“Starving. And thirsty.” She was practically salivating as she stared longingly at the machine.
Handing her my wallet, I stepped back and texted Link to let him know where we were and ask him to search the van for Naomi’s purse. Naomi withdrew some bills and fed the machine. She got a bottled water, a protein bar, Cheetos, a sports drink, and barbecue chips. Seemed like a weird combination to me, but since I wasn’t the one pregnant, I didn’t say shit.
She handed me back my wallet, downed the water, and started on the sports drink between bites of the barbecue chips before we hit the front desk. The receptionist welcomed us and handed over a questionnaire. As we sat down to fill it out, Naomi looked torn between answering the questions and eating, so I finally took the clipboard from her and wrote so she could eat.
By the time the form was complete, Dr. Jolene Farrell appeared and introduced herself to Naomi. I’d already met Dr. Farrell at company dinners and get-togethers. She was a tall, thin brunette with short hair and dark-rimmed glasses. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Naomi’s face, but she recovered quickly and invited us to follow her to an examination room.
Dr. Farrell had Naomi undress from the waist down, enabling me to see the still-forming bruises for the first time. If Naomi hadn’t killed Joe, I would have hunted him down and killed him myself. I’d never had much use for bullies or abusers and it was clear that Joe had been both.
While Dr. Farrell did a physical exam, I got a text from Link letting me know they’d found Naomi’s purse. I gave her the good news as we followed Dr. Farrell back to another room where Naomi was given an ultrasound.
The moment the ultrasound technician put the jelly-covered wand on Naomi’s belly, I heard a whooshing thump-thump sound. “What is that?” I asked.
“That’s the baby’s heartbeat,” the technician replied with a smile.
Naomi teared up again. “The baby’s okay?”
I was having a difficult time getting past the whooshing thump-thump sound. That heartbeat had to be the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. I squeezed Naomi’s hand and she looked up at me. “That’s our baby,” I said, grinning like a fool.
She matched my grin, then winced at the pain from her split lip. “Pretty cool, huh?” She turned back to the tech. “But is everything okay?”
The tech continued to roam over Naomi’s stomach, every so often hitting a bruise that made Naomi jump. She and the doctor were both studying the screen. Finally, they both nodded, and Dr. Farrell turned the screen to face us.
“Yes. It appears so,” the technician said. She highlighted an area and added, “This is the head. It looks like you’re almost ten weeks along. See, here’s the heart. All the vital organs are formed. Here’s an arm. The other arm. Legs. Umbilical cord. Everything’s measuring perfectly. Looks like you have a strong little fighter in there.”
The breath rushed from Naomi’s lungs. “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure,” Dr. Farrell replied. “We love giving good reports. Would you like us to print a couple of pictures for you to take home?”
“Please,” Naomi and I both said.
The need to be near Naomi was so damn overwhelming, I had a hard time keeping my hands off her as I texted Link an update, she got dressed, and I settled the bill. Thankfully, she seemed content to have my arm draped over her shoulders or snaked around her waist. She didn’t even give me any lip as she climbed on Link’s sled behind me. Knowing she needed a little more sustenance than vending machine food, I offered to take her to an all-night diner, but she declined. She didn’t want people to see her face and think I did that shit.
Just thinking about what had happened to her made me pissed all over again. Naomi’s arms around my waist and her head pressed against my back calmed me down on the way to the fire station, though.
Jake and Margo were waiting for us just inside the front door. They mobbed us as we entered, Margo’s eyes widening for only a second at the sight of Naomi’s face before she got her shit together. Jake had a harder time controlling his anger.
“That goddamn motherfucker! I hope he rots in hell.”
“I sent him there, Daddy,” Naomi replied.
“I know you did.” He tugged her to him and kissed her unbruised cheek. “I’m proud of you, Slugger.”
“And Link said the baby’s okay?” Margo asked.
“Yes. They did an ultrasound. Everything checked out.”
“Thank the Lord,” Margo gently patted Naomi’s belly. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandma. You keep fighting in there little one.” She glanced back up at Naomi. “Are you gonna find out the gender?”
Naomi glanced at me. “We haven’t really had the chance to talk about anything yet.”
Jake dropped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m gonna steal Eagle here for a minute, so Link and I can have a talk with him.”
“Dad—” Naomi started.
He held up a hand. “He knocked up my daughter. I need to find out what his intentions are.”
She sighed. “Can’t that wait? I’m tired and hungry.”
