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My breath catches, and I struggle to hold back a wave of emotions.
Fuck me!
This is it… my child.
I glance at Ella, her eyes are fixed on the screen, a mixture of awe and wonder painted across her face.
“Tiero,” she whispers, her voice quivering, “that’s our baby…”
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes. Fuck, I’m not going to cry, am I?
I manage a shaky smile. “Yes, it is,” I reply, my voice choked.
I engulf her hand in both of mine and bring it to my heart. Resting it there, I squeeze her hand tighter.
The doctor points out the various features as the ultrasound continues—tiny limbs, a developing spine, and the precious outline of a head.
I’m overwhelmed. Life is taking shape right before our eyes.
As the ultrasound progresses, the doctor’s voice fades into the background, and all I can focus on is the sight of that heartbeat flashing on the screen, a steady rhythm that seems to synchronize with my own.
Meeting Ella’s watery gaze, I brush a tear from her cheek.
“He’s alright, angel… all safe and snug inside you,” I whisper, my voice a blend of awe and tenderness.
Ella giggles, the sound so happy and relaxed it feeds my soul.
“Or her,” she corrects for the umpteenth time. It makes me chuckle too.
“I can’t wait to meet this little one,” she whispers, her voice full of love and wonder.
Dr. Barns prints out a couple of pictures and hands them to me. I feel like I’ve been given a great treasure. Right away, I take photos of them on my phone. I want to have a reminder of this miracle always with me.
As the doctor finishes up, I hold Ella close, our foreheads touching.
“Thank you, angel,” I whisper as I press my lips against hers. “Thank you for giving me this gift… for giving me your love and this opportunity to be a father. You’re making all my dreams come true.”
Who would have thought I’d have them in the first place?
“I want to show Rhia and Claudette the pictures of peanut,” Ella says as we leave Dr. Barns’ office hand in hand.
Santino and Roberto are shadowing us, but she doesn’t even notice. There’s a bounce in her step that I haven’t seen for a while. It amazes me just how much joy it brings me seeing her happy.
Dr. Barns assured us that our baby is perfectly healthy and developing exactly as it should.
Peanut remains unaffected by the earlier fall. The relief both Ella and I felt was almost physical in its intensity.
We enter the waiting room assigned to us. A few of my men are asleep on mattresses on the floor, while Ella’s friends are huddled together in a corner. Their gazes lift to us, and Ella rushes to them, waving the pictures in her hand.
The girls fall into each other’s arms, while Burg stands, hanging like a shadow over them, staring at me.
That sense of familiarity lingers around him. It’s just beyond my grasp. If only I could pinpoint it.
The rush of recognition, that swirling heat like sensation within, awakens again, mirroring that moment back at the Halifax docks. Now it’s clear—he was the one near the shed.
It’s not only Uberto’s advanced software matching the CCTV image that confirms it, but also my visceral response to him.
It’s unsettling. The unease persistent.
