“No,” she said. “He is not going to stick his hand up in there.”
They did not have to wait long after they were put in one of the exam rooms. Whether this was because they were a celebrity couple or it was just how the doc did business, Jake did not know.
“Congratulations,” he told them once the door was closed. “You are indeed pregnant.”
Even though they were already quite positive, it was a happy moment to hear that it was official.
“And everything is okay?” Laura asked.
“As far as I can tell at this point,” Vargo said. “The hCG quant test we ran—that’s the test that tells us just how much hCG you have and allows us to extrapolate how many weeks pregnant you are—indicates that you are approximately ten weeks along at this point. That matches up pretty much exactly with your last reported menstrual period of February 18th. All of your other tests look good as well. CBC is normal, electrolytes and urine function normal, no glucose or ketones in your urine, blood glucose level normal. And you are blood type A positive, which means you won’t have to worry about getting the Rhogam shot after you deliver and during every subsequent pregnancy.”
“I’m O negative, doc,” Jake said. “The different Rh factors won’t hurt anything?”
“Not when the mother is Rh positive,” he said. “Her body is already used to seeing the antigens on her blood so her immune system will not attack the fetus.” He looked at Jake sharply. “However, if she were to ever get you pregnant, you would need to get the Rhogam shot.”
Jake chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
“Now let’s talk about some fun numbers,” Vargo said next. “How about your EDC—the estimated date the baby is due?”
“Let’s hear it,” Laura said.
“Based on your LMP, your last menstrual period, we’re looking at on or about November 25th. A Thanksgiving baby is definitely a possibility. Of course, when you have your ultrasound at sixteen weeks we’ll be able to narrow that down a bit more.”
“Does your little chart there tell you when the baby was conceived?” Jake asked.
“It does,” Vargo said, “although there is a margin of error here. I point that out because I’ve had couples proclaim that they did not have sex on the day I name for them, and this has even led to accusations of infidelity at times.”
“We understand,” Jake said.
“With an LMP of February 18th, we’re looking at a date of conception on or about March 4th.”
They both nodded. Jake was smiling. “Did we have sex on that day, hon?” he asked her.
She giggled and blushed simultaneously. “I’m pretty sure that we did,” she said.
Neither of them remembered the actual encounter at this point, but both knew that hardly a day went by when they did not do it.
“Ah yes,” Vargo said. “Laura here told me about how the two of you have a proclivity for practicing the art of reproduction. Now, the next step is to get you referred to an obstetrician to care for you through the pregnancy and the delivery. Did you have anyone in mind?”
“Not yet,” Laura said.
“I can recommend some practitioners that are a part of our medical group,” he said.
“Can you recommend some practitioners who have privileges at Baptist Hospital in San Luis Obispo?” Laura asked. “That’s where we’re going to be having the baby at.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot do that,” he said. “I have no knowledge or literature on practitioners in San Luis Obispo county. You’ll probably have to contact your insurance company for a list of referrals on that.”
“Fair enough,” Jake said.
The appointment lasted a few more minutes. Vargo went over the diet Laura should be following, the importance of continuing to take her prenatal vitamins, and the importance of abstaining from alcohol and drug use, particularly in the first trimester.
“I haven’t had a drop of wine or a single toke on the pipe since I got the first positive test,” Laura assured him.
“Excellent,” Vargo said. “Keep that up. Are there any further questions?”
There were not. They thanked the doctor for his time and made their way to the exit.
“All right,” Laura said. “We’re now more than two months into this thing. How about we start telling people about it?”
“If you’re ready for that, I am too,” Jake said. “Celia, the Nerdlys, Paulie and Obie already know. We should call my parents next.”
“Yes,” she said. “And then I want to call Joey and let him know.”
“Sounds good,” Jake said. “What about the rest of your family? Are you going to tell them before the entertainment media does?”
She frowned a little. “I probably should,” she said. “I think I’ll send them a letter just to let them know. I don’t expect they’ll respond to it, but who knows? Grandkids can change people’s opinions.”
“Maybe,” Jake said carefully. He hoped she was wrong about that. Her parents and her other siblings besides Joey were certainly not people that he cared to meet. But then that was what he had thought about Joey as well.
“And what about the entertainment media?” Laura asked. “How should we let them know about it? Should we just let them find out on their own, or should we send out a press release of some sort?”
“I think we should send out a press release,” Jake said. “We can have Paulie do it. Make it short, simple, and sweet. Laura Kingsley is pregnant with the couple’s first child, the due date, and nothing more than that. It will give them something to report, and they won’t be pissed off and prone to speculation when they finally figure it out on their own.”
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
He put his hand on her leg and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I love you, hon,” he told her.
She smiled at him. “I love you too,” she returned. “I’m really excited about Ziggy, but I’m really scared about it as well.”
“I know,” he said. “You’ll do fine.”
“It’s such a big step in life.”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “But we’re ready for it.”
They drove on toward their Granada Hills home. Jake had a meeting with some of the suits at Aristocrat later that day and now it seemed they needed to start putting together a press release.
And inside of Laura’s uterus, little Ziggy just kept on replicating cells, growing bigger and bigger by the hour.
Chapter 16:Triple Play
Malibu, California
June 18, 1997
The Kingsleys had some business in LA on this Wednesday afternoon—the bimonthly KVA meeting, which had now become weekly due to the two separate projects underway—and took the opportunity to accept a dinner invitation from Gordon and Tanisha Paladay at their Malibu home. They had not been able to get together with G and Neesh for quite some time now due to everyone’s respective schedules, and all four of them had been looking forward to the gathering ever since it had been planned the week before. Dinner was a delicately roasted prime rib, lovingly cooked to perfection by Consuela, the Paladays’ middle-aged live-in domestic servant, served with steamed asparagus spears, mashed potatoes, and a rich gravy. Jake, G, and Neesh enjoyed a bottle of 1987 Napa Valley merlot with the meal while Laura enjoyed a nice, refreshing bottle of Sprite on the rocks.
After the meal, while Consuela cleaned and put the kitchen and dining room back in serviceable condition, Jake and G retired to the composition room upstairs so they could smoke a joint, drink scotch on the rocks, and try to come up with another compilation tune that they might be able to put on G’s next CD, which he was just now starting to put together. Laura and Neesh, meanwhile, retired out to the deck, Laura with another bottle of Sprite, Neesh with a glass of her favorite chardonnay, to catch up on all the latest in each other’s lives.