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I nod my head.
“Well, are you okay for me to have a look and see if we can see anything?”
I frown at his insensitive words.
He’s quick to correct himself. “What I mean is, when an embryo is still very young, we cannot always see a heartbeat. I don’t want you to be disheartened if this is the case. It’s not uncommon to only see the gestation sac and the yoke sac. The fetal pole may not yet be visible. You may need to come back in a week or two to see the fetal pole.”
I have no idea what a fetal pole is. Clearly my face shows it.
“The fetal pole is the heartbeat, sweetie.” Sally squeezes my left hand. "He’s just saying because you don’t see it today, doesn’t mean it won’t be there next week.”
I flip my hand over to hold onto hers as I nod at the sonographer.
“Right, I’m going to place some cold jelly on your stomach.” He holds up the bottle to show me.
He puts the cold jelly to my stomach and places the probe low on my belly. I’m still in my underwear from the event, but Sally pops some paper towels over me to cover me. I smile at her in thanks.
“Ah, well, you’ll be pleased to know that I can see a viable pregnancy.” The sonographer points to his black and white fuzzy screen. All I can see are little circles and swooshes. “Here is the gestation sac, yoke sac.” He points to a little fluttering, “and this is a strong fetal pole.” He smiles up at me.
I burst into tears, seeing my little blob with its heartbeat fluttering away. I don’t think I’ve ever felt better than I do right now.
“Your scan dates you at five weeks and four days, but we will be able to be more accurate when we scan you at eleven weeks onward.” The sonographer, wipes the jelly off my stomach and starts to pack up.
I still have tears running down my cheeks as both the sonographer and Dr. Keeas leave the room.
“Well, congratulations.” Sally smiles. “We will give you a little time to calm down before we return you to your room.”
As I lay my head back, I can slightly relax. The baby is okay, I couldn’t be happier.
I place my left hand gently over my lower tummy. I’ve never been particularly religious, but in this moment, I send up a silent thanks to the powers that be.
As I close my eyes, the rest of the day plays out in my mind. I wonder what happened with the girls. I guess the guys got there in time as someone must have called for help for me. I fidget in my bed as I try to get comfortable.
Sleep soon takes me.
I’m vaguely aware of being returned to my room. When I’m pushed through the doors to my room, Momma is wrapped in Papa’s arms, crying quietly. She rushes over to me and gingerly sweeps my blooded and matted hair from my face.
I can feel my tears seeping over my lids.
“Sleep,cara,we’ll be here when you wake,” she soothes.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep when I hear the door creaking, and it has me opening my eyes. To my utter elation, I’m face-to-face with Bea.
“Cam,” she chokes.
I put my left arm out to her and croak, “Bea.” My throat feels so dry.
I force my words out, though. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you and Nell,” I cry.
She hurries towards me and takes my outstretched hand, perching herself on the side of my bed.
“Cam, you got shot. You were the bravest out of all of us. This is all my fault. You have nothing to be sorry for,” she cries.
I don’t miss Leo moving close behind her.
“I’m guessing her being abducted isn’t going to make you any less possessive?” I laugh.
Rookie error, though, as the motion of laughing causes me to have a coughing fit, which sends shards of pain slicing through my right side.
