her mom would’ve done something special like Kate did for her sister. In an effort to make adolescence a little easier for Joely, Kate made sure she was the one to explain to her little sister what changes to expect. She read a book from the library to get her facts straight and then tried to figure out how to put a positive spin on what had been for her such a negative revelation. After the “big talk”, she took Joely for some pampering—her first trip to a spa. She could only afford for them to get manicures, but she liked to think it helped Joely see one of the benefits of being female.
“Katharine Hopper,” the nurse called from a partially opened door.
Kate decided to bring her magazine with her, just in case she ended up waiting some more in the exam room, naked beneath an oversized paper towel. She gave a reserved smile as the nurse greeted her and showed her to the room.
Once undressed and barely covered by the rectangular gown, Kate flipped open the magazine to see an unattractive paparazzi picture of Oprah playing with her dogs. Kate thought she had heard the talk show host say once that she scheduled her physicals on her birthday as a little present to herself. Oprah couldn’t make her understand that no matter how hard she tried.
A different nurse, looking tired and uninterested, took Kate’s blood pressure. She wrote down Kate’s statistics then updated her family medical history. “Any questions for the doctor today?”
“Actually I think I’m pregnant.”
“Anything else?”
Kate pushed her hair behind her ear. “No, I guess not.”
“When was the first day of your last cycle?”
This question always seemed way too personal for anyone in the whole world to ask. ”It’s been five weeks.”
The nurse looked down at the chart and made a note. “I’ll run a pregnancy test.” She stood up abruptly and walked out the door, saying, “The doctor will be in shortly.”
At this point, Kate was so nervous she swung her feet over the end of the exam table, like a little kid. The metal felt cool against her heels whenever they made contact with the base. She tried to focus on the hollow sound they made each time they hit.
Looking at her watch, she realized it had already been thirty minutes since her appointment time. Such torture.
Glancing at a poster of the female anatomy, she imagined a baby inside the uterus. She touched her abdomen, wondering if there was something in there. For a moment she felt all warm and fuzzy. She was going to be a mom. . . . Maybe.
Wow. The decision might already be made.
They said at least fifty percent of pregnancies were unplanned. This must be how half of women felt when they found out they were having a baby: confused. But if they were happily married, like Kate, they probably considered it a good surprise. Right?
She wondered how Mitch would react. Would he be glad or would he act like she did something wrong? After all, he had his own reasons for not wanting a child.
Kate thought about the teenaged girls who had sought her counsel when they found out they were pregnant. Fresh, innocent faces with beige dots of concealer over their pimples. They weren’t exactly “babies having babies” as the school nurse’s poster claimed, but they were way too young. They didn’t know what they would be missing if they chose parenthood at such an early age. Kate usually tried to be positive with them, saying they had three options: adoption, abortion or keeping the baby. Foxworth was such a religious town, though, it was almost as if Roe v. Wade never happened. Most of the girls strongly opposed abortion, believing God wanted them to be a mom. Thus, they also quickly dismissed the possibility of giving the baby away to someone more financially capable of raising it. No matter how gently Kate explained that it would be the most selfless, loving act to put their baby up for adoption, they wouldn’t hear of it. As Kate sat there, her hand resting on her
“Katharine Hopper,” the nurse called from a partially opened door.
Kate decided to bring her magazine with her, just in case she ended up waiting some more in the exam room, naked beneath an oversized paper towel. She gave a reserved smile as the nurse greeted her and showed her to the room.
Once undressed and barely covered by the rectangular gown, Kate flipped open the magazine to see an unattractive paparazzi picture of Oprah playing with her dogs. Kate thought she had heard the talk show host say once that she scheduled her physicals on her birthday as a little present to herself. Oprah couldn’t make her understand that no matter how hard she tried.
A different nurse, looking tired and uninterested, took Kate’s blood pressure. She wrote down Kate’s statistics then updated her family medical history. “Any questions for the doctor today?”
“Actually I think I’m pregnant.”
“Anything else?”
Kate pushed her hair behind her ear. “No, I guess not.”
“When was the first day of your last cycle?”
This question always seemed way too personal for anyone in the whole world to ask. ”It’s been five weeks.”
The nurse looked down at the chart and made a note. “I’ll run a pregnancy test.” She stood up abruptly and walked out the door, saying, “The doctor will be in shortly.”
At this point, Kate was so nervous she swung her feet over the end of the exam table, like a little kid. The metal felt cool against her heels whenever they made contact with the base. She tried to focus on the hollow sound they made each time they hit.
Looking at her watch, she realized it had already been thirty minutes since her appointment time. Such torture.
Glancing at a poster of the female anatomy, she imagined a baby inside the uterus. She touched her abdomen, wondering if there was something in there. For a moment she felt all warm and fuzzy. She was going to be a mom. . . . Maybe.
Wow. The decision might already be made.
They said at least fifty percent of pregnancies were unplanned. This must be how half of women felt when they found out they were having a baby: confused. But if they were happily married, like Kate, they probably considered it a good surprise. Right?
She wondered how Mitch would react. Would he be glad or would he act like she did something wrong? After all, he had his own reasons for not wanting a child.
Kate thought about the teenaged girls who had sought her counsel when they found out they were pregnant. Fresh, innocent faces with beige dots of concealer over their pimples. They weren’t exactly “babies having babies” as the school nurse’s poster claimed, but they were way too young. They didn’t know what they would be missing if they chose parenthood at such an early age. Kate usually tried to be positive with them, saying they had three options: adoption, abortion or keeping the baby. Foxworth was such a religious town, though, it was almost as if Roe v. Wade never happened. Most of the girls strongly opposed abortion, believing God wanted them to be a mom. Thus, they also quickly dismissed the possibility of giving the baby away to someone more financially capable of raising it. No matter how gently Kate explained that it would be the most selfless, loving act to put their baby up for adoption, they wouldn’t hear of it. As Kate sat there, her hand resting on her
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