She returns to the magazine spread open across her thighs, ignoring me again. The waiting room is small and there’s only one other couple here. The husband eyes Donovan and moves a little closer to his very pregnant wife, who is scrolling on her phone. I wonder if he’s nervous because of my bodyguard, or because of the impending birth of his child. And the myriad things that could go wrong. My gut knots and I shift in my seat.
The walls are covered in framed posters illustrating the various stages of pregnancy. Another depicts a woman discreetly breastfeeding. There’s a series of black and white photographs of a woman giving birth, her bottom half covered with a drape. Can’t get too graphic, I guess, or every man who set foot in here would bolt.
After an eternity of sitting in silence, a nurse with a clipboard comes out and says, “Francesca? You can come back now.”
Frankie stands, and I do too, but she shoos me back to my seat.
“Sit down. I don’t want you going back there.”
“I thought—”
“Just wait here with Donovan,” she says, gliding away.
I drop back down in the chair, a little stung that she doesn’t want me in there, but also a little relieved I won’t be going back to see all the instruments and needles and…things. I glance back over at Donovan. Still reading. I should have brought a book, too.
The minutes tick by while I look around the room. Up at the ceiling. Make awkward eye contact with the other man across the waiting room. Why is this taking so long?
What if something is wrong?
Frankie told me to be here, and I was. Hell, I was early. I should be back there with her. I should be doing…something. Shouldn’t I? It’s my kid, too, for fuck’s sake.
The longer I sit, the more pissed off I get. Restless, I finally stand up—planning to march myself to the exam room and demand to hold a chart or something—but before I take two steps, the same nurse who took Frankie away opens the door and pops her head into the waiting area.
“Mr. Bellanti?”
“Yes?”
“The preliminary exam is done, so you can come on back. Right this way.”
Relieved, I follow her into the hall.
“How’d it all turn out?” I ask anxiously. “Is it all…normal?”
She just smiles. “Dr. Shirvani will have details for you, and she can answer any questions you have. But since your wife’s blood draw is finished, it’s time for the sonogram.”
Sonogram? My heart jumps in my chest. I’m suddenly more excited than I ever thought possible. I’m about to see my kid for the first time.
We enter the room to find Frankie lying on a padded table, her belly exposed. There’s a slight bump there that I’ve noticed, but she’s been wearing fall layers that keep it hidden—so this is the first full-on, daylight look I’m getting at it. I can’t help staring at it, fascinated. There’s a baby in there. Our baby. Growing bigger and stronger every single day.
Frankie reaches out her hand, looking slightly scared. I go to her side immediately.
“I’m still mad at you,” she whispers. “But I didn’t want you to miss this.”
Dr. Shirvani comes in just then, all smiles as she greets me, shakes my hand, and then quickly gets down to business. Once there’s a thick layer of gel on Frankie’s abdomen, the doctor puts the wand just below her belly button and starts slowly moving it around.
“Look!” Frankie points to the screen.
And…oh my God. “I see a head. And hands.”
“Yes. And right there, those are the feet,” the doctor says. “You can also see the heartbeat, but it won’t be audible for another few weeks.”
Frankie’s hand is tight on mine. I stare at the screen in awe, as if I’m taking in a star-studded night sky full of unknowable galaxies. My vision blurs, making me blink a few times.
“Would you like to know the sex?” The doctor looks between us. “Technically, it’s just an anatomical determination.”
I panic, looking to my wife for help. She looks a little panicky, too.
“Damn that stone face of yours,” she says. “Do you want to know or not?”
