My heart feels like it stops as Piper squeezes my fingers.
Then we hear it.
Whoosh-whoosh. Whoosh-whoosh. Whoosh-whoosh.
A strong and steady heartbeat.
Suzie smiles. “There we go. Sometimes they wiggle out of the way for a second. Heart rate is perfect at one-fifty-eight.”
Piper’s tears start immediately.
“Our baby’s heartbeat,” she whispers and glances up at me. The emotion in her wide eyes steals my breath. Or maybe that’s my own reaction to this miraculous moment.
“Our baby,” I murmur. I haven’t cried since my parents sat us down about the divorce, but that steady sound and Piper’s reaction cracks me open, clean down the middle.
The baby suddenly shifts on the screen, one tiny kick followed by another.
“Is it moving?” I ask.
“A he or she and yes,” Suzie answers with a laugh, then adjusts the angle of the wand again. “The baby is active. You won’t feel it for a few more weeks, Piper, but the baby’s having their own dance party in there.”
I could watch this all damn day. “The dance skills come from me,” I tell Piper, automatically lifting her hand to my lips and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Can we get a picture? Or a dozen? I’m happy to pay for extra.”
Suzie snorts. “Lucky for you, pictures are included in the prenatal package. It’s a little early, but do you want me to take a guess on the sex?”
“Do you want to know?” Piper asks me, and it feels as though the question in her eyes is about more than just finding out if we’re having a boy or a girl. It’s about all the other things we haven’t discussed. Like what comes next. And whether we’re doing this together or separately.
I squeeze her hand. “Your choice.”
“I asked you,” she says softly.
“I’m all good either way.” As soon as I say the words, I know they’re true. “As long as the baby’s healthy, that’s all that matters.”
Piper’s smile trembles a little on either side. “Let’s be surprised.”
“Love it.” Suzie finishes up, wiping the gel off Piper’s stomach and handing us four grainy images of our baby from different angles. “Congratulations, you two. Everything looks great.”
“Thank you,” Piper says, her voice thick with emotion.
Suzie pats her shoulder. “You’re doing wonderful, Mom. We’ll see you at your next appointment.”
She leaves, and I help Piper sit up. She adjusts the hem of her shirt, holding the photos gingerly, like they’re made of glass. Her expression is dazed, and I’m pretty sure the same look is mirrored on my own face.
“That was...” I trail off, not sure how to finish.
“Yeah,” she agrees.
We’re silent as we leave through the back door, because what is there to say? We heard our baby’s heartbeat. Nothing else matters at the moment.
The drive back to her house is just as quiet. Not in an uncomfortable way. We’re both processing what we just experienced. I park in her driveway, and we sit here for a minute, neither of us making a move to get out.
“That was…um…real,” Piper says finally.
“Very real.”
She laughs, then looks down at the strip of ultrasound photos in her hands, running her thumb over the grainy images. “I keep thinking about my mom, and she won’t get to meet…” Her voice cracks.
I reach over and cover her hand with mine. “Hey, Hart?” She looks up at me, tears gathering in her eyes. “Our kid is going to know they’re wanted and loved,” I say. “You’re going to make your mom proud.”
