“Sounds nice.” My voice is a little wistful. As fun as being at the cabin with our friends will be, it won’t be as relaxing as her getaway sounds.
“Don’t sound too jealous. My entire family will be with us. My parents, his parents, our siblings, and all the kids. It’ll be chaotic.”
“Built-in babysitters.” I shrug.
She grins. “Yup.” She rolls her stool over. “But back to you. How are you feeling? Any questions or concerns?”
“Everything’s been good.” And it has, which makes me think I could do this again soon. I’ve been blessed with a great pregnancy so far.
She dims the lights, squeezes the jelly onto my stomach, and starts the ultrasound. I’m not sure if it’s the darkness, the feel of the cool jelly, or the wand running around my stomach, but I blink away tears. It’s silly to be sad, but I really wanted Henry here. He would be if he could, and I remind myself it hurts him not to be here just as much as it does me, so I need to be strong right now.
I force myself not to look at the screen. I want us to see the pictures together, to read the girl or boy on the paper at the same time.
The room fills with the sound of a strong, steady heartbeat and the tears I was forcing back spill down the sides of my face to the paper under me. Hearing the life I’m growing inside me never gets old.
“You’re doing a great job,” she says warmly. “Everything looks good.”
Relief floods me. Not that I thought anything was wrong, but the confirmation is reassuring.
“I’ll take these pictures, write down the gender, and seal it in an envelope. Anything else before I do that?”
“I probably should’ve asked, but travel is okay, right?”
The doctor finishes with the ultrasound machine and turns on the lights. “How far are you guys going?”
“Just up north.”
She leans against the cabinet, crossing her arms, her white coat straining at the sleeves. “That’s fine. Stop if you need to stand and walk around for a bit. If you have any problems, my colleague, Dr. Romano is on-call.”
“Thank you.”
She steps out of the exam room while I right myself, then she returns a few minutes later with the envelope. “All set for you two to open together. And please tell Henry and the crew that we’re wishing the Falcons luck. We hope they can bring home the Cup again this year.”
I smile. “He’s hoping for the same.”
“Have fun on your trip.”
“You too. That vacation sounds perfect.”
“It’ll be chaos, but good chaos. Enjoy the cabin. It would be any fan’s dream to run into you all up there. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” I say.
She leaves, and I stare at the envelope in my hands. It’s right here. I could know right now if my baby is a boy or a girl. Instead, I press a palm to my stomach. “We’ll wait for Daddy.”
I slide off the table, tuck the envelope into my purse, and head to the waiting room, which has thinned out, making it easy to spot Eloise sitting in the corner of the room.
When she sees me, she stands and laughs. “What are the odds?”
“What are you doing here?”
She gives me the look, and I nod, understanding that it’s not for the same blessed reason I’m here.
“Do you want me to be here with you?” I squeeze her hand, sensing today is hard for her, even more so since Conor can’t be with her.
“No, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to be alone.” I have no idea what she’s here for exactly, but I’ll be the friend who stands at her side and holds her hand if she lets me.
