Page 39 of Crown: Phase 4

“Aight, ma.”

“Mmhmm…” Nivéa shook her head, smiling. She loved how he was so overprotective of her.

A light knock sounded against the door before it opened. Dr. Harris stepped inside, moving slowly while wearing navy-blue scrubs beneath her white coat. Silver had taken over more of her short curls, and more wrinkles graced her skin since Nivéa’s last pregnancy, but her warm brown face and direct gaze remained the same. She carried a tablet beneath one arm and a familiarity that made the room feel less clinical.

“Niv, hi. Back again, huh?” She smiled, looking over the top of her glasses.

Nivéa covered her face. “Please don’t fuss at me.”

“I’m not going to fuss.” Dr. Harris closed the door behind her with a soft laugh. “But I may ask whether you remember how babies are made. I think we need to discuss the birds and the bees again, gal.”

Crown chuckled.

Dr. Harris spoke to him and introduced herself, then she washed her hands before approaching them. She touched Nyla’s foot, complimented her beauty, then looked at Nivéa with a teasing expression.

“You’re definitely pregnant. Based on the date of your last period, you should be close to six weeks. Your blood pressure looks good, and nothing you reported sounds unusual for early pregnancy. We’ll confirm the due date with an ultrasound today.”

“Is everything okay with her getting pregnant so soon?” Crown was on it, something about the way the nurse had said the information earlier fucked with him.

“It is certainly earlier than I would have recommended, especially after a C-section. Her body has had less time to rebuild its iron stores and fully recover from surgery. Closely spaced pregnancies can also increase the chance of anemia, an early delivery, and certain complications involving the uterus or placenta.

But that does not mean one of those things will happen. It means I need both of you to understand why I’ll be watching Nivéa more carefully. Her appointments will be closer than normal. We’ll check her blood count, pay close attention to the location of the placenta as the pregnancy develops, and monitor her scar and the baby’s growth. I also need you to keep taking your prenatal vitamins, eating regularly, resting, and calling me if you experience bleeding, severe pain, dizziness, or anything that does not feel right.”

“I’m on it.” Crown said.

Dr. Harris looked at Nivéa. “Daddy runs a strict program, huh?”

“Yes ma’am. All the time.”

The two laughed in unison as Crown sat with a stone face. Wasn’t shit funny to him; he was serious about his wife’s well-being. Part of him felt bad for sending her through this all over again so soon. But the other side of him understood it was destiny. Their baby had been made from pure love.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that. I love to see it.” Dr. Harris went on to say.

She wanted to add that she was happy Nivéa moved on with her life and found someone reliable and accountable. She had witnessed the way Boe stood her up for many appointments during the last pregnancy. But she didn’t say that; she kept it professional and offered her congrats.

After reviewing Nivéa’s history and answering their questions, Dr. Harris stepped out while Nivéa changed from the waist down. Crown placed Nyla back in the carrier to assist her in settling onto the exam table. He adjusted the pillow behind her head, then pulled the drape over her legs.

Once Dr. Harris returned with a nurse, she dimmed the lights, leaving most of the room lit by the ultrasound monitor. She prepared the slender wand, covered it, and explained each step before beginning.

“Remember, you may feel some pressure, but it shouldn’t hurt.”

Nivéa nodded and reached for Crown’s free hand.

At first, the monitor showed only shades of black, gray, and white that meant nothing to either of them. Dr. Harris adjusted the angle slowly, studying the screen with the same concentration she had worn during every pregnancy in Nivéa’s family.

“There’s your uterus,” she said. “And the pregnancy is exactly where it belongs.”

Nivéa released a breath as Crown’s fingers closed around hers.

Dr. Harris moved the wand slightly. A small dark space came into view, followed by a pale shape inside it.

“There is the gestational sac. There is the yolk sac.” She pointed toward the screen. “And right there is your baby.”

Nivéa stared at the tiny shape that was not much larger than a bean. Too small for her to make out arms, legs, or a face. Yet the sight of it made the pregnancy real in a way the tests, nausea, and weight gain had not. Until that moment, the baby had existed mostly as an idea inside her head. Now there was proof. A tiny life had found a place inside her body once again and was holding on.

Crown leaned closer to the monitor. “That little thing?”

Dr. Harris smiled. “That little thing.”