“We’re going to be late,” she whines as I take her hand.
"Quinn, we're leaving now, we’re not going to be late," I say.
"You don't know that, there could be traffic."
I lean forward and press a kiss to her lips, she sighs against me as I hold her to me. "We’re going, we’ll be on time.”
We arrive at the appointment early, and Quinn is still agitated. No matter what I say or do, I can’t calm her. It doesn’t take long until we’re called back to the room.
The technician is a woman called Maria. She smiles as Quinn gets onto the table. "First time?" She asks.
"For both of us," Quinn says.
"He looks like it," Maria says, gesturing at me.
"I look fine," I say, trying not to sound pissed. My wife is agitated, not me.
"If you say so," Maria replies with a grin, and Quinn laughs. I sit in the chair beside the examination table and breathe a sigh of relief, she was helping Quinn relax.
The machine comes on and the screen fills with our baby, so much clearer than ever before. The heartbeat is loud, and steady.
Quinn makes a choking sound beside me. I look to her and see she’s got tears falling from her eyes. I reach for her hand and look back at the screen.
“Everything looks perfect,” Maria says. “Strong heartbeat, good measurements. Right on track. Would you like to know the sex?” Maria asks.
"Yes," Quinn says immediately.
I nod. "Of course."
Quinn shoots me a look.
"What?"
"I thought you were going to make me wait."
I frown. "Why the fuck would I do that?"
Maria moves the wand slightly and studies the screen. I tighten my grip on Quinn's hand as we watch Maria. She turns our gaze on us and smiles. "Congratulations. You're having a boy."
I stare at the screen, unable to say anything. We’re having a boy. Our son. Beside me, Quinn makes a soft sound. I turn to look at her and see that she's crying.
"Quinn?"
She laughs through her tears. "We're having a boy."
I look back at the screen, at the tiny person kicking around without a care in the world.
Our son.
Maria keeps talking about measurements and growth and percentages, I hear none of it.
Because all I can think about is teaching him to ride a bike, teaching him to defend himself, teaching him how to be a good man. A better man than some of the ones we've known.
"Lorenzo?"
I blink and realize Quinn is watching me. "What?"
She smiles. "You've gone quiet."
