## Chapter 13: A Doctor's Diagnosis

The clinic's waiting room was quiet and sterile, with a few scattered magazines on a coffee table and a large window that let in a flood of natural light. Jacquie and Noah had arrived a few minutes early, and were sitting in the waiting room, flipping through a worn copy of People magazine. Jacquie was trying to distract herself from the growing anxiety in her stomach, but it was hard to focus on anything except the looming doctor's appointment. Noah put down the magazine and turned to her, his eyes scanning her face. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his voice low and concerned. Jacquie nodded, trying to reassure him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess." Noah took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's going to be okay," he said. "The doctor will figure out what's going on, and we'll get you fixed up in no time." Just then, a nurse called out Jacquie's name, and they both stood up. Noah gave her a reassuring smile, and they followed the nurse to a small exam room. The doctor, a friendly-looking woman with a kind smile, came in a few minutes later. "Hi, Jacquie," she said, extending a hand. "I'm Dr. Lee. Noah, it's nice to meet you too." Noah shook her hand, and Jacquie sat down on the exam table, trying to feel more at ease. Dr. Lee started asking Jacquie a series of questions, from when her symptoms started to how long she'd been experiencing them. Jacquie tried to remember, but it all seemed to blend together in a blur. Noah filled in a few gaps, and Dr. Lee nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and do a physical exam," she said. "And then we'll run some tests to see what's going on." The exam was thorough, but not too uncomfortable. Dr. Lee asked Jacquie to stand on the scale, took her blood pressure, and listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope. Jacquie felt a little self-conscious, but Noah was there to hold her hand and offer support. Finally, Dr. Lee finished the exam and sat down at her desk. "Okay, Jacquie, I think I have a pretty good idea of what's going on," she said. "But I want to run some tests to confirm. I'm going to order a pregnancy test, and some blood work to check for any infections or other issues." Jacquie's eyes widened in surprise, and she felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Pregnancy test? She hadn't even considered that possibility. Noah's hand tightened around hers, and he looked at her with a mixture of surprise and concern. "Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?" Dr. Lee said, smiling kindly. "We'll get the test results back, and then we can discuss next steps." Jacquie nodded, feeling like her world had been turned upside down. She glanced over at Noah, who was looking at her with a questioning expression. What did this mean for them? For their future? She didn't have any answers, but she knew that their lives were about to change in ways they couldn't even imagine.