"Probably real enough." He washed his hands at the sink, then pulled on gloves. "We'll take some measurements, check the baby's development, and see if we can determine the sex, though it might still be too early to tell for certain."
She was about four and a half months along, and Wonder had said that it might be possible to see the sex of the child.
Tula lay back on the examination table, her heart suddenly racing. This was real. She was about to see her baby for the first time.
"Everyone ready for the great reveal?" Julian asked.
"Yes," the three of them said in unison.
"I warmed up the gel, so it should be nice and comfortable." Julian squeezed the gel onto Tula's exposed belly and then positioned the ultrasound wand. The screen flickered to life, showing grainy black and white images that meant nothing to her.
Then Julian adjusted something, and suddenly she could see it.
A tiny form. Unmistakably human. Head, body, limbs all visible in profile.
Her baby.
Tula gasped, tears springing to her eyes.
"Wow—" Tony's voice was thick with emotion. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Too early to tell," Julian said, focusing on the screen. "The anatomy is still developing. We'll be able to determine the baby's sex more reliably in another month or so. But if you wish, I can do a blood test so that you can have the results immediately."
Tula barely heard him. She was transfixed by the image on the screen, by the tiny person growing inside her body.
So small and so perfect.
“That’s okay. I know he’s a boy.”
Julian smiled. "There's the heartbeat." Suddenly, the room was filled with a rapid thumping sound. "Strong and steady. About 150 beats per minute, which is right where we want it."
Tula was in love. Completely, utterly, irrevocably in love with this tiny being.
"Everything looks good," Julian continued, taking measurements and making notes. "Growth is right on track for eighteen weeks. The placenta is positioned well, and the amniotic fluid levels are normal. A healthy baby."
"Eighteen weeks," Wonder said softly. "That's almost halfway."
Halfway.
In less than five months, Tula would be holding this baby in her arms. This real, actual person who was currently no bigger than a bell pepper.
The utter miracle of it overwhelmed her. She was going to be a mother. Not someday, not in the abstract future, but soon.
"Can I have a picture of the baby?" Tula asked.
"Of course." Julian pressed a button, and the machine whirred. "I'll print several for you, and we'll schedule your next appointment for four weeks from now. By then, we should definitely be able to tell you the sex, if you'd like to know."
"I want to know," Tula said immediately.
"Me too," Tony added.
Julian finished the exam, cleaned the gel from her belly, and handed her several printed images. "Congratulations. You're doing great, and so is your baby."
After he left, Tula stared at the grainy black and white photos in her hands. Her baby. Right there in her hands, captured in an image she could hold and keep and look at whenever she needed reassurance that this was real.
"That was amazing," Wonder said. "I can't believe how clear the image was. That is an actual person in there."
"Yeah," Tony agreed quietly. He was looking at Tula with an expression of longing that she was having a hard time pretending not to notice. "That's our kid in there."
