“Oh god, no. Very gay,” I blurt out, holding my hands up like I’m innocent, and Emily laughs.
“Adrian is living with the man I’ve chosen to adopt the baby,” Emily explains.
“Well, congratulations! I’m Kathy, the midwife. And now that you’re officially in your third trimester, Emily, we’ll all be spending a lot of time together. Appointments will be every two weeks for the next two months and switch to weekly after that.”
“Nice to meet you.” We shake hands, and then her attention is all on Emily as they run through exactly what she told me about. “The fundal height is right on track at twenty-eight centimeters,” Kathy announces after measuring her stomach.No idea what that means, but I’m not interrupting.
“Baby should be shifting to a head down position soon, and as they grow, you’ll likely have less energy than the previous trimester. Start doing kick counts daily if you haven’t already. Call me if you think anything is off, okay? Don’t hesitate.”
Emily smiles. “Of course.”
“Okay, let me grab my doppler, and we’ll listen to baby!”
“Adrian, did you want tocall Hudson?”
“Yes, absolutely! Sorry, I was so distracted by all the words I didn’t know. I’m way out of my depth here.”
“I can go through it all with you later,” Emily promises as I dial Hudson. He answers right away.
“Oh my god, is it happening?”
“Yup! The midwife just got out the machine to hear the baby!”
“Okay, I’ll stop talking!” he promises, making my smile somehow grow. His unfiltered joy and excitement at becoming a dad make me so happy.
I hold my breath as Kathy squeezes out some gel onto Emily’s stomach, and then moves the wand over it. She quickly finds a good spot and a steadywhoosh whooshsound echoes out.
“Is that it?” Hudson quietly asks, and I turn to Emily and Kathy with big eyes, unable to voice the question myself with how tight my throat is. I knew that this appointment would be emotional, mostly because of how excited Hudson is and how happy I am for him, but I hadn’t expected to feel like my heart is ready to burst with the love I already feel for this child.
And it isn’t even mine! I can’t imagine what Hudson must be feeling right now. My vision blurs as I fight back tears. I know how much Hudson has wanted this, how he’s dreamed of this moment. Even if he isn’t here in person, he’s hearing his child’s heartbeat for the first time. I selfishly love that I’m a part of this special moment that he’ll never forget.
After a few more long moments of us all appreciating the rhythm of their heartbeat, Kathy asks if we’re ready.
“I could listen to that all day,” Hudson says with a chuckle. “But yes, thank you all so much for letting me be a part of today. I know you didn’t have to invite me. And thanks again, Adrian, for dropping everything to be there. I’d love to go to an appointment in person sometime, too.”
“I’ll try to schedule the rest of the appointments while I’mhere today, if they’ll let me, so I can give you more notice,” Emily promises.
“And don’t be silly, Hudson, no need to thank me. There’s no place I’d rather be!” I assure him before we all exchange goodbyes and hang up.
Emily and Kathy finish up the rest of the appointment, and I try to pay attention to ask Emily questions later on so I can report everything back to Hudson. When Kathy leaves, she closes the curtain again for Emily to change.
While she’s getting dressed, Emily calls out, “I think it’s so sweet that you’ve kept your relationship a secret, but I see how much you and Hudson care for each other. You’ll make great parents.”
And my heart fucking stops.
Did she just say our relationship?As in, a romantic one…? She must if she thinks I’m also going to be this baby’s parent.
My jaw is on the floor.
My eyes are trying to jump out of my head with how wide they are.
Does she honestly think we’re a couple?
Fuck. Is that why she picked him?
This can’t seriously be happening.
I have to tell her though. Even if that risks fucking things up for Hudson, and even though I desperately wish what she’s assuming was true—it isn’t—she can’t pick him to adopt her child because of a lie.
