Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
We retreat to separate rooms for most of the evening. Despite the long journey home, I have plenty to take care of when we arrive – and I insist that Alana sit down on the sofa as soon as we arrive and not move again.
I unpack our things and put our clothes away or in the laundry hamper. I then arrange the souvenirs Alana picked out for her family on a table ready to be wrapped and dealt with by the pile of mail that is waiting on a table by the front door.
When I’m done and return to the sofa to ask Alana if she wants to eat before bed or if she’s tired enough to go straight to sleep I find that she’s no longer there.
I sigh to myself.
She is going to be the death of me, making me worry like this.
“Alana?” I call out.
“In the kitchen,” she shouts back, her voice a little distant but audible.
I move through the hall and find her standing at the counter, leaning over it with her arms in front of her. Curiously, it looks like something is within the arc of her arms, mostly hidden by her long blonde hair.
“Why aren’t you resting?” I ask, pretending to be cross even though I’m really just worried.
Alana lifts her head and smiles.
“I had Hamish bring me something,” she says. “I texted him from the airport. He was kind enough to have it ready not long after we got back, and I just got it ready to show you.”
“What is it?” I ask, wondering where this is going. We have everything we could possibly need. After all, we only just got back from our honeymoon with suitcases full of gifts and souvenirs.
Alana leans back, moving her hands and hair out of the way, and then I see it.
A pregnancy test is sitting on a napkin.
I know in my heart of hearts that it’s true, but I can’t stop myself from stealing a closer look.
Two lines cross over one another to form a plus sign.
Positive.
“You’re…,” I say, unable to finish the sentence in my awe.
“Having morning sickness, yes,” Alana says with a chuckle. “I’m pregnant”
A chuckle that turns into a shriek when I lift her off the ground and spin her around in sheer joy, overwhelmed with the new knowledge that is sinking into my heart.
I’m going to be a father.
EPILOGUE
FOUR MONTHS LATER
Alana
“Are you ready?” Finlay asks.
I glance up at him. I’ve been watching my stomach, admiring the slow rise of it, finally something I can physically feel under my hand – even if it isn’t totally obvious to others yet.
“Ready?” I say. “I’ve been ready for four months!”
Finlay chuckles and kisses the back of my hand.
“Alright, lovely,” the nurse says. “Can you lift up your shirt for me? I’m going to pop this paper into your waistband so your clothes don’t get gel on them, is that alright?”
I nod, pushing my shirt over my stomach and wriggling a little in anticipation.
This isn’t my first scan, so I know what comes next. The gel is cold, but I don’t mind.
“There we are,” the nurse says, squirting gel onto my stomach and then plopping the ultrasound wand down onto it. “Ah! And there’s your little one. They are ready for us today!”
I chuckle, watching the screen with rapt attention just as Finlay is. I can’t tear my eyes away. “So much bigger than last time,” I breathe.
The nurse chuckles back. “Yes, they do grow fast. I’m going to do a quick check of everything first, make sure all systems are a go, and then we’ll be able to find out the sex of your baby at the end if you’d like.”
“Yes, please!” I blurt out so fast that the nurse can barely even finish speaking. Finlay laughs and squeezes my hand. Neither of us looks away from our baby's image on the screen.
It’s only a black and white image, and most of the details are lacking. Instead of the baby’s no doubt adorable face, there is just a white outline. The whole body is the same.
It’s also possible to see through their little body, the organs, bones, and even the tiny pulsing of their heart.
It’s magical.
Wonderful.
My breath catches with every new discovery, hands, and feet positioned in a sleepy pose. Functioning kidneys. The curve of their spine, and with a little push of the wand against my skin, tiny ribs are revealed.
“Alright,” the nurse says, finally. “We’ve got all parts present and correct, it seems. Now for the sex, yes?”
“Yes!” I exclaim, so eager to get on with it, so impatient.
I just want to know.
The nurse brings the wand down on my belly and pushes down a little, and says, “There we are. I don’t see any evidence of a penis, so it looks like you’re having a bouncing baby girl.”