“What?” he asked.
Sniffling, I was over the moon. “In elementary school, they teach you that girl parts are like a hamburger and boys are like a hot dog.”
I was getting looked at like I was insane.
“No? Just me that picked up on this? Okay then.”
Dodger continued to stare at the screen like it would possibly disappear if he so much as blinked.
“Holy shit, a baby boy.” He coughed. “Shit, I’m sorry. I cursed, and did it again.”
Amy giggled. “Believe me, I hear all sorts of reactions in here. It’s the fun part of my job.”
Oh, I bet it was. I’m thinking I was in the wrong profession. Well, I get some pretty good ones too when a baby is being pushed out. I call us even.
“Anyway, I’ll go ahead and print out a couple of these for you to keep and possibly frame. Then I’ll get the paperwork sent over to Doctor Carrie and he will discuss anything further with you at your next appointment. I’ll leave a clean towel here on the end of the bed, and if you both think you can find your way out, I’ll just step out and leave you to it.”
We both nodded.
“Okay then. It was a pleasure meeting you both. Again, congratulations and enjoy the rest of your day.”
“We will, thank you,” Dodger answered politely.
When she left, he picked up the black and white photos and handed me the towel. I cleaned up and looked upon him as stared at his child.
“Jesus, babe, there’s a little human being inside you.”
A giggle bubbled up. “I’m aware.”
“Like right now. It’s growing.”
“Mhmm.”
I was sitting on the table still when he reached his hand out and placed it on my stomach. It was such a loving and tender moment that it almost took me by surprise. His fingers spread and he rubbed his thumb back and forth. Never in all the time I’d been together with him had he showed such an emotional moment. One where he was practically sitting here with his heart hanging outside of his body expressing the love he had for his child. Times of regret and what if’s flew right out of my head to never be thought of again. I wouldn’t wonder if this baby would ever be taken care of or loved unconditionally by both of its parents. I knew he would be.
He pulled his hand away and I saw he wiped away a stray tear, hoping I didn’t see. I wouldn’t mention it. Not that it embarrassed him, but it was him being a caring man. Those things didn’t need to be discussed. Helping me off the table, I tugged my shirt down and grinned at him.
“Sooo, you happy about having a boy?”
“Couldn’t be more thrilled. How about you? You said girl.”
“Eh, it was just a guess. Goes to show those Chinese calendars are made up by bored idiots.”
“Huh?” He was confused.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Guess my world is about to filled with blues, and browns, and green. Oh shit, wait until we tell your mom.”
He chuckled. “She’s going to spaz. I’m actually shocked she hasn’t been blowing up my phone asking if we found out yet.”
“Oh, just wait. I’m sure it’s coming.”
Just then my phone chimed. “And there we go.” I expected to see Donna’s name on the screen, but it was Keegan. “The other half of the nosey crowd is wondering.”
“Don’t answer.”
“What? You mean leave them hanging?”
“Yeah. Let’s go to lunch and celebrate. Everyone else can wait. In fact, we can ask them to meet at Mom’s house this evening and we can let them know all together.”
I exhaled. “Wow, you are a brave soul. You do realize you asking your mother to wait, she is liable to hunt your ass down and kill you for making her wait longer than she already has.”
He grinned devilishly. “I know. And that’s just too bad.” He opened the exam door and led me out of the room and imaging area. “I’ll take the tongue lashing like a big boy. Right now I just want to take my girl, and son out on a date.”
He didn’t have to convince me. Just the sound of those words were music to my ears. Somebody pinch me, is this how my life is turning out? Who cared about molds and expectations. Sometimes better things come from the unexpected. I knew because I had never felt better in my life.
A WEEK SINCE FINDING out the sex of our baby had gone by. The night we told the family, we also invited my mom and dad to come over. There wasn’t even a word in the English dictionary to express their joy when we said it was a boy. Actually, apparently Dodger had pulled Camden aside and told him before everyone else. I guess brothers needed to display some sort of male competition or dominance. He told his brother.
“We have balls.”
To which I slapped his arm, and Camden chuckled. Dodger had shrugged and grinned proudly.
Donna couldn’t stop sobbing that her first grandchild was going to be a boy. My parents hugged me, confirming that they were happy with the news. Keegan gushed that she was going to be an auntie and her little man was going to have everything in the world. Then she proceeded to tell Camden her biological clock was ticking and she wasn’t getting any younger. It was all very entertaining.
Tonight I was off after a long three-day straight work week. I hated it when they did that to me. Barely gave me time to come home, shower, eat, and sleep before I had to head back in for another twelve-hour shift. I had just put a lasagna in the oven. I’d been craving it for weeks now and just the smell of it was making my mouth water. Actually, the way I was feeling these days, I’m not sure food was what I was craving.
Dodger came walking in, setting his keys down and removing his coat. I was in the doorway of the kitchen and watching him with rapt attention. His every movement was the most delicious thing I’d seen. Maybe I was going crazy. Or maybe I was a sex craved pregnant woman that wanted nothing more than to be sexually satisfied and spent. The last time I’d had any action was with Dodger when he put the bun in the oven, and I’d say I was long overdue.
He had yet to see me standing here staring at him. I had no clue if I had marinara sauce on my face, or splatters of food on my shirt. In fact, just watching him, I wasn’t sure if I had drool forming in the corner of my mouth. The scent of him wafted in my direction and like Peppy La Pew, I fluttered on my feet toward him. His brown hair was still long and uncut. When he caught sight of me, his blue eyes sparkled, and his crooked smile made my heart flutter. I didn’t stop my forward momentum when I got right in front of him and he was about to say “hey how was your day” my mouth slamming against his halted his words.