Evan holds her wrist with an iron grip. She has no choice but to walk by his side as he leads her toward the maternity wing. Her heart thuds in her chest, and her forehead prickles with sweat as they pass the DNA lab.
Is he going to make me get another test? She wonders. Or worse—will he try to make me get an abortion as he did with Leonie? Maybe now that he has Rebecca, he doesn't care about our child anymore. She puts her free hand, protectively across her belly.
"Are you taking me for another test?" she asks.
Evan lets go of her wrist and puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, "No more DNA tests. I just want to see how my baby is doing."
Avery takes a deep breath, and tears flood her eyes. He still loves the baby, she thinks. He wants to see our child—how can I refuse? She nods and steps away from him, trying to hide her tears. He gives her a moment before leading her into an examination room.
A female doctor with a short brown bob is preparing the examination room. She stops and looks Evan up and down before returning to her work. Avery looks sideways at Evan and sees his smirk.
Evan helps Avery up onto the table. The paper crinkles and crackles as she lies down on her back. Suddenly, she sits upright. She knows she'll need to show her stomach to the doctor, but she's wearing a dress that zips down the side. There's no way to bare her stomach without revealing her underwear.
"Umm, is there a paper gown I can put on?" she asks.
"There's no need for that," Evan says, adding in a whisper, "I've already seen it all."
Avery feels her face go hot, but she hitched her skirt up. She pulls it up over her thighs and then over her stomach, grateful she's wearing a modest pair of black silk underwear. She sees Evan glance down at her thighs, but he quickly looks back at the slight bump of her stomach.
"We're going to do an ultrasound," the doctor explains. "I'm going to put some gel on your stomach first—it might feel a bit cold."
The doctor grabs a tube and squirts a clear gel onto Avery's stomach, and Avery shivers. Goosebumps pricked her arms and legs. Evan squeezes her hand and glares at the doctor.
"Can't you warm it first?" he asks the doctor.
"It's fine," Avery says. "It's just a little cold, but I'm fine now."
The doctor puts the wand on Avery's stomach and moves it side to side. A blurry black and white image appears on the screen. Avery squints at it, trying to understand which part of the baby is.
"Is this your first ultrasound?" the doctor asks.
"No, it's the second," Avery answers. "I had the first one about a month ago."
The doctor nods and says, "That's very early into the pregnancy. At that time, the doctor couldn't tell if the baby was a boy or a girl, but we can tell you now. Do you want to know?"
Avery turns her head to look at Evan, but he's staring at the screen. He seems transfixed—he doesn't even blink. She clears her throat, and he looks down at her.
"Do you want to know?" he asks her.
"I don't know," she says. "Do you?"
Evan thinks for a moment and says, "I do, but if you don't want to know, we can wait."
"I didn't say I don't want to know," she says. "I'm just nervous. Would you prefer a boy or a girl?"
"I love both," he says.
"I think I want a girl," she says.
Evan smiles and says, "Then I hope it's a girl."
He takes her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. She squeezes his hand back and nods at the doctor.
"Your husband is a thoughtful man," the doctor says. "You two are a beautiful couple—this baby is very lucky."
Avery blushes and looks away. What would the doctor think if she knew they were divorced? Would she still be so nice? Probably not.
"Anyway, it's pretty easy to see the baby now," the doctor says, pointing at the black and white image on the screen. "Here's the head, and here are the arms and legs."
Avery looks at the screen, and her eyes fill with tears again. The baby has spindly little legs and arms and stubby fingers. Its head is huge—way too big for its body, but she knows that's normal. It's absolutely beautiful, Avery thinks.
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"What's the matter?" Evan asks, his forehead creased with worry.
"Nothing," Avery says. "It's just gotten so big, so quickly."
"That's right," the doctor says. "From now on, it's going to grow very quickly. Each ultrasound examination will be really surprising, and soon you'll have a much bigger baby bump. Honestly, I'm surprised it's still so small."
Avery wants to hug her belly, but it's still covered in ultrasound gel. The doctor moves the wand from side to side, recording the baby from all angles. Avery stares at the screen—it seems impossible that the baby is really inside her.
"Hmm, we might have a problem," the doctor says.
A wave of panic crashes over Avery, and she asks, "What?"
"The baby has its hands over the genital region," the doctor says.
She points at the screen, and Avery wants to laugh. The baby has crossed its arms over its little stomach, hiding its genitals from sight. The doctor slides the wand back and forth, but the new angles don't help—the baby's gender stays hidden.
"I guess it's shy," Avery says with a laugh. "Is there another way to tell if it's a boy or a girl?"
The doctor frowns and says, "I can give you an educated guess, but I can't guarantee anything."
Avery looks up at Evan and asks, "Do we want to know?"
Evan nods and says, "Tell us."
"Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's a boy," the doctor says.
Avery feels her head spin. A boy? I know nothing about boys, she thinks. I only had sisters growing up. What will I do? She looks at Evan and sees that a huge grin has spread across his face.
"How can you tell?" Avery asks. "I mean, without seeing the genitals, how can you know?"
"As I said, it's an educated guess," the doctor says. "First of all, we can usually tell based on the ratios of the baby's measurements. If the length and width of the fetus are equal, it's more likely to be a girl. But if the length and width are different, you most likely have a boy."
As the doctor explains, she points at the screen, tracing the outlines of the baby to show the differences between its width and length. Avery nods—it's easy to see what the doctor is talking about.
"I can also guess based on the shape," the doctor says. "If it's shaped more like eggplant, it's more likely to be a boy. If it looks rounder or more like a ball, it's probably a girl. You know that's why people say around belly means a girl and a tipped belly means a boy."
"I see," Avery says. "What are the chances it's a girl?"
"Pretty slim," the doctor replies. "I've been doing this for a while, and I've never been wrong before. If you're worried, we can schedule another ultrasound in a few days—the baby will probably have moved by then."
"If you really want a girl, we can have another one," Evan says.
Avery stiffens on the table. His voice is low and serious, and she hates the way it makes her pulse quicken and her face get hot. An image of a little family flashes through her mind like a snapshot: Evan stands with his arm around her, a little boy sits on his shoulders, and she holds an infant girl in her arms.
"I'll give you two a moment alone," the doctor whispers.
Avery grabs a handful of tissues and wipes the gel off her belly. She tugs her dress back down and stands up. Before she can leave the room, Evan wraps his arms around her and backs her into the examination table. He buries his face in her hair and inhales deeply.
"Oh, Avery," he groans.
He presses his body against hers, and she responds to his warmth and smell. Her legs part slightly, and he pushes himself between them. His lips slide down her neck, and he nibbles her collarbone. She moans and arches her back.
"Wait, Evan," she says. "Rebecca is here. She's just a few wings over."
Evan ignores her and bites her neck, trailing his hands down her back to the small indent above her ass. She can feel his excitement through their clothes.
"What do you say?" he murmurs against her skin, "Do you want to have another baby with me?"