12. Twelve
12
TWELVE
SIX WEEKS LATER
“T his is like a torture chamber.” Rex looked around the exam room, his eyebrows migrating toward his hairline. This was his second visit to the doctor, although the first hadn’t involved the stirrups. This time, he was getting the whole show.
“What’s this?” He held up the ultrasound wand from the counter. “Is this so you can … you know?” He waggled his eyebrows.
I gave him a dark look. I was in my paper gown—at what point were they going to come up with something more flattering?—and on the examination table. “That’s what they use for the ultrasound sometimes.”
Rex didn’t drop it. Instead, he looked at it with fresh eyes. “I thought the ultrasound thing was rubbed over your stomach.”
“It is, but that’s a transvaginal ultrasound. It can help detect issues if there’s something abnormal about the regular ultrasound.”
“Are we expecting that to happen?”
“No.”
“Okay.” He looked at the wand again. “Do you like getting ultrasounds with this thing?”
I knew exactly what he was asking. “You’re kind of an idiot sometimes,” I complained as I got horizontal on the examination table.
“I was just asking.” He returned the wand to where he’d found it and moved closer to me. He looked nervous. “This doesn’t hurt you, right?”
“What? The examination? It’s not comfortable, but it’s no different from my yearly visit to the gynecologist.”
His eyes moved to the stirrups. “It really does look like a torture device, Ruby.”
“Just keep your eyes up here.” I motioned to the top of the table. “No looking below the waist.”
“I’ve already seen what’s below the waist,” he reminded me. “That’s how we ended up here in the first place.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I shook my head. “Let’s not make it weird, okay?”
“What about when the baby comes? Am I going to be able to look below the waist then?” His tone was teasing, but I was serious when responding.
“I haven’t really thought about it. I’ll get back to you.”
The doctor picked that moment to enter the room. He was young—in his thirties—and had a huge smile on his face. He was also hot. That hadn’t escaped my attention the first time I’d met him. It obviously hadn’t escaped Rex’s attention either, because he stood straighter.
“Hello.” The doctor extended his hand to Rex. “I’m Dr. Miles Graves. You must be the daddy.”
Rex took his hand and shook it. The way he looked at the hand before gripping it gave me pause, almost as if he was imagining where that hand had been before the doctor joined us. “Rex Carter.”
“Rex.” Miles smiled before turning to me. “And how are we feeling, Ruby? Is the morning sickness hanging around still?”
“It’s pretty much gone,” I replied. “I threw up a couple days ago, but that was the first time in about four weeks. Other than that, it’s been smooth sailing.”
“Good.” Miles had a perpetually happy face. That was probably by design. If he frowned, it would send expectant mothers into a panic, which wasn’t good for them or the babies they were carrying. “How about your energy level? Have the vitamins been helping with that?”
I shrugged. “I guess. I’ve been napping more than I’ve ever napped before. In fact … before I got pregnant, I only napped when I was hungover.”
“I love a good nap,” Rex said out of nowhere. “I nap whenever I can. Maybe my kid likes to nap and he’s forcing his preferences on you.”
I gave him an odd look. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s how it works.”
Miles chuckled. “Not generally, but there’s a first time for everything.” He grabbed a pair of rubber gloves from the rolling stand. “So, we’ll start with a quick vaginal exam and then we’ll get to the ultrasound. How does that sound?”
I merely nodded. There was no point in responding either way. “Eyes up here,” I reminded Rex, pointing to my face.
Rex nodded and dutifully joined me. The paper gown made for a visual obstruction when my knees came up in the stirrups. “Are you going to use your torture devices on her?” he asked.
Miles’s forehead creased. “Um…”
“He’s talking about the transvaginal wand.” Irritation started bubbling up. If I knew Rex was going to be this annoying, I would’ve left him at home. He wanted to be part of the process, so it made sense to invite him. Now I was rethinking my decision.
“We won’t use that unless we find something abnormal on the regular ultrasound.” Miles’s smile never diminished.
“I told you,” I muttered.
Rex didn’t take my crabby attitude to heart. “What about that thing?” He pointed toward the speculum.
“Have you been having vaginal discharge?” Miles asked me.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Any cramps or discomfort?”
I shook my head again.
“Then that won’t be necessary for today. I just want to take a quick look at what we’re dealing with, okay?” If he was bothered by the way Rex was watching him, he didn’t show it. “Here we go.”
I jolted when his hands moved underneath the paper gown. I was expecting it, and yet somehow I was still surprised.
“Are you okay?” Rex’s concern was a raging bull. “Did he hurt you?”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand. The aim was to offer him comfort, which was ridiculous given the position I was in.
“Don’t hurt her,” Rex ordered the doctor.
Miles chuckled. “You guys are adorable.” He leaned down to look. “How long have you been together?”
“Oh, we’re not together,” I replied without thinking. Next to me, Rex stiffened. He didn’t disagree, however. “We just got drunk and … you know.” I shrugged. “We’re having a baby together. As friends.”
“I see.” Miles finished what he was doing between my legs and had me scooch up on the table. “Have you guys known each other long?” For the first time since I’d met him, he looked concerned.
“Oh, we’ve known each other since we were kids.” I waved off his worry. “My brother is his best friend, and his sister is my sister-in-law. We’re one big happy family. It will be fine.”
“Ah.” Miles nodded as he removed his gloves. “It sounds … interesting.”
“We both live in the casino,” I explained. Why I felt the need to keep talking—it was none of his business what our plans were—was beyond me. The whole situation was uncomfortable. “It will be easy to split time with the baby. My understanding—I’ve been reading a lot—is that I’m going to be exhausted for the first few weeks. With Rex being close, and us both having baby areas set up in our suites, he’ll be able to take the baby occasionally so I can nap.”
“Yes, and I’m not terrified about that in the least,” Rex agreed dryly.
“You’ll have your sister … and my sisters … and our mothers if you’re nervous,” I reminded him. “If you think our mothers are just going to leave us to our own devices for the first few weeks, then you’re dreaming.”
“Yeah.” He was still holding my hand, so he used his free hand to rub his jaw. “I can’t break the baby, right?” he asked the doctor. “Like … I won’t accidentally squeeze it too hard or anything, will I?”
“Okay, Lenny,” I drawled, rolling my eyes. “Take it down a notch.”
He ignored me and kept his focus on Miles. “I’m being serious. I’m terrified of breaking the kid.”
“I think that’s a common fear for most first-time parents,” Miles assured him. “Babies are more durable than you think. You have to be wary of their necks for the first few weeks. Be gentle and you’ll be fine, though.” He moved up the paper gown so he could get access to my stomach. “Ready for the ultrasound? You’re at nineteen weeks, so if you want to know the sex of your baby, we have a good shot at being able to ascertain that. Is it something you’re interested in?”
Weirdly, despite our constant conversations and lists, we’d never really talked about that. I glanced at Rex. “Do you want to know?”
He looked thrown by the question. “I don’t know. Do you want to know?”
I had to think about it. While I was doing that, Miles put the gel on my no longer flat stomach. I wasn’t popping just yet, but it was obvious something was going on with my midriff these days. I could no longer wear my favorite pants, and I’d taken to wearing dressier leggings so there was some give in the waist area.
“It would probably make sense to know,” I hedged. “I mean … we’re going to want some clothes, and it will help when I decide on a theme for the nursery.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I kind of want to know.”
“I do too.” Rex gave me a warm smile. “I like the idea. Plus, we won’t have to refer to it as an it any longer. We’ll know if it’s Rex Jr. or Rexanne.”
Miles’s lips puckered. “Rexanne?” He’d probably heard every strange name in the book and yet he was thrown. That should’ve been a dead giveaway to Rex that he was barking up the wrong tree for names.
“Ignore him,” I said. “Nobody is naming this baby Rexanne.”
“So I guess it had better be a boy,” Rex said, not missing a beat. “Rex Jr. is going to cause bullies to come out of the woodwork if we have a girl.”
“Knock it off,” I warned him. Even though I wanted to be irritated, his impish grin was infectious. “You’re such an idiot sometimes,” I said as I closed my eyes.
Miles turned our attention to the small screen next to the examination table as he started moving the ultrasound over my stomach. Rex almost came out of his skin when the sound of a heartbeat became obvious.
“What’s that?” Rex demanded, clutching my hand tighter.
“That’s the baby’s heartbeat,” I replied.
“Why is it so fast?” Rex’s alarm was palpable. “What’s wrong?”
Miles was calm when regarding him. “Nothing is wrong. A baby’s fetal heartbeat is normally between 120 to 160 beats per minute. It’s much faster than that of an adult.”
“Oh.” Rex let out a breath. “Then we’re good, right?”
“Things look very good,” Miles agreed. He pursed his lips as he regarded the image on the screen. “Do you want to know the sex of your baby? I can tell, if you’re interested. If you don’t want to know, I can make a notation in your file.”
I looked at the screen, then back up at Rex.
“It’s up to you,” he said in a low voice. He seemed to be fascinated by the image on the screen. “I’m fine with either. Although … screw it. I want to know.” He sent me a pleading look.
I grinned. “I want to know too. It will make my lists so much easier.”
“You’re having a girl,” Miles said. “She looks nice and healthy. Everything looks to be right on schedule.”
I exhaled heavily. A girl. Knowing that somehow made it more real, although why that would be was hard to ascertain. “We’re having a girl.”
“I’m going to be a girl dad,” Rex mused. His face was screwed up in concentration. “She’s not dating until she’s thirty. I hope you know that.”
“Ah, and we’re back to that Neanderthal thing you like to do.” I shook my head. “You’re going to have to get over that.”
“My daughter is not dating until she’s thirty.” Rex was firm. “Boys are predators. I know because I’m a boy.”
“Is that what happened? Did you prey on me?”
“No, you preyed on me. I wanted to go home early like a good boy that night.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “You really are an idiot sometimes.” I said it with more affection than I knew I felt and went back to staring at the image on the screen. “So, we’re good?” I asked.
“Yes.” Miles froze the screen. “I’ll print out a few images so you guys can show your families. Everything looks great, though.”
I nodded. That was a relief. I didn’t even realize I had anxiety about it until he said everything was fine. “What about kicking?” I asked as he wiped the gel from my stomach. “Shouldn’t that be starting soon? I read that you should start feeling the kicks between sixteen and twenty-four weeks.”
Miles studied me as he sat back on his stool. “You’re doing a lot of reading, aren’t you?”
There was no judgement in his tone and yet I was annoyed all the same. “There’s a reason there are so many pregnancy books. People have questions.”
“I’m not giving you a hard time about it.”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me,” I grumbled.
“I’m just suggesting that maybe you’re reading too many books. It’s okay to read, and if you have questions, you should ask them. There is such a thing as being over prepared, however.”
Not in my world. “Um … I want to be able to plan for every contingency.”
“You can’t plan for every contingency, though.” Miles was matter of fact. “You’re having a baby. They kind of do their own thing. It’s good to have knowledge so you’re not afraid, but if you plan everything by what you read, then if something doesn’t happen on your exact timetable, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. The last thing we want is an anxious mother because that can make for an anxious baby.”
I pouted as I took in his words.
“I’ll try to keep her calm,” Rex promised. “She does do well if she has a list, though. It makes her happy. I don’t think you should try to take the lists from her.”
“I’m not trying to take the lists from her,” Miles assured him. “I just want her to take a breath.” He stared directly into my eyes. “You don’t have to plan out every minute of every day. If you think you’re going to be able to do that—say, you decide the baby needs to sleep from ten o’clock to noon or something—you’re going to drive yourself crazy when things don’t happen at the exact right time.”
I could see where he was coming from. I didn’t like it, but I could see it. “Fine.” I let loose a sigh. “I get it. I’ll try not to be so rigid.”
Miles smiled. “You’re just saying that to placate me, aren’t you?”
“Yup.” I saw no reason to deny it. “I have a whole stack of books, and I’m going to read them all.”
“What’s nice about it is that she highlights portions and then sends them to me to read,” Rex volunteered. “She does all the hard work, and I reap the rewards.” He pressed my hand to his chest. I hadn’t even realized he was still holding it. “I won’t let her get too worked up.”
“Try to keep her as relaxed as possible.” Miles rested his hands on his knees. “Any other questions?”
I nodded at the same time Rex shook his head.
“What now?” Rex asked, his brow furrowing. “I thought we hit everything on your list.”
“There’s one other thing.” I touched my tongue to my top lip before continuing. “I’ve been feeling these little…flutters for the past few days. I didn’t want to panic or anything because everybody will think I’m neurotic, but it’s like angel wings beating across my stomach occasionally. That’s nothing to worry about, right? That’s just my brain getting ahead of me.”
Miles relaxed into an amused grin. “How long has it been going on?”
“About three days.” I shot a worried look toward Rex, who was scowling. “I didn’t want you to freak out. That’s the only reason I didn’t say anything.”
“I thought we agreed we were going to talk about everything.” Rex’s lower lip came out to play.
“There’s nothing you could have done.” I lowered my eyes. “It only happened twice.”
“Well, expect it to happen much more frequently,” Miles said. “You asked about kicking? That’s what that is.”
I froze, dumbfounded. “I thought it would feel like a foot going into my bladder or something.”
“Your baby is currently the size of a mango and weighs about eight ounces. At this point your baby is starting to hear things and developing tastebuds. It’s not a full foot yet really.”
“Huh.” My hands immediately went to my stomach. It was as if the baby had heard him because the fluttering had started. “It’s happening now.”
Miles grinned and pressed his hand to my stomach, nodding before reaching for Rex’s hand. “Feel,” he instructed. He didn’t ask, he just took charge. That was probably best when dealing with two individuals who were as clueless as Rex and me. “Do you feel it?”
A look of wonder had taken over Rex’s face. “I … is that Rex Jr.?”
I glared at him. “It’s a girl.”
“If you’re not going with Rexanne, then you’re stuck with Rex. Jr. I’m sorry. That’s just the way it’s going to be.”
I shook my head and closed my eyes, sucking in a calming breath. “So … I was worrying for nothing,” I realized.
“It’s normal,” Miles assured me. “When you have questions, call. Don’t drive yourself crazy because you don’t want to bug me. Anybody in this office could’ve put your mind at ease over the flutters.”
“I guess I just didn’t want to be a pain.”
“It’s fine to be a pain.” Miles’s eyes moved to Rex. “Make sure she calls if something else pops up, huh?”
Rex still looked as if he was down a rabbit hole and about to have tea with a six-foot bunny. “I’ll make sure,” he promised. “This is just … amazing. There really is a little person in there.”
I made a face. “Did you think I was making it up?”
“No. I just … this is tangible.” He shrugged. “She’s definitely not dating until she’s thirty. Also … I’m thinking an all-girls school is the way to go.”
“That’s not happening.” I was firm.
“I’ll do some research and get back to you.”