10

"The pleasure is mine," he nods.

"Come with me," she points to a bed.

I stand up while still glancing at Axel, swallowing hard when she asks me to lie down on the bed. I do so carefully, as I had decided to wear a skirt on this occasion. She tells me to lift my blouse to expose my entire abdomen, and I obey.

"Do you know how far along you are?" I shake my head, she puts on gloves while taking out a circular device. "Well, we'll find out in a few minutes," she smiles at both of us.

Her eyes sparkle as she places the device on my abdomen after applying some cold gel to the area. Axel watches her movements attentively. How she moves her hand, her blond locks falling forward, and her lips painted red as she begins to speak to me.

I hide my mischievous smile at her shiny and dilated gaze.

If it's meant to be, it will be.

"Alright, relax. Everything is fine with your baby. You're four months pregnant," I release a breath at the information, turning my face to hers and she smiles at me. "Congratulations."

She looks at us, and I run my hand over my face, looking at the black-and-white screen. Axel's hand tightens around mine when he notices something moving there. Meanwhile, in my mind, only one question passes through: Have I been four months pregnant and didn't realize it?

"Is everything okay?" the doctor laughs, I look at her worriedly as she continues to keep her gaze on the screen. "Doctor..."

"Everything is fine, dear," she observes me, her rosy cheeks extending as she smiles again. "Your baby seems to not want to be seen just yet."

"Is that bad?" I shake my head.

"No, it just means they're shy," I nod at her joke.

I exhale, calming down a little. Axel chuckles happily when he notices her sparkling eyes looking at the screen, and I can't help but smile.

How I wish he were here.

"Here it is," she celebrates.

The room falls into deep silence, where only one sound can be heard from the screen. I turn my head, astonished, hearing the beating of their heart.

"It's..."

"Yes," Axel finishes for me.

"Well, that's the strongest heartbeat I've ever heard," the doctor smiles, just as amazed as we are. She lets out a laugh, discreetly wiping her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I always end up crying in these cases."

Axel stops looking at the screen to look at her. My lips stretch into a smile as hers form a small one towards the woman trying to hold back her tears. I don't judge her; I find myself in the same situation as I watch the screen, captivated.

I turn my attention back to Axel, who is still fixated on the doctor. The way he looks at her makes my heart flutter with joy and longing. Whatever happened between them, I don't think it's over. At least not on his part.

"Can we know the gender?" he questions on my behalf.

The doctor looks up and nods.

"No," I determine, wiping my eyes. "I don't want to know."

"You both need to agree. The father wants to know, but the mother doesn't. What should we do?" she asks, looking at both of us with confusion.

I open my mouth to respond, but Axel speaks up before me.

"Whatever she says," he points at me, and I give him a half-hearted smile. "She's the mother. I'm just the dumb uncle."

I burst into laughter, and the doctor looks at me amused while I try to laugh and wipe my cheeks. Her eyes shift to Axel, then she nods, swallowing nervously and handing me a tissue to clean my belly. I do so while she removes her gloves.

We sit back down in front of her, and my eyes search her desk for something I can't find—her last name.

"I recommend you stay calm, don't get too worked up," I glance at Axel.

He smirks mockingly.

"That'll be hard, Christine."

"For you, doctor," he smiles falsely. I widen my eyes and mutter an "ouch" to my companion, who furrows his brow. "Before you leave, I'll give you the ultrasounds. We'll see each other again in two weeks to check on the progress of that little being. I'll give you vitamins for you and the baby."

I stand up, exhale and approach her, hugging her. She lets out a surprised groan, looking at Axel for an explanation, but he simply watches her silently. I smile.

"Thank you very much, doctor," I comment, stepping back.

My hands still clasped with hers, facing her.

"Call me Christine. And relax, it's normal to feel this way during your first pregnancy. Just try to stay calm and not get worked up, don't exert yourself too much. And love yourself even more during this stage of your life; it's the best. Besides taking care of your nutrition," she kisses my cheek and takes chocolate from her desk. I expose my teeth, looking at such a delicacy. "Here you go, for the next visit, I want you more relaxed. Do we have a deal?"

I erase my smile, observing her for several seconds before answering.

She feels familiar to me; I've heard her laughter and accent before. And her eyes...

"Deal," I take the chocolate when she offers it. "Thank you. Christine...?" I pause, hoping for an answer.

She waves her hand as if wanting to downplay something.

"Oh, just Christine," she smiles at me. "My secretary will give you the ultrasounds; you just have to wait a little. Until the next visit."

We say goodbye, and once we're outside, we sit down again to wait for the ultrasound. I unwrap my chocolate, looking at Axel while he continues to watch her as she talks to her secretary. When she feels Axel's gaze, she turns to look at him.

Only for a few seconds, but it was enough to notice the same sparkle in her eyes that my friend has.

How long

How long have they been apart?

"She's lovely," I inform.

He scoffs, grumbling, takes the chocolate from me, and takes a bite. I hit his arm for not asking.

"Just keep eating your chocolate," he scolds me before crossing his arms. "I don't understand why she didn't give me one."

"Maybe she's still mad at you for leaving her," I scoff.

He lets out an ironic laugh that throws me off guard. I leave my chocolate half-eaten when I notice his body tense, as well as his jaw.

"Impossible, considering she left me," he takes the chocolate from me.

This time, I don't react due to astonishment.

Uh, gossip.