Page 36 of The Wish List
“No, they weren’t. It’s a girl. I have to be having a girl.”
Freya squeezed her hand more firmly. “Listen to Beth, Trinny-bug. And me. I’m not an expert at reading ultrasounds, but that’s a penis.”
“Nope. You must have a bug on your machine.”
The technician sniffed. “Honey, a fly and a penis don’t look the same.”
Freya smiled, although Trinity had trouble focusing on it through the tears that sprang to her eyes. “I’m going to spoil my nephew so hard he’ll give a royal prince a run for his money.”
“No,” Trinity whispered. “Not a boy. Boys grow into men. I can’t...” She jerked the wand off her belly, and it slipped out of the technician’s hands and clattered to the floor.
“Marlene, would you give us a minute?” Beth asked.
The technician placed the wand back in its holder without looking at Trinity. “That’s a good idea.”
As the woman shut the exam room behind her, Trinity looked down at her belly, the gel still covering it, and felt a wave of nausea roll through her. “I’m going to be sick.”
Freya immediately stood and reached for... There was nothing to reach for in the sterile exam room.
Beth put a hand on Trinity’s forehead. “Lean back. You aren’t going to be sick.” She grabbed a wad of tissues from the nearby counter and wiped clean Trinity’s stomach. “I think it’s time you tell us what’s going on.”
“I want to have a girl baby.”
“Yeah.” Freya came to stand next to Beth. “I think we are all clear on that, sweetheart.”
“Why?” Beth asked.
There was something in her tone that made Trinity realize Beth had already guessed the answer. She forced herself to look at her sisters. They knew. They both knew. Her most shameful secret wasn’t a secret to two of the people who mattered most in the world to her.
“I left him. I want you to know that. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I left. He doesn’t even know about the baby.”
“How long were you with him?” Beth asked gently.
“How many times did he hit you?” Freya demanded. “Because that’s how many times I’m going to kill him. Over and over again.”
“It was only once that he actually put a hand on me,” Trinity told them.
“He hit you,” Beth said through clenched teeth. “You’re sure it was only once?”
“Maybe twice, but it wasn’t a lot. I promise.”
“There are other ways to abuse people than physically,” Freya said.
Trinity told herself that she was not going to break down. She was going to be strong in front of her sisters. “Yes,” she agreed. “He wasn’t kind.”
“I’m guessing that’s an understatement,” Freya muttered.
They heard voices outside the door.
“We can discuss this in more detail later.” Beth studied her. “He doesn’t know about the baby. Does he know where you went?”
Trinity looked away. “I didn’t want him to follow me.”
“And you’re sure he didn’t realize you were pregnant?”
“I’m sure.”
“We’re going to take care of you, Trin,” Beth told her. “We will figure this out, which includes you having a boy.”
