Page 45 of The Virgin's Baby
I couldn’t speak as I knew puke would burst out of me if I did. Instead, I ran as fast as I could and did a thing I never thought I would do: I stuck my head inside the trash can and let it all out.
“Oh, that’s what’s happening.” His hands moved over my back as he tried to comfort me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I hadn’t thrown up before. It made me nervous. “Do you think something’s wrong, Ransom?”
He handed me a handkerchief to wipe my mouth. “I hope not. We’ll see soon, won’t we?”
I hadn’t told Ransom what my plans were if this pregnancy didn’t work out. I thought it was time to do that before we got inside with the doctor and nurses. “I need to say something to you before we go inside. I should’ve said something sooner, but you know how we’ve been communicating lately.”
The nervousness in his eyes told me he must’ve had some idea what I was about to say. “Go ahead, Aspen.”
“If this pregnancy doesn’t work out, I don’t want to try anymore. I’ll move out, and that will be that.” I looked away as his sorrowful expression hurt me.
“I understand.” He took my hand then led me to the clinic.
Not too long after that, we were in a room with an ultrasound machine. And the operator was happy to see us. “Hi, guys. I’ve heard about your case and wanted to wish you guys the best of luck. Now, the embryos are still tiny. I’ve got to warn you that you won’t be able to make out your baby or babies yet. But the good news is that I will.”
Looking at the machine, I noticed it was the vaginal kind again. I wasn’t pleased about that but didn’t have much choice in the matter. “So, let’s get to it.”
Having changed into a gown, I lay back and let her put my legs in the stirrups as Ransom took his place near my head. I had my hands folded on top of my stomach, and he reached over, taking one. “I think things will be just fine, Aspen. I don’t want you to worry one bit.”
The crazy thing was that I wasn’t worried at all anymore. I’d told him what I would do if things weren’t right with the pregnancy and the burden of making sure he had a baby wasn’t mine to bear any longer. “I’m not worried.”
“Then neither am I.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek. “That’s for good luck.”
I didn’t need luck; I just wanted to let fate play out its hand. Either I was having Ransom’s baby or babies, or I wasn’t. Either way, life would go on.
The cold gel was spread all over my vagina before the wand was pushed in. The tech looked at the screen as she moved the wand up inside of me.
Ransom and I watched the screen too. But she’d been right. I didn’t see a thing. And from Ransom’s silence, I gathered he didn’t either.
“Well, those fallopian tubes are clear,” she said. “That’s great news. No ectopic pregnancy.”
“That is great news,” Ransom agreed.
I was happy to hear that too. That had been one of Doctor Larson’s biggest worries. “Glad our little embryos didn’t lodge there.”
She moved the wand around, and then she smiled. That had to be good news. “Now here they are. And all three have beating hearts too.”
Ransom sighed. “All three of them?”
I closed my eyes. I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever felt more relieved. “They all made it.”
The tech was quick to say, “Now, that doesn’t mean things will stay that way. I don’t want you guys to go making the nursery with three cribs just yet. By the sixth month, we’ll be more certain of the health of all three fetuses, and we can go from there. But for now, you guys are pregnant with three babies.”
Ransom couldn’t pull the smile off his face. “Three of them!”
Tears fell from my eyes as my dream had come true. I hadn’t lost one of them so far. And now that I knew I had them inside of me, I wanted to keep them safe and sound.
Ransom’s lips on my cheek had me opening my eyes. “It’s okay, Aspen. I’ll take care of you and all three of them. I swear to you that I will always take care of you guys. No matter what.”
I couldn’t help it, I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. “You better.”
He laughed. “I will.”
After leaving the clinic, we headed home to give his grandfather the news. Ransom and I walked into the house together, and then I walked to the staircase that led to the wing we stayed in. “Let me know how it goes, Ransom.”
He grabbed my hand. “No. You’re coming with me. You’re carrying his blood now. You’re a part of this family.”
