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Anna smiled at him as she took his hand. Cade was genuinely worried, but there wasn’t anything she could say to ease his mind. She hoped he would relax after this doctor visit. He was stressing her out, not to mention how little sleep he was getting. To be totally honest, she was as worried about his health as he was about hers.
The instant she’d told him she was expecting, he’d developed a nervous tick. He would bounce his knee like a hyper teenager. She could always gauge his level of worry by the speed of the bounce. And today he was generating enough energy with his knee to light a small city.
“Anna Le Beau?” a nurse called from the doorway leading to the exam rooms.
“Here!” Cade yelled, louder than was necessary.
Anna tried to hide her giggle as the nurse chuckled with an amused twinkle in her eye. No doubt she dealt with anxious fathers every day.
“Your weight is good and your blood pressure looks fabulous. Put this gown on with the opening to the front so the doctor can do the ultrasound. The doctor will be with you in a few minutes.” Halfway out the door, she turned and winked at Anna. “I’ll have a chair brought in for your husband. Daddies often get wobbly knees when they see their baby for the first time. We can’t have him in the hospital with a concussion, now, can we?”
Cade glanced back and forth between the nurse and Anna, trying to figure out if she was serious or joking. Crap, she looks serious. Well, he would show her. He wasn’t one of those weak, fainting men.
Thankfully the doctor didn’t make him wait too long. Just as he was about to start pacing, the door opened, and the nurse returned with a tiny gray-haired woman and a chair.
She must be the doctor.
“Anna, how are you today?”
“I feel great.”
“This handsome devil must be the daddy.”
Anna laughed at his shocked expression. “Yes, this is my husband, Cade.”
“Hello, Cade,” Dr. Marjorie said shaking his hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“You look a little worried, Cade, so let me put your concerns to rest. I’m doing the ultrasound to check on the baby’s progress and verify the due date. That’s it. Most spouses come in nervous with crazy ideas rolling around in their heads that something terrible is wrong. So you can relax, the baby and Anna are perfectly healthy.”
Cade nodded and expelled a huge breath he’d been holding.
Thank Goddess!
“Okay, let's get this started. Sorry if the gel is a little cold."
Dr. Marjorie moved the wand back and forth as she silently stared at her computer monitor. Just when Cade was about to lose his mind, she spoke.
"As I look things over and record measurements, I’ll take some screenshots for you to keep. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything I’m seeing in a moment."
The doctor held the wand in place and increased the volume. Instantly, the rapid fluttering of a heartbeat filled the room. Cade’s eyes grew huge.
“Is that…”
“That’s the sound of your daughter’s strong, healthy heart,” Dr. Marjorie said with a grin.
Cade stared into Anna’s eyes, squeezing her hand tighter. “A daughter? We’re having a girl?”
Tears of joy welled in Anna’s eyes. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
Cade looked at the doctor. “Are you sure? How can you tell?”
Marjorie adjusted the screen so he could see the image better. “See right here? Those are her legs. Do you see anything between them?”
The sight of his baby, larger than life on the computer screen, left him speechless. All he could manage was a shake of his head. As he stared at his daughter, a loud gasp erupted from his lips. She moved! He just watched his baby move. A single, silent tear rolled down his cheek as he was struck by the immense emotions bombarding him. His daughter hadn’t even been born yet, and he was in love with her already.
Anna watched him closely as he sucked in a shaky breath and listed to the side. “Babe, you need to sit down. I don’t want you to faint, and I promise you’ll still be able to see from there.”
Without taking his eyes off the monitor, Cade lowered himself to the chair. Little lines began to appear as the doctor took measurements, and then it was over. He wanted to bare his teeth and growl in protest when the image froze, and the live feed of his daughter was taken from him.
