved, so I would encourage you both to do some research before we make that decision. But at least plan on regular ultrasounds and fetal echocardiograms for the baby as your pregnancy progresses.

“Call the office once you’ve gone over all the information about genetic testing options. When you check out, you can make your next appointment for four weeks from today.”

“Oh, I did have a question, Doctor. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but I’m a golfer. I’m finished with my fall season, but I do need to make some decisions about the spring. I’m pretty sure I’ll be too far along by mid-season, but I guess I just need to know if it’s safe for me to continue to practice. I’m on a full scholarship to play,” Emma says.

---