“I was actually asking how you were doing,” I clarify.
“Just got to get through today and the childbirth, and thenI’ll be golden.” She reels off major life events like a straightforward grocery list as we pull into the hospital parking lot.
Billie’s barely looked at me the entire journey, and when she eventually shows me her eyes, I work out why. Unshed tears form a gloss over them.
Stressed and trying to keep it together, Billie hastily goes to unclip her belt, frantic movements indicating that she’s far from okay.
I rest a tentative hand on her upper arm, silently asking her to pause for a moment.
She looks down at our connection and then up at me. One tear clinging to her long lashes. She isn’t wearing an inch of makeup; I can tell because her prominent freckles aren’t hidden behind concealer.
“Do you want me to wait here?” I ask, respecting the privacy she may need and noting that the pathway up to the maternity building is fully salted.
To my surprise, Billie shakes her head, shocking me further when she adds, “I don’t want to be alone for the scan.”
“Y-you want me to come in with you?”
“Yeah,” she confirms, pressing the button to unclip her belt. “Today has already been crappy, and if the sonographer tells me something bad, I don’t want to be alone when I completely lose my shit.”
“All right,Miss Quinn, if you can hop up on the bed, then we can check everything over for you.”
“I’m nothoppinganywhere,” Billie quietly whispers to me, popping the top button on her jeans.
When the sonographer turns her back and heads to the sink to wash her hands, I drop down into a deep lunge, keeping my hands in my pockets as I do it.
“Baby-free and flexible,” I goad.
She just rolls her eyes and expertly hoists herself onto the bed, pulling her sweater up to reveal a naked bump before tucking it under her bra like she’s been through this routine a million times over.
This whole thing is deeply personal, and I have zero right to be here. But as I pull up a plastic chair and sit next to my best friend’s daughter, I know this is exactly what she needs.
Five minutes with Tucker fucking Price—that’s all I’ll need.
The sonographer points at me and looks at Billie. “Is this Dad?”
To prevent choking on my tongue, I bite down on it instead. Hard.
“No,” she replies with an uncomfortable chuckle. “This is a family friend, Emmett. He gave me a ride here, and I asked him to sit with me while we do this.” Her voice drops a couple of octaves, laced with a mixture of sadness and frustration. “The actual dad is in Texas.”
I don’t miss the sonographer’s eyes as they flick to mine before she gets to work, smoothing jelly across Billie’s bump and applying the probe.
It’s possible she’s a hockey fan, and since I’m a veteran these days, my face is well known. That’s not the gut feeling I’m getting from her though, more a look of judgment or even uncertainty on Billie’s behalf. I guess, to her, this whole setup is kind of weird. Why wouldn’t she be here with a friend or her mom?
Reaching up, I take Billie’s hand in mine. I don’t interlace our fingers, simply wrapping my palm around the back of her hand, resting it beside her on the bed. The sonographer tracks the movement as Billie continues to focus on the screen, totally tuned out to what’s happening around her.
My eyes meet the sonographer’s, a silent message passing between us.
Judge away because this woman right here needs someone, and in this moment, I’m all she has.
“Oh, there we go!” Like she’s hit the reset button on herprofessionalism, the sonographer moves the probe half an inch, resting it over the baby’s heartbeat.
The sound is clear and strong, and I feel Billie’s fingers relax.
“So, everything’s okay then?” Billie asks, hope evident in her tone.
The sonographer remains silent, and I’m ready to shove the probe up her ass when she eventually answers Billie. “Everything looks to be completely normal and what we would expect at this point in your pregnancy. However, we would like to monitor fetal movement for the next couple of hours. I’m sure the doctor explained this to you when you called the hospital.”
“Yes. They said that it’s standard procedure for reduced fetal movements.”
