Page 109 of Wild Pitch
We had joked more than once that the baby would need the playroom, and I had a contractor coming to refinish the lower level. I only lived in the city because it was close to the stadium, but if Kylie said the word, I’d move to the suburbs. For many reasons, I hadn’t broached the subject with her.
When we arrived at her doctor’s office, she checked in, and we sat while waiting. She didn’t know this, but I had planned a shopping trip for after the appointment, and then we were meeting her sisters and mother for lunch.
“Kylie?”
A woman called from the doorway, and we stood to follow her. Kylie had worn leggings and rolled them below her belly before climbing onto the examination table.
I checked out the room, and the monitor next to the table was turned toward the tech. She had entered Kylie’s information and pulled up her record.
“Date of birth?”
“9/11/01.”
“Oof. Oh, God. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s not anything I haven’t heard a thousand times.”
“I have here that your last period was around December 15th?”
Kylie nodded. “I’m pretty sure.”
Kylie’s period had always been a little irregular, something that had led her to panic one moment after she’d slept over and bled all over my sheets. She had been mortified, but periods had never been something that bothered me.
The tech turned the screen towards us just before she squeezed some warm gel on Kylie’s abdomen. As she moved the wand, she continued to enter data into the computer and took measurements.
“I have here that you want to know the sex?”
“Yes, please.”
“Ooh, this is a great profile shot.” She froze the screen and took a screenshot. “We will see if the baby cooperates today.”
The sound of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room, and Kylie watched as I wiped away more than a few stray tears.
“I love you.”
She mouthed the words, and I leaned forward to kiss her.
“Do we have any guesses on the sex?”
“He thinks it’s a girl,” Kylie said.
The tech continued moving the wand over the screen and paused it to take a still shot.
“Well, guess what? Dad’s right.”
Kylie’s eyes met mine, swimming with tears, and I pressed my forehead to hers, squeezing my eyes shut.
“What do you think about a girl named Lucky?” Kylie asked the tech.
“I don’t give opinions on names. Last time I did that, the family called the practice and complained that I insulted them.”
“What was the name?”
“Um, they planned to name the baby Lettuce. I guess they were inspired by the shape of her belly and thought about iceberg lettuce.”
“Oh, man. At least we’re not looking to name her after a vegetable.”
The tech wiped the sticky goop off Kylie’s stomach and handed us a stack of ultrasound photos.
