Page 93 of Anti-Hero

A steady whooshing sound fills the room a second later.

Collins glances at me then, her eyes full of wonder. And she doesn’t look away when she realizes I’m already staring at her.

“Wow,” she says.

I’d agree, but my throat feels too thick to talk.

I thought I was prepared for this, that I was equipped for parenthood because I had good role models and can afford the best car seat and stroller and crib. But I suddenly feel totally inadequate. The anxiety I had about starting at Kensington Consolidated was nothing in comparison to the magnitude ofthisresponsibility.

“You decided not to find out the sex, correct?” the tech asks.

Collins glances at me. “I said I wanted to wait and have it be a surprise. Is that okay with you?”

I wouldn’t mind knowing. If nothing else, it’ll make decorating the nursery much easier. But this is Collins’s call. If she wants to wait, we’ll wait.

“Good with me,” I confirm, refocusing on the screen. Watching the blob shift feels like a rare event—a lightning strike or a meteor shower or a solar eclipse—that deserves to be fully appreciated for the limited time it lasts.

“Everything looks great, Collins. We’ll print some photos for you and Dad”—the tech glances at me, and I startle at the unfamiliar title—“to take home. Dr. Bailey will review the images and give you a call later today or tomorrow.”

“Why not now?” I ask.

“Kit,” Collins chides softly.

“It’s standard procedure, sir. If there was cause for concern, you’d be seeing a doctor now.”

“Okay,” I acquiesce. “Thank you,” I add more politely.

“No problem.” The tech wipes the gel off Collins’s stomach, then leaves the room.

“Told you nothing would be wrong,” I state.

She laughs. This time, the sound is suffused with relief.

“Yeah. Your knee didn’t seem stressedat all.”

Speaking of stress …

“You hungry?” I ask.

I was too anxious to eat this morning, and I’m guessing Collins felt similarly.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Can I buy you breakfast?”

I hold my breath, waiting for her reply. Because she’s been historically opposed to me spending any money on her and because this falls outside of co-parentingandwork responsibilities.

She doesn’t have to say yes.

She probably won’t.

“Yes.”

“What about whales?” I suggest.

“Whales?” Collins’s nose crinkles.

“Yeah. Like an underwater theme. There could be fish and turtles too.”

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