Different Circles

“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 25^th. 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 18^th, we’re looking at a date of conception on or about March 4^th.”

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