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I quickly make my way to her side and kiss her tenderly. “It was fine. Numbers, meetings, phone calls. Boring stuff.”
She giggles. “Well then, you’re in for a real treat.”
“I thought our appointment was at two. I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“They had a last-minute schedule change, so they bumped me up. Don’t worry, I wasn’t alone for long. You got here ten minutes after I did.”
“Still,” I mumble.
“If you’re so worried about me, maybe you should take a page out of Luka’s book and start working from home.”
It’s definitely a tempting thought. I have a home office I rarely use. It’d be an easy enough transition to make, moving all my important company documents to the penthouse and video calling in for any important meetings. Now that Alina is five months pregnant, I really want to be around in case she needs me. She has an independent streak, always wanting to do things for herself, but I’m incredibly protective of her and our little one. Maybe to a fault, but Alina certainly doesn’t seem to have any complaints.
“I’ll make it happen,” I decide aloud. “Starting Monday, I’ll have everything moved.”
“Really?” she squeals in delight. “Oh, that makes me so happy!”
I reflect her smile. God, I adore this woman. “It makes me happy, too.”
Three soft knocks sound at the door. A short woman with a pink streak in her hair enters with a smile. Dr. Thorne is one of the best OB/GYNs in all of New York. Getting Alina on her list of patients was no easy feat, but I spared no expense and exhausted every contact I had to make sure Alina got in to see her.
“How’s Mom feeling today?” Dr. Thorne asks as she makes her way over to the ultrasound machine. “Any discomfort or nausea?”
Alina shakes her head. “It’s been smooth sailing.”
“That’s a lie,” I say. “She’s been having trouble sleeping.”
“Pyotr, I said it wasn’t a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal to me, my love. And she’s also been complaining about joint pains.”
Dr. Thorne nods knowingly. “Let me guess, trouble staying asleep because of frequent bathroom trips?”
Alina nods bashfully. “I’m convinced the baby thinks my bladder’s a trampoline.”
“That’s perfectly normal. The baby is currently positioned right over that particular area, so I recommend avoiding lots of fluids before bed. As for your joints, that’s also perfectly normal since your ligaments are stretching and your bones are moving to prepare for baby to grow. You can take Tylenol if it gets particularly bad.”
I nod as I listen, taking careful mental notes.
“Now, let’s take a peek, shall we?” The doctor presses a series of buttons on the ultrasound machine, the lowthwub-thwub-thwubof the device filling the room. After applying a bit of lubrication to Alina’s belly, Dr. Thorne presses the wand to her stomach.
I watch in quiet anticipation, almost too afraid to move. I can’t make sense of the black and white image on the screen, the shapes too difficult for me to decipher. After moving the wand for a little bit, the doctor settles on a single spot.
“How are things looking?” Alina asks, her voice soft and nervous.
“Perfectly healthy! I count ten fingers and ten toes.” The doctor gives us both a coy look. “Are Mom and Dad interested in learning the gender?”
I look at Alina. We’ve talked about this at length, many sleepless nights spent wondering about whether we’re going to have a boy or a girl. My elder brothers all knew ahead of time what their wives were expecting, but a part of me has always liked the idea of waiting it out. I’d be happy with either a boy or a girl, it makes no difference to me. All I care about is that they’re happy and healthy, and that I’m there to welcome them into the world.
“We want it to be a surprise,” Alina says with a giddy laugh. “It’s more fun that way.”
The doctor nods. “Well, if that’s the case, Baby Antonov is developing very nicely. I’ll step out for you to get changed, Alina, and on you way out, you can schedule your appointment for next month. If you change your mind about knowing the gender, just give me a call.”
“Thank you, doctor,” we say together.
* * *
“Well?” Luka asks us the moment we step out of the elevator. “Come on, don’t keep me hanging. I bet Dimitri a hundred bucks it’s going to be a boy.”
