Chapter 6
"I see you try to turn away, I hear the words you want to say/ I feel how much you need to hide what's happening inside you tonight/ Come meet my eyes one moment more/ Our eyes are diff'rent than before, this night so beautiful and strange/ This night begins to change who we are…" ~Linda Eder (Only Love)
The knot that had
been growing inside of Sara's stomach tightened as the lab technician cleaned
off her skin and placed the rubber band around her upper arm. Sara squeezed
Nick's hand for support as the technician began to draw the blood that would
determine the fate of both Sara and the child growing inside her.
"It's OK," Nick comforted. "They're almost done." Sara merely
nodded, not taking her eyes off of Nick; her dislike for needles showing through.
Sara let out a breath as the needle was removed, the rubber band taken off,
and a cotton swab was taped to her arm. "Glad that's over with," Sara
remarked as she continued to sit.
"We'll have the results in a few days," the technician informed the
couple, particularly addressing Sara. "Would you prefer to pick them up
here or should we transfer them to your primary care facility?"
"Here's fine," Sara said. "Thank you."
After filling out additional forms and clearing up a few items, Sara and Nick
were on their way home. Nick driving left Sara free to look through the CD's
that were kept in the car. Sara smiled and placed a familiar CD in and programmed
the particular song she needed to hear.
"Shot through
the heart and you're to blame
Darlin' you give love a bad name
I play my soul and you play your game
You give love a bad name…"
"Don't you
ever get tired of that?" Nick asked as he smiled at her choice of music.
"Not really," Sara replied. "Bon Jovi is absolutely timeless."
"Just keep telling yourself that babe," Nick said as he pulled into
the couple's driveway and shut off the car.
* * *
The next two days
were torture for Nick, but most of all Sara. Nick was already diagnosed, but
Sara wasn't. They had always been in situations together. There was rarely a
time when one went through something that the other didn't go through as well.
Finally at noon, Sara couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm going over to the hospital."
"Why? They said that the results wouldn't be in for another hour or two,"
Nick said while turning the page in the latest Sports Illustrated.
"I don't care. I'm not getting anywhere sitting here and I'd rather find
out right away rather than waiting the hour or so and then starting out. You
know hospitals: they always have the results earlier than scheduled."
"Note taken," Nick responded.
"So..?" Sara questioned.
"So what?" Nick asked peering over the magazine.
"Are you coming with me or not?"
"You know I'm with you."
* * *
"Results for
Sara Galen please?" Sara asked as she showed her driver's license for identification
purposes.
The receptionist looked from the photo ID to Sara and back. "Come with
me please," she said as the older, brown and gray curly haired receptionist
led both Sara and Nick to another, more private room towards the back of the
section of the hospital.
"I told you coming in early was a good idea," Sara whispered to Nick.
"Take a seat and the technician will be in shortly," the receptionist
informed them.
"Thank you," Sara said as she got up on the examination table that
was set up.
45 minutes later Nick and Sara were still waiting for the technician.
"I think they forgot about us," Sara muttered, exhausted from all
of the anticipation. She was now looking at the ceiling of the room, bored stiff.
"I wouldn't put it past them," Nick agreed, standing up and moving
around.
"Oh my G-d, I just want to know already," Sara said in frustration.
"I'm counting on the worst, hoping for the best, but right now all I want
is to know either way so we can get out of here."
"Tell me about it," Nick commiserated. "I just want to find out
so we can deal with it and move on."
"But what if it turns out positive? What about the baby?" Sara asked
with her voice showing her apprehensions.
"We'll deal with that as it comes," Nick replied trying to calm Sara
from driving herself crazy. "What if it comes out negative?"
"Then I don't know. I just need to find out."
The door to the room slid open and a male doctor of a slight build with dark
glasses and a kind face walked in.
"Good afternoon," the doctor greeted. "I'm Doctor Greenwald.
I take it you're Sara?" the doctor asked looking at Sara. "No offense
or anything, but you don't look like a Sara," he said to Nick in a joking
manner. He was definitely trying to lighten the mood.
"How's it looking Dr?" Sara asked taking in a deep breath.
"Well… Do you want me to give you the results bluntly and to the point
or to beat around the bush?"
"Just tell me already," Sara pleaded as she looked to Nick for support.
He, in turn, stood and placed both hands on Sara's slightly trembling shoulders.
"The results are positive," Dr. Greenwald said solemnly. Both Nick
and Sara's faces fell. "There's no doubt in any of the tests that we performed
that the results could be otherwise. I'm sorry." Dr. Greenwald handed a
copy of the results to Sara before getting up and leaving.
"You OK?" Nick asked a very pale Sara. When he got no response, he
simply put an arm around her and pulled her into him.
"I just… never thought…" Sara trailed quietly.
"I didn't either," Nick responded. "Nobody did."
"What now?" Sara asked absently.
"I guess we go home and figure out how to tell everyone about this,"
Nick replied.
"I'm so… shocked, I guess," Sara said, still in a state of disbelief.
"We both are, but you know what?" Nick asked looking directly at his
Sara. Sara responded by looking up at him with her brown eyes. "We're in
this together."
"I can't imagine going through this alone," Sara whispered.
"Don't worry," Nick whispered back, "you don't have to."
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