This is the first of SIX mini-stories I wrote for  geckoguy123456789 starring his characters Logan and Jennifer.

I'll probably be staggering these out and posting maybe one a day until they're all up. GOTTA GET THEM VIEWS, RIGHT??????

<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>
________________________________________________________________________


From early childhood memories of checkups, shots, and overbearing nurses, Logan and Jennifer both felt apprehensive about hospitals. But while they expected it to seem cold, sterile, and hard-edged, Brookdale Memorial felt warm and even inviting as they stepped through the sliding doors. Logan felt some of his fears fade away at the sunny atmosphere while Jennifer felt new ones rise.

“This place even smells expensive,” she mumbled.
“But we can afford it now, can't we?” Logan said, reassuring his wife. He was already optimistic about the change in hospitals and even more excited about that afternoon's appointment.

“We think we can, sure. But doctors are like car mechanics, they'll slap you with new costs and new procedures and blah blah blah, right around the time you're too far into say no.” Jennifer pouted, eliciting silence from Logan. He carefully brushed some of her long hair away from her muzzle and licked the side of her face affectionately.

“Having a 'day' again?” he asked. She grumbled, but glancing into Logan's eyes softened her own expression. She sighed and licked him back, scratching behind one of his ears.

“Yeah...I guess I am.” Jennifer found Logan's hand and entwined their fingers together. He smiled and brought his other hand to rest on top of her stomach. That protruding, slightly rounded tummy was the reason for their visit. Jennifer's pregnancy had reached the beginning of her fourth month, not large enough to pose any movement problems for her, but definitely noticeable from underneath her clothes. She was still remarkably slim and fit around the rest of her body, so she still had most of the growing left to do. It was a thought that Jennifer secretly dreaded and Logan secretly loved.

“If today doesn't work out, we'll go get some good lunch before I go back to work,” Logan soothed. “Is this a 'feel good' day, or an 'eat good' day?”

“I'll let you know after the appointment,” Jennifer said, running a hand over the swell of her small belly. “I don't think I could eat a stick of gum right now.”

“Not even for pickles and ice cream?” Logan teased, poking Jennifer in the middle of her sensitive navel. She squirmed at the sensation and giggled, despite herself.

“That's not even a real thing. It's like saying that carrying low means it's a boy. It's just an old maid's tale.”

“Wive's tale, sweetie. And we may have to count on that rumor if this place is as bad as the City Clinic was.”

“Ugh, exactly. Don't even remind me. I can't shower enough to wash that place off of me.”

“Brookdale has got to be better. Did you see how many reviews they had?”

“A back-alley optometrist would be better than the city clinic,” Jennifer grumbled. She momentarily slipped on the clean floor and clutched both her belly and her husband's shoulder instinctively. Logan grabbed her by the arm and tightly kept her feet on the floor.

“Jenn!”
“I'm fine, I'm fine,” she reassured, regaining her footing. My center of balance is shifting, y'know?”

“Well, if you were gonna break your leg anywhere,” Logan joked before being slugged in the arm by Jennifer.

The two of them cut the banter as they approached the wide and very clean sign-in desk, behind which sat a large, warm-looking polar bear nurse. She was typing surprisingly quickly for her large, bulky fingers. She even managed to continue while holding up a finger to the two of them to wait while she finished. After a moment, she hit the enter key with a loud finality and sighed deeply before looking up at Logan and Jennifer with a toothy smile.

“Sorry sorry, just had some paperwork to get out the way. What can I do for you?”

“We're the 5:30,” Logan explained. He rested another hand against Jennifer's stomach underneath the counter. It was almost difficult to keep his hands off of her. “An ultrasound appointment?”

“Okay, let me see… We've got a Jennifer down here, that you?”
“Yep, that's us,” Jennifer said. “This is my over-enthusiastic husband, Logan.”

“And the father!” Logan added, wagging his tail hard enough to bap against the back of Jennifer's legs. She sighed, not wanting her bad mood to crush his spirits, but wishing she were in an empty room somewhere to grumble by herself.

“You're not excited are you?” the nurse joked, sliding over a clipboard to Jennifer. “Have you been here before?”

“No, not here,” Jennifer explained while filling out the paperwork. “We got some of my first tests and ultrasounds at the city clinic. They said they'd forward our info, right?”

The nurse frowned sympathetically to the two of them at the mention of 'city clinic.'

“Ah, I see. How did...that go for you?”
“Basically the worst,” Jennifer said, happy she had a chance to complain about it. “It was dirty, every bit of equipment looked like it was from the 70s, it smelled like bleach all the time, and had, bar none, the rudest staff imaginable. It was like going to a McHospital, I swear.”

“The doctor wouldn't even tell us the baby's gender!” Logan piped in, voicing his biggest complaint. “He just kinda...came in, did the ultrasound, said everything was fine, then left. We didn't even get pictures!”

“The city clinic...well…” The nurse rubbed the back of her neck with one of her thick paws. “Let's say we get a lot of patients from there. I doubt they…” She glanced at her computer screen, and raised her eyebrows. “Oh, turns out they did send over your info! You got lucky.” She took the clipboard from beneath Jennifer's hand, who set the pen back in the cup on the counter. “You're all set. Just take a seat and Doctor Lin will come get you in a minute.”

“Great!” Logan said, wagging his tail again. He wrapped an arm around Jennifer to pull her into a side-hug and licked her cheek again. “This is a good start, right!?”

“So far...” Jennifer said, skeptically. She wiggled her way out of Logan's grip and walked over to the benches. Logan himself followed, picking nervously at his fingers with his tail tucked slightly between his legs. He sat next to Jennifer with his hands in his lap, quietly tapping his foot against the ground. Jennifer herself had her arms folded over her chest and frowned at the floor.

“I'm sorry,” Logan said. Jennifer turned, her expression softening at his apology.
“What for?” she asked.
“I don't know...I'm just really excited and...I thought I made you angry...”

Jennifer sighed, scooting across the bench toward Logan. She pulled his face toward hers and gave him an affectionate lick, followed by a real kiss.

“No, sweetie, you didn't do anything,” she said, reassuringly. “I've just been having a bad day and it's not fair to you.” She pulled his hand over and laid his palm against her belly. “I'm the one who should be sorry. I should be more excited that we're finally going to see the baby. For real this time.”

Logan perked up his head, his ears folding back as he smiled.
“I know! I've been looking forward to this for so long,” Logan said. He took his hand off of her belly and ran it through Jennifer's hair. “But I should have been paying attention to you, too. Tell me about it.”

“It's nothing, nothing serious,” Jennifer said. “I just threw up again this morning and couldn't eat anything. I've got sore muscles and it feels like my energy levels bottomed out before my eyes even opened. I thought I was through with all the first trimester stuff, that's all. And I'm scared it'll last the whole time.”

“It won't, Jenn. Trust me, I've done my readings,” Logan said with confidence. He patted her tummy protectively. “You'll feel better in a few months.” Jennifer smiled and nuzzled against his neck, feeling his warm fur brush against her face.

“I want cupcakes after this,” she mumbled into his shoulder. Logan smiled and patted her back.

“We'll get as many as you-” he glanced up to find an older cat in a lab coat and scrubs standing over them, holding a clipboard and bobbing his tail back and forth expectantly.

“Oh!” Logan exclaimed. Jennifer quickly jerked away from her husband and hopped quickly to her feet.

“Oh, I'm- We're sorry, I was- we-” She was interrupted by the low laughing of the cat, who waved off her stammered apology.

“Please, don't worry about it. I'm the one who should be apologizing for bothering you. I'm Dr. Lin. Jennifer, right? Follow me back here.” Jennifer paused briefly in embarrassment at being caught in an intimate moment, but Logan gently took her hand in his before following after Dr. Lin with her in tow.

After a few rudimentary checkups of blood pressure, reflexes, heart rhythm, and weight (during which Logan was made to stand outside in the hall), the couple found themselves waiting in a brightly lit room on the second floor of the hospital. It was filled with a number of shining, expensive looking pieces of equipment that the two were very apprehensive to get too close to. Logan sat on a small stool in the corner of the room while Jennifer sat nervously on the large, cushioned bench she assumed she should be sitting on.

Right at the moment they thought about going to look for a nurse, Dr. Lin walked nonchalantly inside the room, carrying a box of disposable gloves under his arm and a clipboard in his other hand. He had given up his doctor's coat in favor of the scrubs underneath, with sleeves rolled up his arms.

“Sorry for the wait. I'm sure you're excited to get started,” he said. He detached two leaves of paper from the clipboard and began flipping through it while rolling a larger stool next to the cushioned bench. “Now, it says here you've had two ultrasound appointments already, so this is an elective session?”

“Now that Logan works for the city, we were able to move onto a better insurance plan,” Jennifer explained, now as eager to get started as her husband. “And we weren't satisfied with the last hospital.”

“Your procedure was performed at...” Dr. Lin's eyes grew wide at the page. “The city clinic?”

“Yeah...” Jennifer said.
“It's...about as bad as you think,” Logan added.
“I....didn't even know they did ultrasounds...” He sighed, setting the folder aside and pulling on a pair of gloves. “At least somebody there is good with the paperwork, if nothing else.” He pushed his stool closer to the bench, wheeling with him a large machine with a television screen on top of it.

“Okay, Jennifer, lie down and pull up your shirt, please,” Dr. Lin said, warmly. In a quick motion, Logan leapt from his seat to stand next to Jennifer's side, his tail wagging hard enough to blow open the pages of the magazine he'd been idly flipping through. Jennifer laughed as she laid down, using her right hand to pull up her shirt to expose her gently rounded stomach as her left was clutched in Logan's excited grip.

“We keep this at room temperature,” Dr. Lin explained, squeezing clear gel into his gloves, “but everyone always says it's still cold. Brace yourself.” Jennifer tried, but still jumped from a combination of the unexpected temperature and the bizarre sensation against her fur and skin. The doctor flipped a switch on the back of the machine while pulling out a small wand connected to the machine with a wire.

He pressed the contact to the surface of Jennifer's belly, sliding it uncomfortably around the surface and making her shiver in response. At the same time, Dr. Lin flipped on the screen to a strange, black-and-white cone of vision, flanked by strange numbers and data neither Jennifer nor Logan understood. It was odd for Jennifer to see through her own body, especially as she noticed the softly pulsating image timed perfectly to her own heartbeat, which elevated quickly as the doctor searched around her stomach for whatever he was looking for.

“Hah!” Dr. Lin exclaimed, stopping over a point on the underside of her belly, nearly between her legs. “Gotcha.” He turned a dial on the screen to sharpen up the image, but which still seemed to be a series of blobs. In the middle, however, was a small, black circle breaking the pattern of gray noise around it. Inside of it was a small, gray splotch not much bigger than Jennifer's knuckle. Nevertheless, she and Logan stared at the image with wide, transfixed eyes like they were gazing upon a priceless diamond.

“Is....Is it....is that....” Logan tried to speak, but couldn't manage to get the words out. Jennifer didn't even try, she just kept one hand over her mouth while unexpected tears filled in the back of her eyes.

“That's right,” Dr. Lin said, smiling at the two. “That's your baby.” Jennifer thought that she going to melt. She barely even felt the gel on her stomach or even Logan squeezing her hand. All she felt was an overwhelming sense of realness. She had the sickness, she saw the swelling, she took the tests, but it wasn't until that moment, where she could see her baby, did it hit her. She was pregnant. She was going to be a mother.

“C-c-c-can you tell? The gender, I mean?” Logan said excitedly. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“It's a little too early for that,” Dr. Lin said, laughing. “Next time, for sure. Give them some time to decide. But things look healthy so far with this little fella. Let's check on the other one.”

Jennifer and Logan froze completely still, breath simultaneously caught in their throats.

“...O-....O-other one?” Jennifer managed to croak.

“They moved a little farther away from the other one,” Dr. Lin explained, sliding his wand across her belly, “but that's normal at first.”

“Th-there...There's another one?” Jennifer said again. Dr. Lin glanced up, curiously.

“Well...yes, of course. That's...” the doctor's brow suddenly furrowed. “You mean they didn't even tell you you were having twins?”

Before she could answer, Logan's grip suddenly went slack and pulled against her arm as he quickly collapsed to the ground in a gray, furry heap.

“Logan!” Jennifer shouted, still holding onto his limp arm. Dr. Lin quickly stood up and threw off his gloves, crossing over to Logan and checking his pulse.

“Nurse!” he shouted, while hooking a hand under Logan's arm to lift him to a sitting position. With his back against the wall, Logan's head lolled backward with his tongue hanging lazily from his open mouth. Jennifer shouted his name again, even louder than before.

Her loud bark must have done the trick, as right when the nurse entered the room with an emergency epinephrine shot, Logan quickly lurched back into consciousness, looking and feeling very, very confused to be on the ground. But as he followed the arm clutching his wrist up and it led to Jennifer, he grinned a groggy, drunken smile.

“T-twins,” he managed to say, tightening his grip on Jennifer's arm.
“Y-yeah,” Jennifer agreed, the tears of a very eventful day falling from her soft eyes. “That's right. We're...We're having twins.”

With the help of Dr. Lin, Logan was able to stand on his shaky feet, holding onto the bench. The first thing he did was grip the side of it and lay his head against Jennifer's belly, the fur of his head becoming quickly covered in the clear gel coating it.

“Logan!” Jennifer shouted while laughing. He closed his eyes and shook his head as a serene smile grew on his face.

“Nine months can't come soon enough.”

________________________________________________________________________