“Ah, good.”
“That’s the baby’s heart? It’s so fast,” Peanut said sounding worried. Phoebe felt a smile touch her lips as tears threatened to spill. Up until this very moment, the baby hadn’t seemed real. Yes, she knew she was pregnant and she’d started to prepare, but somehow hearing the heart beating made everything real. Her own heart beat a little faster and she felt a surge of protectiveness flow through her. She hadn’t been surprised by the fast rate of the baby’s heart because the book she’d been reading had given facts about each week and what was happening with the baby’s growth. The heart rate had been listed as well.
“Yes, babies’ hearts beat much faster than adults. This is about one hundred and twenty-seven beats per minute which is perfect if Phoebe’s estimation of her due date is accurate. We will be determining that with the ultrasound today. I’d like to be sure, especially since up until now she hasn’t had any prenatal care. If Phoebe is right about the sixteen-week estimation. I can say that everything so far looks good. We need to be sure that everything is developing well and that she is correct on the dates. The blood tests will tell us more as well. With first time pregnancies I like to do an ultrasound at fifteen weeks and then again at twenty to twenty-two weeks. I’ve learned in the years that I’ve practiced that most preventable issues with pregnancy happen in the first trimester and checking early helps to head off some problems that can be prevented with proper care.”
Peanut didn’t say anything more but when the doctor left a few minutes later to set up the ultrasound with her nurse leaving them in an awkward silence, Phoebe felt his eyes on her. She didn’t look at him, just stared at her feet and wondered what he was thinking. Phoebe was relieved a few moments later when the nurse returned to take them to the ultrasound tech. Phoebe was asked to lie down on the table and her shirt was tucked up into her bra and her stretchy pants were pulled below her belly. Peanut watched from the chair he’d been directed to when they entered.
“This might be cold,” Patty, the tech, warned with a little grin.
She felt a squirt of wet liquid on her belly and the woman began to run the wand over her stomach. The whooshing sound started up again and she could see the image of her baby on the screen.
Holy crap!
Phoebe didn’t know why she was feeling so out of sorts. She’d known she was pregnant for weeks, this shouldn’t be a shock. Only it was. She was really having a baby. The tiny figure looked so perfect. She could see the hands moving and the tiny feet kicked. The tech was marking and measuring things and she felt anxiety grip her.
Was something wrong with the baby? Would this reveal something bad?
“She’s so perfect,” Peanut’s awed voice came from the other side of the room. She looked at him and saw that he was leaning forward with his eyes trained on the baby. His assertion and the rapt focus he had on the screen cut through the anxiety she was feeling.
“It might be a boy,” Phoebe found herself saying.
“No, she’s definitely a girl,” Peanut insisted.
“Do you want to know the sex?”
“No,” Peanut said at the same time she said, “Yes.”
“Well that’s clear as mud. I can write it down and that way dad won’t know the sex,” Patty offered.
“No, tell us,” Peanut said, again not denying being the baby’s father.
“Let me show you instead,” Patty said with a huge grin as she moved the wand around a bit until she found what she was looking for.
“See this here? He’s a bit of a shower.” Patty laughed at her own joke.
“He’s still perfect,” Peanut said.
Phoebe couldn’t argue with that. She felt her chest swell with such a wave of love that she couldn’t seem to hold in the tears that slipped from her eyes. Peanut glanced at her with a silly grin on his face.
“We’re having a boy. Jasmine’s going to be so pissed,” he said, like the baby really was his.
“I don’t think she will care either way,” Phoebe said dryly.
Jasmine had been ecstatic about the announcement of the baby. Phoebe hadn’t planned on telling Jasmine just yet, but Peanut had insisted that they tell Jasmine that she was pregnant in case something happened. She’d protested at first, but he’d talked her into it. He’d convinced her by asking what if she passed out or was hurt and couldn’t tell the paramedics and they gave her something that hurt the baby. That wouldn’t be an issue for much longer with her growing stomach, but the question had been sound so she’d given in.
“Yeah, you might be right. She is super excited to help with the baby,” Peanut chuckled.
“Oh, is this your second child? I think they marked that down wrong in the chart,” Patty asked frowning.
“No, Jasmine’s my daughter. This is Phoebe’s first pregnancy,” Peanut replied.
“Ah, right. Well I have everything I need. Here are some photos for your baby book.” Patty handed her three black and white photos of the baby she’d printed before wiping down her belly. She stood with a smile.
“I will send Dr. Gilbert in to talk with you but feel free to sit up and get comfortable.” Patty left the room, shutting the door and leaving them in the darkened room alone.
It felt intimate and a little too quiet in the room after their conversation of a few moments ago. She tugged her shirt down and looked at the photos of
