Page 66 of Moonlighter

“Better you than me,” she grumbles. “I hate hospitals. So much.” She lifts her hips and I slide the dress out from under her. My gut goes a little sideways when I see blood on it. Not just a little bit, either. Quickly, I sweep the dress out of sight behind me. But of course she knows it’s there.

Oh Alex. I’m so sorry.

And now I feel like punching something. So much for my chipper small talk.

“Knock knock,” the sonogram guy says. “Now let’s have a look at that baby.” He enters the room and snaps on the monitor. I move to the head of the bed to get out of the way as the technician grabs a tube of goo and squirts it on Alex’s exposed stomach.

Alex’s face creases with tension, and she clutches my fingers more tightly. I doubt she even knows she’s doing it. The tech puts the wand on her belly and slides it around for a moment. Then he actually smiles. “Well, hi there! Look at you, moving around!”

And, whoa. There’s a baby on that screen. It’s shaped like a peanut. Or a lima bean. But that’s a baby, and it’s lifting its tiny hand. “Is it sucking its thumb?”

“Yep!” the tech says.

“That’s good, right?” Alex lifts her chin as if getting closer to the screen will tell her what she needs to know.

“Very good. See that nice strong heartbeat?” He hits a button and then we can hear it. A rapid, rhythmic whoosh.

And I am speechless.

But not Alex. “Can you tell if anything is wrong?”

“Someone from OB will be down to speak to you,” he says. “But all I see is a healthy fetus that’s positioned correctly. With bleeding, we always need to rule out an ectopic pregnancy. But that’s not an issue for you. Hang in there, Ms. Engels. There are no guarantees. But I don’t think you’re having your heart broken tonight.”

Her face relaxes for the first time since we got here.

“Before I go, do you already know the sex of your baby?”

“No!” Alex says. “I thought I didn’t want to know. But now I think I do. Tell me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

He chuckles. “It’s a girl. I’m ninety percent sure.”

“A little girl,” Alex whispers, awe in her voice.

“I’ll make an extra print for you. Just try to relax okay?”

She sets her head back and lets out a deep breath. Then she remembers to unclench my hand.

The next visitoris a curt female obstetrician. “I’m Dr. Patel,” she says crisply. “Tell me about the bleeding you’re experiencing.”

“Bright red blood everywhere. It came on very suddenly.”

“Significant cramping?”

“No, just a twinge.”

“And have you experienced bleeding earlier in your pregnancy? Spotting? Red or brown in color?”

“Not a bit. That’s why I panicked.”

“Okay…” The doctor makes a thoughtful face. “I don’t believe you’re miscarrying. The suddenness of your symptoms is a little odd. Most women aren’t aware, though, that twenty-five percent of healthy full-term pregnancies experience some unexplained bleeding during the first trimester.”

“Twenty five percent?” Alex sounds so hopeful.

“That’s right. It’s a very common symptom of early pregnancy and often signifies nothing. Now, your pregnancy is a couple of weeks more advanced than we typically see this, and the sudden onset is a little unusual. But there’s still no reason to panic.”