All It Takes Read online

  Looking at me hesitantly, Megan stood up from the bench and scooped up her medical notes, then waited for me to stand too. Walking a little behind her, I followed her down the short corridor until we reached a closed door with a plaque on it that read: “Doctor Melissa Stone; Obstetrician.”

  Megan swallowed hard, then briskly wrapped on the door before a voice told us to enter. With one last tentative glance in my direction, Megan pushed it open and entered the office, with me trailing closely behind her.

  Doctor Stone looked younger than I imagined, with blonde hair framing her face. If I’d met her under different circumstances, I probably would have been tempted to ask for her number. Shaking the inappropriate thought from my head, I sat down next to Megan and waited for the doctor to speak.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Green,” Doctor Stone said, before turning to me and extending her hand. “And I assume you’re the baby’s father?”

  “Yeah. Kian Murphy. Good to meet you.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, and shook her hand quickly.

  As I said my name, Doctor Stone’s eyes flickered briefly, and then a small smirk covered her face.

  “Kian Murphy as in Ferrum MMA Championship’s Welterweight Champion?”

  “The one and only,” I said with a grin.

  “My husband is going to be so jealous when I tell him I’ve met you. He’s a big fan.”

  “Then your husband has very good taste in fighters.”

  With the small talk out of the way, Doctor Stone got right down to business, asking Megan how she was been feeling and if she had any worries.

  “No. I’m feeling pretty good now the morning sickness has stopped.”

  Doctor Stone chuckled. “Yeah, I was exactly the same with my first. It’s a good sign, though. It means the baby is growing as it should. How is the tiredness now? Are you feeling like you’ve got more energy now the first trimester is almost over?”

  “Not really. I still have to take a nap every afternoon just to make it through the day.”

  “That’s okay. Just go with what your body tells you. Although a lot of women say they feel more alert during the middle of their pregnancy, that isn’t always the case. I’ll take some blood to test for anaemia, just in case, and you let me know if you think it’s anything more serious, okay?”

  “Sure,” Megan said.

  Doctor Stone turned her attention to me. “How are you adjusting to the thought of becoming a father? Is there anything you wanted to ask me?”

  “No, I don’t think so. As long as I know Megan and the baby are okay, then I’m happy.”

  I didn’t have time to dwell on my thoughts, as Doctor Stone got a syringe and made her way around the desk to Megan.

  “Okay. I’m just going to take a blood sample to send off to the lab, then you can go back to the waiting room until you’re called for your ultrasound scan.”

  Megan nodded, took off her jacket, and then rolled up the left sleeve of her sweatshirt. After dabbing the inside of Megan’s forearm with some anaesthetic, Doctor Stone inserted the needle into the thickest vein she could find, and drew back the syringe to take four vials of blood.

  Even though guys got banged up and cut open during fights, whenever I saw blood outside of the cage, it always made me feel a little squeamish. Hell, my stomach turned over every time I got so much as a paper cut. Seeing the doctor taking so much blood from Megan made me a little woozy. Bracing my hands against the table to steady myself, I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over.

  A few moments later, I felt a light touch on my forearm, and Megan said softly, “Come on, tough guy. Doctor Stone is all done taking the sample. We can go back to the waiting room.”

  Opening my eyes hesitantly, I found Megan offering me a lop-sided grin, and I managed to force a small smile back at her.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled, feeling like a complete coward for freaking out at the sight of a little blood.

  “It’s okay. I wasn’t much good around blood and needles either until I got pregnant. Now, with all the blood tests I need to have, I feel like a human pin cushion.”

  “Let’s hope I get used to it too, otherwise I’ll be useless when you’re giving birth.”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Megan gave me another grin as she took my hand and we both stood up. With a smile, I nodded as Megan put her jacket back on, and then we turned to leave.

  “Thanks for everything,” I said as we reached the door.

  “You’re welcome,” Doctor Stone replied. “And remember, if either of you have any questions, just give the midwife a call.”

  “Thanks,” Megan said. “When should I make another appointment?”

  “Unless the blood work comes back with any problems, I won’t need to see you again until your twenty-week scan, and your midwife will arrange the appointment.”

  “Great. Thanks again.” With another nod of her head, Megan and I left the doctor’s office and returned to the waiting room to be called for the scan.

  “Well, that was a lot simpler than I expected,” I said, sitting down on the same bench as earlier and letting out a deep breath.

  “Yeah, that was the easy part. Hopefully the ultrasound won’t show up any problems.”

  Megan’s knee jerked up and down and she chewed on her bottom lip.

  “I’m sure it’ll be just fine.” The back of my throat ached at the thought of bad news.

  We both fell into tense silence, and Megan’s foot drummed on the floor as we waited. The sound of her shoe tapping the glossy linoleum tiles made me restless, and I rubbed the back of my neck.

  Until Megan had mentioned it, I hadn’t even considered there could be anything wrong with the baby, but now the thought had taken root, I couldn’t stop myself imagining all the horrible scenarios we could be faced with when we had the ultrasound. What if the baby wasn’t growing properly, or had a deformity? What would happen if it was something so bad Megan had to end the pregnancy? My mouth became unnaturally dry, and the room seemed to get smaller as my gaze flittered around, jumping from one person to the next.

  After ten agonizingly long minutes, a door along the corridor opposite Doctor Stone’s office opened, and a portly woman with greying hair stepped out.

  “Megan Green,” she said.

  A jolt of adrenaline shot through my body, and Megan and I jumped to our feet in unison. We exchanged nervous glances, and then started along the hallway to the examination room. As we reached the doorway, the portly woman stepped back and offered us both a reassuring smile.

  “You’ve got a full bladder, I take it?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and if we’re here any longer, I might pee on your floor,” Megan said with a nervous laugh.

  “I’ll try to be quick then,” the ultrasound technician said with a chuckle. “I’m Allison Fellows, and I’ll be performing your scan today.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Megan said as she shuffled into the room.

  “Yeah. Good to meet you.” I followed behind Megan and entered the room before the nurse turned and closed the door.

  “Okay. If you’d like to hop up onto the examination table and roll up your shirt, please,” Allison said before turning to me. “And Dad, you can take a seat just left of the table, okay?”

  Both Megan and I nodded, and I sat down in the seat I’d been directed to. Megan took off her jacket and handed it to me, along with her handbag. I tucked the items beside me while Megan climbed up onto the examination table and rolled her shirt up to expose her stomach.

  The nurse washed her hands and put on a pair of Latex gloves then made her way over to the station where the ultrasound equipment was set up. There was a monitor that showed the baby, a little machine that kind of looked like a checkout scanner, and a keyboard, which I assumed was for the nurse to enter information. After all the equipment was set up, and the nurse had checked it was working properly, she covered the scanner and Megan’s exposed stomach in some gel, and then placed the scanner on M
egan’s lower abdomen, moving it around in small circles.

  I stared up at the monitor, waiting to see anything that resembled a baby. When I couldn’t see anything, my heart rate hitched. Was it normal to take this long? Why hadn’t the nurse said anything yet? Then after another minute, when the nurse had keyed in some information, a distinct image of a head became clear on the screen.

  “There we go,” she said. “A nice strong heartbeat, and little one seems to be growing well. From its size, you’re twelve weeks along, which is what your notes say.”

  Megan turned her head to stare at the screen and a lump formed in my throat. There it was in black and white. Physical proof that she was carrying a baby. My baby.

  I looked again, and could clearly make out the head now, with a definable nose, and a little arm and leg sticking out from the body.

  Gazing at Megan, I saw she had tears in her eyes, and realised that my own were welling up too. I never thought I’d feel so strongly about another person in all my life, let alone something that hadn’t even been born yet. But, as I stared at the image on the monitor, it looked perfect. Better than perfect. It was the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen. Better than winning the Welterweight Championship.

  I knew that no matter what happened, I loved the baby and wanted to protect it with every power I had.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I stared down at the ultrasound printout for what felt like the millionth time. No matter how many times I traced the outline of the baby’s tiny body, it still didn’t seem real.

  My baby.

  Seeing my baby in black and white on the screen had made everything in life jump into sharp focus, and since the scan, I’d thought of little else. My body was a swirling mix of breathless, heart-racing heat and hormones. I walked with a spring in my step, like I was floating on air.

  It didn’t matter that the little one was only the size of a pea pod, and we wouldn’t be able to discern their gender for a few weeks yet, he or she had already formed fingerprints on their tiny fingertips.

  Fingerprints. Can you believe that?

  I couldn’t wait to hold their hand, and tell them how much I loved them. Since the moment I’d seen their little body on the monitor, and heard their heartbeat, I’d fallen completely and utterly in love.

  I sighed, slipped the scan in my nightstand, and patted my rounded tummy.

  “Night-night, Baby,” I whispered.

  After flicking off the bedside lamp, I snuggled under the covers, eager to get a good night’s sleep to prepare me for the busy day ahead.

  About a week after the scan, I got a call from the letting agent. A prospective tenant had pulled out at the last minute, and a flat half a mile from my parents had become available. The catch? I had to pay the deposit and a month’s rent as soon as possible. Using my savings, I just about managed it, and the place was mine. With Stacey and Mum’s help, I was almost packed, and I’d roped Kian and Josh into helping me move. I’d hired a van to shift the bigger stuff, and the guys were due round early to help me with it.

  I’d barely finished breakfast when the doorbell rang. Pulling on my dressing gown to cover my ratty pyjamas, I padded into the hall to answer it. I opened the front door to find Kian on the doorstep, a brown paper bag in one hand, and a coffee holder with two polystyrene cups in the other.

  “I brought breakfast,” he said, walking straight in without invitation and taking the food through to the kitchen. “Sausage and egg baps from Belly Busters, and a decaf tea for you.”

  Walking into the kitchen, the smell of greasy food hit me full on, and I felt my stomach turn over.

  “Get those away from me,” I said, turning around and rushing to the bathroom.

  So much for being done with morning sickness.

  I skulked out of the bathroom five minutes later, and was greeted by the smell of air freshener, and a glass of water on the coffee table.

  Kian sat on the couch drinking his coffee. “Sorry. I figured since you’d said the morning sickness had eased off, it’d be okay.”

  “It’s all right.” I flopped down into the closest armchair and took a swig of water. “I thought it was okay too. It usually is. I had one of those sandwiches yesterday on my way to uni and I was fine.”

  “Guess the nipper fancied a change?”

  I rubbed my stomach. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “So, what’s the plan for today? When are Josh and Stacey getting here?”

  “She said ten-thirty, but you know as well as I do what their timekeeping is like.”

  “Yeah. Davi had to bust Brownie’s balls for being late yesterday.”

  I giggled, remembering how Stacey had slunk into class wearing the same clothes as the day before, and minimal make-up.

  “Wanna get started now? Save wasting half the morning waiting for them two to get their arses in gear.”

  “All right, but you’re not lifting anything heavy.”

  “You sound like my mum. When me, her, and Stacey were packing up my things, she barely let me do anything.”

  “She’s right,” Kian said, standing and crossing the room so he was standing in front of me. When I nodded that it was okay, he placed a gentle hand on my stomach. “We don’t want anything happening to the nipper.”

  Since reaching an agreement about his role in the pregnancy, and what we’d do after the baby was born, the tentative relationship we’d formed since I’d found out I was pregnant had become a lot more relaxed.

  After the ultrasound, we’d begun spending more time together as we met up for midwife appointments, or chatted on the phone. We were starting to become more comfortable around each other, and finally acting like mature adults. I felt good knowing I’d have Kian’s support throughout the pregnancy, birth, and the sleepless nights that were to come.

  We’d come a long way in the past month, finally realising our own issues were insignificant compared to having the life of another human being in our hands, and we needed to act like proper parents so we’d be able to offer our child everything it needed to be healthy and happy.

  “Come on. Let’s get started.” Kian offered me his hand and pulled me to my feet.

  “Sure. Just give me a minute to get changed.”

  “All right. I’ll make a start loading the boxes from the kitchen into the van.”

  Changed into jogging bottoms and a loose t-shirt, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a box marked ‘cutlery’ and took it outside.

  Kian and I had just finished filling up the van, and he was about to head over to my new place, when Stacey and Josh arrived.

  “Sorry we’re late. We got a little distracted in the shower,” Stacey said, taking a box from me and handing it to Josh then linking my arm, we walked back into my flat.

  “Too much information, Stace.”

  Stacey giggled. “Sorry. So, how are you and my favourite pea-sized person doing?”

  “Meh, I’ve been better. I threw up this morning.”

  “You okay?”

  My stomach fluttered and I rubbed it gently. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just think the nipper’s gone off sausage and egg sandwiches.”

  Stacey gave me a curious look then grinned. “Yeah. Not that I can blame them. Those things are gross.”

  “Says the woman who has tuna and anchovies on her pizza.”

  With only heavy items left in my little kitchen, Stacey and I made a start on the living room, carrying boxes to the front door while Kian and Josh drove over to the new place with the things we’d already loaded up.

  “But everything else is all right?” Stacey asked, as she carried a box of books, and I carried a pile of cushions.

  “Yup. All good here.”

  “And Kian?” I could tell by the inane smile on her face Stacey was fishing for gossip.

  “Yeah. Things with Kian are good. He brought me breakfast this morning. Just a shame I couldn’t eat it.”

  “Uh-huh, and now you’ve taken to calling the baby nipper.”

  “Wha
t?” I recalled the curious glance she’d given me, but I still couldn’t figure out where she was going with this.

  “Nothing. It’s just that you’re spending more and more time together. He brought you breakfast, and now you’re talking like him.”

  “He is the baby’s dad. What do you expect?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Stacey said in a singsong voice, dropping the box, and turning towards the living room before I had a chance to say anything else. I simply shook my head and laughed.

  We cleared the living room quickly and then stopped for lunch before emptying out my bedroom. With my bed and the baby’s crib loaded in the van, all that remained was my computer desk. Stacey and Josh drove over to the new place, while Kian and I gave my old flat a quick clean. With only a few things left to move, and time to kill before Stacey and Josh got back, I went into the kitchen to make us a drink. When I re-entered the bedroom, I found Kian sitting at the desk, looking at my graphic design portfolio like it was a baby unicorn or something.

  “You’re good. This stuff is better than some of the logos my sponsors come up with.”

  Blushing slightly, I placed his coffee on the desk and sat cross-legged on the floor so I could drink my tea.

  “Thanks. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. When the other kids were drawing spaceships or princesses, I was designing graphics for things. All of my school books had their own individual designs for each subject, and one year I made all my family and friends Christmas cards.”

  “You know, you should design something for the baby’s room.”

  I giggled, stood up, and walked back over to him. “Already one step ahead of you.” I leaned over Kian to pull something out of my portfolio.

  I handed him a sheet of paper, on which I’d designed a scene I planned to have turned into a wall decal for the baby’s room. It was of a tree covered in leaves and apples, with a bird sitting on one of the branches, and a squirrel running up the trunk. At the foot of the tree sat a floppy-eared rabbit eating a carrot. Each different element was coloured in bold, bright shades.