Chapter 22 Brady #2
Thank God it’s not long before Sage comes out, hurrying into the adjoining bathroom. That makes me grin. She had to chug so much water before the appointment, I’m not surprised that’s her priority. When the bathroom door opens, she looks at me with pure relief.
“Thank God that part is over.”
I stand and pull her in for a hug. “No kidding. Can I come in with you now?”
She nods, and I take her hand as we walk back into the dimly-lit room where the technician waits.
“Okay, let’s get back to it,” she says brightly as Sage settles herself on the bed.
As the tech squirts some gel onto the end of the ultrasound wand, she says, “Dad, you can stand over on the other side of Mom so you can see the screen. So far, everything’s looking good.
I see your estimated due date is” —she consults a piece of paper— “October tenth. And you’re measuring perfectly for twenty weeks.
Now, let’s take a look at your little one. ”
She moves the wand around, and I look down at Sage’s wide eyes. “This feels like I'm a little kid waiting for a movie to start at the theater.”
She snorts, then covers her mouth, looking up at me with mirth in her eyes. “Yeah, except the star of the show is inside my stomach.”
I grin back. “Minor detail.”
“Alright, Mom and Dad, here’s your baby.”
We both stare, mesmerized as the tech moves the wand slowly, and the grey blobs on the screen take the shape of an actual baby.
“Oh my God,” Sage whispers.
“That’s our kid,” I say, blinking back tears.
“Sure is. They’re quite active right now, but here are the feet. And up from there, you can see the curve of the spine.”
Sage makes an uncomfortable sound that instantly has me concerned. I tear my gaze away from the screen to look at her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, running my hand up and down her leg.
“It’s just, um, that looks seriously creepy. Like, that’s inside of me? An entire freaking spine of another human being?”
The tech lets out a little chuckle. “Yep, that’s how this works.”
“Sage, are you seriously weirded out right now?” I ask, both amused and baffled. “You’re a nurse. And you know how babies are made.”
Sage smacks my hand lightly, but the grimace on her face has softened into a smile. “Yeah, I know, but come on, you can’t deny the fact that it’s kinda weird. Like, there’s a little alien growing in me.”
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Hey, that’s our little alien, and I happen to think they’re perfect.”
Sage’s nose scrunches up. “They are perfect. But maybe we won’t call them an alien.”
“You started it.”
The tech clears her throat, but when we turn our heads back to her, she looks amused, not annoyed. “You’d be surprised how many first-time moms have a moment like this when they first see their baby. Now, are we wanting to learn the gender today? Or keep it a surprise.”
“Oh.” Sage turns back to me. “We hadn’t decided. What do you think?”
“I’m happy either way, but I think I’d like to know.”
Sage nods. “Good, me too.” She turns to the tech. “We want to know.”
“Okay, well, congratulations. You’re having a girl!”
My chest tightens. “A girl.”
“Yes. She made it nice and easy for me to see, so even though I never say it’s a guarantee that I’m right, I feel pretty confident this time.”
“A girl,” Sage echoes me, squeezing my hand. A tear starts to spill down her cheek, and I gently wipe it away.
“She’s going to have me wrapped around her little finger, I just know it.” I laugh softly, shaking my head. “And my sister is gonna go nuts buying everything pink and purple.”
The tech prints out a bunch of photos for us before cleaning the gel off Sage’s stomach. “Alright, that’s it for today. Your care provider will get a full report by next week, but everything looks good.”
“Thank you,” I manage to tell her, still staring down at Sage in absolute wonder. The door snicks shut and now that we’re alone, I lean down and kiss her lips.
“We’re having a daughter.”
“We are,” she says, her voice trembling. “Are you happy?”
“Definitely. Are you?” I hold her chin, my thumb gently stroking along her jawline.
“Yes.”
I press more kisses to her damp cheeks, her forehead, and then her lips once more. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Outside, we walk slowly to my car, Sage still holding the ultrasound photos in her hand. We come to a stop beside the passenger side door, and she stares down at the black-and-white images.
“She’s really in there.”
“Half me, half you, totally perfect.”
“Don’t make me cry any more than I already have,” Sage says with a half laugh, half sob, swiping at her cheeks.
“Am I meant to apologize for saying what I mean?” I say with a grin, and as I hoped, she laughs—with no crying this time. Then, lifting up on her toes, Sage kisses me.
“I guess we better start thinking of baby names.”
I wait until we’re both in the car before I answer. “What about Emma?”
Sage shakes her head as I start to drive away. “No, too cutesy. Our girl is gonna be tough and strong.”
“Okay, what about Harley?”
“We are not naming our daughter after a motorcycle!”
“Hey, you said you wanted tough,” I tease.
Sage falls silent for a second, and when I glance over at her, she’s touching her shoulder where her tattoo is.
“What about Ivy? It was my mom’s name,” she says quietly.
“Ivy. I like that.” I stretch my arm out so I can cover her hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry your mom’s not here.”
Rolling her head to the side so she’s facing me, Sage nuzzles my hand with her cheek. “Our girl might never meet her grandparents, but she’ll be loved enough to make up for it.”
“Yes, she will be.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips to press a kiss to the back. “I know neither one of us ever expected something like this to happen, but this is the best surprise to ever happen to me.”