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“A while ago,” I say ruefully, remembering that my hot dog and pizza were already delivered to the house, and I didn’t get to eat them.
“Is she moving around a lot? They tend to be pretty active after you’ve eaten.”
I put my hand on my stomach. “Not at the moment, but she’s usually pretty active.” I take off my coat and get on the gurney, lying back and adjusting the pillow under my head. Binx jumps up with me, sitting at the foot of the bed, staying out of the way but still offering me comfort. We wait a good fifteen minutes until Abby’s OB friend comes in.
“Hi,” she says, going to the little sink in the room to wash her hands. “I’m Dr. Forester. I heard you tripped and fell?”
“Yeah. I’m such a klutz,” I lie.
“Are you in any pain?”
I look at Abby, wondering if I should fake it so I get special treatment, though I don’t want it to be too special where the OB thinks I need further monitoring. Abby ever so slightly shakes her head.
“No,” I tell Dr. Forester. “I’m just freaked out. This is my first baby, and we didn’t think we’d even be able to get pregnant.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be sure things are okay. Let me check you out and then we’ll take a look at Baby.” She pulls up my shirt, revealing my belly, and feels for my uterus, the same way the midwife does.
“Nothing is tender?”
“No.”
“How far along are you?”
“Nineteen weeks.”
She dims the lights in the room and wheels a stool over, sitting next to the bed. The ultrasound machine is already fired up, and Dr. Forester gives me paper towels to roll into the waistband of my leggings before she puts a clear jelly on my stomach.
There’s a computer on the tiny counter next to the sink, and it syncs to the screen on the ultrasound machine. My heart starts to speed up, and I reach for Lucas’s hand. He’s standing next to the bed, eyes on the screen.
“Do you know what you’re having?” Dr. Forester asks and puts the wand on my stomach, moving it around until something comes into view. Lucas grips my hand tight, and if he could breathe, he’d be holding his breath right now.
“A girl.”
“Ah, there she is.”
A black-and-white image comes up on the screen, and I’m taken aback and instantly emotional. The outline of our baby’s head is clear, and I can make out the cutest little nose.
“She’s beautiful,” Lucas whispers.
“Did you see that?” Dr. Forester asks, moving the wand a tad. “She just yawned.”
“I did see,” I say, voice all choked up. Lucas gives my hand a squeeze and looks down at me, eyes so full of love. Abby is at the end of the bed, smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Dr. Forester moves the wand around again, pushing against my stomach harder than I expected. It’s not comfortable, but it’s not painful, either. She takes different measurements, and Elena flips over, showing us her butt.
“Yes, you definitely have a little girl in there. See those three lines?”
“Oh, Cal,” Abby says, hand landing on my ankle. I told her we were having a girl because my archangel father told me so, but seeing it on the screen makes it legit for her. “Penny is going to love having a cousin.”
Dr. Forester takes some more measurements, tells me my placenta looks good, whatever that means, and lets us listen to Elena’s heart beating. Lucas gets out his phone and records a small clip so we can watch and listen again later. I don’t think I’ll be able to come get another ultrasound again, but at least we know how she’s a perfectly healthy human baby girl.
And I’ll be damned before I let anything happen to her.Chapter 22“It’s good to be home,” I say, dropping my purse onto the floor. Binx shadows ahead, getting away from Scarlet, who’s bounding over, sounding like an entire herd of horses running through the house all at once. Freya and Pandora greet me much more gracefully, and I scoop up Freya, running a hand over her fur.
“What have you guys been up to?” I ask them, going right for the fridge to get out the cooked turkey I made a few days ago. Everyone gathers around me now, and Scarlet lets out the most pathetic, high-pitched whine. “Must be nice,” I grumble when Pandora lets me know she and Freya lounged around the conservatory, lying in the sunlight while keeping an eye on the protective lines that circle the house.
“I had an interesting day,” I go on, popping the lid off the Tupperware of turkey. “I accidentally summoned a demon, Lucifer came back for a hot minute, and I’m trying hard to let go of the shit that went down between the Martins and myself, but I’m finding it really hard.” I give my familiars each a handful of turkey and put two pieces in Scarlet’s bowl.
