Page 143 of Somebody's Watching Me
“I doubt you’ll see a penis. Samuel is destined to have all girls.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because could you imagine him trying to raise a mini-male version of himself? Your brother’s not strong enough for that kind of parenting.”
He wasn’t wrong. Samuel excelled at being a girl dad right down to letting Theo paint his toenails every so often.
“No, I can’t.” She cleared her throat. “And, um, I was thinking. This afternoon, can we talk?”
“About what?”
“Us.” Her takeas neededmeds were rocketing through her system at full speed, making her brave. “Only if you can.”
“I can.”
Chapter 30
“I’m sorry.” The ultrasound tech hung the wand on the side of the machine. “We can’t see anything for sure today.”
Reclined on the examination chair, Evie wiped her disappointed tears with a wobbly smile. “I’m okay to try again.”
“We can sit here all day if needed,” Jamison insisted, absolutely hating seeing her sister so upset. “Or we can come back later in the afternoon.”
She arrived just in time and, afraid to miss the big reveal, ran inside like a mad woman. The kind receptionist ushered her directly to the ultrasound hall and into a room where Evie lay waiting with her enormous belly exposed.
“Sometimes this happens.” The tech flipped on the light switch, dissolving the peaceful dark. “And the list for today is full.”
With the fluorescent lights flooding the room, Jamison shrank into herself. The space was surprisingly smaller than she originally thought, which explained why Samuel had remained crammed in a corner next to Evie’s head for the entire thing.
“She’s due in less than a month,” Samuel tried to explain. “Do you think we can get another appointment before that time?”
“Probably not.” The tech shrugged, ignoring Evie’s quiet crying. “But you’ll have to check with scheduling.”
“Or we can try again.”
Jamison grinned. The tech hadn’t been overly friendly from the start, and her brother wasn’t exactly known for his patience when dealing with rude people.
Or just people in general.
“We still have to see the doctor, and like every other time we’re here, I’m sure there’s going to be a wait.” Samuel nodded at the machine. “So, instead of us being moved into a holding room, we can stay here while you try again.”
“But it’s my lunch break.” The woman placed her hands on her hips, unwilling to give in. “I deserve a chance to eat, and you three need to head to the rear examination rooms.”
“Eat while you work,” Samuel snapped, pulling out his wallet to settle the argument the Fairweather way. It wasn’t a practice he usually approved of, but he could never handle seeing his wife cry. “It’s not that hard.”
“Seriously,” Jamison mumbled. “I have to do it all the time.”
Samuel held up a handful of cash. “Here’s five hundred dollars to try again.”
The tech’s eyes went round, and she snatched the cash as Evie gasped. “You can’t just bribe an ultrasound tech, Samuel!”
“Yes, he can,” the tech replied, counting the money at a dizzying speed. “Take a lap around the building to help move the baby around, and then come back. If the receptionists won’t let you in, tell them Pam said it was alright.”
Jamison helped Evie rise, and Samuel lifted her off the chair. “This is going to be super hard,” Evie groaned. “I really have to go to the bathroom.”
“We can do it.” Samuel took her hand and guided them down the hall and through the reception area. Stepping outside, he nodded to a man waiting at the office entrance. “She needs to take a walk.”
Jamison paused for a second, her eyes as big as Pam’s when she saw the cash. “That’s Holden?”
