"Can we get a picture of it?" I ask, moved by this moment, which must not be missing from our treasure chest.
He nods kindly and prints us three pictures. Overwhelmed with joy, I take them, and he turns back to the ultrasound device.
"But that's not all. This is how"—the doctor's index finger hovers over the keyboard—"the heartbeat of your baby sounds."
Grinning, he presses a button.
Suddenly, I hear a strong pulsating sound.
A wave of affection washes over me. It's much more emotional than anything I could have imagined. Overwhelmed, I turn to Aurora. She has tears in her eyes and a blissful smile on her face.
"We're having a baby," she whispers quietly as if she's only now truly realizing it.
Until now, I wasn't sure if Aurora was really okay with the pregnancy. After the initial shock, she did show some joy, but her uncertainty, doubts, and feelings of guilt for not pursuingher dream of dancing as vigorously as she had wanted for her mother did not escape my notice.
Bringing up this delicate topic scared me. And apparently, staying silent was the right choice. The problem resolved itself on its own.
Now, tears of joy well up in the corners of her eyes. They roll down her temples and disappear into her hairline.
"Wow." She blinks, her upper body trembling. "This is so crazy. An incredible miracle."
I immediately wrap my arms around her. I kiss her temple, push back her hair, and gaze into her teary face. Her eyes shine with happiness. She doesn't need to say anything; I can feel that she sees things clearly now, more than ever before.
The day after tomorrow, we will be dancing at the French Championship. We must make it to the finals to secure our future at the academy. And we will. After that, Aurora will be able to take it easy.
"We're alive," I say tenderly, wiping her cheeks. "And we're dancing."
That's what we wanted, and we will have both. Just not in the order we originally thought.
She smiles at me, and I am filled with hope that at this moment, she also realizes that this new sequence of events could be even better than the one we had originally envisioned.
