Autumn was in full swing now, and the cold temperatures at night were most times pleasant, but sometimes unbearable.
Doctor Zhong sighed unconsciously when he realized that he had an appointment today with the weird couple.
The lady was still very insistent on an abortion, while the man had soulful eyes that seemed to work on everyone else except his partner.
He was tired just thinking about how rowdy the nurses station would soon become. The last time they came, one of his nurses walked straight into a pillar just because she was too busy staring at him.
It was totally ridiculous.
He studied her chart again. Her latest blood test had actually shown a major improvement in her blood levels. Seems the drugs were working well.
As it stood, they could even schedule a date by next week, provided her blood count didn't decrease. It didn't take as long a time as he had initially predicted, he mused.
He was looking into his schedule for a suitable date when he heard a high pitched voice, "You're here Mr. Jiang. Welcome. The doctor is waiting for you!"
Doctor Zhong sighed. They were here again. It was going to be another day of nurses forgetting his instructions and misplacing case files.
"Good day. Please sit down." He watched as Jiang Philip pulled out the chair and made sure Su Qianhua was seated comfortably before sitting down himself.
"So how are you feeling today?"
Su Qianhua replied, "Much better. The morning sickness has subsided, and I have a bit more energy now."
"That's good. Do you still have dizzy spells sometimes?"
"No. I have been fine."
"That's good. I have some good news for you, but let's do a bedside ultrasound first, to check on your condition."
Su Qianhua was already familiar with the drill. She lay down on the hard bed and rolled up her shirt, exposing her abdomen. Due to her slight frame, it was already slightly rounded and protruding.
The slightly cold gel felt a bit uncomfortable, but she was too focused on the machine monitor to pay attention. Unconsciously, she was looking forward to a glimpse of the black and white silhouette that was soon to show up on the screen.
Still, she wrestled with her thoughts. She had been doing a lot of thinking in the past few weeks, but when it came to making the actual decision, fear gripped her heart tightly. Was she really planning to do this?
Then she heard it.
It was not the first time Doctor Zhong made the baby's heartbeat audible, but somehow, it sounded like angelic music to her ears this time. With every beat, her heart thudded just as fast in her chest.
Doctor Zhong spoke with a professional smile on his face about how everything looked good and the baby was doing well, but it took him a few moments to realize that the parents were not really interested.
The mother had her eyes closed, while the father had his eyes on the mother.
Doctor Zhong sighed inaudibly. When would he ever learn?
While he washed his hands, Su Qianhua got up and adjusted her clothes. Soon, they were back at the table.
The calm hum of the Hisense table top refrigerator in the office made her calm down a bit. She gave herself a pep talk. She had thought things through, and she was sure she could do this. From the moment she started entertaining the thought, she already knew what she would do.
She came back to earth in time to hear the doctor say, "So I was talking about some good news earlier. The thing is your blood tests came back almost normal. So by next week, you —"
Su Qianhua took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and looked directly at Doctor Zhong, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.
"I've changed my mind Doctor. I want to keep this baby."
"Exactly, you can keep the...what?"
Doctor Zhong doubted his hearing for a minute. Did he really spend too much time in the operating room this morning?
As an obstetric surgeon, he had very busy hours with unexpected emergencies sometimes. It was true that he was in the theater for twenty hours straight till early this morning, but still!
If Doctor Zhong was confused, then Jiang Philip was stupefied. What was going on? Why did she change her mind all of a sudden?
This happiness came so quickly that he suspected it was all a dream. What if it was all in his imagination?
Like a robot, he turned stiffly to face Su Qianhua, who was determined not to look at him. Her gaze was still on Doctor Zhong.
She frowned a little when she noticed his weird expression. She asked with some fear in her voice, "Is it too late?"
Her words brought Doctor Zhong, who was still wondering whether bad hearing was a side effect of long hours of surgery, back to the room.
"No, it's not late at all. I'm sorry, I was carried away for a moment Ms. Su. I must say I'm surprised." He really wanted to ask why she suddenly changed her mind, but he figured it was not really his business.
Su Qianhua let out the breath that she didn't even know she was holding.
"Well, I guess that congratulations are truly in order now." Doctor Zhong smiled broadly, genuinely happy for the father who had obviously wanted the baby from the beginning. He stretched out his hands to Jiang Philip, who shook it blankly.
Su Qianhua sighed. She definitely shocked the poor man badly. She decided they would talk properly later. She redirected her attention to the doctor.
"So is there anything I need to do now?
"Ah yes." Doctor Zhong got down to serious matters. "It's a good thing we already started conditioning your body earlier, but now you would need even more rest. Although your tests look good, the first trimester is the most delicate period, so you need to be extra careful.
"I would prescribe some additional drugs and supplements for you—the baby would need them to grow properly, and you will need to register for antenatal care before you leave. You can do that at the nurses station."
"Thank you Doctor."
"Not at all. Congratulations."
The meeting over, Su Qianhua got up to leave and walked to the door, but turned when she noticed Jiang Philip had not moved. She tapped him.
He turned those blue orbs of his on her, but Su Qianhua could see that they were unfocused. He looked like he had really lost his soul. He followed her like a robot, while behind them, Doctor Zhong shook his head.
What a couple!
He almost rolled his eyes when he heard the sound of something hollow dropping. He was sure yet another nurse had been distracted by the couple again.
He was just about to smile at the thought that it would soon be over, when he remembered that things had changed. Overwhelmed, he put his head on the table and closed his eyes.
Out of sight, out of mind!