I nod slowly, attempting to soak this all in.
The knock on the door kind of sends a surge of dread through me, in case it’s her gladiator-hyped-up brother. Luckily, the doctor peeks her head around the door.
“Ready? I need to see you now so we can get you home soon,” she explains.
“Sure,” Isla agrees.
The doctor walks in with a genuine smile. “I would like to do an ultrasound just to be safe, but your blood work seems good, and the baby’s heart rate is strong, just spiked earlier because he or she seems to be an active one. You probably need a little rest considering your body seems under stress, and it’s also preparing for him or her to come out.” She begins to roll a machine to Isla’s bed. “Will he be staying?”
“Yes,” I blurt out. I have had enough undisclosed information for one day.
The doctor smiles at me. “That’s great, but again, the patient gets to decide.”
My gaze snaps to Isla to inform her that I won’t be accepting no for an answer.
She grasps my demand and quickly answers. “He can stay,” she assures the doctor.
“Okay, lean back and lift your shirt. You’re a pro at this now. A bit of gel and then here we go.” The doctor removes the contraption belt around Isla then squirts something that oozes from a bottle and places the wand-shaped thing in her hand against Isla’s belly. “You should probably get closer to Isla if you want to enjoy the show.”
Reluctantly, I take a few steps next to Isla’s bed near her upper body. She gives me a nervous look before her head zips back to the screen attached to the portable machine.
When I can see the outline of a baby, I’m taken aback.
“Wow, the baby has grown since the last ultrasound,” Isla notes with a fond smile.
“It goes really quick now. The baby is almost so big that an ultrasound won’t show many new things because the baby doesn’t have much room to move around.” The doctor stays glued to the screen as she zooms in to different sections.
The sound of the heartbeat fills the room, similar to the sound of being underwater, but there is a rhythm. Steady and fast, a sound that I wasn’t expecting to cause a twitch somewhere inside of me. For a second, I’m in awe that I played a role in creating that. It’s really a baby. We’re also way past the stage of debating what to do, in terms of options. I’ve missed the majority of her pregnancy, and this is a full-fledged baby that has a heartbeat and legs and arms… and is about to enter the world.
Isla doesn’t seem fazed like I am by the image on the screen. I guess she has had ample opportunity to listen to this.
“Your file states that you didn’t want to find out the sex. Still the case?” the doctor asks.
Isla shoots me a look as though I have a say. I'm not sure if I'm glaring or my face is frozen because Isla seems to try to break the air between us. “I didn’t want to, but maybe…”
Is she waiting for me to answer?
“I do. I’ve been graced with enough shockers today.” My voice is a little bitter.
Isla nods to the doctor that it’s okay.
“Ooh, fun.” The doctor zooms in then brings her finger to the screen. “Baby is giving us a great view today, as I can see very clearly that you’re having a daughter.”
“A girl?” Isla cries, but her smile indicates that they are happy tears.
I tilt my head to examine the screen, and I feel my mouth tug.Yeah, it’s pretty visible, otherwise there would be a large line if it were a boy.
“Yep. Get ready for tea parties.” The doctor keeps the wand in place so we can stare for a few seconds at the screen while she seems to be taking measurements of limbs. “Dad looks like he’s already planning this girl’s ice-skating career,” the doctor attempts to joke.
Dadis planning nothing. I’m still in disbelief.
A daughter. Wow.
Isla seems to be searching my face for a clue to understanding where my brain is at.
“Okay, everything looks great. You’re doing excellent, Isla. But really, try to be stress-free. At this point, the baby is at a good point in the pregnancy and has a better chance to live a long and happy life if born a few weeks early. The longer she stays in, closer to the due date is ideal, but any moment it can happen.”
"About to go into labor." My tone is flat. "I find out when she's about to go into labor." I feel a hint of anger boiling inside of me.
