“Where?” I squinted, trying to decipher the shadows and blobs on the screen.
Thankfully, Dr. Gupta explained what I was seeing as she took measurements. She pointed out my uterus and the fetus’s tiny head and little round body.
“These are the arms and legs,” she said.
I gasped. “It has arms?” Okay, I knew that sounded dumb, especially for an aunt four times over, but this was truly all new to me. I’d buried my head in the sand for all of Rosa’s pregnancies, only emerging when the squishy baby did.
Dr. Gupta gave me a kind smile. “It does, indeed.” She pointed to an area on the little round torso which seemed to be flickering. “This is the heart. Let’s listen.”
“Heart?” I rasped. The whooshing sound that filled the room instantly became the best thing I’d ever heard. Tears pricked at my eyes. “Holy shit. This is real.”
Ansel leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Best niece or nephew ever.”
The doctor took some final measurements and printed out several pictures before wiping off my tummy and turning the lights back on. I sat up, feeling sort of like an entirely new person.
Dr. Gupta sat down on her stool in front of me. “You’re measuring where you thought you were, twelve weeks and three days. Before I go over everything, do you have questions?”
I cleared my throat and laid my hand on my stomach. “Uh, yeah. I took emergency contraceptive. Why didn’t it work?”
“Well, there can be several reasons. Not taking it soon enough is a big one. Also, if you had unprotected intercourse while you were ovulating, then the pills would not stop your egg from releasing. Would you like to discuss your options as to how you would like to proceed?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve made up my mind. I want this baby, as surprising as it is.” I wondered if it would have Superman hair like Moses or my tight curls…or maybe a combination of both. That thought was nearly my undoing, but I managed to hold it together to listen to Dr. Gupta tell me everything I should be expecting over the next six months.
As we walked back out to Ansel’s SUV, he held my hand in his massive paw. “Scared, Smalls?”
I let out a dry bubble of a laugh. “So fucking terrified.”
Rosa held my other hand. “Are you going to tell the guy now? I took a video of the ultrasound on my phone so you can show him when you’re ready.”
“Definitely telling him. I just...this is going to sound bad, but I need to figure out how to contact him. He blocked me from his phone, then when I called from another phone, the number was disconnected. So...yeah.”
Ansel did that bear growl again. “You’re going to have to tell me this guy’s name.”
Rosa rolled her eyes. “So you can…what? Kill the father of Mic’s baby? Let her work it out.” She turned to me. “But also tell me that asshole’s name so I can send him a bag of dicks.”
She started muttering curse words in Spanish as she climbed into the car.
Ansel gave me a gentle hug, careful of my tender chest. “You don’t have to protect him. I’m not going to murder him. Ruin him? Yes. But not murder.”
I squished my cheek into his hard chest and sighed. “Ansel, I know you think you’re doing your big brother job, but stand down. I’m a grown-ass woman. I can murder the father of my child on my own, thank you very much.”
His laugh rumbled through me. “Yeah, you’re going to be okay.”