She nods, and I take her hand as we walk back into the dimly-lit room where the technician waits.
“Okay, let’s get back to it,” she says brightly as Sage settles herself on the bed. As the tech squirts some gelonto the end of the ultrasound wand, she says, “Dad, you can stand over on the other side of Mom so you can see the screen. So far, everything’s looking good. I see your estimated due date is” —she consults a piece of paper— “October tenth. And you’re measuring perfectly for twenty weeks. Now, let’s take a look at your little one.”
She moves the wand around, and I look down at Sage’s wide eyes. “This feels like I'm a little kid waiting for a movie to start at the theater.”
She snorts, then covers her mouth, looking up at me with mirth in her eyes. “Yeah, except the star of the show is inside my stomach.”
I grin back. “Minor detail.”
“Alright, Mom and Dad, here’s your baby.”
We both stare, mesmerized as the tech moves the wand slowly, and the grey blobs on the screen take the shape of an actual baby.
“Oh my God,” Sage whispers.
“That’s our kid,” I say, blinking back tears.
“Sure is. They’re quite active right now, but here are the feet. And up from there, you can see the curve of the spine.”
Sage makes an uncomfortable sound that instantly has me concerned. I tear my gaze away from the screen to look at her.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, running my hand up and down her leg.
“It’s just, um, that looks seriously creepy. Like, that’s inside of me? An entire freaking spine of another human being?”
The tech lets out a little chuckle. “Yep, that’s how this works.”
“Sage, are you seriously weirded out right now?” I ask, both amused and baffled. “You’re a nurse. And you know how babies are made.”
Sage smacks my hand lightly, but the grimace on her face has softened into a smile. “Yeah, I know, but come on, you can’t deny the fact that it’s kinda weird. Like, there’s a little alien growing in me.”
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Hey, that’s our little alien, and I happen to think they’re perfect.”
Sage’s nose scrunches up. “They are perfect. But maybe we won’t call them an alien.”
“You started it.”
The tech clears her throat, but when we turn our heads back to her, she looks amused, not annoyed. “You’d be surprised how many first-time moms have a moment like this when they first see their baby. Now, are we wanting to learn the gender today? Or keep it a surprise.”
“Oh.” Sage turns back to me. “We hadn’t decided. What do you think?”
“I’m happy either way, but I think I’d like to know.”
Sage nods. “Good, me too.” She turns to the tech. “We want to know.”
“Okay, well, congratulations. You’re having a girl!”
My chest tightens. “A girl.”
“Yes. She made it nice and easy for me to see, so even though I never say it’s a guarantee that I’m right, I feel pretty confidentthis time.”
“A girl,” Sage echoes me, squeezing my hand. A tear starts to spill down her cheek, and I gently wipe it away.
“She’s going to have me wrapped around her little finger, I just know it.” I laugh softly, shaking my head. “And my sister is gonna go nuts buying everything pink and purple.”
The tech prints out a bunch of photos for us before cleaning the gel off Sage’s stomach. “Alright, that’s it for today. Your care provider will get a full report by next week, but everything looks good.”
“Thank you,” I manage to tell her, still staring down at Sage in absolute wonder. The door snicks shut and now that we’re alone, I lean down and kiss her lips.
