“Hey!” I snapped at Amy as she sat down beside me, throwing my pamphlets in the trash can beside her.
“You don’t need to read them, Gwen, it just tells you the hundred thousand things that have like a point one percent chance of happening. It will only freak you out more, then convince you your child will be a hermaphrodite,” she declared, picking up an outdated copy of People.
I snatched the magazine out of her hands. “Yeah, well maybe I need to know about that stuff. I had two glasses of wine at dinner last night. Two. Not to mention the three beers I had on Monday or the mimosa I had on Sunday. Oh my god, my child is going to be a hermaphrodite.” I panicked putting my head in my hands. “I’m a terrible person.”
“Now, now, Gwennie,” Amy cooed rubbing my back. “I’m sure the baby will be fine. You are not a terrible person. There are mothers who shoot crack in their arms nine months pregnant, they are terrible people.”
I took a breath, feeling slightly better. She was right.
“And if your baby is a hermaphrodite, at least you get to choose whether it’s a girl or a boy, I’d go for girl, personally. Then you can put it in little dresses and stuff,” she added thoughtfully earning another moan from me.
“Well, there it is,” the doctor declared, pointing at the freakily real image on the ultrasound machine.
The image of my baby, our baby. And it was cute, you could see its little head and everything, this technology was the shit. I was so worried I was going to be like Rachel off Friends and not be able to see my child on the screen. But I saw it. A tear rolled down my cheek, emotion I couldn’t even fathom welled up inside me, love for this little being threatened to explode my already full up heart.
“Is it...okay?” I asked, my voice choked up. “Like healthy?”
The doctor smiled at me. “Yes, your baby is perfect, Ms Alexandra, looking to be at just over two months along.”
“Two months?” I whispered disbelievingly. That meant I had been pregnant when I was kidnapped. Oh my god, I could have lost my baby. The beautiful little baby on the screen in front of me could have been lost. Anger and protectiveness I didn’t know I had welled up in me. Then I realized two and a bit months is a long time to be pregnant without knowing. I was such an idiot.
“Um, shouldn’t I have been getting other signs of being this far along?”
“Yeah, shouldn’t she at least have gotten some kind of baby bump? And bigger boobs?” Amy piped in from beside me, eyes looking suspiciously red.
The doctor laughed a little. “Some women don’t show at all until three or four months. You could even wake up one day with a slight bump, due to the baby moving. And every woman’s body changes differently when she’s pregnant,” she added, eyes twinkling.
My doctor was nice, and pretty. Okay, more like a bombshell. She looked a hell of a lot like Marilyn Monroe, white blonde, curly shoulder-length hair. She had flawless pale skin and curves I would kill for. What’s more, she had a great bedside manner and made me feel super comfortable, despite the fact she had a prime view of my hoo ha. She was definitely going to be my baby doctor. Or midwife. Oh my god, I didn’t even know what to call a baby doctor.
“Wow, Gwen, you lucky bitch, you might not even get fat at all. Maybe your Kim Kardashian worries are over,” Amy said, eyes on my flat stomach.
I ignored this. “So you are sure there’s nothing wrong, no signs of trouble?” I asked again. “I didn’t know I was pregnant, especially this far along, until today. I haven’t exactly been consuming the most healthy foods for a baby.”
Amy snorted from beside me and I glared at her.
“Yes, your baby is fine and looks to be strong as well.”
Amy groaned. “Man, the curiosity kills, I wish we could tell if it was a girl or a boy.”
I turned my head to her. “I’m sure you will find other things to occupy your time, rather than ponder if I’m carrying a boy or a girl.”
“Well, that makes buying baby clothes and decorating that much harder. How am I going to get unisex baby clothes? I despise yellow,” she whined.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to survive,” I informed her dryly. “I wish Cade was here for this.”
“I can give you a picture to show him if you want?” Sarah, the doctor, said, pressing some buttons on the monitor.
“That would be awesome,” I replied, my eyes fixed on the screen.
My little moment with my unborn child was interrupted.
“Hi, is this the Barney’s children’s department? This is Amy Abrams, I need to have the latest baby collections sent to me. Unisex please. But no yellow.”
I left the examination room clutching the little roll of pictures tightly, Amy chattering excitedly beside me.
“See, I told you! That baby is strong as an ox! Nothing’s going to get that little super baby down. And did you hear the doc? Two months. You had that bun in your oven when you were kidnapped, and it still stayed strong. You’re going to have your hands full with this kid.” Her eyes were glued to her phone, online shopping no doubt.
She was not wrong. I felt like I was floating on cloud nine, my baby was healthy. Our baby would be perfect. We approached Bull and he stepped forward, looking slightly anxious. I beamed at him and thrust the pictures in his face.
“Look! This is our baby, you can actually see it. Like eyes, nose, everything. Isn’t it cute?” I waved the pictures in his face, which obviously wasn’t working for him because he grabbed my wrist to carefully take them out of my hand and study them closely.
The depth of emotion on this tough, usually staunch man was staggering. I watched as his eyes turned tortured, I could see he was thinking of a moment, if the past had been different. A moment where it would be his baby he was looking at had Laurie not been murdered. Tears welled up in my eyes and I reached for Bull’s arm, but was interrupted by a loud and familiar voice.
“Bull! Gwen! Yo!” Lucky strode towards us with his usual grin.
Oh shit. I didn’t need another one of Cade’s brothers finding out about our little bundle of joy before he did. What was he doing at the doctor’s anyway? Wasn’t he some bad ass that refused to acknowledge he wasn’t indestructible? Maybe all those dalliances with various women were catching up with him. I tried to snatch the photo out of Bull’s hand but it was too late.
“What are you guys all doing here? I heard Gwen was sick, shit is it serious?” Lucky approached and his grin turned to concern, he then glanced at what Bull had in his hand. He snatched it.
“What do we have here that you’re looking at so intently. I hope it’s not any naked photos…” he stopped short when he got a look at the little piece of paper. I watched as his mouth opened in shock. “Seriously, you guys are into some sick shit...” he began, then a grin spread across his face. “Holy shit, Princess, you’re pregnant?” he all but yelled.
I winced as people started to look our way. “Try not to announce it to the whole town, Lucky, Cade doesn’t even know yet,” I scolded quietly.
Lucky ignored me and pulled me into his arms. “This is fucking great! You guys having a kid, I mean, fuck! This calls for celebration, we’re having a party. Tonight!” he decided, putting me down.