Chapter 118 118
Chapter 118 118
Dr. Wright completed the exam and helped Sherry to sit up. Everything seemed to be fine, the doctor told them, much to their relief. Then the doctor pulled a funny-looking instrument, like a tiny microphone, from a drawer near the exam room sink. “Let’s see if we can find the baby’s heartbeat.”
Sherry had read about hearing the heartbeat. The notion both thrilled and terrified her.
“Just lie back,” Dr. Wright said, lifting up Sherry’s exam gown to reveal her bare belly. She squirted some liquid on to her skin. “Just a bit of gel. It’ll help pick up the sound.”
A crackling sound like an old transistor radio broke out in the room. Justin inched closer to Sherry, bewildered. “We’ll actually hear the baby’s heartbeat?”
The doctor nodded, moving the instrument over Sherry’s stomach. “The heart forms and starts beating from a very early stage.”
More static came from the small speaker the doctor held in her hand. Pops. Snaps. A rapid, watery sound rang out—likes waves at the beach on fast-forward. Whoosh whoosh whoosh. A smile spread across Dr. Wright’s face. She nodded, consulting the instrument. “There’s your baby.”
Justin held his breath. Whoosh whoosh whoosh. He’d never been so overtaken by shock and wonder, both at the same time. The miracle of the moment began to sink in, but it wasn’t a weight. The baby was not an idea or an abstract—the life that he and Sherry had created, against all odds, was real. A tiny human, with a heart and everything. Whoosh whoosh whoosh. He’d never been so affected by a sound. That sound and the life force that created it needed him. Sherry needed him. And he would not let either of them down.
Sherry looked up at him, her eyes wide with astonishment. “Our baby,” she muttered.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” he said, taking and gently squeezing her hand. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, but he was acting on pure instinct. She didn’t protest, which felt like such a gift. “It’s so fast.”
“It’s a tiny heart, Mr. Covington. It doesn’t know any other speed.”
“And what does the baby look like right now? When can we see it?” It? That didn’t sound right at all. “I mean him.”
“Or her...” Sherry added, smiling.
It was the first truly light moment of the appointment or for that matter, since she’d told him she was pregnant. He was so grateful for it. Finally, some good news.
“Or her,” Justin agreed. “When can we see him or her?” He was no longer surprised by the excitement in his voice. It was impossible not to get caught up in the moment.
“We’ll schedule an ultrasound for next week. I’d like to do some 3D imaging. For now, the baby looks like a peanut with a big forehead.”
“Hmmm,” Justin said. Had his dad been this involved when his mother was pregnant with him? Had he gone to a single doctor’s appointment? Justin doubted it greatly. It was too bad—he’d missed out on so much. Justin wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything. It was only made better by the fact that he was with Sherry. Now if he could only convince her to stop tabling romance and let him back into her heart.
The doctor put away the monitor and wiped off Sherry’s stomach.
“Where can I buy one of those?” Justin asked. Being able to listen to the baby’s heartbeat any time they wanted would be amazing. His mind drifted to thoughts of him and Sherry in bed, listening to their baby’s whoosh. Certainly their baby had an exceptional whoosh, far better than other babies’ whooshes.
“There are inexpensive ones, but they don’t work very well. The quality ones are more expensive,”
“Oh yeah. We need one of those. Can your nurse order one for me?”
“That’s a big expense for something you’ll only use for another six months.”
“And you think I really care about that,” Justin replied. “Because I don’t.”
Sherry shook her head, grinning at him. “He doesn’t care about that. At all.”
Dr. Wright left after giving some advice, and a promise that they would all talk after the ultrasound. It was a scary, but exciting proposition, the thought of actually seeing the baby. He could only imagine how he would feel then. Everything that had just become so real would be even more so.
Walking down the hospital hall, riding on the elevator, through the lobby and back outside into the cold, gray day, Justin could hear that peculiar whooshing in his head. He and Sherry and the baby were in the most precarious of situations, and he was determined to hold on to it with both hands. That wasn’t at all the way he’d expected he would feel after today, but the heartbeat had changed everything.
___________
“Are you doing okay over there?” Justin asked as the limo sped along to Sherry's apartment.
Sherry looked out the window, entranced by the city passing her by, the people bustling along the sidewalks, in a rush that never ended. Had any of them received any life changing news lately? Probably. She wasn’t so foolish to think she was the only person with issues.
“Sherry.” Justin placed his hand on her shoulder. “Talk to me. It’s okay if you’re upset after the appointment. It was a lot to take in. I understand.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to fixate on his touch, which called to her, even through her coat. Being with him brought back a lot of wonderful feelings, but something tempered it. Could she count on him? For real? She turned back to him, fighting the tears that welled at the corners of her eyes. “Do you, Justin? Do you really get it? Because our baby is inside me and you know I never planned on becoming a mother now.”
He nodded eagerly. “I know Sherry, and I would be a fool for even thinking you shouldn't be concerned, but I understand and I’m telling you that I'm going to be here for you. The second we heard the baby’s heartbeat, I knew I had to. I want to. So I do understand, Sherry,”
She sat back in the seat, picking at a spot on the leg of her pants. It was hard to look him in the eye—he was so upbeat and eager, but was that just the rush of the appointment? Would it wear off?
“Come here,” he said, pulling her into his embrace. He rubbed her back as her head settled on his shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”