Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Elise Marshay Hunter
With Rashawn by my side, the last week before winter break flew by.
It was my birthday, and the greatest gift was waking up in Rashawn’s arms with our baby growing inside of me.
Of course, that wasn’t enough for Rashawn.
The mountain of gifts on my dining room table took me a moment to get through before leaving the house for the last day of school.
It was a half day, and we were scheduled for our first prenatal appointment, so my team got off easy without one last practice before break.
Rashawn texted me that he was on his way up to my classroom, and I closed my laptop. My door swung open a few moments later, and Cara entered with a swarm of balloons battling their way inside behind her.
“Happy birthday, Coach Hunter!” The entire team celebrated once they were inside.
“Ladies…” I blubbered, happy tears overwhelming me.
“Awww Coach. We didn’t take you for a softie,” Cara joked.
“I’m definitely a softie,” I admitted before going around to hug each girl and offer a sincere thanks.
When I got to Cara, she embraced me in a hug, then placed a small yellow gift box in my hand. “From the team. We appreciate you so much for your hard work and dedication.”
“Yeah, we have grown so much this season, and you’ve instilled a level of confidence in us that we definitely didn’t have going into this season. We were prepared to be fish food at every match,” Taylor joked.
“No way. This team is small but most definitely mighty. I can’t wait to see you ladies compete after winter break. No slacking off while on break, either. Eat right and exercise daily,” I lectured.
“We already know, Coach,” Melody confirmed.
“I only heard Melody. Does everybody know to eat right and exercise daily during winter break?”
“We know,” they chanted in unison.
“Good,” I nodded and pulled the top off the gift box.
A silver personalized charm bracelet sat inside the box.
I removed it from the box to examine the charms, and a fresh set of tears cascaded down my cheeks.
On the average day, I was a cry baby; there was no shame in my game.
I don’t know how I would make it through this pregnancy with my hormones intensifying my tears.
There were five charms in total: a singlet, an eagle to represent our fierce mascot, a heart with the words “#1 Coach” etched in the center, a rhinestone covered heart with the words “I Wrestle Like A Girl” across the center, and my favorite—a charm molded to depict two women wrestling.
Each charm was well thought out, and I was overcome with joy as I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.
“I love it, ladies. Thank you so much,” I sobbed.
They huddled around me, enveloping me in a group hug.
A few seconds lapsed before the cacophony of fragrances assaulted me from the ladies’ various perfumes.
I instantly started to gag, and they all jumped back, putting distance between us.
Rushing to the trash can beside my desk, I leaned over and vomited everything Rashawn fed me for breakfast that morning.
My classroom door came open, and I knew it was Rashawn, but I was focused on the second round of nausea that hit me.
His steps darted in my direction, and I felt him pulling my braids back before his hands gently rubbed up and down my back.
It took me a moment to stand up straight, and Rashawn already had Kleenex in hand, ready to help clean my face.
“You good?” He queried, gently dabbing at my face to clean it. Once Rashawn was satisfied with my appearance, he tossed the Kleenex in the trash.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I assured him.
“AHEM.”
Cara cleared her throat, reminding me that we weren’t alone. It was scarily easy to get lost in Rashawn when we were together. “Do you have something you want to share with the team? We haven’t even worked out yet, so we don’t stink. What was that about?”
“Yep, I do have something I want to tell you,” I bubbled, unzipping my purse to search for a piece of gum to help quell my stomach. “Ladies, this is my fiancé, Rashawn. Rashawn, these are the wonderful ladies on my wrestling team.”
Rashawn waved as I went down the line calling out each girl’s name. They exchanged pleasantries, and Melody’s nosey self immediately started questioning me. “So when is the wedding? We didn’t even know you had a nice piece of man at home.”
“We are actually getting married tomorrow while our family is on vacation.”
“Congratulations!” They celebrated, lurching forward to surround me again, but I threw my hands up to stop them. I couldn’t handle another bout with the Burberry Goddess, Jimmy Choo, and whatever else they sprayed on that morning.
“You’re pregnant. Aren’t you?” Taylor interrogated. “My mom acted like I was suffocating her every time I came near her wearing perfume, then two months later, she told me she was pregnant. I know ball.”
“Taylor, please,” I chuckled. “I’m only going to confirm so I can ask you guys to ease up on the perfumes and scented lotions before walking up on me, please.”
“Pleaseeeeee don’t have this baby and abandon us,” Taylor pleaded, dramatically dropping to her knees and sliding across the floor towards me.
She was our 110-pounder, and sliding across the mat was her specialty, so it was no surprise how swiftly Taylor maneuvered over to me.
Rashawn watched on amused by our dynamics.
These were my girls for life after how they entrusted me, a first time wrestling coach, to guide them through the season.
“I’m not going anywhere, Taylor,” I chuckled. “Pregnancy won’t stop me from fulfilling my duties, and when maternity leave comes, I will have a suitable replacement holding you guys down until I return.”
“We are holding you to that, Coach Hunter. We can’t afford to take another L with our coaches,” Cara added.
“I promise. Now let’s air high five for today. I have to get out of here. I’m on a bit of a time crunch,” I announced.
We all raised our hands, and they offered another round of congratulations and birthday wishes before exiting the classroom. Cara was the last one out of the door, and she looked back at Rashawn. “In everything you do, remember she has a bunch of wrestlers that don’t play about her,” she quipped.
“Ion play about her either, so we on the same team,” Rashawn laughed.
“Bet,” Cara replied before stepping out of the door.
“I love them so much,” I informed Rashawn.
“And clearly the feeling is mutual,” he confirmed, leaning down to peck my lips. “What are you taking home today?”
“Just my laptop,” I passed it to him to hold with the assortment of balloons.
Now that I looked at my desk for the first time since Rashawn entered my classroom, I noticed the chocolate covered strawberries with the cutest chocolate molded sunflowers in the centers.
I lifted the hand sanitizer that was attached to the belt loop on my pants and squirted a generous amount into my hand before opening the strawberries.
They looked delectable, and I had to have just one.
“Are you sure you’re good to eat that right after throwing up?”
“Yes. I’m actually hungry now,” I explained.
“Man, the pregnancy book I was reading said you should wait ten minutes and drink water first,” he detailed, swiping the box before I could retrieve a strawberry.
I poked my bottom lip out and snatched my purse and water from my desk.
Rashawn carried all of my baggage on the way out, and I introduced him to two of my co-workers before we finally exited the school.
When I locked my seat belt and Rashawn drove out of the parking lot, I was ecstatic for the next forty-eight hours.
Five minutes into the drive, I reached into the backseat and retrieved the strawberries.
I devoured one, then reached in for a second, and Rashawn took the box from me before I could grab a third.
Twenty minutes later, we were pulling into Dr. Lawrence’s office.
Since the morning Dr. Lawrence stood up to my parents during my initial visit, I hadn’t seen another gynecologist. I’ve switched primary care doctors multiple times, but I was locked in with Dr. Lawrence.
I used to drive back to Brooksville just to see her, but a few years back, she relocated to Wesley Chapel because her husband’s job required him to take over the Tampa office.
That cut my travel time in half, so I was ecstatic when she announced the new office location.
We got checked in, and I was immediately led back to provide a urine sample before we were placed in an exam room. My nerves were shot while we waited for Dr. Lawrence, and I fidgeted with my hands. Rashawn noticed and slid his chair across the room so he was seated next to me.
“Why you doing all that? Why did your mood switch? What are you nervous about?” He quizzed.
“After having that abortion, I’ve always had a slight fear that I wouldn’t be able to conceive or I’d have complications due to my decision to terminate my last pregnancy.”
“You can’t think like that, Elise. In my psychology class a few weeks ago, we were discussing scrupulosity, which is a form of religious or moral anxiety, and all I could think about was you.
Your parents always led with punishment instead of love, and you can’t continue to let their words hold you back for the few mistakes when you do so much good.
Nobody is perfect, and I love you just the way you are.
What did Pastor Harriet say that day in church?
God hasn’t forsaken you. I remember how emotional you got when she said that, and it’s because you needed to hear that.
You gotta believe that she was telling the truth.
Stress isn’t good for the baby. We are going to think positive thoughts.
When you feel yourself dipping into those thoughts, you repeat Pastor Harriet’s words,” Rashawn expressed, then pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“This is something that I have thought about all week. So much so that I went to find the church’s livestream from that day, and if you find yourself having those anxious thoughts and you can’t repeat Pastor Harriet’s words, I got them for you,” he detailed, then pressed play on his phone.
The video played, and it was that same church service we attended that day. “God is not disappointed in you! He has not forsaken you!” Pastor Harriet’s voice filled the room.
My lips curled into a smile as tears stung the corners of my eyes. I was so tired of crying already. Rashawn sent me the video, then stood and wrapped his arms around me. “Go ‘head, let it out, bae. It’s better to let it out than hold it in.”
“Rashawn, I just love you,” I expressed, allowing the happy tears to stream down my face. “You are exactly why I know God has not forsaken me. He put us in the same fifth grade classroom for a reason. It might’ve taken me a while to get with the program, but I’m here now.”
“Forever and always, Elise,” he expressed, leaning down to kiss my forehead.
There was a brief knock at the door, and Rashawn reached for the Kleenex to dry my tears while I told Dr. Lawrence she could come in. Dr. Lawrence entered the room with her usual bright smile, a cute dress, kitten heels, and that computer on wheels.
“Ms. Hunter,” Dr. Lawrence greeted me with both hands on her hips after abandoning her computer. “We just saw you at the beginning of October, and you were abstinent, and now we are six weeks pregnant. And you have a man accompanying you,” she bantered.
I beamed, silently lifting my hand to give her a good view of the new rock on my ring finger.
“And engaged! Congratulations!” She squealed, bouncing in her heels.
“Oh my God, Elise. I have watched you grow into such an amazing woman. I know you are going to be a wonderful mother. Now introduce me to the new fiancé.”
“Dr. Lawrence, this is my fiancé, Rashawn. We’ve actually known each other since elementary school. Secretly seeing each other for years because of my parents, but here we are now,” I explained. She was my doctor, but I always felt like family when I entered her office.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Lawrence,” Rashawn extended his hand for a shake.
“It is nice to meet you as well, Rashawn. You make sure you take good care of my girl,” she eyed him before walking back over to her computer.
“I got her forever and always,” he confirmed.
“I love to hear it. She has happy tears, so I believe it. I’ve seen distraught women in here more than I’d like to admit, so I know the difference. Elise is in pure bliss,” she noted.
“I am. We are getting married tomorrow. Just my brother, his family, and Rashawn’s mom. Very quaint and intimate. My brother got married up there a few years ago, so his wife already had the connections to make it happen.”
“That’s wonderful. You have my cell number and email address. Make sure you send me pictures.”
“Of course,” I confirmed.
Dr. Lawrence got down to business, spouting questions that I answered while Rashawn held my hand, patiently standing beside me.
We skipped the pap smear since I just had one in October.
Then Dr. Lawrence got to the best part. I laid back on the exam table with my shirt lifted and pants unbuttoned.
The warm gel felt odd on my stomach while she moved the transducer around my abdomen until a small blob appeared on the screen.
“This small circle is the gestational sac where the pregnancy is developing. And if you look closely, that tiny flicker is the heartbeat.”
Dr. Lawrence clicked around on her machine for a moment, then the rapid pattering of our baby’s heart filled the room. Rashawn squeezed my hand while he recorded the moment, his smile bright and showing every tooth in his mouth.
“And the heart rate looks right on track for a little over six weeks. Everything looks normal and healthy,” Dr. Lawrence notified us.
“You hear that? Normal and healthy,” Rashawn doubled down and kissed my forehead.
I nodded, smiling up at Rashawn, pushing myself to relinquish all the negative thoughts that had plagued me prior to our conversation. My mind was set on happy and positive thoughts moving forward.