“Can you lie down?” she asked me.
I spun to the side and laid flat on the mattress.
“Your blood pressure is still a little high, but it’s not worse. Have they been treating you okay in here?” she asked.
I nodded.
“You’re quiet, unlike the first time we met.”
“Nothing to say,” I finally told her.
“I’m going to lift your shirt, alright?”
“Okay.”
“The gel will be a little cold on your belly,” she said as she squeezed a small amount of gel on my lower stomach.
A tiny gasp escaped from me. It felt like an ice cube had hit my stomach. She put the wand onto my stomach and gently pressed in. She turned the dial on top of it. The small machine in her hand made a static noise at first, before making swishing noises. She moved the wand all around my stomach before moving it even lower.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The fast-thumping noise poured out of the speaker.
“That’s your baby,” she whispered.
A teardrop fell down my cheek. She held the Doppler in place as the thumping filled the small room.
“One hundred and fifty-six,” she said.
“Is that good?” I asked her.
“It’s perfect,” she said.
She pulled the wand from my stomach, wiped the gel away with a paper towel, and tucked the machine back into her bag.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked.
“Let me go home,” I whispered.
Her lips pursed, her eyes dropped.
“You know I can’t dothat,” she whispered back.
“Then no. I’ve been getting food and water. Every few days, they walk me to another cell that has a shower. It’s better than nothing, I s’pose.”
“I’ll be back in a few more weeks to check on you. I need to figure out a way for you to get an ultrasound in a couple of months,” she said.
I simply nodded at her.
She gathered her things, stood, and went to knock. A moment later it opened and she was gone. Whoever had accompanied her trailed down the hall, and eventually,Batmanwas the only sound left in the room.
“I’m Batman!”I called out the line right along with the movie.
“And I’m the Joker…”Quinnlyn said from outside the door, in the flattest voice.
“Just so you know, any movie you bring me, I’ll watch over and over and randomly say lines from it,” I said.
“Something I’ve learned,” he said, “I was thinking Bambi next.”
