tuberculosis. I think," he added uncertainly. "I was only able to piece that together from memories. It might have been something else entirely."
"Okay." The nurse remained cheerful. "Your situation isn't all that uncommon." She stood up long enough to grab some pamphlets from a shelf on the wall. "You might consider having some genetic testing done, for your own peace of mind."
A sense of foreboding weighed down his shoulders. What kind of awful things might lurk in his DNA? He glanced at Benny's belly. What if he'd given their baby some terrible genetic disease?
"What about the baby? Can we test the baby now?"
Benny shot him a strange look. Her hand moved over her belly in a protective gesture. "Even if the baby isn't perfect—"
"No," Dimitri interjected quickly and gently before she got the wrong idea. "That's not at all what I meant." The tension eased from her face. "I thought more information would be useful, just in case we need to prepare for specialists."
"Oh." Benny seemed to mull it over. "Well—as long as the tests aren't invasive or dangerous for the baby."
As the nurse discussed the options for first trimester testing, Dimitri tried to suppress the quiver of panic trying to invade his chest. He had no idea what sort of chemicals or toxins he'd been exposed to while serving in the military. He had been a young boy during the Chernobyl disaster and no doubt he'd been dosed with more radiation than most men American men his age.
Suddenly, he felt terribly irresponsible. Why hadn't he done all this genetic testing on himself before making a baby with Benny?
"So I'll step out for a few minutes while you get changed and when I come back, Dr. Acevedo will be with me," the nurse said as she gathered up the chart and paperwork and headed for the door.
Dimitri realized he had missed almost all of the conversation Benny had been having with the nurse. When they were alone, Benny turned in her chair and cupped his face. "Stop worrying, Dimitri."
He exhaled a deep breath and touched his forehead to hers. "Please don't think that I wouldn't love our baby if something was wrong."
"I don't think that. I know you like to be prepared." She kissed his cheek before sliding out of her chair. "But I think you're worrying about nothing."
"I hope that's true." He prayed that was true.
Benny picked up the gown and slipped behind the changing screen. When she stepped out a few minutes later, he had to hide his smile. The one-size fits all gown had definitely not been designed with someone so short in mind. "Sweetheart, I think you put that on backwards."
She shook her head. "No, these gowns are supposed to open in the front so the doctor can do a breast exam."
"Oh." Apparently this was another one of those mysteries of the feminine realm. "Do you need help getting up there?"
"There's a step."
Even so, he crossed the floor to help her up onto the exam table. She rolled her eyes at him but giggled when he took advantage of the gaping front of the gown to cop a feel. "Dimitri!"
"What?" He caressed her naked breast as she glared up at him. "You're the one teasing me."
"Whatever!" She said with a little laugh and playfully smacked his hand. "Behave yourself. We have to come back to this office, like, fifty times between now and the delivery. I'd rather us not have the reputation of being the couple that got caught getting frisky in an exam room."
"I don’t know." He brushed his mouth across hers. "It might make these visits more interesting."
"Dimitri—"
Before she could finish her thought, someone knocked at the door. A second later, the nurse stuck her head inside the room. "Ready?"
Dimitri stepped aside and glanced back at the nurse. "Yes."
Dr. Acevedo, a tall, fit doctor with dark hair coiled into a no-nonsense bun, followed the nurse into the room. She dragged a portable ultrasound machine with her. After a quick exchange of handshakes and introductions, Dr. Acevedo got down to business.
He made sure to stand
"Okay." The nurse remained cheerful. "Your situation isn't all that uncommon." She stood up long enough to grab some pamphlets from a shelf on the wall. "You might consider having some genetic testing done, for your own peace of mind."
A sense of foreboding weighed down his shoulders. What kind of awful things might lurk in his DNA? He glanced at Benny's belly. What if he'd given their baby some terrible genetic disease?
"What about the baby? Can we test the baby now?"
Benny shot him a strange look. Her hand moved over her belly in a protective gesture. "Even if the baby isn't perfect—"
"No," Dimitri interjected quickly and gently before she got the wrong idea. "That's not at all what I meant." The tension eased from her face. "I thought more information would be useful, just in case we need to prepare for specialists."
"Oh." Benny seemed to mull it over. "Well—as long as the tests aren't invasive or dangerous for the baby."
As the nurse discussed the options for first trimester testing, Dimitri tried to suppress the quiver of panic trying to invade his chest. He had no idea what sort of chemicals or toxins he'd been exposed to while serving in the military. He had been a young boy during the Chernobyl disaster and no doubt he'd been dosed with more radiation than most men American men his age.
Suddenly, he felt terribly irresponsible. Why hadn't he done all this genetic testing on himself before making a baby with Benny?
"So I'll step out for a few minutes while you get changed and when I come back, Dr. Acevedo will be with me," the nurse said as she gathered up the chart and paperwork and headed for the door.
Dimitri realized he had missed almost all of the conversation Benny had been having with the nurse. When they were alone, Benny turned in her chair and cupped his face. "Stop worrying, Dimitri."
He exhaled a deep breath and touched his forehead to hers. "Please don't think that I wouldn't love our baby if something was wrong."
"I don't think that. I know you like to be prepared." She kissed his cheek before sliding out of her chair. "But I think you're worrying about nothing."
"I hope that's true." He prayed that was true.
Benny picked up the gown and slipped behind the changing screen. When she stepped out a few minutes later, he had to hide his smile. The one-size fits all gown had definitely not been designed with someone so short in mind. "Sweetheart, I think you put that on backwards."
She shook her head. "No, these gowns are supposed to open in the front so the doctor can do a breast exam."
"Oh." Apparently this was another one of those mysteries of the feminine realm. "Do you need help getting up there?"
"There's a step."
Even so, he crossed the floor to help her up onto the exam table. She rolled her eyes at him but giggled when he took advantage of the gaping front of the gown to cop a feel. "Dimitri!"
"What?" He caressed her naked breast as she glared up at him. "You're the one teasing me."
"Whatever!" She said with a little laugh and playfully smacked his hand. "Behave yourself. We have to come back to this office, like, fifty times between now and the delivery. I'd rather us not have the reputation of being the couple that got caught getting frisky in an exam room."
"I don’t know." He brushed his mouth across hers. "It might make these visits more interesting."
"Dimitri—"
Before she could finish her thought, someone knocked at the door. A second later, the nurse stuck her head inside the room. "Ready?"
Dimitri stepped aside and glanced back at the nurse. "Yes."
Dr. Acevedo, a tall, fit doctor with dark hair coiled into a no-nonsense bun, followed the nurse into the room. She dragged a portable ultrasound machine with her. After a quick exchange of handshakes and introductions, Dr. Acevedo got down to business.
He made sure to stand
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