Page 61 of The Run Home
“Hi, Shae. How are you feeling?” he asked, his attention solely on her. He sat in one of those wheeled stools, right up next to her on the table like he was friendly with her. I guess if he’s been inserting things and scraping her cervix, he was familiar with her. Why did that make me a little pissed off?
“Great! Morning sickness is almost gone. I still get tired every afternoon, but otherwise, I’m feeling good.”
“Excellent. Are you ready to see the baby today?”
Shae beamed. “I am!”
The doctor finally looked up at me. “Is this Dad?”
I stood and came over to shake his hand. “Boon Wolfe. Nice to meet you.”
“Same.” If he recognized my name or face, he didn’t say so. He just looked back at Shae. “Are you wanting to know the sex of the baby?”
“Definitely. I want to know what color to paint the walls of the nursery.”
“Okay. Little cold at first,” he warned, slipping into gloves, pulling up the hospital gown and squirting gel all over Shae’s stomach.
He pressed a wand of some sort over her skin, back and forth, images flashing across the screen in front of him. He seemed to narrow in on an area, the wand pressing more firmly into Shae’s skin. I crept forward, wanting to see those images on the screen better.
“Alright, Mom and Dad. Looks like we have a happy baby over here, just fluttering away.” The doctor clicked a button and the image froze on the screen. “See this right here? That’s baby’s head.”
I was nearly climbing onto the table with Shae to see. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it so tightly I worried I was hurting her. “Holy shit,” I breathed, seeing our baby’s head and torso and little arms and legs already.
The doctor moved the wand just the tiniest bit. “And I think we have our answer.” He pointed at the screen. All I could see were blobs. “It’s a boy!”
My heart legitimately stopped. The simple words rang in my ears, changing everything about my life going forward. Idropped my head to Shae’s and focused on breathing. I was having a little boy.Wewere having a boy.
I opened my eyes to see Shae’s were filled with tears. I kissed her cheeks and wiped away the tears. “Thank you,” I whispered, so low I wasn’t sure she heard me.
“And this…” The doctor clicked a few more buttons and suddenly the room was filled with a whooshing noise, cut by the steady flutter of something fast and strong. “This is your baby’s heartbeat.”
And now I was the one crying, tears burning my eyes and sliding down my cheeks. I didn’t care who saw them. I was witnessing a miracle. It was overwhelming and yet so right, I couldn’t imaginenothaving this baby boy with Shae.
The doctor kept clicking and then he was wiping away the gel and the heartbeat was gone. He kept talking to Shae, but I didn’t hear a damn word he said. He had his hand on the doorknob to leave when I remembered my important question.
“Oh, Doc?”
He turned back.
“Did you cover, um, you know, sex?” Was I an asshole for asking this? Suddenly I felt like maybe I shouldn’t be trying to have sex with Shae until after the baby was here.
The doctor’s grin grew. “You’re fine, as long as it’s comfortable for Shae.”
I nodded my thanks and he was gone. Shae looked at me and then she squeezed my hand. I looked down to see her fingers had gone red at the tips. I loosened my grip.
“Sorry,” I murmured.
She reached up and cupped my face, swiping at my cheeks. Fuck, I was still crying. “Are you…”
“Crying? Yes,” I answered. “Because I’m so fucking happy, Shae.”
Her face went from apprehensive to smiling like a fool. “Good.”
“Oh!” I remembered the other question that Kinsley wanted me to ask. “Did he say your due date?”
Shae let her hands drop and scooted to a seat on the table. “July third. Might be our own little independence baby.”
I felt like I might float right out of this room. I was high on life and babies and the kind of future I could have with my son. I reached under Shae’s armpits and pulled her off the bed and spun her around the room. She laughed, wrapping her legs around my waist.
