Chapter 21 #2
I watch closely as she preps the wand and gets it into position. “Ready?”
Charli nods. I feel her tense, but it’s quickly forgotten as movement fills the screen. It’s hard to describe what I see—or, I guess more accurately, what I don’t see—because I have no clue what it is. It’s a little fuzzy, like an old TV with static, with a little blobbish circle in the middle.
“Okay, Mom and Dad, say hello to your baby,” she says, making sure the monitor is facing us and pointing to the screen.
My eyes burn as I see our little peanut on the screen for the first time.
“Heartbeat looks good and strong, coming in at one forty.”
I already know a baby’s heartbeat is much faster than a normal beat per minute, so it doesn’t concern me when she shares the higher number. She does a little more measuring, and my eyes bounce from the woman on the table to the image on the screen.
When I see a tear slide down Charli’s face, disappearing into her hairline above her ear, I reach out and brush away the trail. She glances at me, her eyes filled with happy tears as she gives me a watery little smile.
“I’ve printed off a few photos for you, and the ultrasound confirmed the due date.
We’ll see you every four weeks for prenatal appointments, and then when we reach about twenty weeks, we’ll do additional screenings and an anatomy scan.
That’s the fun ultrasound, and if you want to know the sex of the baby, we do what we can to find that out.
We know a lot of expectant parents do gender reveal parties, so if you have anything planned, just let the nurse and tech know before the scan is done so they don’t accidentally reveal something you’re not ready for. ”
“Okay,” Charli says, in the sitting position now.
“I’d also like you to start prenatal vitamins. You can get those over the counter at any pharmacy, but if you prefer a prescription, just let us know.”
“Will do. Thank you, Dr. Greene,” Charli says.
“You’re welcome, and congratulations.”
She exits the room, leaving us alone.
“I’ll turn so you can dress,” I state, standing up and spinning around to face the ivory painted wall once more.
“Quinn?”
I glance over my shoulder. Charli’s still sitting there, a single tear sliding down her face. “Thank you for coming with me.”
Spinning back around, I take her hands with mine and give them a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be at every single appointment. You can count on that. I’ll be right beside you every step of the way.”
She gives me a grateful little grin. “Okay.”
“Now, let’s get out of here. We’ve got dinner with your family coming up.” I press my lips to her forehead and turn back around, releasing her hands as I go.
I’d much rather take her in my arms and kiss her soundly, but not until I know where we’re headed. I wish I could tell if she is just emotional from the appointment or what, but I just don’t know.
Charli gets up and dresses, and I think about what’s going to happen when we get to her parents’ house.
The plan is to tell everyone about the baby, and I’m certain the announcement will come with mixed emotions.
Not where the baby’s concerned—no, there will only be excitement and happiness for that—but specifically about my part in the equation.
Worse, I don’t even know where I stand in the grand scheme of things.
That’s a shitty feeling.
“I’m ready.”
I turn back around and give her a small smile. “Come on.” I extend my hand, which she takes easily, and escort her to the door. We continue to the front desk, where she stops to make her next appointment.
When we climb inside the truck and start heading back to Cooper Town, I notice her pulling the ultrasound images out of the folder she was given.
She pulls out her phone and snaps a photo of one of the images, changing her phone’s wallpaper to our little peanut.
Then, I see her tapping on her phone, sending a text message and attaching the photo.
My phone dings.
“I sent you the sonogram image so you have it, but I thought you might want a hard copy too. There’re two images here. When I get home, I’ll cut them apart and you can have one for your fridge or wherever.”
“Thanks, I’d like that,” I tell her. “And appreciate the picture.”
She nods, looking out the window for a moment. “I sent it to Sommer too with the due date.”
And soon I’ll be able to share milestones and discuss things with my best friend.
Of course, that’s if he still talks to me after he finds out I slept with his sister.
Actually, I’m not so worried about Camden’s reaction.
He’s been well aware of my infatuation with his sister for far too long, so he’ll probably just shrug his shoulders and tell me not to give any details.
It’s the other two I’m a little worried about.
“Soon, they’ll all know,” I state as I drive along.
“Will you tell your parents?” she asks.
“Yeah. Eventually.”
She glances my way and offers a small smile. “I bet your mom will be excited.”
“Maybe.” I stopped guessing how either one of my parents will react to something a long time ago, because disappointment always follows.
We’re mostly silent the rest of the way back to town, and I don’t miss the happy looks at the sonogram in her hand. She has yet to return them to the folder in her lap, but I don’t mind. I get to steal glances at the images too.
When I pull up in front of her condo, she releases the seat belt and gives me a quick grin. “Thanks for the lift.”
I nod. “You sure you don’t want me to pick you up to go to your parents’?”
“No, I’ll just meet you there,” she insists, opening the door and climbing out. “See you soon.”
I lift my hand and wave as she closes the door.
I don’t pull away from the curb until she lets herself inside, and only then do I drive away.
Before I even reach the end of the block, my mind is already processing what’s to come, and by the time I pull into my own driveway, I’ve convinced myself everything is going to be just fine.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I glance down at the image Charli sent.
Our baby.
It has to be okay.
Nothing else will be acceptable.