AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the sixth chapter of a multi-part story. Please read the first five chapters before this one to understand the whole story. Please enjoy.
There was an extra little gleam in her eye.
Because Kellie knew.
As soon as the flash of insight hit her, as she was finally falling asleep after a long but joyful day that included a second Canadian women's curling championship with her best friends, and inconceivably hot sex with her husband Brad, she immediately knew.
She didn't know why she knew, or how she knew. But she knew, all the same, just as she knew the sky was blue and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. She never questioned it, she just accepted it, and that was that.
So, when the wind, cold and snow of another harsh Canadian winter started to give way to the cool rains and fresh rebirth of spring, the sickness and bouts of vomiting in the mornings did not surprise Kellie at all. Neither did the soreness or tenderness of her breasts or the battles with fatigue she sometimes waged.
Brad doted on her as much as he could afford to during this time; that and his work duties combined to make him one busy man. 'Bless his heart', she would often think to herself, because he didn't know yet. He would, though, in due time.
Before he, or anyone else for that matter, would know, she thought it prudent to see a specialist to make sure there were no issues and to learn everything she could health-wise about her condition. As a result, one day in early spring she called the town doctor to explain the situation. She was not surprised to hear him say that his ability to run all of the necessary tests was hindered by the limited facilities and equipment the small town's clinic carried. The doctor was kind enough to place a call and pull a couple of favours to ensure that in early May, only a couple of weeks away, she would have an appointment with the specialist who operated in a medium-sized city one hour's drive to the west, and who came highly recommended. Kellie thanked him profusely before hanging up and making plans for the trip to come.
Those plans included asking Sandra to give her a ride to the hospital out of which the specialist worked. Brad needed their vehicle for work, and Kellie did not yet want to reveal her news to him until everything checked out OK. On the day, Kellie thanked Sandra again once she climbed into her car.
"Oh, it's no problem at all," Sandra replied. "I've worked some overtime since we got back so my supervisor promised me a favour in return, so I just called it in for today."
They rode in companionable silence for most of the trip. Kellie read out the directions to her final destination once they reached the outskirts of the city. When Sandra pulled into the parking lot she couldn't help but let an excited and knowing smile cross her face, which Kellie couldn't help but notice.
"So I'm guessing you know why I had to go here today?" she asked her friend.
Sandra nodded. "I've got a pretty good idea, skip."
"I need to ask you a really big favour, Sandra. It's important."
"Of course, Kellie. "
"Please keep this a secret for now. I have no reason to suspect anything is wrong, but I want to be sure. I just don't want to jinx anything. You understand, right?"
"Absolutely. Your secret is safe with me."
Kellie hugged Sandra and they walked in the large brick building together, moving through the town's hospital until they found the clinic they were looking for, at the other end of the health campus. While Sandra sat in the waiting area, Kellie went to the front desk to advise the receptionist of her appointment. After a typically long hospital wait, the specialist was finally ready to receive her.
"Kellie Galenchuk?" she called out to the waiting area.
"Yes, I'm here," Kellie said as she stood up.
"Hi Kellie, I'm Dr. Holland. Please come with me and we'll see what we can see."
Kellie sat in Dr. Holland's office and listened to the litany of tests and procedures that she would need to perform on her, just as she performed them on all her patients. The doctor reassured Kellie whenever her face showed her surprise, nerves, even outright confusion over the nature of the tests, explaining that they were all part of the routine and that due diligence and care had to be taken at each step of the process.
Dr. Holland then answered all Kellie's questions with patience and an impressive depth of knowledge. Kellie understood quickly why the doctor was in such high demand. She felt very much at ease and ready to trust Dr. Holland with her delicate health condition.
Even with that level of trust she soon wished the process wasn't quite as exhaustive as it turned out to be. By the time Dr. Holland was finished with the battery of tests, Kellie felt very much like a human-sized lab rat, poked and prodded more times than she cared to count.
"Phew!" she exclaimed to the doctor once everything was complete. "I'm glad that's done!"
"I appreciate your co-operation," Dr. Holland replied. "I know it must seem overwhelming, and that all these tests are maybe a bit of overkill. But we can't be too careful with this; we have to do everything by the book, as I'm sure you can appreciate."
"I do, I understand completely," Kellie nodded.
Dr. Holland collected the papers on her desk and placed them into the file created for Kellie before closing it and placing it down with a flourish. "I will contact you as soon as I can with the results of all the tests and what else to expect the rest of the way, but for now let me say this. With your athletic, healthy lifestyle and the family health history you've outlined for me, I'm confident that everything will work out just fine!"
Kellie thanked the doctor and went back to the waiting room, where she rescued Sandra from a boredom-induced doze. She thought of the road ahead in the next few months, and speculated on all the possible ways her and Brad's lives would change.
Two weeks to the day, Dr. Holland called Kellie with good news. The doctor wanted to bring Kellie in to discuss all the findings in more detail and to field any additional questions she may have, but she reassured her patient that all was normal and healthy so far.
It was only a few days later that Kellie was able to enlist Sandra's help once again to drive her to the health clinic, this time just to drop her off. Dr. Holland welcomed Kellie into her office relatively quickly this time.
"Before I get too far into the details," the doctor said, "is there perhaps someone you'd like to call over to share in the news?"
With a wide, beaming grin, Kellie took the phone Dr. Holland extended to her and dialled the number, making the call she had wanted to make so badly these last few weeks.
*******
"Hey! Brad!"
Brad was still hard at work. He was currently poking around the supply cabinet, looking for the materials required to complete his latest repair task, when he heard Russ's voice echoing down the hallway.
"What's up, Russ?"
"Phone's for you. It's Kellie."
Brad briskly jogged the short distance down the hall to Russ's office and plucked the receiver from his hand. Russ pretended to busy himself with something else as he half-listened to Brad's side of the conversation, mentally scolding himself while at the same time letting his curiosity get the best of him.
"Hi Kellie! What's going on?... Oh yeah? What's the news?... Why can't you tell me over the phone?... Oh, OK, no problem, I was just... Wait, you're where?... Is everything OK?... You're sure?... No, it's just a bit of a surprise, I didn't expect to hear you say that's where you are right now... Let me ask Russ... He's already nodding at me, so it shouldn't be a problem... OK, honey, I'll leave as soon as I can... I love you too, see you soon, bye!"
"Everything OK?" Russ asked as Brad ended the call and placed the receiver back on the phone's cradle.
"I think so, Russ. She said she's at the health clinic attached to that new hospital. You know, the one they just built west of here."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of it. She's not having any health problems, is she, Brad?"
"She said no, everything's just fine, but she wouldn't tell me exactly what's going on. Said she wanted to tell me in person."
"If you need to leave now, it's no problem. Your shift's almost over as it is."
"Great, thanks Russ! Not sure how much good I'd be the rest of the day anyway, I'm so damn curious! What kind of secret could she possibly be hiding from me?"
Russ had a fairly good idea what it was, recalling Brad's stories of Kellie's recent bouts of sickness, knowing one of the main reasons they built the new medical campus in the first place, and putting two and two together. He thought if Brad wasn't so wrapped up with keeping up with work and taking care of Kellie at the same time, and that if he wasn't so close to the situation, he'd have figured it out too.
"Well, don't keep her waiting now, get going! I'll see you tomorrow Brad."
"You bet. Thanks again Russ!"
*******
He made the one-hour trip in just under forty-five minutes.
Brad hurriedly parked the truck and dashed to the end of the clinic as Kellie had directed him to. He introduced himself to the receptionist when he arrived.
"Yes, Mr. Galenchuk, your wife is in Dr. Holland's office, you can go right in," the blonde receptionist said with a smile.
He found Dr. Holland's room and knocked on the door. He saw a plump woman of average height, wearing stylish glasses, greying hair pulled back into a ponytail and a white lab coat. "Hello, sir, you must be Brad," she said by way of introduction and extended a hand to him.
"Indeed I am, doc," Brad replied, shaking the doctor's hand quickly and firmly.
