“Hello,” I sang.
“Oh, is this MF Photography?” asked the tinny female voice.
“Yes, it’s Molly Fuller speaking.”
“Hi Molly. My name is Brooke. I was hoping to have a chat to you about taking some photos at my vow renewal.”
“Of course. What I’ll do is give you my assistant’s number and Lizzie can help you with the booking.”
“Well, it’s just that the renewal is on Saturday and I know that I don’t have a lot of time.”
“I am very busy at the moment. Summer is wedding season and most Saturday’s I’m fully booked.”
“Oh, I’m so disappointed. You’ve been recommended to me by a dear friend and I so wanted you to be the one to capture our special moment.”
“Can I ask who your friend is?”
“Huh? Oh...ummm, well the thing is, ummmm...”
The line went quiet while I waited for her answer.
“Look, this is a surprise for my husband, so I was just hoping to keep all of this between the two of us for now.”
“Discretion is my middle name.” Actually, it was Grace but I’m sure she got my point.
“I was hoping to ask a few questions before we go ahead,” Brooke continued.
“Sure.” I started the car and cranked the air conditioning.
“So, you’ve obviously photographed weddings before, but how are you with vow renewals?”
“I’m more than qualified to take those photos for you. Where are you having the ceremony?”
“I’m still deciding that. Now, are you in a relationship yourself?”
I jolted. “Ummmm, yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, I just thought that...you know.”
I didn’t actually.
“My friend told me you were dating Matt Wilson. Is that correct?”
“Yeesssss,” I replied, suspicious.
“Great. Now where is he today?”
“I’m sorry but what does this have to do with me taking photos for you?”
“I heard that he’s left the country. Is that correct?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“Oh. Well, is it true that you’re pregnant with his child?”
My skin prickled and an uneasy sensation ran down my spine.
“Who are you?” I demanded, leaning forward in my seat as a pain shot through my stomach.
“I told you. I’m Brooke.”
“Then if you really want me to take your photos Brooke, you’re going to have to call my assistant.” I rattled off Lizzie’s number. “If you choose to go ahead with the booking then we can meet beforehand so I can get an idea of what you would like. Other than that, I’m sorry, I must go.”
“Of course. I’ll give Lizzie a call. I hope to see you on Saturday, Molly.”
As I ended the call, I placed my hand on my stomach and winced against the pain. Was it normal to get pain like this so early on? Was it something to worry about?
I opened my pregnancy app and did a quick search on the forum. Alarmed at what I read, I hurriedly dialed my doctor and made an urgent appointment.
I may not have fallen in love with this child just yet, but I was 100% responsible for it and I took that job very seriously.
Chapter Three
My doctor had decided that instead of me visiting her and then being sent to the obstetrician, she would just phone them and get me an urgent appointment. I loved my doctor but to know she was worried enough for me to go straight to the specialist, kind of freaked me out. Which is why I’d immediately phoned Danny and asked him to accompany me. Thankfully Monday was his day off, so he’d dropped what he was doing and both he and Andrew were now impatiently reading magazines in the waiting room.
I was grateful my obstetrician, Doctor Lara Jensen, was a woman. I’d been told that when you fell pregnant you needed to leave your dignity on the floor with your knickers, because every visit that’s where you’ll find it. The joys of being female. At least with a woman at the helm it might be a tad less embarrassing.
Doctor Lara Jensen came highly recommended and I was relieved that I was in such good hands. According to Lara’s bio she came from a family of medical practitioners. Her father had also been an obstetrician and had reportedly delivered thousands of Westport’s residents into the world. He now sat at the head of the hospital board. Her brother was a surgeon and her mother had been a nurse before moving her specialty into midwifery, but now worked for Lara part time.
Butterflies did a fancy little dance in my belly as I licked my dry lips and gazed around the room. The office was high spec. A glossy oak desk was topped with the latest from Apple. The walls were painted a soft grey, which highlighted the gorgeous in-womb photography that looked like it had been placed by an interior designer. Soft music was being piped from hidden speakers and the carpet was plush. A child’s table and chairs were set up in the corner, a tower of colorful building blocks balanced on top of it. Fabric books and felt puppets were stuffed into a wicker basket and a tiny orange beanbag waited for its occupants.
I fiddled with the brochure advertising breathing classes that the receptionist had handed me and bit my lip, anxiously watching Doctor Jensen scribble some notes after asking about my last period (at least I wasn’t going to have one of those for a while), had I had any recent bleeding (no thank goodness), and what was the result of my last pap smear (all clear. Yay!).
“It’s unusual for me to meet my patients so early in the pregnancy,” she explained, her soft voice instantly calming me. “But I understand that you’ve had a few pains.”
I nodded. “Yes. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but what if I’m losing the baby?” Okay, her voice hadn’t calmed me that much.
She gave a tight smile, and I noticed her red lipstick had smudged on her perfect teeth. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Now, I just want to check that the information you’ve provided is up to date.” She pointed to the questionnaire I’d been made to complete, the bangles at her wrist jingling as she moved.
“Are you married?” Her perfect arched eyebrow raised.
“No. Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Personal choices are rejoiced here.” She smiled serenely. “Is your baby’s father present in your life?”
“Oh yes! He is. He’s just overseas at the moment. Urgent personal matter. Is that important?”
“Only that you left it blank on your form. We like to have every bit of information that we can get.”
“Of course. Silly me.”
“So, what’s the fathers name.”
“Matt. Matt Wilson.”
She glanced up from the paper, her piercing emerald green eyes sharp. “I know that name.”
“Ahuh. You’ve probably seen him on the television. He’s a reporter for WTN news.”
“Oh yes! He was doing that whistle blowing story.”
I nodded.
“How’s the story going? I haven’t had a chance to catch up on it yet, but a few of my colleagues have been talking about it.”
“It’s going okay.” To be honest I had no idea how the story was going. Other than what I’d seen on the news last night, Matt hadn’t even mentioned it to me.