Chapter 25: Chapter 25

"OH. You're not alone, Claire."

Dra. Carlos greeted me, her eyes looking at Adam, who was beside me.

I smiled at my doctor. She has been my OB for five years now. She was also Marcus' friend, that's why she was addressing me by my first name.

"Dra. Carlos, this is Adam…"

"Is he... the father of the baby?"

"Yes, Doc."

The doctor gave me a teasing smile before her eyes went back to Adam.

"Doc, Claire had a terrible morning sickness this morning. Is that normal?" Adam asked my doctor.

"Don't worry, Adam. Morning sickness is pretty normal during the first trimester of the pregnancy. You have nothing to worry about."The doctor asked me to change into a thin gown. Then she asked me to lie down on the ultrasound bed.

“See that, Claire? That's your baby...”

My eyes flew to the small monitor screen. I could feel the corner of my eyes heating up with tears. This was already the second time that I'd seen my baby on that monitor, but I still couldn't help but feel emotional.

“Hello, baby. I'm your mommy,” I whispered as a tear fell from my eyes. There were definitely tears of joy. When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought I wasn't ready to be a mother. Well, it was definitely not in my plan. But now, I can't wait for my baby to come out. I couldn't explain the happiness that enveloped my heart.

I promised to love my baby with all my heart. I would give him or her all the love in this world.

“And I'm your daddy, little bean…”

From the monitor, my eyes went to Adam, who was standing beside me. He was staring at the monitor with glassy eyes.

Adam looked at me. Our eyes met. He smiled and held my hand. My eyes went to our hands before they went back to the monitor.

“I’m sure you want to hear your baby’s heartbeat?” Dra Carlos asked, a smile on her face.

Adam and I both nodded at the doctor.

Another batch of tears fell from her eyes when I heard our baby’s heartbeat. It sounded like music to my ears, the best music I'd ever heard in my life.

"Oh, wow," Adam muttered when Dra. Carlos let us hear the heartbeat of the baby. "That's amazing."

I tried to look at him. My lips parted when I noticed that the corners of his eyes were misty with tears.

I couldn't believe I'd witnessed this from him. He looked genuinely happy. I felt like a warm hand touched my heart.

"Since she was just ten weeks pregnant, we couldn't tell the gender of the baby yet."

Dra. Carlos said, pointing out the small monitor. "I suggest you come back here in two months. By then, we could already see the gender of your baby."

"Alright. We'll do that, Doc." It was Adam who said that.

"Is Adam aware of your PCOS, Claire?" Dra. Carlos asked me. She was already giving me prescriptions for another set of vitamins.

"PCOS?" Adam turned to me. "You have PCOS?"

I cleared my throat. "I was diagnosed with it five years ago, but I was already able to manage it." I pursed my lips. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to tell you. I didn't think it was important, anyway."

"It's important, Claire," Dra. Carlos told me. "I already told you that pregnant women with PCOS are more prone to miscarriage than normal women."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. “Adam, you have to take care of her. We need to avoid any complications during her pregnancy."

I turned my head to Adam. I found him silent while eagerly listening to whatever Dra. Carlos had been saying.

“Pregnant women with PCOS are prone to diabetes and high blood pressure. You have to watch your diet, Claire."

"But I've been craving different foods these past weeks, Doc," I told the doctor. "Is that bad?"

"No. Just make sure to control your food intake. Always try to eat healthy foods, Claire,” Dra. Carlos said. "Also, avoid any kind of stress...”

“Don't worry, Doc,” Adam said to Dra. Carlos. He was still holding my hand. “I will take care of her and our baby.”

Adam smiled at me. Something warm enveloped my heart again. The more time I spent with Adam, the more I learned how caring and gentle he was.

We spent another thirty minutes there in the clinic listening and taking notes on everything Dra. Carlos had been saying.

After leaving the clinic, Adam and I went to the car.

"Thank you so much, Claire," Adam told me after putting on my seatbelt. He turned to me.

His deep eyes were boring into mine, piercing my heart and penetrating my soul.

“Adam…”

He gave me a small smile. “To be honest, I don't know if I can be a good father. But I will do my best to be a great father to him. I promise I will be a better man for our child...”

The corner of my eyes started to water. I tried my best to blink away the tears in my eyes. But then I failed. They started to fall.

“Claire, what's wrong?”

I shook my head. "Nothing. I'm just grateful that you're here with me, Adam. To be honest, I was really scared. Having a baby was not in my plan. When I found out I was pregnant, I wasn't sure if I could really be a good mother. I didn't know anything about parenting." I let out a small chuckle. "I know I'm not mother material. Half of my life revolved around studying and work…"

"Shh," Adam hushed as he gently held my face and wiped the tears that fell on my eye.

"You don't have to be scared, Claire. I swear, you'll be a great mother."

I looked at him. He smiled at me. "Besides, you have me. I promised, I'll take care of you and our baby, okay? You don't have to be scared. We can do this together."