“Consider it done.”
We get out of the car and walk inside. It’s the first time I’ve stepped foot inside a gynecologist’s office, and it feels like all the heads turn and stare at me. Viola smiles at all the women in the waiting area, but her body tenses with nerves.
Once she’s checked in and they call her back, she steps on the scale and tells me to turn around so I can’t see. As much as I want to remind her that I don’t care what the number on that scale says, I want to respect her privacy as well. After that, they take her blood pressure and ask her if anything has changed since the last time she’s been there. Considering she’s pregnant now, she had a lot to update.
When the doctor arrives, they talk about a little of everything. It’s overwhelming at first, but I try to keep up. I want to know all our options and birth plans and whatever the hell an epidural is. I want to be here for Viola as much as possible.
The doctor motions for Viola to lie down and lift her shirt. She measures her belly from underneath her breasts all the way down to her pelvis. She tells us she measures right on time for a late February due date.
She then presses her hands into her belly, and I watch as Viola cringes. I’m not sure if that’s normal, so I’m tempted to say something, but it doesn’t last but a moment. Soon the doctor is pulling her upright and reminding her to take her prenatal vitamins.
Once the doctor leaves, I stand between Viola’s legs and cup her chin. “You are beautiful,” I remind her.
She gives me a forced smile, but it’s not believable.
“You are carrying my baby, and if that’s not the sexiest and most beautiful thing in the world, then I don’t know what is.”
She finally smiles wide and kisses me.
The nurse startles us as she knocks on the door and pushes it open. “I believe you scheduled your ultrasound for after the checkup? Wendy is expecting you in the radiology department whenever you two are ready to head down.”
We take the elevators down to the lower level and follow the signs to another receptionist’s desk. The woman’s name tag reads Wendy, and I know we’re in the right place.
Once Viola’s registered, we only have to wait a few moments before they call us back. An ultrasound tech, who later tells us her name is Kelly, greets us at the door and leads us down a hallway to a vacant room with a large flat-screen TV hung on the wall and an ultrasound machine. Everything looks so foreign to me, and I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m excited to be here with her.
Kelly instructs Viola to sit on the table and lean all the way back. Once she does, she looks over at me and smiles.
“What?” I ask.
“Are you ready to see our baby?”
I grab her hand and squeeze. “Yes, I can’t wait.”
Once Viola is settled on the table with her jeans unbuttoned and her shirt pulled up, Kelly turns down the lights and settles into the chair next to us.
“I saw in your chart that you don’t know the sex of the baby yet. Do you want to find out today?”
Viola looks over at me, and she’s beaming. “Do you want to know?”
“It’s up to you, Princess.” Not knowing is somewhat killing me, but it wouldn’t matter if it was a little girl or boy. I’d love him or her just the same.
“Can we wait? Make it a big surprise?” she asks, and I can’t deny her excitement.
The tech smiles, and I nod.
Viola turns to the tech and smiles with an idea. “Could you write it down and seal it in an envelope for us?” Viola asks, and I want to know what she’s up to. Of course, she notices.
“I thought we could open it on New Year’s.” She’s enjoying torturing me way too much. “As soon as the clock strikes midnight.”
I laugh at her sweet idea. “Let’s do it.”
“This is going to be a little cold,” the tech warns Viola as she spreads the gel on her stomach so the wand will move easily across her skin and there’s no air between. I feel my heart begin to race as the tech places it on her stomach and moves it around until she lands on a pulsing beat. The room fills with a sound that reminds me of a washing machine, but it’s our baby’s heartbeat.
“Any issues since your last appointment?” the tech asks.
“Nope. Everything’s been great.” She glances over at me and smiles genuinely.
“Have you two picked out any names?”