PIPER’S POV

This day has been long awaited. I’ll meet the doctor who will hopefully see me through my pregnancy. Harry and I both agreed that a female OB/GYN would be preferable. So, after talking to a few people and calling around, we’re now seated in the office of a Dr. Linda Perschmann. Andrea begged to come with us, but Harry insisted that she should stay with his mother. He did promise her that she could go when we find out the gender of the baby, though. That, as well as Anne’s promise of cookies, has staved her curiosity for now.

We also have lunch plans after this with Riley and Liam, which will be nice since we haven’t seen them since we got to London. I’ve spoken to Riley a bit, but Liam took her to meet his family for a few days in Wolverhampton.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Harry squeezes my hand as we wait in the doctor’s personal office. She isn’t here yet, but she should be any minute.

“I’m just nervous,” I admit, not daring to look at him. “What if something’s wrong? What if I’ve already screwed it up? Being a parent is difficult, but the pregnancy is supposed to be the easy part, right? What if I fuck it up this early on? I’ve been stressed about other stuff. I don’t know-“

Harry simply brings our intertwined hands to his lips and pecks the back of mine, “You’re doing everything you can, love. Our baby is going to be perfect and you’re going to be an incredible mum.”

I open my mouth to speak, but the door is opening behind us before I can say anything.

“Good morning,” A kind voice echoes through the room. I turn around and follow the middle-aged woman as she walks around and stops in front of us, a frail hand extended.

I reach mine out first, immediately noting how impossibly cold her skin is. I can’t help but to dread her hands elsewhere.

Harry shakes her hand next and she smiles warmly at us both. I like her already. Her demeanor is inviting and I don’t feel uncomfortable yet, which is always a good start for someone who will be a long-term health care provider.

“I’m Dr. Perschmann, but feel free to call me Linda, or whatever you’d like. You’re Piper and Harry if I’ve got the correct file.”

Harry chuckles and I nod. Her quirky personality is relatable, humanizing her immediately.

“Well, I’m very happy to meet you,” she grins as she opens a manilla folder as she sits at her desk. “To start off with, I’ll just ask you some quick questions. No need to be embarrassed, alright? I’ve quite literally heard it all.”

I blush and Harry squeezes my thigh.

“First is easy, when did your last menstrual cycle end?”

I think back, because I had already figured this out, “December 12th.”

“Okay,” she nods, filling in a space in her folder. “And I’m assuming you took a home pregnancy test?”

I nod again, “A few. All positive. I’ve known for about a month now.”

It’s strange to answer these questions, telling someone new about a topic that has already been so present in my mind. It makes it seem unreal all over again.

“Is there a reason you’ve waited to see a doctor?” She asks, a tone of curiosity present, not one of judgment.

“I just moved here actually,” I shrug. “It’s all been hectic, but I have been taking some prenatal vitamins.”

“Alright very good,” she nods, glancing over the papers Harry and I filled out earlier. “After looking over your family history, there are very low risks for your pregnancy. Both of you have healthy medical pasts, so there’s nothing you should be particularly worried about. I see that you have a deceased younger brother, Piper. You failed to fill in the cause?”

I gulp. I did mean to; I just got distracted in the waiting room, having passed the question by accident.

I look down at Harry’s hand as it covers mine. I glance back at the doctor and nod, “Yes, I’m sorry. I just forgot. He- um- Cause of death was suicide.”

The tan woman nods understandingly, a sympathetic look on her face, “I’m very sorry. It must be a difficult subject. How recent was it, if I may ask?”

I bite at my bottom lip and squeeze Harry’s hand, summoning him to swoop in for me.

“Very recent,” Harry responds. “Christmas.”

Dr. Linda sighs and leans over her desk, “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling, dear. I can recommend a wonderful psychologist, if you’re interested. I see her myself.”

I force a small smile and nod weakly, “I would appreciate that.”

“Wonderful,” she grins solemnly. “Now, if you’ll follow me to an exam room, we can get right to the much-anticipated sonogram, alright? We’ll forgo the sonography technician, and I’ll just do it myself for privacy purposes, given your unusual lifestyle and situation.”

We both nod, and the three of us stand together. Harry snakes his arm around my waist and kisses my temple encouragingly as we wait for Dr. Linda to lead the way.

“I’m proud of you,” he whispers as we follow her down the hall and I squeeze his arm in appreciation.

When we enter the small, brightly-lit white room, Dr. Linda points to the chair in the middle of the room. It immediately reminds me of a dentist chair. It’s different from the one I was used to at my old OB/GYN.

“Go ahead and have a seat,” she suggests. I sit down, perching my feet on the footrest. Harry sits at my side, in a stool that rolls. He leans onto my chair, though, his hand resting on my forearm.

“If you’ll just pull your shirt up so I can get to your belly,” she says. “It’s usually helpful to tuck it under your bra.”

I giggle as Harry stands to do it all for me, pulling the hem of my shirt up and gently bunching it under my bra wire. He pecks my forehead before sitting back down. He’s jittery, I can tell. I am too, if I’m honest, because I can’t wait to see our baby, even if it’s too tiny to see much.

Dr. Linda puts on gloves and flips a switch on the machine next to me. She takes a bottle out of a bucket and sits down on a stool like the one Harry is on.

“Okay, this is warmed, but it might still be a tad cool,” she warns before squirting a large dollop of the gel on my stomach. I shiver as it touches my skin, already getting chills from my nerves.

“That’s the worst of it,” she promises, laughing.

I look at Harry, grinning when I witness his toothy smile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so excited before and it’s so heart-warming.

“Alright, if you’ll look at this screen here,” she turns the monitor to face us better and holds the extended part of the machine, holding it over my stomach. I look down at my bare skin, watching as it caves and expands with my heavy breathing, and then look back at the screen. Harry is holding my hand, his other hand on my shoulder, stroking it soothingly.

When she presses the probe to my belly and spreads the gel around slowly. The first thing I notice is the quiet swishing sound coming from the machine. There’s a soft pounding beat along with it, quick and successive.

“That,” Dr. Linda’s smile is obvious in her voice even though I’m not looking at her, “Is your baby’s heart beating.”

I gasp and twist my head to Harry, watching his face light up as he listens. He stands up, no longer able to sit still, and kisses my cheek, his eyes glued to the screen.

“Piper,” he whispers. “Look at it.”

I turn back to the monitor and watch the image move, unsure of what I’m exactly looking at. I gulp and focus as the moving slows and eventually stops when Dr. Linda stops the probe.

“There’s your baby,” she coos, pointing at the center of the screen. She presses a few buttons on the computer and draws a line pointing to a light shadow. “It’s the size of a sweet pea right now. It’s arms are starting to bud and it’s developing a jaw and tongue. All of it’s facial features are growing right now. Basically, this baby is growing so much right now. It’s healthy, too. It’s heart rate is perfect. It’ll be quick like that for a while. Also, it’s blood is beginning to circulate.”

“Holy shit,” I let out, laughing in disbelief as I stare at the obscure, yet inspiring image. Harry laughs as well, almost maniacally. Neither of us can help it.

I feel my eyes burn as they fill with tears, the happiest tears I’ve ever produced.

“That’s our baby, Harry,” I continue to laugh, the action spreading to Dr. Linda as well. It’s just contagious.

“It is! It’s our sweet pea,” Harry beams, leaning down to kiss me right on the lips. It’s natural and filled with emotions and promises. I’ve never felt so close to him before, despite all the times he’s physically been inside of me. This moment, right now, is the most special, intimate moment of our relationship. A part of him is mixing with a part of me, and we’re creating something new. We’re creating something that will be a person. A person that could be a girl or a boy. A girl or a boy who can think and act. A girl or boy who can love us and it’s family, can love another girl or boy. A girl or boy who can create a life just like we have.

It’s overwhelming and my tears take over my laughter in seconds. It’s still happy tears, but it probably doesn’t seem like it.

“It’s just too much,” I sob, looking back at the monitor. “Look at it. That’s a baby.”

Harry’s still laughing, crying a bit as well, “Yeah. It’s a perfectly healthy baby and it’s all ours.”

...

By the time we find the table Riley and Liam are occupying, they are half-way done with their drinks. Riley stands excitedly as we approach, pulling me into a crushing hug before I can even let go of Harry’s hand.

“How are you? How was the doctor?” Riley squealed in excitement.

“I’m good, the doctor was so nice. The visit was just incredible,” I reach into my purse and pull out the envelope as we all sit down, Harry and Liam speaking in hushed tones next to us. “Riley, you have to see it.”

I take the printed sonogram that had “Baby Nielson-Styles” in small white print, and slide it across the table between Riley and Liam. Harry pauses their conversation and urges Liam to look as well.

Riley chokes up while looking at it, holding her palm to her chest, “Oh my god, Piper! That’s a little baby. That’s inside of you!”

I giggle and lean over, resting my head on Harry’s shoulder as our friends coo over a picture of a fetus.

“It’s the size of a sweet pea,” Harry adds, squeezing my thigh under the table. “So, that’s what I’m calling it for now. It’s our little sweet pea.”

I roll my eyes fondly and kiss his cheek, “When he says he’s calling it that, it means he won’t stop talking about our sweet pea.”

Liam chuckles and drapes an arm over Riley’s shoulders, sitting back in their booth, “Don’t tease. He’s just a proud daddy.”

We all smile, Harry’s knee bouncing in excitement. He’s been hyper and jittery all day.

“He’s a great daddy,” I agree, cuddling into his neck. “Speaking of which, we should check in on Andy.”

Harry nods and pulls out his phone, sending a quick text to his mom.

“Taken care of,” he grins briefly at me as I sit up, glancing over the menu. “So, how’s your family, Liam?”

Liam opens his mouth to talk, but Riley interrupts, “They’re so wonderful. We had the greatest time just hanging out at their place. His mom and I went shopping and cooked dinner together. Liam’s sisters are just the absolute sweetest. Nicole and I really hit it off.”

I love hearing Riley talking about Liam’s family like this. Having her around my family has been such a great experience for her, and she’s told me a thousand times that she felt like a part of it. I’m glad that Liam’s family can be a substitute since mine is so broken right now.

Liam just chuckles and takes a sip of his cocktail, “She summed it up pretty well. They’re doing good. I think they’re sad they didn’t see me more on the break.”

Harry nods, “Yeah, same with my parents. I haven’t seen dad yet at all.”

I still have yet to meet Harry’s father, but I’m sure it will happen soon.

“We should change that,” I suggest and Harry nods weakly. I decide not to push the idea further for now. I don’t even have the chance when the server walks up and asks if we’re ready to order.

Of course none of us are. We’ve been having too much fun catching up. I’m glad I have my best friend here with me.

I’m glad we’re all happy.

Notes

Hiiiiiii, how are you all? Sorry, nothing has changed and I still suck at updating lol. hope you don't all hate me xx. How were your holidays?! I wanna hear from you guys. :) leave comments, or talk to me on TUMBLR and/or TWITTER. I'll follow you back :* Let me know what you thought of the chapter! I know it was just a filler :/