Page 20 of Keeping Promises

I’m sitting in the waiting room of the OBGYN’s office as my leg bounces over and over. For the past ten minutes, I seem to have fallen into the same routine.

Bounce my leg.

Check my phone.

Bounce my leg.

Look at the door.

Bounce my leg.

Rinse and repeat.

Lexi and Brynn both volunteered to come with me today, but I politely declined because a part of me believed that Asher would, in fact, be here. I left the ball in his court. The longer it goes past two o’clock, the more I start to think that maybe that feeling inside me was just indigestion.

The front door dings, and I quickly look up to see if it’s Asher, but once again, it’s not. Instead, it’s averypregnant woman escorted by a gentleman. She gives me a brief smile as she heads to the check-in desk, the man doting over her every move. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and go back to my previous routine.

Looking down at my phone, I see it’s now 2:16. What was I expecting when I told him about the appointment? Did I think he would just be by my side and all was forgiven like the couple who just walked in?

“Hadley Kincaid,” the nurse shouts from the doorway leading back to the exam rooms.

“Right here.” I rise, gathering my belongings, and head toward her. With one last glance over my shoulder at the door, I sigh and follow her.Asher’s not coming.

After the nurse takes all my stats and asks about a million questions—am I here for a baby appointment or to obtain government clearance?—I’m alone again in the new room.

I lie back in the reclined chair, the paper crinkling under my every move, and rest my arm over my face, covering the bright lights from shining in my eyes. I’m sure I could text an SOS to either of the girls and they would be here in a matter of minutes, but I choose not to. This is on me. I should get used to doing this alone.

There is a knock at the door, and I adjust myself in the seat. I feel like I’m surer out in the open, barely covered by this “fashionable” gown and a small blanket covering my legs.

An older woman with blonde hair wanders into the room. “Hi, Hadley, I’m Dr. Gilbert.” After retaking my vitalsand answering a fewmorequestions, she takes a seat on the rolly chair and pulls a machine over.

“Why don’t we get started,” the doctor instructs. I nod and scoot forward on the table before lying back down. Before I can put my legs in the stirrups, there is another knock on the door. Maybe a nurse is coming to assist her.

Dr. Gilbert excuses herself to answer the door. “Can I help you?”

“I’m sorry, the nurse told me it was okay to come back here for Hadley Kincaid.” At the sound of his voice, my heart is ready to jump out of my chest. He actually came.

“Asher?”

Dr. Gilbert opens the door wider, and I see him standing there in dress clothes, a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead as if he ran here. She glances at me for confirmation that I will allow him into the room.

I could easily make him sweat it out and make him as anxious as I’ve been, thinking he wasn’t going to show, but instead, I respond, “He’s the father.” After all, he’s here—that has to mean something.

“Oh, wonderful. We were just about to start.” Dr. Gilbert ushers him into the room and shuts the door behind them. Asher hesitantly looks around the room with his hands in his pockets. I can’t help but smirk when he sees the contraption I’m about to place my feet in at the end of the chair. His eyes nearly bulge out of his head.

“You can sit in that chair over there,” she instructs, pointing to the chair beside me.

He nods and does as he’s told.

“I’m sorry I’m late—traffic.”

“It’s okay,” I respond softly as Dr. Gilbert places what looks like a giant condom on the wand, and I wait for him to notice. I clear my throat, and his head pops up.

“Oh my God, what are you going to use that thing for?”

Okay, maybe I didn’t need to mess with him; it looks like him just being in this room alone and seeing all the different gadgets is torture enough. The poor guy—maybe we should make a joke that after the doctor is done using that on me, she can use it on him.

Dr. Gilbert and I giggle while Asher looks terrified. “That looks like something an alien might probe you with. Is that going to hurt the baby?”

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