Chapter 59: Hardin

                                    

                                          
"Can these cars move any fucking slower!" Tessa is yelling from the passengers seat as another minute of sitting still at this traffic light, even though it's green, passes. As the light changes from green to yellow to red, Tessa slams her hands on her lap. We are two cars away from the head of the line. "Damn it! So close!"
                          
"Calm down, we still have plenty of time to get to the doctor's office." This is a rare occurrence, me being the one to talk Tessa down.
                          
"It's just annoying. We've been sitting here for ten minutes, and we've missed two green lights! If these cars would just drive faster..."
                          
"We'll make the next one, we're at the front of the line now."
                          
She leans her head against the window, closing her eyes and sighing loudly.
                          
"It's okay, babe." I place my hand on her thigh as the light turns green on our end again.
                          
I know Tessa is acting this way because she's nervous. This will be our first official doctor's appointment since the unexpected news that we were pregnant dropped on us like a bomb. Things went well during the last appointment since Tessa was only a few weeks into her pregnancy, now that another month has passed by, the stakes are much higher. There is a possibility that things could be going wrong, but I gave hope that things are still going smoothly in Tessa's belly.
                          
As I pull into the parking lot of the large building, Tessa pales. Her hands are shaking, and she is looking down at the floor. 
                          
"I'm sorry..." She whispers. "I'm just nervous."
                          
I unbuckle my seatbelt and turn towards her. "It's okay to be nervous. Hell, I'm a little nervous too, but I think everything is going to be alright." I run my thumbs across her cheekbones to help soothe her. "I'm here for you. We're here for each other."
                          
"Okay, let's go." She unbuckles her seatbelt, and gets out of the car without another word. I need to be the strong one right now. I need to be the one to tell her it's gonna be okay no matter how nervous and scared I am inside.
                          
We walk into the building, and it feels like the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Don't they have fucking heat in these large buildings? We look over at this large frame that lists every office located in the building. There are at least one hundred, and the names are so tiny, I don't think I can read them without my glasses. It takes us about five minutes to find our doctor's name, and of course she's on the top floor of this massive building.
                          
Tessa and I silently stand in the elevator, the only sound coming from the elevator beeping as it passes each floor. With each beep, the more my palms begin to sweat, and the more my heart begins to race. Pull it together, Hardin.
                          
When we reach our floor, I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans before grabbing Tessa's hand. I can feel the clamminess of her hand as well, so I give her a reassuring squeeze as we enter the doctor's office.
                          
"Hi. I'm Tessa Young here to see Dr. Henry." Tessa tells the woman at the reception desk.
                          
"Is this your first time in this office?" The doctor asks, and unfortunately, it's not. This office holds a lot of amazing memories, yet terribly sad memories.
                          
"It's been a while."
                          
"Oh yes, I see you in the system. You can have a seat, Dr. Henry will be with you shortly."
                          
Going to doctor's appointments and sitting in waiting rooms is a second nature to Tessa and me. This time is different though. We are farther along in the pregnancy now, so it's a new experience. We have no idea what to expect. I remember Nora and Landon told us what their process of going to appointments was like, so we know what to expect a little. Will the doctor tell us good news? Will the doctor tell us if something is wrong? Of course the doctor would tell us if something's wrong. What if something is wrong?