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He looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. "Oh, baby. I hate that you're hurting."
"I’m afraid, it's going to get a lot worse," Dr. Lévy interjected humorously.
Duncan looked at her in horror.
"Childbirth," she remarked and laughed softly.
"Fuck!" Duncan kissed my forehead. "I'll be there with you. I promise. And we'll get you drugs. All the drugs. Okay? Emilia said something about an epidural and—"
"Non. I don't want epidural." He looked so stricken that I stroked his hand. "Duncan, it's going to be alright."
The doctor applied the cool gel and began the scan, the familiar black-and-white images appeared on the screen. As she moved the transducer over my stomach, she explained each part of the scan. "We're checking the baby's growth, the organs, the spine, and the brain. We'll also look for any markers for Down's syndrome or other conditions."
I held my breath, my eyes glued to the screen. The flickering images were both fascinating and terrifying. The doctor measured the baby's head, checked the heart chambers, and examined the limbs.
"Everything looks good," Dr. Lévy said reassuringly. "The baby's growth is normal, and there are no markers for Down's syndrome or any other conditions based on your initial blood tests. We'll get your final reports in a couple of days but I don't think we'll have any issues."
I exhaled a long, relieved breath, feeling some of the tension drain from my body. I squeezed Duncan's hand. I looked over at him, and to my surprise, tears were streaming down his face.
"She's okay," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "Our baby is okay."
Seeing him cry, his raw vulnerability laid bare, softened my heart even more. Despite the hurt and betrayal, I still loved him, and part of me wanted to believe we could find a way through this.
Dr. Lévy handed us the ultrasound pictures, and I stared at the tiny, perfect profile of our daughter.
"She's beautiful," I murmured, tears of my own welling up.
"She certainly is," Dr. Lévy smiled. "Well, if you don't have any questions, I'm going to let you get dressed. I'll see you next month."
Once the doctor left, Duncan gently stroked my cheek as we both looked at the ultrasound picture. "Thank you for letting me be here, Elsa. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm so grateful."
I looked at him, my heart torn between pain and hope. "This doesn't mean I've forgiven you, Duncan."All lies!"However, I'm glad you're here today."All true!
He kissed my hand, his eyes full of regret. "I understand. And I am sorry,ma douce. I'll do whatever it takes to make this right."
I wasn't sure how he could do that. I didn't trust him anymore, and that was something you couldn't rebuild, could you? I wanted to. I didn't want to lose my husband or my family even before we became one.
He helped me get off the gurney.
The nurse had brought my clothes and laid them on a chair. I looked at them, and Duncan's jaw tightened. "I've seen you naked."
"I know," I grumbled. He had, and it seemed petty to ask the father of my child to leave the room so I could get dressed, especially since he could help me lace up my shoes, which had been an interesting experience this morning.
He looked at my naked stomach like he'd never seen it before and marveled. Well, he hadn’t seen it in a few weeks and pregnancy meant my body of changing rapidly and all the time.
"May I?" he requested, his eyes blazing with intensity.
The air got sucked out of the room. I nodded shakily. He put a hand on my naked stomach, and I bit back a moan.
"You're so beautiful."
He dropped to his knees, and I almost pushed him away until I saw him kiss my stomach. "Hey, sweetheart, this is your Papa. I already love you so much. Love you as much as I love your Mamman."
I stilled, my eyes glassy. Did he just say he loved me?Love? Was this real, or was he using this to get me back? If he'd said this a few weeks ago, I'd have believed him, no questions asked. Though his behavior in his office with that American friend of his would have made it as suspect as it was right now.
He lingered for a long moment and then stood up. He looked at my breasts and groaned. "They've become darker." He put a finger on a nipple, and my whole body swayed, not away from him, but closer to him.
"Stop, Duncan," I said softly because I was having trouble speaking.
