Chapter 72 The sound of us
CHAPTER 72: The sound of us
Vera
I was at the hospital waiting room, surrounded by the low hum of hushed conversations and the crinkle of maternity magazines. I sat stiffly, my fingers twisting the rings around my finger to distract myself from the heavy, hollow ache in my chest that had refused to lift since breakfast this morning.
To make it worse today, everywhere I looked, there were couples. Men with their arms draped protectively over their wives' shoulders—women leaning into their partners, sharing private smiles and conversations over a future they were building together. It suddenly hit me that I'd never have that.
I was alone. Surprisingly, it hurt. A lot.
“Mrs Rutherford?” the nurse called out. “The doctor will see you now.”
I stood up, and a mild, stinging protest shot through my hips and the sensitive skin between my legs. The soreness had dulled a bit, but I still felt him. I sucked in a breath, forced to move with a slow, careful gait as I followed the nurse.
Every step was a silent, aching reminder of Silas’s intensity from the night before…a memory that felt jarringly out of place in the face of my isolation in this sterile, brightly lit hallway.
Inside the office, Dr. Caleb looked up from his desk, his expression warm and welcoming.
“Good morning, Mrs Rutherford. How are we feeling today?”
“I’m alright, Doctor,” I replied, sitting down carefully, suppressing a wince.
He closed the file before him, picking and opening my own chart.
“Any nausea? Dizziness? The morning sickness still lingering?”
“A little of both. Most mornings I feel a hundred percent. The other days, I can barely get out of bed,” I replied. But it's nothing I can't handle.”
He hummed, tapping his pen against the desk. “It’s quite normal for pregnant women.” He leaned forward, eyes narrowing introspectively. “You’re looking a bit pale. Something wrong?”
“I'm alright, Doctor,” I replied, suppressing a wince. “Just a bit tired.”
A strange glint of understanding passed in his eyes.
“Understandable.” He glanced at the empty seat beside me, his brow furrowing slightly. “And your husband? I was expecting him to join us for this milestone today.”
I forced a neutral smile, the honest lie tasting like lead on my tongue.
“He wanted to be here today. But he was caught up with work at the office. Something urgent came up that required his personal attention. He sends his apologies.”
The elderly doctor didn’t look pleased, his lips thinning as he made a note. “Work is a demanding mistress, I suppose. But today is significant.”
He let out a small sigh and stood up, gesturing toward the examination table.
“Well, let’s get started. Today is the day we hear the heartbeat, and if the little one is cooperating, we’ll find out the gender. Are you nervous, Mrs Rutherford?”
“A little,” I admitted, my heart beginning to hammer against my ribs. “And excited.”
My heart hammered against my ribs, a mix of raw nerves and a sudden, sharp spike of excitement. In the midst of all the chaos in my life, I had barely had time to focus on the baby, but I was still excited to hear the little heartbeat I had been nurturing. My child.
“Is it time?”
“Whenever you're ready,” he said, gesturing toward the table. “Lay down and pull up your shirt.”
I moved to the exam table, my breath coming in shallow hitches. I lay on the examination table and pulled up my shirt to reveal the slight curve that was forming.
But just as the doctor reached for the tub of gel, the door opened.
The door swung open, and Silas walked in.
I blinked, convinced I was imagining it, but there he was, in that same charcoal suit and dark overcoat he had worn this morning, every hair in place, his expression a mask of cool, unshakable calm. He looked as though he had simply walked from one boardroom to another.
Dr Caleb was surprised. “Mr Rutherford.”
“Apologies, Doctor,” Silas said, his voice deep and smooth, filling the sterile room instantly. “I hope I'm not late? My meeting ran longer than anticipated.”
“Not at all,” Dr. Caleb replied, his face clearing into a smile. “Just in time. We were about to start.”
Silas's gaze flickered to me and my heart skipped beats. He didn't say a word to me at first. He crossed the room and walked straight to the side of the table, his presence a towering weight.
Then, with a fluid, practiced motion, he reached down and took my hand. His fingers laced through mine, his grip firm and warm in a display of supportive, public affection that felt dangerously real.
“I'm sorry I'm late, darling,” he said tenderly.
I blinked one, twice. I couldn't speak. My throat had suddenly closed up. I nodded when I remembered I was supposed to say something; the doctor was watching.
Dr Caleb cleared his throat once. A conscious attempt to grab our attention.
“Shall we proceed now?”
“Go ahead, Doctor,” Silas commanded quietly. “Proceed.”
He stood so close I could feel the heat radiating from his frame, and my own skin ignited.
“This is going to be a bit cold,” Dr Caleb informed me, bringing over the cold gel.
I nodded.
When he applied the cold gel, I winced from the sudden sensation. Just as he began to move the transducer, Silas squeezed my hand firmly. A strange electric current bolted through me at the sensation of his palm against mine.
My breath hitched.
I looked up at him, to find his gaze on the screen. Almost as if he felt my stare, he looked down at me. His dark eyes were intense, pinning me to the spot. There was something there that I could not understand.
I could strongly feel that he felt the same thing I felt; a tether pulling between us. It was terrifying, wild, unbelievable…and dangerous.
Laying there, with the doctor moving the probe over my stomach and Silas holding my hand with that look in his eyes, it was all too much for me. I forgot how to breathe.
Suddenly the room filled with a sound…a rapid, rhythmic, and incredibly steady pulse.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
The sound of the heartbeat echoed off the walls, vibrant and strong, breaking the spell of the silence.