“Dammit,” Nate growls. “I knew it.”
The scoff that shoots out of my mouth is loud. “You knew what? That I’d spot after falling?”
“No.” Nate scowls down at me. “I was just worried about the baby. You fell hard.”
“Why?” I search his eyes for some kind of answer to that question. “Why do you care?”
“Maggy.” He sounds exasperated. “It’s not that I don’t care, it’s—”
The door slides open, and Dr. Martin steps in, followed by a person with a large medical imaging machine. Saved by the doctor, I guess.
“Oh.” She looks at Nate. “We’ll need to get in there.” She nods to the spot Nate is now inhabiting.
“We’ll go into the waiting area,” Robin says, standing. “Nate, you take our spot.”
“No,” I say in panic. “Robin, I…” I need her here.
She quickly takes my hand in hers. “It’ll be fine. We’ll come right back in as soon as they’re done with the ultrasound.”
What the hell is happening?
“Thanks,” Nate says in his deep voice. I watch him walk around my bed to the seat that Gus just vacated. He surprises me yet again by sliding the chair up until it’s next to my bed. Then he sits.
Ignoring him, I watch the tech prepare the machine. When it beeps to life, tension runs through me.
What if something’s wrong with the baby?
I’m holding my breath without realizing it. It isn’t until Nate touches my hand and says, “Breathe,” that I do.
“Okay, Maggy. I’m going to squirt some of this warm gel on your stomach. Okay?”
I nod as the tech lifts my shirt up to my chest. I feel the warm gel touch my skin, and I close my eyes attempting to relax. When the wand touches my belly, I open my eyes and stare at the monitor.
Please be okay.
Dr. Martin is close by watching the screen as well. I half expect her to say something to reassure me, but she’s quiet.
“Do you want to know the sex while you’re here?”
“No.” I shake my head just as he, Nate, says, “Yes.”
“No,” I repeat, then give him the most evil eye in my arsenal. “Iwant to be surprised.” And since he’s not going to be anywhere near the hospital when I’m delivering, this isn’t his decision to make.
“No worries.” The tech laughs nervously. “Surprise is fun.”
“Let’s listen to the heartbeat,” Dr. Martin says to the tech. When the audio is turned on, I hear two things: the steady heartbeat of my baby and a gasp from Nate.
Yeah, it’s real, buddy.
“It sounds strong,” I say to the doctor. “Right?”
“It does.” Dr. Martin smiles. “Now, let’s just check on everything else.”
That’s her way of saying she doesn’t know yet if the baby is in danger. I know that’s what she means, and it scares me. I feel his hand on mine again, and I don’t pull away. Instead, I flip my palm over and intertwine my fingers with his. When he squeezes my hand, I exhale, because I know he’s taken some of my worry from me.
A gesture I appreciate more than he’ll ever know.
13
