Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 477(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Or I could take door number two.
I could date my ex-husband, the love of my life. The one that I let go, but have regretted doing so more than I thought possible. We could end up in worse shape than we are now. That’s the funny thing about life: it’s unpredictable as hell and just when you think you have it figured out, along comes another curveball.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” His voice is hopeful, his eyes shining for the first time in I don’t know how long.
“Okay. I’ll date you.” Deep breath.
His smile is boyish and practically splits his face in half, it’s so wide. It’s the smile I miss most of all, the one I love.
“We’ve got this, Winnie. I promise we’re going to fix this.”
I start to open my mouth, to reassure him that it’s going to take a lot of work on both our parts, when the door opens. “Knock, knock,” a lady says politely as she enters my room, pushing a cart. “I’m Courtney, and I’m going to do an ultrasound for you this morning.” My heartbeat kicks up as I sit up straight in bed. The young tech wheels her machine over to my bedside and quickly gets it set up. “Do you want your company to stay?” she asks, glancing over her shoulder at Harrison, who’s lingering in the corner.
“He’s the father,” I reply, resulting in her smile.
“Okay, good. Give me a second and we’ll begin,” she adds.
Harrison comes over and stands at my head, giving himself a clear view of the monitor. Courtney gets ready and rolls a condom over the wand. “Uhh, what are you doing? I don’t think it’s going to get her pregnant again,” he says.
She smiles in return. “It’s not for protection, Mr. Drake.” She glances my way next. “Ready to take a peek at your baby?”
“Definitely,” I answer excitedly.
I hold my breath as she inserts the wand and moves it around. It only takes a moment before the image on the screen displays a tiny peanut. Our peanut.
“There she is,” Courtney says, pointing to the screen.
“She? You know it’s a girl?” Harrison asks, kneeling beside my bed to get on my level. He reaches out and grabs hold, mindful of the IV in my hand.
“No, it’s too early to know that. I just always refer to fetuses as shes,” she replies with a shrug. We watch as she takes measurements, much like the tech did last night down in the ER. Then she clicks a button and a fast beat fills the room. “And that is your baby’s heartbeat.”
Harrison gasps. “It’s so fast.”
“They are,” she confirms. “One hundred and forty-five beats per minute. Good and strong. I’d say your little one is doing quite well today,” she adds, taking several images of the baby.
I can feel his eyes on me and am surprised to find them a little misty. They’re so full of wonder, amazement, and love. “Thank you,” he whispers, right before his lips find mine. The kiss could easily turn heated, but he doesn’t let it. Instead, we turn and watch the rest of the ultrasound, staring in awe at the sight on the small screen.
“You’re all set. I’m going to send this to the doctor, and he’ll be in shortly. What OB will you be using? We’ll make sure to send all our reports to their office as well,” Courtney says as she shuts down the computer system and unplugs it from the wall.
“Westlakes OB,” I inform her. Even though I haven’t given it much thought, that’s where I go for my lady appointments, so why not continue with the same doctors?
“They’re wonderful there. They delivered my daughter last year,” the young woman adds, giving us a wave before exiting the room.
We barely have time to think, let alone talk about what we just witnessed, when the door pushes open. The morning nurse and admitting doctor come in together. “Good morning, Mrs. Drake. How was your night?”
“Not bad,” I inform him, making sure everything is covered up below the waist.
“How’s the spotting?” he asks, reading over the report from the ultrasound.
“Barely any this morning when I used the restroom.”
“Perfect, that’s what we had hoped for. Everything is looking good, and I see no reason to keep you any longer. I would make an appointment with your OB tomorrow morning, and take it easy for a few days. If you start to see spots or have trouble focusing, come back to the ER right away, but the bump to your head isn’t showing signs of any damage.”
“So I can go?” I ask, suddenly wanting nothing more than to go home, shower, and put on my own clothes.
“You’re free. Jackie will get your discharge papers and instructions ready, and she’ll bring up the wheelchair shortly,” he confirms.
“What about orders at home? Anything she should or shouldn’t be doing?” Harrison asks, his focus on the doctor and his posture rigid.