Page 51 of Blackout: Book Two

Team Girl.

Before the doctor can touch the probe to my stomach, my father’s phone rings.

“Wait!” he shouts, digging into his pocket for the ringing device. He pulls it out, and a smile spreads across his face as he accepts the call, but he doesn’t lift it to his ear. Instead, he puts it on speaker and hands it to me.

Suspiciously, I take the phone from him and glance at the screen. Seeing it’s a restricted number and recalling Blackie called from a restricted number, has my heart racing.

“Hello?”

“I think it’s about time we find out we’re having a girl for sure, don’t you?” Blackie replies.

“Oh my God!” my mother shrieks. “He called for the sex!”

“Jesus Christ, Connie,” my father hisses. “Get a hold of yourself.”

I tune the two of them out and close my eyes. Tears spill from my lashes and I silently thank God for making this possible. For giving the man I love one more chance at life and for allowing him to find the courage to take it.

“I love you,” I blurt into the phone.

I don’t even care that I have an audience or that the doctor probably thinks I’m a basket case.

This beautiful moment is mine.

All mine.

“I love you too, baby,” Blackie says hoarsely. “So damn much.”

I open my eyes and look at Dr. Heltzer.

“We’re ready,” I tell him, and he smiles at me. The probe touches my stomach and the room fills with the sound of our baby’s heartbeat. “Do you hear that, Blackie?”

Dr. Heltzer turns up the volume and the melody of healthy heart echoes off the walls.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

“I hear it,” he croaks.

“That’s her heart,” I whisper into the phone.

“A hundred and seventeen beats per minute,” Dr. Heltzer notes.

“Is that good?” my father asks.

“Perfect,” the doctor answers.

“Oh my God! I see a penis! Is that a penis?” My mother shrieks, reaching for the pair of glasses sitting on top of her head.

“That’s a leg,” Dr. Heltzer clarifies and Blackie laughs through the phone. “C’mon baby, let’s get a good view for mom and dad…ahh…there we go,” the doctor boasts, quickly freezing the frame on the screen.

“What are we looking at, doc?” my father hisses, squinting at the screen. “Connie, give me your glasses.”

Dr. Heltzer turns to me and smiles.

“Congratulations, you’re having a girl.”

“Really?” I sob.

He nods.

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