He lifts me in his arms and twirls me around. Then drops me immediately, with a look of concern.
“Wait, shit! Did I hurt you? I don’t want to give the baby vertigo!” he freaks out, then bends down to look at my stomach.
I’m barely showing, but he still stares at the slight bump in awe.
“Is this really our baby?” he asks full of disbelief and hope.
“I think so. That’s what we’re here to find out,” I tell him as I grip his hand.
He kisses and hugs me, then picks me up and places me on the table so gently. He frets, making sure I’m comfortable. That I’m not too hot or too cold.
And I realize this is going to be a long pregnancy.
Roman’s already protective of me, to an insane extent. Now that I’m carrying our child… I wouldn’t be surprised if he locks me in a bubble-wrapped room.
Dr. Lane finally walks in with a bright smile and gives me a hug.
“Great news! You’re pregnant!” She gives us a moment to process it.
Even though the tests came back positive, I needed confirmation from her. Tears well in my eyes, and when I glance at Roman, some have already fallen down his cheeks.
“Sunshine, we’re going to have a baby,” he says softly.
“This is our dream,” I say through tears.
“Do you want a scan done to see your baby?” she asks.
“Yes!” Roman says, instantly.
“We can also run a non-invasive prenatal testing to see the sex, if you’d like. It’s a blood test,” she offers.
Roman looks at me in question this time.
“Is there no other way to tell the sex?” he asks.
“Not this early. At eighteen weeks, we can tell with the anatomy scan,” Dr. Lane explains.
“If you don’t want to have your blood drawn, I understand,” he says disappointedly.
“Roman, a little needle isn’t going to stop us from finding out the sex of our baby.” I’m shocked he would ever think that.
The ultrasound tech comes in and starts setting up.
I lay down and roll up my shirt. Roman stands next to me and holds my hand.
“This is going to be cold,” she warns, but I don’t care.
She pours the gel on and starts moving the wand on me.
Then, we hear it. A drumming. And tears stream down my face.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat!” she says excitedly.
“It’s too fast! Why is it so fast?” Roman asks, his hand squeezing mine nervously.
“Fetuses and infants have faster heartbeats than adults. Your baby is perfectly normal.” She shoots us a patient smile.
Roman exhales and looks to the ceiling.
