Page 21 of Hell & Back

“Really?” Tuck whined when she covered up too quickly.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” she complained with an eye roll.

“Where do you want to eat, baby, when we leave here?” Darren sat with his legs crossed at the ankles and tucked under his seat, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I don’t know. How does bar-b-que sound?”

She’d been talking about nothing else since dinner last night so hearing her choice didn’t come as a surprise. “Bar-b-que sounds good. Tuck?”

“Sounds good to me, too, baby.”

The woman had them both in the palm of her hand. There wasn’t anything they wouldn’t do for her. She could be one of those women, like Tuck’s ex, that took full advantage of her power over them, but she wasn’t.

“After that, do you want me to drop you off before I take Tuck to physical therapy?”

“Yeah. Take me to the clubhouse. I’ve got stuff I can work on there.”

There was a knock on the door before it swung open. Dr. Hartford entered with a smile and a handshake for both Darren and Tuck. He placed the small laptop he’d been carrying under his arm on the counter, then washed his hands.

“Good morning, Kylie. How are you feeling today?” He dried his hands with paper towels as he asked.

“Great. I feel really good.”

“Glad to hear it. Let’s get some vitals and some measurements then we’ll take a look at the little one. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find out if you’re having a girl or a boy this time.”

“Sounds good.” She shot them both a smile and opened her eyes wide in excitement. She’d been looking forward to this visit for the last three days. She’d been so excited, he doubted she’d gotten much sleep last night.

Dr. Hartford took her blood pressure then had her lie back. He took out a cloth measuring tape and measured her stomach. “Looking good. Right on schedule.” He made a few notes in her record then announced it was time for the ultrasound. He helped Kylie lie back then lowered the paper cover below her belly. Next, he squirted jelly on her belly. “Can one of you turn off the lights?”

Darren jumped up and took care of the lights.

“Okay. Let’s see what we can see.” The doctor took the wand and settled it on her stomach, rubbing the jelly all around. He moved it around until he found what he was looking for. He turned up the volume so they could all hear. “That is your baby’s heartbeat.”

Amazement transformed Tuck’s face. His hand went to his chest and he swallowed hard like he was choked with emotion. The baby’s heartbeat made it real for all of them. Sure, with Kylie carrying the baby and feeling it move inside her, it had felt real for her for a long time. Today, it had gotten seriously more real for him and Tuck. Tears of happiness pooled in her pretty blue eyes as she reached her hand toward Tuck.

Darren quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and prepared to record Tuck and Kylie’s every reaction as their baby’s sex was revealed. They’d want to look back on this oneday and remember how happy and excited they’d been at the time.

“Let’s see if the little one will cooperate.” He moved it around, pushing the wand a little harder than Darren thought was necessary. It must not have hurt too bad or Kylie would have said something.

Tuck stood at Kylie’s shoulder, taking her hand in his. While they both focused on the TV mounted on the wall, Darren zoomed in on their faces.

“See that right there?” Dr. Hartford asked. “That little area that looks like a hotdog bun means you’re having a girl.”

There it was. True joy spread across Tuck’s face at the same time Kylie beamed at the TV. Tuck’s watery eyes blinked wide, drying suddenly. The news that he was having a girl must have sunk in because his wide smile dropped and panic set in. From there he must have bypassed the baby stage of his little girl and zoomed straight to her teenage years. The doctor noticed Tuck’s pallor and gently suggested he have a seat. Darren quickly shoved a chair under his ass before he could drop to the floor. That’s all they needed; for Tuck to fuck up all his healing injuries.

“Tuck? Are you okay?” His near faint scared Kylie. And, yeah, Darren got his friend almost passing out on video, too. “Dr. Hartford?”

“If you start to feel faint or like you might pass out, put your head between your knees and breathe slow and deep,” he smiled at Tuck. Darren was sure the man dealt with this sort of thing all the time. Could the news of being a girl dad hitting him so hard be a preview of what they should expect at the delivery? He chuckled, planning to catch that on video as well if it happened.

Dr. Hartford congratulated them all and helped Kylie to a seated position. He said a few words to her regarding her nextappointment, then exited the room to give them a few moments of privacy while she got dressed.

“A girl. I’m going to be a girl dad.” Darren wasn’t sure if it was awe or fear in his friend’s voice. Probably a healthy dose of both. He stopped recording and put his phone away.

“Yeah. Congratulations, man. I’m so happy for you guys.” He stepped closer to the exam table and offered Kylie his hand so she could step down and get dressed. She wadded the paper up and wiped the jelly from her stomach at the same time throwing concerned looks Tuck’s way.

“I don’t know anything about girls! What if I fuck things up?” Tuck ran a rough hand through his hair.

“You’ll be fine. Kylie’s her mom, she’s not going to let you fuck things up.” He clapped him on the shoulder.

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