“Yes. I told her to meet us out back. We aren’t going in the way we came.”
The door opened, interrupting our conversation, and I turned to see Dr. Wolk stepping into the room with what looked like a small stereo speaker. “The initial blood tests don’t look as bad as I anticipated; however, we are sending a couple of the vials out for more tests just to make sure you are not at risk. I will want you to do the glucose screening at 24 weeks but in the meantime, I’d like to take a listen.” He slid the chair next to the bed and lowered the back before pulling up Naomi’s shirt to reveal her abdomen. He tucked a sheet in her pants, tugging them down so her entire belly showed.
I stared at her and for the first time, I saw the slight change in her stomach. It was no longer the flat washboard I was used to, and I wondered how I could have missed the nuance of change in her. Of course, I had been dealing with the strangeness of being human again after so long, but that still didn’t excuse my lack of noticing the changes in her body.
The doctor ran a thin line of clear gel on Naomi’s belly and pulled a thick wand from the side of the speaker. “I’m just warning you, it’s extremely rare to hear the heartbeat at this early stage, so if we can’t find it, I don’t want you to worry.”
“Okay,” Naomi said and I squeezed her hand as she tucked the pillow under her head and stared at the ceiling. A smile formed and I glanced up. Taped above the table was one of those posters of Anne Geddes baby gardens.
Dr. Wolk glanced up and echoed both our smiles. “I try to give my patient’s something unique. There’s a different picture in each room,” he said and the wand touched Naomi, running slowly across the path of gel.
The volume was turned to high and the noises echoing from the speaker sounded like an underwater wonderland. A slight fluttering sound came and went and the doctor retraced his path, finding the flutter again. He looked up at Naomi with a grin.
“You are one lucky girl. Six weeks is usually early for a heartbeat, but there it is,” he said and pulled the wand away from her belly, wiping the gel with a cloth and pulling her shirt down once she was clean. “I’ll want to see you next week so we can go over the test results. You can set up your next appointment at the front desk before you leave.” Dr. Wolk stood and gave a nod as he exited the room.
The reality that the woman I loved was carrying my child hit and I bit down on my lip to push the swirl of emotions away. I smiled at her and brought her hand to my lips. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears and she wrapped her arms around me, using my height to get to her feet.
“We’re having a baby,” she said and her voice cracked. She buried her face in my chest and the first wave of tears struck.
I blinked my eyes clear and kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” I said when I was sure I had a handle on my voice. Since I met her, she was the more emotionally stable of the two of us, now it was my turn to be solid and strong.
After scheduling Naomi’s next appointment, I checked my phone; there was nothing from Valerie so I stuck my head into the waiting room. Her seat was empty and my gaze shot to the parking lot. The truck still sat where we parked it and icy dread filled my veins.
Instead of heading out of the office area, I turned toward the desk.
“We have a bit of a drive, is there a rest room my wife could use before we get on the road?”
Naomi’s lips pressed into an embarrassed smile. The girl pointed toward the way we had come.
“Down the hall and around the corner on your right.”
I took Naomi’s hand and led her farther into the office, looking for one specific thing; when we turned the corner, my nerves relaxed a fraction. Before we could be intercepted, I pulled her through the exit, into a small stairwell and put my hand over her mouth, shaking my head before closing the door as quietly as I could.
I glanced between her and the stairs leading down to a lower entrance, before maneuvering her into the darkest corner. I pulled my phone out without speaking and typed a text to Valerie, telling her they were running another test, so we would be another fifteen minutes or so.
I put my finger on my lips and showed Naomi the text before making sure my phone was on silent. She didn’t understand until I hit send and Valerie’s ringtone echoed through the stairwell.
“Fuck,” an unfamiliar voice muttered from below and Naomi’s eyes widened.
I glanced at the stairs leading up and pulled her with me, silently climbing to the next floor. The door didn’t have a handle so we continued to the third floor.
This one had a knob and I closed my eyes, saying a small prayer and turned. It gave and I opened it to another hall, moving Naomi into the carpeted stretch before shutting the door.