Page 25 of Goal Line
After running through some initial questions and getting my height and weight, Val has me change into a fabric gown and tells me Dr. Lowery will be in shortly.
When she walks into the room, I know I’m going to like her. She’s wearing sleek grey slacks and killer high heels, with a form-fitting tank top under her white lab coat. Her honey-colored hair is back in a sleek ponytail and her face is free of makeup except for some mascara and bright pink lipstick. She’s confident and friendly, and from the minute she opens her mouth, she exudes competence and warmth.
After my exam, she answers my questions about my pregnancy and when I might need to stop on-ice training, and then says, “You can put your clothes back on, and we’ll move you to the room next door so I can do a quick ultrasound and we can see your baby.”
“My friend is in the waiting room. Can he come in for the ultrasound, too?”
“Sure. What’s his name? I’ll have Val call him in.”
“Luke,” I say.
“Ooohhh.” She nods. “That’s right. Olivia told me about you guys.”
“Olivia?”
“Olivia D’Angelis. She’s the team doctor for the Rebels. I fit you in as a favor to her,” she says, and some things start clicking together: the empty waiting room, a nurse at the reception desk, the fact that we breezed right into this appointment. She’s fitting us in on her lunch break. “You can meet me right in here,” she says, stepping backward into the hallway and pointing to another door, “as soon as you’re dressed.”
I don’t expect to find Luke already sitting in the ultrasound room, chatting away amiably with Dr. Lowery, when I get there. But of course he’s already made her his newest friend. He’s always so at ease with everyone, so confident inwho he is, I guess, that he doesn’t need to worry about impressing people. And they’re always drawn to him anyway, just like I am.
When he sees me standing in the doorway, he smiles and pats the exam chair, saying, “Hop up, Evie. Let’s see this baby.”
Chapter Twelve
LUKE
Itry not to watch as Dr. Lowery preps for the ultrasound by tucking Eva’s shirt up into her bra and pushing the waistband of her skirt down so low it’s practically indecent—but it’s kind of a nice distraction from the way my dad’s voice has been on replay in my head the whole time I sat in the waiting room:This is why I didn’t want you to bring Luke onto this team.
Eva’s got her eyes screwed tightly shut, so my hand finds hers where it’s curled into a fist by her side. Given what she’s told me about the circumstances of this pregnancy, and how afraid she is of disappointing her parents and Christopher Fucking Steele, I’m not surprised she’s so tense.
The tips of her fingers curl into my palm, and she squeezes, then lets her head fall to the side so she’s looking at me.
You’re good.I mouth the words, not wanting to interrupt the silence as the doctor gets ready. Instead, I take theopportunity to reach out and sweep back the strand of hair that’s fallen onto her forehead and tuck it behind her ear as I whisper, “We got this.”
Eva gives me a small nod and takes a deep breath.
“This is going to feel cool,” the doctor says, squirting some clear gel onto Eva’s belly. We both look up at the screen above her feet. It’s black with some grayish spots at first, but as Dr. Lowery moves the transponder around, a large bubble appears in the center of the screen. We watch in awe as the shape of a baby emerges—the head, followed by the curved body, and tiny legs and arms.
“Oh my god,” I whisper, my eyes getting watery as I’m struck by the magic of what we’re seeing. It was one thing to see drawings of a fetus side by side with various fruits and vegetables in the app while reading about each week’s development. It’s another entirely to see the shape of an actual baby, to watch it move, to imagine what it will look like.
Eva’s hand is squeezing mine so tightly I’m pretty sure I’ll have a permanent imprint of her nails in my palm. I glance at her, noticing how her breaths are shallow as her eyes remain fixed on the screen, unblinking. I can’t tell how she’s feeling—is this awe, or the beginning of a freak-out? Or is it just reality setting in even further?
She closes her eyes and a tear leaks down the side of her face. Reaching up, I wipe it away with my thumb, then lean forward and kiss her forehead. All I want to do at this moment is make sure she knows she’s not alone. I’ll do whatever I can to help her—always have, always will.
Dr. Lowery explains some of the measurements she’s taking, confirms that the baby is perfectly healthy and growing right along schedule. “One thing to note is that youhave a retroverted uterus, which means it’s slightly tilted backward. That might be another reason you’re barely showing at this point. It shouldn’t impact your labor or delivery, but we’ll keep an eye on it to make sure that it rights itself as the pregnancy progresses.”
Eva nods, and then Dr. Lowery asks, “Do you already know the sex of the baby? Or do you want to know?”
Yes. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I have the good sense to hold that in. It’s not my place to have an opinion here, no matter how curious I am.
“No,” Eva says. “Maybe eventually . . . but not yet.”
Dr. Lowery just nods and touches the screen. The whirling sound of a printer fills the room, and she reaches down to rip off a five-inch-wide strip of photo paper that curls as she hands it to Eva. “Here are some photos for you,” she says, but Eva doesn’t take them, she just looks over at me.
“Thanks,” I say as I reach out my hand for them.
I don’t miss the way Dr. Lowery looks at Eva with concern as she wipes the gel off her abdomen. “We’re done for today. On your way out, you can make your next appointment. Take all the time you need getting out of here.” She gives Eva’s shoulder a squeeze, making me wonder how much Eva told her about the circumstances of her pregnancy, and then heads out the door.
Eva swings her legs over the edge of the table, sitting up to face me. But she makes no move to fix her clothing or stand up.
