As they approached the doctor’s office, Buffy’s resolve began to wane. “You know, Willow, maybe this isn’t the best time for this. Maybe she’s really busy and she doesn’t have time and...” Her face scrunched up, trying to find reasons not to go into the dreaded medical office. “Oh! And I’m missing class. A very important class where I should be learning... things. Important things that will count towards tests!” She did an about face and began to walk briskly in the opposite direction.

As Willow pivoted on place to follow her friend, she castigated herself. Should have known this was too easy. Sure, Buffy just letting herself be accompanied to the doctor’s office... Stupid Willow! Grabbing the blonde by the arm, she began to pull her back towards the doctor’s. “No. No classes, no important learning things, no excuses. We are going to walk into that office, you are going to sit your butt down in one of those ugly fuzzy chairs and I am going to sign you in.” A small dose of chastising, and a larger dose of resolve face. The young redhead knew just the right combination that would have anyone and everyone follow her every whim.

Some girls did it with a flutter of eyebrows, some with the swing of their hips, but Willow had her resolve face. Hey, whatever works, right?

Deep down inside, way beyond any mortal fear of doctors, Buffy knew her best friend was right. She had more than herself to think of now, and the baby needed her to seek medical guidance. She’d tried cutting out pop and snacks, and had begun to eat more fruit, but she was at a loss as to what else she needed to do to keep her little miracle healthy. “I’m sorry Willow. Just gave in to the wiggins there for a sec. I know you’re right and I really appreciate you using your resolve face on me. Just promise me that you’ll come in with me to see the doctor...”

Taking her friend’s hand in her own, Willow tried to comfort her. “Of course I will, Buffy. That’s why I’m going with you. I’ll protect you from the evil doctor. Kinda like a Prince Charming, but no so heavy on the Prince part of it...” Her brow creased in concentration as she pondered the whole Prince Charming applying to a young woman.

When they entered the doctor’s office, there were only two other students in the waiting room. One was a mousy looking girl with some sort of sore on her mouth and the other was a jock-type guy with his hand in a brace. Buffy sat down far away from both of them and started rooting through the magazines, seeing if she could find one that had been printed after she’d moved to Sunnydale. Settling on a Time magazine that was 4 months old, she sat back and tried to relax.

Willow sat down beside Buffy, taking the Reader’s Digest that was on top of the other magazines. She never could get enough of that Word Power page...

***

Buffy’s first instinct, when her name was called, was to run towards freedom. Before she could, though, she was caught in the firm grip of her best friend. No match for a Slayer, but more than enough of a match for a frightened young woman. Capitulating--she knew this was for her and the baby’s best interest--she allowed herself to be led to one of the examination rooms.

The small room had been painted mint green and had generic framed prints hung on its walls. In Buffy’s opinion, it was a poor attempt at giving it a homey atmosphere. All she could concentrate on were the torture implements strewn about the room. It didn’t matter that the blood pressure machine, or the small ear scope, or any of the other tools were harmless--to the Slayer, they all seemed like something Angelus would have used on her had she given him the chance.

When the door opened and the doctor walked in, Willow let out a breath of relief. Buffy’s paranoia was beginning to rub off on her. She’d never felt ill at ease in a doctor’s office until now. Her friend’s caginess, constant pacing and twitching were turning the redhead into a bag of nerves.

The doctor, a woman of East Indian descent, seemed to be in her late thirties. Her demeanour was friendly, yet professional. Looking at both girls, she broke the silence. “So, which one of you is Buffy?”

The Slayer cast a nervous glance at her friend before raising her hand. “That would be me. Buffy... is me...” Great, now you’re babbling. She’ll probably send me out for a psychiatric assessment.

The doctor smiled at the obviously nervous girl. “So, now that we’ve established without a doubt that you’re Buffy, how can I help you?”

“I think I’m pregnant.” She expected the doctor to gasp, or to chastise her, or at least drop her folder in surprise, but no such reaction came forth.

Instead, Dr. Mathews just nodded and wrote something down in the folder. “Ok, have you taken a test yet?”

This should have been embarrassing, talking about her pregnancy to a stranger, but the doctor’s calmness put Buffy at ease. “I did one of those at-home tests, and it came out positive. I bought the one with two testers in it and used them both.”

“And they both came out positive, right?”

“Yup.”

The doctor rose from her seat and walked over to a cupboard. She took out a new pregnancy test and handed it to the young blonde. “Do you think you’d be able to do the test again?”

Taking the test in her hand, Buffy nodded. “Sure. I, uh, kind of have to pee anyway. You know--nerves.”

“Well, there’s no reason to be nervous, Buffy. This is just a step in life, you’re just going through it earlier than most of your friends, that’s all. Now, when you go out the door, the bathroom is just at the end of the hallway on your left. When you’ve done the test, bring it back to this room and we’ll see what it has to tell us.”

After Buffy had left the room, Dr. Mathews turned to Willow. “It’s very good of you to come with her, you know. If she decides to go through with this, she’ll need all the support she can get.”

Willow smiled brightly at the doctor. “Oh, she’s already decided she wants to keep it. And Buffy’s got lots of friends who’ll be there to help her. She always takes care of us, so it’s no big taking care of her.”

The door opened at that moment, and Buffy walked in, test in hand. Smiling shyly, she handed it to the doctor. “Well, looks like three time’s lucky.”

After looking at the test’s result, Dr. Mathews disposed of it in a plastic container. “That was about as positive a result as we could get. So, Buffy, congratulations--you’re pregnant. Now I have a few questions for you--easy ones, don’t worry--before I send you over to the lab for your bloodwork.”

Forcing herself to ignore, for now, the bloodwork that was awaiting her, Buffy nodded. “Ask away. I’ll be answer girl.”

The doctor chuckled. This Buffy certainly was one of a kind. “Good. Now, do you remember what the date was for the first day of your last period?”

The young blonde pouted playfully. “I thought you said they were going to be easy questions.” Biting her lip, she closed her eyes, obviously in deep concentration. “Aha!” Her eyes shot open and she turned to Willow. “It was the day that we had that horrible French test! When was that?”

The redhead frowned. “Oh! It was April 18th. Because I thought it was Cordy’s birthday, but it’s April 20th and I’ve always got them mixed up.” She bounced in her seat, proud of her help in the matter.

The doctor walked over to a circular chart that hung on the door of one of the cabinets. “April 18h...” She turned the chart around until the arrow pointed to the right date. “And is your period regular? On a 28-day cycle?”

“Like clockwork.” Both girls laughed out loud, having answered the doctor in stereo.

“Well, then, that would bring your due date to January 23rd.” She turned away from the chart and took her seat. “Now, on to more serious matters. There’s a number of blood tests that have to be done, to check your blood type, check for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV...” She looked up at Buffy and saw that all colour had drained from her face. “Don’t worry, Buffy, they’re standard tests that every woman is requested to go through. Before I give you the lab form, though, I have a few questions I need to ask you.”

The blonde nodded silently, wondering what kind of questions the doctor would ask her. Smiling nervously, she asked “I won’t be graded on this, will I?”

“No, you don’t have to worry about that. They’re very straightforward questions and should be easy to answer. All I need you to do is to be completely honest with me. Now, do you smoke?”

“Ugh. A world of no.”

“Good. Do you drink?”

“Sometimes, when I go to the bronze, but I haven’t touched anything since I found out I was pregnant.”

“That’s a smart move. There are varying opinions on alcohol during pregnancy, but I still prefer to recommend abstinence. Do you take any drugs?”

Although she felt like laughing, Buffy knew that these questions were being seriously asked. Somewhere, out there, was a cocaine or a heroin addict who was pregnant. “No. Never.”

“Are you on any medications?”

“Well, in retrospect I could have profited from the pill... but no.” Feeling Willow’s hand on her own, the Slayer turned to her friend and smiled.

Dr. Mathews closed the folder and reached for a form on her desk and scribbled some notes on it. “Well, that’s enough of that for now. This is the requisition for bloodwork--just take it down to the technician who’s in the office. I’ll also recommend that you start taking a daily pre-natal pill if you haven’t yet begun to take some. They’ll give you an extra boost of all the vitamins and minerals that your body, and your baby, will need. I’ll also look into referring you to an obstetrician. Do you have a preference--do you prefer a woman, or does it matter?”

Glad to finally be free to stand, Buffy stretched. “Actually, I would prefer to see a woman if that’s ok.”

“Of course, many women feel more comfortable seeing a female OB. I believe that Doctor Russell is still accepting patients. I’ll get my assistant to give her office a call.” Standing up, the doctor offered her hand to both girls. “I’m glad you came to see me, Buffy. It shows a lot of maturity on your part. Carrying a child isn’t an easy task, although for some people, they say it’s the best time of their life. If you have any severe cramping, or spotting please come see me or one of my colleagues right away. If you’re really bleeding hard, or in severe pain, go to the hospital right away. Aside from that, minor cramps are normal--it’s just your uterus contracting to accommodate its new resident.”

As she and Willow left the doctor’s office, Buffy was lost in thought. She was glad to have heeded her best friend’s advice--although she hadn’t been given much of a choice, resolve face and all. Her mind was more at ease, and her body more relaxed now that she’d spoken to the doctor. She didn’t expect this to be a walk in the park, but she was no longer afraid of what lay ahead. Turning to the redhead, she enveloped her in a hug. “Thanks for everything, Will.”

“It’s no big, Buffy. It’s what friends are for. I’ll be there whenever you need help, even if it’s something gross like holding your hair while you’re throwing up your breakfast.” Her nose wrinkled at that last thought. “But for now, how about this best friend treats her own best friend to a nice big strawberry milkshake? Mmm... full of calcium for the baby, and full of strawberry goodness for mommy!”

Hooking her arm through Willow’s, Buffy squealed. “I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate, Wills!”