“Are you sure you want to come in with me? What if somebody sees you?”
If the paparazzi spotted him, they’d both end up as headline fodder. The Portland Hospital was a hotbed of celebrity births, and photographers routinely hovered outside, hoping to catch an exclusive.
“Nobody’s going to see me. I’ve arranged for a space next to the back door, and we’ll run in and out.” He pulled something from his pocket. “Anyway, I’ve brought my beanie with me.”
Hanna laughed as he pulled the black, woolen cap over his blond curls. He always knew how to diffuse the tension, whether it be asking her to marry him when she found out she was pregnant—to which her answer was no—to putting a winter hat on in the middle of the hottest day in fifty years. She was so thankful to have him around.
Tom’s money talked, and it had a lot to say. Their parking space was the best in the lot, and as soon as they walked through the back door, she was ushered straight into an examination room. There was no hanging around in the waiting room or form filling required. A couple of signatures, and she was lying on the bed, top up and jeans down, cool gel being poured on her stomach.
“You must both be so excited,” the radiographer said. Hanna felt herself blushing at the inference and glanced over at Tom. He didn’t seem perturbed at all.
“We are.” He winked at Hanna. She tried to smile back.
“Well, I’m going to take a look, make sure everything is okay, and I’ll turn the monitor around and show you what there is to see.” The radiographer’s voice was calm and reassuring, but the butterflies still flew around Hanna’s stomach. “You think you are around four months, is that right?”
“I think so.”
“Well, there won’t be too much to see, but I’ll try and point out some of the good stuff.”
Hanna looked down at her stomach, all shiny from the gel, and wondered how she hadn’t suspected a thing. The slight protrusion seemed obvious now, her stomach rounding up from her pelvis in a small arc.
Tom leaned forward and took her hand in his. He looked more nervous than Hanna as the radiographer silently moved the wand across her skin. Hanna squeezed him back, flashing him a reassuring smile to try and calm him down.
The radiographer turned around and smiled at them both. “Okay, it all looks good.”
God, those words were perfect. Hanna hadn’t known the baby even existed until two days ago, but suddenly her world revolved around a tiny being no larger than an avocado.
Then she saw the monitor.
Her mouth fell open at the green and black image. Tears stung at her eyes, as she looked at the screen
, seeing the tiny outline of a baby. She’d expected to see little more than a blob, but she could make out a head, legs, and little arms flailing around as the radiographer pushed the wand on her belly.
“Jesus,” Tom whispered. Hanna turned to see tears pouring down his face. Her throat felt tickly and dry, and though she opened her mouth, she couldn’t speak.
It was a baby. Her baby—hers and Richard’s, and it was everything she wanted. Nothing in the world mattered more than the tiny thing growing inside her.
“The baby looks perfectly healthy, and measures around four and a half inches. I’ve put your expected date of confinement down as November 3rd, but because you don’t know the date of your last period, it’s not precise.”
“You’re going to have a baby before Christmas.” Tom’s excitement was infectious, and Hanna grinned madly. She was already picturing a tiny infant, all bundled up in a Santa outfit, cute and cuddly, and surrounded by love.
“I’m going to take a few photographs for you now.” The radiographer held the wand still and pressed a button on the keyboard, lips curling down in concentration. “The baby doesn’t seem to want to pose. He or she is a feisty little thing.”
A flash of pride warmed Hanna’s heart, and she wanted to hug herself with glee. She was pregnant with a healthy, feisty, gorgeous baby, and in around five months’ time she was going to be a mother.
A mother.
“He’s so beautiful.” Tom leaned in closer so his head was right next to Hanna’s and they both stared intently at the monitor. The baby moved its arm again, like it was waving.
“She is,” she corrected, unable to tear her eyes away. Five months seemed so far away. Her mind started to make a list of things to do: move house, build nursery, and buy shit-loads of useless equipment even though she’d never use any of it.
“Okay, I’ll put your referral through. The obstetrician will want to see you next week, and I’ll be doing some more tests at week twenty.” She cleaned her stomach off. As Hanna sat up and adjusted her clothing, the radiographer handed the photographs to Tom, who took them greedily.
“There you go, Daddy. The first ones for your collection.”
Tom laughed and didn’t bother to correct her, making Hanna wonder if he was already feeling a little proprietorial about her child. She was unsure if it was a good thing or not—she didn’t want to complicate things with Richard more than she already had.
But then she thought about it, and if Richard refused to help her, perhaps it was a good thing to have Tom by her side. She didn’t want to go through this alone, and he seemed over the moon about her pregnant state. It wasn’t as if there was anything romantic between them; they were just good friends.