Time Goes By; Life Goes ON: Bittersweet Beginnings

Kagome sat in the small doctor’s office awaiting the results. She glanced around the room taking in all the paintings and artifacts that adorned every wall and table in the room. The paintings were of the beautiful architecture of the Sengoku Jidai, an era she would never forget. The pottery was similar to that of the said era. She could see the village women taking great care to mold the vases perfectly. A smile crossed her lips as she thought of the history she lived. No wonder she excelled in high school history, she actually lived most of it.

 

Her mind then wandered to her companions, and she frowned. There was not a day that went by that she did not think of them. She could still see their loving smiles, and feel their loving demeanor. It was pure hell leaving them. She wanted nothing more than to have her cake and eat it too. A part of her considered staying in that time with them, with her family of hearts. However, she was forced back into this time with a memory that would live on in her heart for the rest of her life.  It had been three months since she left and she fought day and night to move on and start a life of her own, but that was one feat that was easier said than done.

 

It was a month after she came back that she learned a happy yet sad secret. She was with child. She couldn’t believe it she was pregnant with his child and he wasn’t here to help her through it.

 

Her mind would try to replay the turn of events that left her in her current situation, and every time they surfaced, she would preoccupy her mind and push them away. She just wouldn’t let them take hold of her. She was already emotional due to the hormones that have taken over, and thinking of him would send her into a crying fit that would take hours to elevate. She just couldn’t do that to herself, at least not right now.  Not with his child growing inside her.

 

She never even got the chance to tell him. Some days she would pray to the Gods that he knew. It was highly unlikely that he could feel her but she prayed anyways.

 

She was thinking about past adventures when she the nurse’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Blinking away the fog that permeated her eyes, she turned to face the person that called her name.

 

The nurse was a young woman in her thirties, and even though she did not know her outside of the sterile room, she could read her like a book. Her eyes were filled of compassion for the young mother to be so much so that an outsider might take it as pity.  However, Kagome was not to be pitied. She was strong inside and out and never did take lightly to pity. She did not pity herself nor did she allow anyone to either. Even her mom could see the sheer determination that surrounded her daughter and never once questioned her motives. Even when Kagome told her that, she was going to be a grandmother. Kagome's warm smile and strong aura was calming and demanding at the same time.

 

Kagome stood placing one hand on her lower back and the other mindlessly rubbed her slightly rounded abdomen. She was far enough along that she could feel her offspring swim, and do the somersaults through her belly. That feeling was one that she found soothing and loving.

 

She followed the young nurse to a room and followed procedure of dressing in the provided gown and climbing onto the table. It was time for her three-month check up and she was anxious to get it over with.  The nurse took all her vitals and recorded them into her chart before leaving Kagome to wait for the doctor. Kagome sighed when she finally got comfortable after the nurse left with the promise the doctor would be with her shortly. The thought of him poking and prodding her made her squirm. She always hated that part it was uncomfortable and she felt like she was being violated. It was an invasion of her personal space, and if it weren’t for her unborn child she would certainly go without it.

 

Kagome laid on the uncomfortable table for what felt like hours. Her back was hurting and the little demon inside was kicking her bladder like it was a soccer ball. She really had to pee, and didn’t think she would be able to hold it much longer when the doctor finally walked in. ‘It’s about time!’

 

“How are you feeling today Miss Higurashi?” The doctor asked not taking his eyes off her chart.

 

Kagome could not help but growl inward. Her doctor had the personality of a rock, and that rubbed her the wrong way. Being the bubbly person she usually was he drug her down and made her just as monotone.

 

“I guess I am doing well,” Kagome replied with a sneer and a roll of her eyes.

 

“Have you been experiencing anything unusual? Like abdominal cramping? Or hypertension?” The doctor asked again not taking his eyes off the chart in hand.

 

‘Gods what is in that chart that is so fascinating?’

 

“Besides the fact that there is a child growing inside of me. Which by the way is unusual for me in its self there, nothing else going on,” Kagome stated. She never knew being pregnant could feel so weird. The feeling of movement from the inside still had her in awe. She knew this would pass and she would eventually welcome it, but right now, it was an extremely odd feeling.

 

The doctor nodded in understanding of her situation before sitting in the chair. He finally pulled his dark gray eyes away from the chart and looked earnestly at the troubled young woman before him, “Miss Higurashi I have examined your chart and I must say I have never seen this before in my career.”

 

Kagome gasped those were not the words she expected to hear. She wanted to hear everything was great and she was coming along nicely.

 

“Wh…what’s wrong? Did something happen to my baby?” Kagome could not control the emotions that filled her voice. Her eyes began to fill with tears. ‘Oh gods, what is wrong? Please give me strength to handle the news.’

 

The doctor sat pensively not saying a word. He just could not believe what was going on.

 

“I see it is time for your ultrasound. Why don’t we take care of that first and I will go over a few things with you. When is the last time you used the bathroom?”

 

Kagome knew he was dancing around something big, and she wanted to know what in the hell he was talking about. However, she knew she had to have the ultrasound to ensure the health of her child. 

 

“Sure,” Kagome answered with trepidation dripping from her voice. She knew her baby was alive because she could feel it move with every breath she took. So she deduced that she was not about to miscarry. ‘So what on earth is going on?’

 

The doctor left the room to collect the needed equipment for the ultra sound. He was only gone a few minutes when he returned with said equipment.

 

“Okay Miss Higurashi, I need you to pull up your gown,” the doctor ordered in his dry voice.

 

Doing as she was told Kagome pulled her gown over we swollen belly and took a deep breath as the cool air hit.

 

“When is the last time you urinated?”

 

‘What? What does that have to do with anything?’ Kagome thought, before she could answer the urge to go now hit her again.

 

The doctor could see her confusion and discomfort, “I only ask because for us to get a proper reading we need you to have a full bladder.”

 

“Well you don’t have to worry about that,” Kagome snipped.  She hated the person she has become. Never before had she been so short with people, and so one-sided.

 

“Okay good, first I have to put this conducting jelly on your stomach. It will fill cold and wet,” the doctor said grabbing a tube.

 

Kagome tensed when the jelly hit her bare flesh. ‘Man he wasn’t kidding. That feels like someone dumped a glass of ice water on me.’ All discomfort fled when he placed the probe to her belly and she heard the sounds coming from her body.

 

“Okay, that sound you are hearing is the baby’s heart beat,” The doctor said with a slight smile gracing his placid features.

 

Kagome let out a small gasp it was a beautiful thing to hear her child’s heart. She just wished its father were here to witness it.

 

“If you look here you can see the head,” the doctor said pointing to a black and white screen, “and here are its feet. Miss Higurashi do you want to know the sex?”

 

Kagome thought about this for a few seconds before answering with a enthusiastic nod.

 

“It’s a boy. You see this here well that is his penis,” he said pointing at the screen once again, “Okay I printed out the picture for you to keep I will give it to you when we finish here. You can pull your gown down now, and I will go over you chart with you.”

 

Again, Kagome did as she was told and sat up ready to hear the uncertain news.