Page 74 of Craving You

It felt like forever for the doctor to come back with the ultrasound machine. “We’re going to start with a transabdominal ultrasound—which means it’s external, over the belly. With your dates, that puts you at almost ten weeks, so this is typically what we use. If I can’t get a good view of the baby, then we’ll switch to a transvaginal ultrasound. That’s when we use a wand-like transducer that’s inserted into the vagina to scan the fetus and uterus.”

She really hoped the external one worked.

“Are you ready?” he asked as he lifted her hospital gown and applied some warm gel to her lower belly.

Hailey held Max’s hand and nodded.

Here we go…

The machine made a swooshing sound and she had no idea what they were looking at, but that didn’t keep her from frantically trying to find something that even remotely resembled a baby. Her heart was hammering almost painfully, but no matter how much she stared and squinted, it all just looked like static to her.

But just when she was ready to give up, the doctor’s hand stopped. “You hear that?” he quietly asked. “That is your baby’s heartbeat.”

“Wh…what? Really?” she asked, afraid to believe what she was hearing.

“It’s so fast,” Max said, his voice full of wonder. “Is that normal?”

“Completely normal,” he assured them before pointing out where the baby was on the screen. “Right now, he’s about the size of a strawberry, but from everything I’m seeing, he’s totally fine.”

“He? It’s a boy?” Max asked, and Hailey could hear how hopeful he was.

“Sorry,” the doctor said with a small laugh. “It’s definitely too soon to tell. I just typically pick a pronoun when we do these tests. I didn’t mean to get your hopes up.”

“Oh.”

“So if everything’s okay, why did I have those cramps and why was I bleeding?” Hailey asked.

“You mentioned earlier that you read that those symptoms are normal,” he explained. “And they are. Spotting is also normal in the first trimester. Your body is going through a lot of changes, but you were smart to come in to be seen.”

She let out a long sigh of relief.

“However,” he went on, “You were mildly dehydrated. I’m calling in a prescription for some prenatal vitamins for you, and you definitely need to drink more water, okay?”

She nodded.

“You can call your OB-GYN for a follow-up appointment. In the meantime, get some rest, and you should resume normal activity in a few days. Any questions?”

They both shook their heads and thanked him.

“The nurse will be in with your discharge papers in a few minutes. You can get dressed, and we’ll have you out of here as soon as we can.” He shook Max’s hand and then Hailey’s before leaving the room.

Max helped her up from the bed and neither said a word while she put her clothes back on. Once she was done, she forced herself to look at him.

“I feel so stupid.” Shaking her head, she still couldn’t believe the whole situation. “I should have just called Jade first instead of panicking.”

“Hey,” he said softly, wrapping his arms around her. “You were scared, and you had every reason to be. And for the record, we both panicked.” Placing a kiss on the top of her head, he held her a little closer. “There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. We’re not the first pregnant couple to rush to the emergency room for something normal, and we won’t be the last.”

“I guess.” But she still felt foolish. Sighing, she pulled back and looked at him. “Thanks for being so calm through all of this. I was freaking out and you just…you totally held it together and took care of everything.” A smile tugged at her lips. “You’re kind of my hero right now.”

That seemed to please him because his smile was a little dazzling. “I’ve never been anyone’s hero before.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

He arched one dark brow at her.

“Do you remember the night we met?”

“Vividly.”

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