AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Or keep me like a prisoner.” She tilts her head and calls me out.
“When a wife tells her husband she’s going to leave him, he must take measures.” I shrug casually, smiling at Greta when she steps through the door and presents a plate stacked high with pancakes.
“Ignore the extra guards, and focus on what’s important.” I place one hand on her stomach and pick up her fork with the other. When she snatches it out of my hand and starts to eat I sit back and watch in satisfaction.
“I’m not going to run,” she tells me, after eating an acceptable amount from her plate and pushing it aside. “I hate you, but I’m not going to run.” She almost makes it sound convincing.
“Good because it would be a waste of energy, and energy is what you will need in the upcoming months.” I stand up from my chair, straighten out my suit and offer her my hand. When she takes it I sense the anguish behind her smile.
The car journey to Dr. Walsh’s private clinic is silent, and Madalina purposely angles her body away from me. I remain patient with her, she’s had a lot to take in, and it will take her some time to get used to the idea. Unfortunately, patience is something I lack and I will have to strengthen it. I predict thenext however many months we have left of this pregnancy will have its challenges.
“What is this place?” she asks, when my driver stops outside the back entrance to the clinic.
“This is a private clinic, the best in the state,” I inform her.
“It looks like the back end of an ally.” She screws up her nose, and acts like a brat.
“This is the back entrance, I wanted to keep our visit discreet.” I open the door and get out so I can offer her my hand, and I'm not at all surprised when she ignores it and gets out by herself.
After pressing the buzzer we’re greeted by a well-dressed woman, who leads us to sit in the waiting room. There are framed pictures on the wall of newborns wrapped up and made to resemble woodland creatures and I note the way Madalina side-glances them all as she paces the floor in front of me.
“He shouldn’t keep us waiting long,” I tell her, trying to fill the silence, that is becoming increasingly irritating. I think I preferred it when she was yelling at me, at least then I didn’t feel cut off from the thoughts inside her head.
“It isn’t like I have anything better to do.” She slumps down in the chair beside me like a delinquent child.
“Would you like some water?” I offer, heading toward the dispenser in the corner of the room and when all I get is a shake of her head, I'm about to lose my cool and get into how rude she’s being, but the door opens and interrupts me.
“Dr. Walsh will see you now.” The receptionist smiles warmly and looks a little stunned by the eye roll and lack of enthusiasm she gets when Madalina gets up from her chair and strolls past her.
“Mr. DeMarco, it’s good to see you again.” Dr. Walsh is waiting by his office door and when he holds hishand out for her to shake she barges past him and takes a seat; I smile at him awkwardly before following her through and sitting beside her.
“I assume since you're here that you have successfully conceived?” He remains upbeat, which is understandable given the amount he charges for his time.
“And I assume the health board is aware that you prescribe drugs to patients you have never consulted with?” My wife lets her clever mouth get away with her and I reach across and squeeze her thigh tight enough to remind her how rude she’s being.
“Shall we start by going through some questions?” He chooses to ignore her jibes and gets straight to business, asking her all the relevant questions to which she responds with one-worded answers and a blank look on her face.
“Okay, well, all that's left to do is the examination. If you’d just like to hop up onto the bed.”
“Wait, what kind of examination?” I hold my arm across her body to stop her from getting up.
“Some doctors like to do an internal on their patient's first visit, but I don’t think that’s necessary, given how long ago Mrs. DeMarco’s last period was. An external ultrasound should give us an expected due date and ensure everything is as it should be.” He puts my mind at ease enough to drop my arm and Madalina smiles at me sarcastically as she gets up and hops onto the bed.
I don’t know if it's my head fucking with me but her stomach already appears to have a curve, and knowing that it’s from the baby I put inside her makes me smile to myself, as she lifts up her shirt and pops open the buttons on her jeans.
“This might be a little cold,” Dr. Walsh warns, before squirting gel onto her lower stomach and she flinches a little and refuses to take my hand when I offer it. He presses the ultrasound wand against her stomach, and after alittle maneuvering, he turns up the sound on his machine so we hear a loud whooshing sound.
“Is that…?” I lean closer and study the screen.
“That's the sound of your babies’ heartbeats.” He smiles. “They are both very strong.”
“I’m sorry,both?” Madalina’s eyes widen with distress.
“Yes, two sacs, two heartbeats. Two babies,” he announces and when she flops her head back against the headrest she shakes her head and laughs to herself.
“Of course, there is.” She closes her eyes and breathes calmly.
“Wait, are you telling me there are two babies in there?” I check I’m hearing him right.
