Page 12 of Sin Wagon
“Derek!”
“Of course, I’m going with you. I’m not letting you face that demon, Claudia, alone. Plus, I have to meet the sap stupid enough to lock himself to her forever.”
“I fucking hate you,” I squeal while laughing, swatting his arm. “Don’t tease me like that.”
We spend the rest of the ride listening to music and singing at the top of our lungs with the windows down, just enjoying the breeze.
“Okay, we’re here, babe. Are you ready?”
“Yup,” I reply, as he parks the car. I unbuckle, grabbing the door handle. Derek comes around the car, grabs my hand, and walks with me to the door of the office. I’m so glad I have him to do this with me. I’m not totally alone which has made this whole thing so much better and not as scary.
Derek and I met in Vermont in middle school and became friends quickly. He went to college at the University of California, but as soon as he graduated with his Bachelors, he moved to Vegas to work and be closer to me. He got a job right away, which I knew he would because this is Las Vegas and he majored in hospitality management.
He’s the general manager at the MayDay and loves it, minus all the women who flirt with him. They don’t seem to get the memo that they don’t have the right tools. He, like me, needs an older man. Call it the bond that keeps this friendship alive, our love for silver foxes.
We ride the elevator up to the fourth floor and I get butterflies when the doors open and we step out. Knowing the baby is a boy or girl makes this even more real. I’m nervous as hell to be a mom, but also excited, and well, doing it without Wells is pissing me off. Not at him because you know he has no idea I’m even knocked up, but I’m mad that I didn’t get his last name or what club he owns—if that was even the truth.
Okay if I’m being honest I am pissed at him. But only because he promised to call and I don’t like being lied to. If he wanted a quickie in the alley he just needed to say so or say nothing at all. Not like my feelings would be hurt. Wouldn’t be the first and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Maybe the last in an alley because I hadroad rash on my back from the brick of the building and I was not a fan.
“How can I help you today?” a sweet older woman asks from behind the counter, her glasses perched at the end of her nose.
“Appointment for Delilah Winslow.”
“Okay, you’re all set. Take a seat and they’ll call you when they’re ready.”
We find a seat and mindlessly scroll our phones as we wait. I expect to wait for ages since that’s how doctors are. I swear they get their kicks by seeing how long they can make you wait for them. Twenty minutes later, my name is called, catching me off guard. My head shoots up, thinking I heard wrong, but the nurse is looking at me.
I stand up shakily as Derek follows and we head over to where she's standing, holding the door open for us. “Right this way, please.”
We walk down a hall behind her until she stops, ushering us into an empty exam room on the left. She follows us in and shuts the door. “Take a seat. I just have a few questions to ask and the tech will be in shortly.”
Climbing up on the table, the butterflies flutter in my belly once more.
“No new medications or vitamins?”
“Nothing new except the prenatal you guys suggested,” I tell her.
“What about the Lexapro? Are you still on that?”
“Yeah, 20mg every morning.”
“Perfect. We are going to do a scan, not only for the baby’s sex, but also what we call an anomaly scan. While that might sound scary, it’s just to make sure all the baby’s organs are formed. We’ll look at his or her heart extra close to make sure there are no issues.”
“Sounds good. I don’t want to know the baby’s gender, though. Can you write it down and give it to Derek to hold on to?” I ask and she smiles as she clicks on the computer.
“Yeah, we can do that,” she reassures me. “Okay, I’m just going to check your blood pressure and take your temperature, then the tech will be in.”
The sonogram tech arrives twenty minutes after she finishes and I lie back with my shirt lifted and my pants pulled down. She squeezes the cold gel on my belly and moves the wand around on it as she looks at the screen, typing on her keyboard with her free hand. Every few movements of the wand, she presses harder as she searches for the organ she is after.
I watch the screen in awe. I can’t tell what is what, but it amazes me that there is a tiny human being inside of me. Derek’s eyes are just as enamored with the screen as mine. The tech writes something down on a piece of paper and seals it in an envelope before handing it to Derek. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” He smiles cheekily. “I can’t wait to rip it open when I’m home alone.”
“Just remember our deal, Uncle Derek.” I wag my brows at him.
“Okay, so everything looks good. I took a few pictures and printed them for you, just in case you wanted them. Your doctor will call if anything is out of the ordinary, but from what I can see, everything looks perfect. Baby is measuring right at twenty weeks. We’ll see you in three to five weeks for your gestational diabetes test. You can make the appointment on your way out,” the tech tells us as she hands me a cloth to wipe the excess gel from my belly and straighten my clothes.
“We will, thank you,” I tell her when she hands me the ultrasound pictures of Little Boba. I look at them, smiling, and can’t wait to get home to add them to my fridge.
