Journey of Secrets

With a little more than an hour left before her appointment, Annabelle started to get nervous. They just finished their last round of IVF and nothing seemed to make the tiny plus sign appear on the test. Robert, Annabelle's husband, reached for her hand as he backed their SUV out of their driveway. The couple was night and day from the moment they met, but with each year of marriage they seemed to grow closer together. Resting her head against the window, Annabelle closed her deep blue eyes as one of her vibrant red curls slid out from behind her ear and over her face. Bay Oaks had been their home since deciding to move from the Medical Center a few years back. The thought of raising children near the Medical Center was not appealing to either of them no matter how close it was to Robert's work. Even with a thriving Pediatric Internal Medicine practice and stacks of charts on his desk, Robert knew how important today was to Annabelle and wouldn't have missed it for the world. He could give her just about anything she ever wanted, but the one thing she desired most of all in the world seemed out of his ability to provide. After five years of trying to conceive, Robert had just about lost all hope of having a child. “Here we are.” Annabelle lifted up her head as Robert drove into the closest parking spot he could find. With the intense heat, the end of summer could bring, he didn't want to walk very far outside. “Ready?” “Not really. What if they tell me that another round has failed?” “Then we will….” Annabelle looked up at him with her deep blue eyes that now started to water up. Even with heals on, Robert was much taller than she was. Stopped in the middle of the foyer, Robert wrapped his arms around her, trying to give her the comfort that he didn't even feel inside himself. “Mrs. Mitchell?” Annabelle looked up and standing before her was Dr. Scott's nurse. A lady in her 60's, Mrs. Clark was silver headed and had the same small pair of glasses gracing the tip of her nose each time she saw her. “Yes.” “Right this way, please.” Robert and Annabelle followed Mrs. Clark down the long hallway and into Dr. Scott's office. The light yellow walls were covered with pictures of parents who looked extremely happy as they held onto their newborns. Each picture reminds Annabelle that her loving arms are empty. Pain hit the pit of her stomach as she sat down and fought to hold back the tears. “Dr. Scott will be right with you.” “Thank you, Mrs. Clark.” Mrs. Clark often reminded Robert of his mother. The same poise and grace wrapped up under a silver bun pinned loosely on her head. Sitting down next to his broken wife, Robert started to pray. Not a prayer that was asking God to bless them with a child, but one of thankfulness and praying for His perfect will to be done.