“Good. What I’d like to do now is listen to the baby’s heartbeat, okay?”
“Okay.” Tears filled Lia’s eyes. If there was no heartbeat... well, I wouldn’t think about that now.
As the doctor ran the doppler over Lia’s belly, I held my breath. Please let there be a heartbeat. Please.
For an agonizing moment, nothing happened. Then the doctor smiled and turned up the volume. “Here we go.”
A loud, steady rhythm filled the room. Lia laughed. “Thank goodness.”
“So everything is okay?” I asked.
“The heartbeat is strong. Sometimes women spot or bleed during pregnancy, but just to be safe, we’ll run a few tests. And I’m going to send you for a sonogram today. You might have to wait a minute, but they should be able to get you in this morning. Just hold on, and I’ll be right back with your appointment.”
After he left the room, Lia sat up. “I’m so relieved.”
“Me too.”
“Are you?”
“Of course, honey. Why would you say that?”
She shrugged. “You didn’t seem really happy when I told you I was pregnant.”
I exhaled slowly. “No, probably not. Call me old-fashioned, but I think it would’ve been easier if you’d gotten married first. At the very least, I think the child deserves to have a father involved in his or her life. Raising kids can be tough. It helps to have a partner you can depend on.”
She nodded. “That’s what Papa said.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah. So did Abuela.”
For some reason, hearing that Abuela’s and Salvador’s thoughts aligned with my own made me happy.
* * *
A few minutes later,Lia and I found ourselves in another exam room, waiting on the sonographer. As the minutes passed, my phone flashed with one angry message after another.
“Who’s texting you?” Lia asked.
“My principal. She’s mad because the author we planned on booking for Meet the Author can’t come.”
“That’s not your fault, is it?”
I clicked off my phone, not wanting Lia’s eagle eyes to see that my principal blamed my leaving as the reason Big Mack chose not to book with us. If I got fired for responding to my daughter, who cared? Today, I’d put Lia’s needs first. Nothing else mattered.
The door opened, and the sonographer entered the room. Holly, as her name badge read, apologized for running late, something I appreciated but never understood given the fact that medical offices seemed incapable of running on time. Why apologize for the norm?
Lia lay back and lifted her shirt. Holly squirted jelly on Lia’s stomach and began looking for the baby.
As she did, Holly’s face grew serious. My stomach lurched. I’d been so relieved by the sound of the heartbeat in the doctor’s office that I hadn’t made the connection he might have ordered a sonogram because he was still worried about a problem.
Glancing at Lia, I saw the tension on her face as well. What I wouldn’t do to take away her pain and anxiety.
After what felt like forever, Holly smiled. “Oh, how cute. Baby B is sucking its thumb.”
“So, the baby’s okay?” Lia asked.
“Yes, they’re both fine.”