Good.
But still, I couldn’t help but smile when he wasn’t looking.
“Hi,” I said. “We’re hoping to find out the gender today; is that possible?”
The doctor smiled as I laid on the bed, hitching my shirt up and trousers down. Victor leaned against the wall, staring at me with adoration, and possibly heat, in his eyes.
But I could be imagining that.
“Providing the baby is in the right position, yes.” The doctor squirted the cold gel on my belly, and my eyes met Victor’s.
This was it, the moment of truth.
“Okay, let me just take some measurements.” The doctor hummed, turning her head to the side with a small grin. “Great.” Then she moved the ultrasound transducer lower on my pelvis.
I winced, and Victor reached out for my leg, concern flooding his gaze.
“It’s my full bladder,” I told him. “It’s fine.”
But when he released my leg, I missed his touch.
“Perfect.” The doctor turned to look at us. “So, this is the brain; can you both see that?”
I froze, and Victor moved forward, peering at the screen with concentration. The doctor moved her finger down, pointing at something else.
“This is the heart. Pumping away beautifully there.”
I reached out for Victor’s hand, and he grabbed it in both of his.
“These are the eyes, and the nose…” The doctor pointed out our baby’s features as tears rolled down my cheeks.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Our baby.
The tiny hands were close to the head, and I couldn’t stop staring at it. The heart was strong, the spine perfectly formed.
“Oh, Victor.”
He lifted my hands to his lips and pressed them to my skin; his eyes locked on the screen.
“You both want to know the gender, correct?” the doctor checked glancing at both of us as we nodded in unison.
“Yes!”
“Okay, you’re having a little girl.”
My world stopped. I didn’t know what difference it made—because I loved my baby regardless—but something about it being a little girl made me burst into tears.
The doctor printed off the scan images and handed me some tissues. “I’ll leave you alone for a moment,” she said kindly before heading out the room, her white coat swishing and the door clicking shut behind her.
“A girl,” Victor said, still clamping my hand in his. “Baby…” He stared at me. “You’re fucking incredible, do you know that?” His voice was thick, and he kissed my hands repeatedly, until I finally spoke.
“You’re hurting my hand,” I stated with a laugh, tears still streaming down my face.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” Victor leapt up and released me, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand.
I reached for the tissues and began cleaning the gel off my belly, but my eyes were locked on Victor.
