The wordwehit harder than I expected.
Are they just as scared? Are they having these same internal thoughts?
A nurse appears in the doorway, clipboard in her hands. “Julia De Luca?”
I stand, and both of them stand with me.
The nurse’s eyebrows lift slightly like she is not going to let both of them in, then nods, “You can both come back.”
Relief crashes through me so hard I almost fall.
We follow her down the hallway, and the walls are lined with newborn photos and smiling families.
Kai’s hand shifts from mine to the small of my back, keeping me steady. Mikey stays close, his presence calming me. These two reallydon’t know how much just standing next to me calms me and makes me feel safe.
As we reach the exam room, the nurse chuckles and smiles gently.
“First ultrasound today?”
My heart stutters. “Yes,” I answer.
I lay back on the bed and lift my shirt.
The room lights dim, and the tech pulls the curtain halfway closed before sitting in front of the ultrasound machine. She grabs a bottle of gel and shakes it before squirting some on my stomach. The cold hits me, and I flinch.
Mikey notices instantly. “Sorry,” he murmurs, like this is somehow his fault. His hand tightens around mine, and Kai is hovering close, one hand braced on the exam table beside my hip.
The tech presses the wand down, adjusting the angle. “There we go,” she says casually. The screen flickers as she turns it to us. Shapes form, all blurry but there.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The sound fills the room; it's loud. Mikey freezes, his grip on my hand gets tighter, and I feel his breath hitch beside me.
“That’s…” His voice breaks completely this time. He swallows hard, his eyes locked on the screen. “That’s… that’s a heartbeat.”
Kai doesn't speak at all, just sits there staring at the screen as his hands tremble on the table.
“That’s ours,” Kai finally said. His voice is just above a whisper.
My throat burns from unshed tears threatening to come out.
The tech smiles softly. “Strong heartbeat,” she says. “Perfectly normal.”
Mikey lets out a breath that sounds kinda like a laugh, then scrubs his hands down his face.
“I… I didn’t think it would sound like that,“ he admits.
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like it’s already fighting,” he says. “Like it’s already here.”
Kai leans in closer, his forehead nearly touching mine. “You okay, little dove?” He asks me, but his eyes never leave the screen. Watching the little flickering heartbeat.
I nod. “I think so.”
The tech shifts the wand again, frowning slightly, like she is focused.
“Hmm,” she hums.
