Aubrey
Chapter twenty-one
Finger guns and Ice kings.
~ Three Weeks Later / Mid-April ~
Today is the day!
Today’s the day we find out what is hiding in my belly. Shane is leaving work early to come with me to our appointment. I tried to get one after half past three, but all they had available was half past two, which is not too bad, and he said it wouldn’t be a problem.
The team finally made it into the playoffs and have their first game in two days for the start of round one.
Shane and the boys were ecstatic. They weren’t saying much about it, but we could all tell how stressed they were that they still hadn’t secured a spot.
But with their last wins, it was enough to bring them in as a wildcard.
“I’m here! I’m here!” Shane yells from somewhere in the house before skidding to a stop in the kitchen, where I was in the middle of snacking on some Twizzlers with Marianne. Well, I was doing the eating, she was just commenting about how bad they are for my health.
I frown, biting off the end of my licorice and look at the time on the wall, then turn back to him. He’s breathing hard like he ran all the way here from the driveway. “You’re five minutes early.”
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.” He beams and finger-guns me.
I nearly choke on my candy and Marianne quickly pats my back. “Oh God! Shane! Do not ever do that again. It was like watching an old person trying to be cool. That never works!” I laugh uncontrollably, folding in half.
“She’s right, dear, that was even old for me.” I hear her giggle at my side. “I thought they said dating someone younger was supposed to keep you young. Yet he’s been using these ancient quotes more and more.”
“He really has, hasn’t he?” Now we’re both laughing harder.
“Are you both done? I’m right here, you know?”
I finally manage to straighten myself and look at Shane, only to find him tapping his foot with his hands on his hips. “What are you doing?” I point a hand out toward him as my giggles return. “What is happening with you?”
“I’m happy, sweetheart. I’m so happy.” He comes in, lifting me off the ground and spinning us in a circle as I wrap my arms around his neck laughing. “I’m so excited, Angel. I barely got any work done today. All I wanted was to come home to you and finally see what we got in here.”
He scoots me higher in his arms until my belly is directly in front of his face and kisses it. I’m awkwardly bent over him before he sets me back down, quickly shaking out his shoulder, then kneels down to hold my rounding stomach.
I’m now nineteen weeks along, almost halfway through. I’m not huge, but you can clearly see my belly. Shane has become obsessed with it to a very strange degree.
I found him sending pictures of my belly to everyone…
including Randy and Paul. We did have a little talk about that after, where I told him it wasn’t exactly appropriate and made me uncomfortable knowing other men had pictures of my stomach in their phones.
He apologized afterwards, told them all to delete the pictures immediately, and then begged for my forgiveness with orgasms.
It was a wonderful night.
“Hey, Little Star. Mommy and Daddy are so excited to finally get to see you today.” He presses his forehead to my belly, and these small little wave-like movements happen in my tummy. It happens every time Shane talks to our baby, it’s as if he or she can hear or feel him.
“On the screen, not in person. You stay in there a little while longer, little one.” I smile, caressing my man’s hair.
“Oh, yes, good point. Listen to your mommy, she’s really smart.” He kisses my stomach then stands, wrapping his arms around my neck and kissing the top of my head. “I love you so much, Aubrey. Thank you for making me the happiest man and dad in the world,” he whispers into my hair.
“Oh, Shane…” Tears well in my eyes. “I love you too, thank you for changing my life in the very best way.”
An hour later we are finally in my doctor’s office, going over a few things before the ultrasound. “How are the dizzy spells going? Are you still experiencing them frequently?” Dr. Carlson asks as she takes notes on her computer.
“Umm, they still happen, but not as often. I’ve been doing as you suggested with the multiple small meals a day and resting whenever I can, as well as drinking more water. It seems to be helping a lot,” I tell her.
“That’s good, and how is your blood pressure? Have you been keeping track of it?” She looks up at me, then at Shane.
“Yes, I have. They’ve mostly been around eighty-five over fifty-five.” I chew my lip, knowing that’s still too low.
“And is it stable? Or does it seem to vary?”
“Stable. Since we saw each other two weeks ago, my lowest was eighty-two over fifty-four. But I was a bit emotional that day, and I missed one of my meals. I did get one reading of ninety over sixty, though. I know it’s still low, but I was happy to see it go up a little.”
Dr. Carlson smiles at me. “That’s wonderful.
Indeed, it is still what we consider low.
But now that it seems more stable, I’m hoping it will increase within the coming weeks now that you are further along.
I understand this can be causing you stress, but I want to assure you, we’re taking this very seriously. ”
She leans back in her chair, folding her hands over one another.
“All we want is for the baby and you to be healthy, and if for some reason it does drop lower, I don’t want you to worry.
There is medication we can give you to help.
All your tests came back negative, so we know it’s not an underlining to something more severe. ”
Shane lets out a breath; I know this was something that was worrying him. He did the worst thing possible and searched for low blood pressure on the internet. The results did not ease his worry in the slightest.
“Now, are we ready to see that beautiful baby?” She grins, clasping her hands together.
“Yes,” Shane and I answer simultaneously.
A few minutes later, I’m lying down, belly exposed, with Shane at my side holding my hand.
Dr. Carlson squirts some gel over my belly then brings the monitor over and presses it down in the center of my round stomach.
“I’m going to start off by taking some measurements to make sure this little baby is up to speed. Are we finding out the gender today?”
Shane and I look at each other, making sure we’re still on the same track. When he nods at me, I smile. “Yes, please.”
“All right, let’s get started.” She moves the wand around in every which way as we watch the screen with amazement. After a little moment, she speaks up again. “Your little one is in great health, good weight and just the size we’d want it to be at. Are we ready, Mom and Dad?”
Shane’s hand tightens in mine as I feel my emotions rise, making me unable to speak, so he takes the lead and answers for us. “Yes, we’re ready.”
When the image on the screen changes to the legs, they part as if granting us access to what is hidden there. At first, I’m unsure of what I’m seeing, but then it hits me.
“That’s not a penis,” I blurt out, instantly turning red. “Emma said that you could clearly see it by the shape. This doesn’t look like one,” I clarify.
Shane chuckles and drops his forehead to my shoulder. “You’re right, Angel. That’s not a penis.” He kisses my skin next and whispers against it, “We’re having a girl.”
“We are?” My voice squeaks as tears fill my eyes. I quickly look over at Dr. Carlson for confirmation.
She nods with a joyful smile. “Congratulations, Mom and Dad, you’re having a baby girl.”
A sob falls from my lips as I look at the image of our daughter on the screen. I wipe my tears quickly, my vision blurring every two seconds from the onslaught of emotions coursing through my veins.
I’ve never felt this, this pure joy and kind of love. This happiness. It’s like I ripped my heart out of my chest and handed it over to my daughter. The love and happiness I feel for Shane is one thing, but this, this is all-consuming in an entirely new way.
When I turn my gaze to Shane, his eyes match mine, filled with tears as he lets out a wet laugh before leaning in to kiss me. “We’re having a girl,” he whispers again.
“We’re having a girl.” I kiss him back.
~ The Next Day ~
“So, what’s the plan for today, future mama? Are we staying in for the rest of the day or heading back out?” Lionel asks as he toes off his shoes by the door.
We just got in from the bakery, after a small three-hour shift.
I feel guilty for cutting my hours so drastically, but Clara assured me it was fine, that mine and the baby’s health came first. She actually promoted Octavia to assistant manager to take over my missing hours after I suggested it.
Clara knows Octavia was my right-hand woman and knew everything already about the job.
It only took a few hours of training and she had it all mapped up. She’s been in her new position for almost two weeks now, and she loves it. Plus, the bigger pay is really helping her out with her mom.
“I’m not sure yet.” I had planned on seeing maybe one of the girls, but they all seem busy. I get it, they have their own lives now. I can’t expect them to always be available.
Morgan has a doctor’s appointment with Trinity and Theo, her twins. Emma was going over to her father’s house with the kids. Cecilia is working. And Ronnie has to take Blubber, their sphynx, to the vet for his shots and a general checkup.
“Okay, well you let me know. I’m going to call my daughter back.” Lionel waves his phone and begins to walk up the stairs toward his room on the second level. She had called while we were in the car, and he didn’t want to be rude even though I insisted it was fine.
I walk over to the kitchen, grabbing myself a small bowl of Froot Loops without milk and waving hello to Antoine and Marianne. Then I head over to the living room and turn on the TV. I’ve started binge watching The Originals, now that Morgan got me hooked on The Vampire Diaries.