Page 114 of I Loved You First

“We’ll be right there,” Cam called down the hall as Fiona’s thumbs flew over her cell phone screen.

Moments later, she exhaled a quiet breath of relief. “He says he can be here at eleven thirty.”

Cam exhaled a sigh of his own. Because this wasn’t an appointment he wanted to miss or bring Brady to. “That’s good. Now let’s see if we can pull off ‘normal’ for the next hour for Brady.”

She nodded. “We’ll give it our best shot.”

Ninety minutes later, Fiona lay on a bed in a dim examination room, clutching Cam’s hand as he sat by her side. She looked his way with her legs draped in a sheet and her feet resting in stirrups, trying her best to smile.

“Hey,” he said, kissing her knuckles. “We’ve got this.”

She nodded, treasuring his support, thanking her lucky stars that she and Cam would get through this experience together. Nothing about the last couple of hours had been easy, but knowing he would be with her every step of the way made the uncertainties a little bit better.

The sonographer with the kind brown eyes smiled. “Are you ready to get started?”

Fiona nodded again, even though she felt like she might vomit from nerves. “We are.”

“You’ll feel a little pressure,” the woman said as she inserted the transvaginal probe. “Let me know if there’s any discomfort.”

“It feels fine,” Fiona said as a tiny figure appeared on the screen to their right.

“There’s the fetal pole. Or the embryo.”

Fiona couldn’t help but smile. “It’s so small.”

The woman nodded. “There’s the yolk sac and the heartbeat.” The sonographer pointed to both.

Fiona snagged her bottom lip with her teeth as she stared at the rhythmic motion in the center of the sweet little blob.

“Do you think we’ll be able to hear it yet?” Cam asked as he stroked his thumb along Fiona’s skin.

The woman nodded. “By seven weeks, we should. Let’s take a listen.” She clicked on a button, and a strong heartbeat filled the room as the rhythm played across the screen. “One hundred fifty-three beats.”

Fiona laughed, completely in awe, as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Our baby.”

Nodding, he grinned as his eyes grew teary. “I love that sound.” He kissed her. “I love you.”

She touched his cheek. “I love you, too.”

The fetal heart sound vanished as the sonographer made dots appear and clicked, creating more images.

Fiona watched carefully. “Do you see anything that we don’t want to see? Are there any fibroids?”

The woman shook her head. “The doctor will give you the final word, but I know how agonizing the wait can be. I don’t see anything that shouldn’t be there.”

Fiona closed her eyes, allowing the relief to wash over her before she looked at Cam.

He winked, sending her another grin.

And as quickly as the ultrasound began, it ended. The woman helped Fiona remove her feet from the stirrups and then collapsed the pieces back into the table.

“Let’s get you some images,” the sonographer said as she printed them out, handing the long sheet to Fiona.

Fiona sat up, staring at their baby’s first pictures. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll send the information over to Dr. Miller. She’ll get back to you within the next couple of days.”

Fiona nodded. “We appreciate it.”