Page 85 of Rebel Heart
“I have a question,” I chimed in.
“Sure.”
“Are there any activities that should be avoided?”
“Generally, unless you’re working in a job that is particularly dangerous, we don’t restrict pregnant women from their normal activities. But I would refrain from starting any new things that could pose a danger.”
At that suggestion, Jules cut in. “So, even though he’s a professional who tried teaching me a few weeks ago, I should avoid continuing to practice skateboarding at this point in time?”
I wanted to laugh. If Jules thought I was going to be okay teaching her to skate now, she was insane. I didn’t want to be the one to discourage her from learning, but I didn’t think it’d be worth the risk to the baby right now.
“If you’re unsteady on the skateboard, and it’s a new skill, I’d probably avoid it for now.”
Squeezing her hand, I promised, “We’ll get back to it after the baby is here.”
“Alright. Well, unless you have any other questions from me, let’s talk about what you can expect over the coming weeks. That might spark some additional questions, which I’ll be more than happy to address for you.”
The doctor went on to tell us everything we needed to know about what we could anticipate over the next several weeks. And unless we ran into any issues or problems before then, we’d be back for our next visit in four weeks. Something told me the time would fly by. I wondered how different our lives would seem then.
Following the visit from the doctor, Jules got herself dressed again, and we made our way to the front reception desk to schedule her next appointment. After entering that appointment into her calendar on herphone, Jules dropped the phone into her purse and gave me her hand.
The second we were outside, she was bouncing on her toes beside me with excitement. “That was so amazing. Can you believe it? This feels so real to me now.”
We came to a stop at the end of the sidewalk, where I turned to face her and held her in my embrace. “I had those very same thoughts when we were in there. It was one thing to see the test you gave me that day you told me you were pregnant, but it was something else entirely to hear that heartbeat.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to be parents.”
“Well, you’ve got a few months. February 2ndis the big day.”
Jules squealed with excitement. “Do you think, when the time comes, that you want to find out if it’s a boy or girl?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, my attention was pulled away. “Mr. and Mrs. Easton,” a female’s voice called out. “You forgot your sonograms on the counter inside.”
Jules and I turned toward one of the receptionists making her way toward us, waving the sonograms in the air.
“Oh my God, I would’ve been so upset if we left them here,” Jules replied as the woman made her final approach. “Thank you so much.”
The woman waved her hand in the air dismissively. “No worries at all. Don’t even think twice about it. You’renot the first mom who’s forgotten something. I’m just glad I caught you before you left.”
“Thank you.”
She turned to walk off as Jules tucked the sonograms into her purse.
I took her hand in mine and was about to lead her toward the parking lot when we both looked up at the sound of her name being called.
“Jules?”
Beside me, my wife’s body froze, and a gasp escaped. Things might have been new between us still, but I’d been learning a lot about Jules and the way she reacted in certain situations.
And what I sensed now wasn’t like anything I’d encountered before. Jules was trembling beside me as she whispered, “Tate. Ava?”
I didn’t know who these people were, but something told me that everything I’d imagined about today being a great day had just flown out the window. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good.
22
JULES
“Are you pregnant?”
