Chapter Twenty
“There we are.” The girl who had introduced herself ten minutes before as Lexi said as she moved a wand that Elizabeth didn’t even want to think about where she’d put it.
“What are we looking at?” Kevin said from Elizabeth’s other side, his hand gripping her as they both looked at the little screen Lexi had turned toward them.
All Elizabeth saw was a big black blob with what looked like a tiny bean resting against one edge.
“That is your baby,” Lexi said, her voice cheerful. “There’s not a lot to see yet, but I can do this.” She hit a few keys on and a soft, fast whooshing sound filled the room.
“What’s that?” Elizabeth asked.
“You’re baby’s heartbeat. I still need to get a few measurements and then we’ll be done.”
“It’s so fast, isn’t it too fast?” Kevin asked, squeezing her hand.
She was glad he did. She’d thought the same thing but hadn’t yet gathered the nerve to ask.
“It’s 147 beats per minute, that’s about average. Fetal heart rates vary from 120 to 160 beats per minute. And yes, it seems fast if you’ve only ever heard an adult’s.”
“Good to know,” Kevin said. “What are you thinking, sugar?”
She started to speak but couldn’t get anything past the lump in her throat, instead she squeezed his hand back as she turned to look at him, not bothering to hide the tears pooling in her eyes. She hoped her smile would let him know they were happy tears.
“Me too, baby, me too.” He used the thumb of his free hand to wipe away the lone tear that fell from her eye and streaked down her cheek.
Elizabeth was vaguely aware of the tech hitting keys and doing something on the device on her other side.
“We’re really doing this?”
“We’re really doing this, sugar.” Kevin smiled at her making her heart swell even more and another tear streak down her cheek. He wiped it away again then turned to look at Lexi. “Anything we need to know?”
“Not that I know of. The doctor should have already given you any instructions and told you when to come back. Of course, you can always call the office if you have any concerns.”
Elizabeth nodded, she’d already been given a prescription for vitamins, and a list of foods to avoid.
She’d also asked Doctor Dorsette if it was safe to ride a motorcycle.
The Dr had said no more dangerous than usual, at least until her belly got too big to let her hold on, but Kevin had immediately informed her she would not be on the back of his bike while pregnant.
He wasn’t going to put either of them at any more risk than he had to.
“There we are.” Lexi removed the wand, making Elizabeth wince at the weird sensation.
She held out a string of black and white photos that looked like what the TV used to when a channel went out when Elizabeth was a child.
“If you haven’t already, you can schedule your next appointment when you check out.
I’ll leave you to get dressed. When you’re done you can check out and leave.
” She stood, shook both their hands, congratulated them again and left.
Elizebeth pulled off the paper sheet she’d been given to cover up with and stood.
“Is it always done like that?” Kevin asked.
“What?”
“Ultrasounds, do they always have to stick that thing inside you?”
Elizabeth grinned, liking that he didn’t like them having to stick something inside her.
“Only when it’s this early.” She stepped into her panties and pulled them up. “From what I found online, this will likely be the last time they have to do it that way. If I need another one it should just be from the outside.” She picked up her slacks and stepped into them.
“Good to know. That was a little freaky.” He watched as she stepped back into her flip flops. “What do you want to do now? Are you hungry?”
He’d offered to take her to lunch before the appointment, but her stomach had been upset, mostly from nerves, and she hadn’t felt like eating then.
“That sounds amazing. There’s a little café not far from here that I love. Can we go there?”
“Anything you want, sugar.”
“Then let’s go. We need to schedule the next appointment then we can head over there.” She picked up her handbag and turned back to find he’d stood and was waiting for her next to the door.
Together, they went to the checkout counter, scheduled her next appointment then headed out to his truck.
“Have you thought about running boards?” she asked once they were both seated and he’d pulled out on the street.
“No, why?” He frowned and glanced at her before turning his gaze back to the road.
She wrinkled her nose and tried to figure out how to say this without upsetting him or pissing him off.
“The truck is kind of tall. I can get in and out now without much trouble, but I don’t know if I will once I start to get bigger.”
He stopped at a red light, turned and looked at her for a moment.
“You’re right. I’ll look into getting some and getting them installed. Do you know what kind you might like?”
She shook her head, trying to think of different styles of running boards she’d seen.
“Maybe not the ones that are just a loop but run the full length. That way they’re on the back too so that I can get the seat in and out easier once this one’s here.” Elizabeth laid on hand against her still flat belly.
“Good thinking. I’ll talk to Papa Smurf and we’ll get something done.”
“Papa Smurf?” She shook her head, not understanding why they would want to go by these weird nicknames, but were they really any worse than some of the actual names people were given these days? She wasn’t so sure.
“Yeah, he’s been around a while, not sure where he got the road name, but it stuck. I’m not even sure I know his real name.” Kevin shot her a smile. “Where’s this café you want to eat at?”
Elizabeth gave him directions and wondered for a moment what kind of name he might want for the baby. Would it be something like the names in his club or something more mainstream?