Page 86 of Pain in the Axe
“See this flickering?” she said, pointing to the screen. “That is the heartbeat.”
I sucked in a long breath to quell my tears. It was unbelievable. The head and the spine and the arm buds and that constant flicker of its beating heart.
Gus leaned down and kissed my cheek, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen to acknowledge him.
“One hundred fifty beats per minute. A very strong heartbeat.”
“Look at that,” Gus murmured in my ear. “Our little lumberjack, growing strong in there.”
The tears were back—happy ones this time—dripping down my face. Wow, makeup had really been a waste today.
“We can’t see a lot right now, but I’m going to take some measurements, okay?”
We nodded eagerly. Even at eight weeks, only the size of a kidney bean, this baby was the most precious, beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life.
“We made this,” he said, squeezing my hand.
“We did.”
“I’m so proud of you, Dragonfly.”
“I haven’t done anything yet.”
“You’ve done everything. You just don’t realize it.”
After the appointment, we sat in his truck, admiring the photos of our little bean.
“We should hit the natural food store while we’re here,” he said. “You can follow me in your car. I read that candied ginger can help with nausea.”
Shifting in my seat, I frowned. “You read? Where?”
He glared at me. “In a book. I am literate, Dragonfly.”
“You’re reading baby books?”
“Yes,” he said slowly, like this was the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re having a baby. I gotta do my research. You expect me to go in cold?”
My heart tripped over itself. What the hell? Men didn’t read baby books. Did they? AndGus? The thought of him sitting on his porch reading about fetal development made me smile. It also made me feel a bit guilty. I was very behind on my own research.
“How many have you read?” I pushed.
He shrugged. “Not many.”
“Tell me.” I whacked his arm lightly.
Head dipped, he murmured, “Seven.”
“Gus!” I shouted. “You’ve only known about the baby for three weeks.”
“Two were on audio.”
I tipped my head back and huffed. “They count! It’s all reading.”
“I have a lot to learn, okay?” he said, looking sheepish. “And it’s not just pregnancy books. I picked up a few about newborns, and infant brain development too. Oh, and one about sleep. Sleep is huge for babies. Did you know if you exclusively breastfeed, you should supplement with vitamin D?”
What?Between the heartbeat scare, seeing my baby for the first time, and hearing Gus talk about the swaddling technique, my head was spinning.
I was also a bit turned on, not that I was willing to admit it.
