Wilson took a step back from his invention, running a hand through his hair. It should be ready. He'd checked, double-checked, and even triple-checked a few components, and everything seem to be operating as it should be. He briefly considered checking everything again, but quickly decided against it.
"No need to quadruple check," he told himself, "it's definitely ready."
Wiping the remaining sweat off his brow, he gave the device one more glance-over, before turning and heading towards the door with a new-found energy. There was just one person he wanted to see this invention, and if it worked, then every hour, every minute he spent on it will have been worth it. He made his way down the attic staircase and into the hallway, and then paused. He wasn't exactly sure where she was.
Judging by the silence throughout the household, he conjectured that she was likely sleeping somewhere. Makes sense of course, he thought to himself, given her condition and all.
He leaned over the railing and looked down into the living room where the sofa was. Nope, not there. Leaning back, he opted for the bedroom next. He tip-toed his way up to the door, and pushed it open with a soft creak. Surely enough, there she was.
Willow was sprawled out on their bed, the covers half on and half off, unawaken by Wilson's entrance.
Wilson smiled at the sight of her and carefully made his way to the edge of the bed where she lay, got down onto his knees and rested his head and arms on the mattress to get a better look at her. Even though her hair was a bit tussled, and she had the occasional tendency to drool, she still looked absolutely stunning.
She stirred just a little bit, and he sat up, worried that he'd awoken her. But without waking, she simply readjusted herself and settled back down. Wilson watched curiously as her hand moved downward and eventually came to rest on her midsection, revealing a bump that was noticeable though the bed covers. Feeling a twinge of happiness and pride, he reached out and gently placed his hand on Willow's, then moved it to her bump. Even through the covers, he could feel tiny, fluttery movements going on inside.
"Hey there, little one," he cooed softly, "it's me, your daddy." There was a soft kick in response, followed by a slightly harder one.
He smiled again. Of all the people he knew, he would have never expected himself to be a parent one day. Come to think of it, he never thought he'd be married either, especially to someone like Willow. Yet here they were, married, and eagerly awaiting a new addition to their odd little family. They had just a little less than four months of waiting and preparing left, which to Wilson felt like both a long and short amount of time.
He rubbed her belly again. "We cannot wait to meet you." Again, he was met with several small kicks.
Just then, Willow started to stir. Wilson drew his hand away, worried again that he'd awoken her. She sat up slightly and opened her eyes. Once she processed who was in front of her, she smiled. "Hey," she said groggily.
"Afternoon, dearest," Wilson replied softly, "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
She shook her head. "Nah, I was starting to wake up anyway." She brushed her dark bangs out of her face, then put her hand back on her rounded middle. "You know, I think the baby recognizes your voice."
Wilson leaned forward intently. "Really? What makes you think that?"
She smiled at him, then looked at her belly. "Cause every time you talk, they start kicking me really hard," she laughed.
He laughed along with her and put his hand back on her bump. "Is that so? Can you tell it's me, darling?" Once more, a flurry of movements and kicks.
The couple sat in silence for a few moments, when Wilson remembered why he'd come here in the first place. "Oh! I almost forgot! Willow, I have something to show you."
Willow sat up a little more, her curiosity piqued. "Oh really? What is it?"
"Ah ha, I can't tell you," he answered playfully, "it's a surprise! But if you'd be so kind as to come with me, I can show it to you!"
She cocked her head, "Is this the project you've been keeping in the attic?"
Wilson stood up, almost bouncing with eagerness, "You are absolutely correct!"
With that, Willow tossed the covers off and got into a sitting position. "Alright then, let's get going." She tried to hoist herself off the bed as quickly as her pregnancy would allow, but encountered some difficulty. Wilson, upon seeing this, quickly took her hand and helped her up.
"Thanks," she smiled at him. "I swear, getting out of bed gets more challenging every time."
The two of them made their way into the hallway and towards the door that led to the attic. Upon reaching the flight of steps, Wilson paused. "Um, do you think you can climb these?"
Willow looked at him, slightly bewildered. "What? The steps? Of course I can, silly!" She nudged him playfully, "I mean, how do you think I got up to the bedroom? An elevator?"
"Okay, alright, point taken!" He nudged her back. "Let's get going then."
Once they reached the top, Wilson turned the door knob and swung the door completely open. "Ah, here we are!"
Willow entered the room, and paused, unsure of what to make of the sight before her.
It was definitely a machine, though it was smaller than whatever she was expecting. It must've been just a little higher than Wilson. It was rectangular, with a screen on its front side, and a dashboard with various buttons and knobs below it. However, the oddest thing about it was that it was placed right next to a small cot in the middle of the attic. The cot itself was rather simple-looking, with a pile of pillows stacked up at the head of it.
Wilson walked into the room and turned to face Willow, grinning like a boisterous child about to show their parent their newest macaroni drawing.
Willow continued to stand at the door way, her brow furrowed in confusion. "It's lovely Wilson, but… what is it?"
Wilson's smile grew, as if he were expecting her to say that. "It's taking all of my willpower to not just tell you right now," he said as he walked backwards toward the cot, "but I think it would be best if I showed you instead." He reached the edge of the cot and pat it, indicating for her to come and sit down.
Willow instinctively put a hand over her stomach. "Is it… safe?"
Wilson looked shocked for a moment. "Oh, heavens! Of course it is." He quickly walked back up to Willow and took her hand. "Willow, if there was even the slightest chance of this device hurting you or the baby, I would have never built it."
Willow thought for a moment, then smiled at him. "Alright, let's see what it does."
Wilson grinned ecstatically. "Excellent! Just come over to the bed here and lean back on these pillows. I'll get everything else ready."
Willow did as she was told, and got herself comfortable on the cot. She could sit just about upright with all of the pillows supporting her back.
Wilson came around to the side with the machine and flicked on a switch. The device began to whirr to life, and the screen began to light up. While the machine was warming, he trotted over to the table at the far end of the room and picked something up. Willow watched him with intense curiosity. She eyed the thing he had in his hand as he came back towards her. It looked like a tube of mysterious gel. "What's that for?"
He held up the tube for her to get a better look. "This stuff will help the machine work better", he explained. He pulled up a chair next to the cot and sat down. He looked at Willow, and hesitated again. "Do you mind if I, well…" He faltered a bit, gesturing towards her bump, "I mean, do you think you could, well, lift up your shirt?"
Realizing what he was asking for, Willow rolled her eyes at him and pulled up her red blouse, exposing her rounded belly to the open air.
"Ah, right. Thank you." Wilson answered sheepishly, his cheeks going slightly pink. He uncapped the tube of gel and squirted some into his hand. "Now, I do have to warn you, this stuff does feel a little strange."
He leaned forward and began to spread the gel on Willow's stomach. She hissed softly at the feel of it. It did feel strange. It felt thick and odd, not to mention a bit cold too. She didn't enjoy how it felt, but if Wilson said it was safe, then she was going to trust him.
Once there was an even layer of gel covering her stomach, Wilson wiped off his hand and came back around to the machine side. He pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and turned a few dials. Then, he picked up a small, peculiar device that was attached to the machine by a thick wire. Willow watched him inquiringly, hundreds of questions floating about in her mind, but made herself stay silent. All of this was building up to something big, she could feel it. She just wasn't sure what it was yet.
Wilson placed the small device on the cot and jogged back around to the side with the chair next to Willow, then picked the device up again. "Okay," he said, "here we go." He gently placed the end of the device on her belly, and used the gel to slide it around.
Willow looked down at the small thing moving across her stomach, then over at Wilson. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and he wasn't saying anything. A few more minutes passed, still no change. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Okay Wilson, I give up. What's supposed to happen?"
"Hang on," he mumbled, still in deep concentration, "almost got it."
Growing annoyed at her husband's lack of straight answers, she pressed a little harder. "Really Wilson, I'm not sure what to expect here, and you're not exactly being much help."
Just then, Wilson's expression turned into an excited smile. "Willow," he said softly, and gestured toward the machine, "look."
"Maybe all this science-y stuff means something to you, but I'm not a scientist," she continued as she turned to look at the machine, "so to me it doesn't look like anything's hap—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
On the machine's screen, an image was starting to form. It was blurry at first, but was quickly coming to focus. Willow looked closely and saw a dark shape in the image, with a lighter grey shape inside of it. The image continued to focus, and the little grey form gained a head, then legs, and then arms with unbelievably tiny hands at the end of them. Whenever she felt the baby move, the form on screen moved too. Willow gasped and brought her hands to her mouth as she realized what she was looking at.
"It's… Is that…?" Tears started to well up in her eyes.
"It is, my dear," Wilson replied, "It most definitely is." He held the probe still, having found a good angle.
Willow couldn't even respond. She couldn't take her eyes away from the screen.
Wilson, upon hearing her silence, decided to continue. "I'm sorry about keeping you in the dark for so long. I thought it'd be best as a surprise." He heard a sniffle, and looked to see Willow crying. Concerned, he put his free hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you alright? Do you not like it?"
She turned back toward him, tears still in her eyes, and pulled him into the tightest hug she could manage. "I love it," she said softly, "I absolutely love it. I'm sorry for anything I said before-hand." She heard a gasping noise, and released Wilson from her bear hug. "Sorry…" she said bashfully.
"Not at all dearest," Wilson replied lovingly between a few deep breaths.
Willow smiled and looked back at the screen. "It's just, I've never seen anything like it before." She looked back at him. "How did you manage to build something like this?"
Wilson leaned back in his chair. "Well, nothing to it really. Just had to do some extensive research on the science of ultrasonography, and then find enough spare parts to construct it."
Willow grinned and looked back at the screen again. They watched as the baby kicked and opened and clenched its hands into tiny little fists, over and over again. After a bit, Willow motioned to the device that was still resting on her belly. "Do you mind if I try?"
"Hm? Oh, certainly!" He handed it to her. "Here you are. Just place it on your skin to get an image to show up, and then you can change the angle by moving it around."
Willow looked at the device for a moment, then back at Wilson. She then scooted herself over on the cot, and patted the spot next to her.
Realizing what she wanted to him to do, Wilson got up from his chair and climbed onto the cot next to her. She inched closer to him and took his hand. Then, she placed the device back on her belly, and moved it around until a clear image formed on the screen again. They watched for a while longer before Willow finally broke the silence.
"This is absolutely incredible."
"It really is," Wilson agreed, "and it looks like she's right at the expected stage of development too."
Willow nodded, but then blinked. "What a minute," she turned to him, eyes wide, "she?"
It was then Wilson's turn to make the surprised expression. "Oh! I guess I forgot to tell you that."
Willow felt her eyes getting misty again as she brought her hand to her mouth. "We're having a girl?"
He grinned at her, "We are, darling. At least…98 percent certain."
Willow beamed and wrapped him in another tight embrace. "Thank you," she whispered, "this has been the greatest surprise I could have ever asked for."
"Anything for you, dearest," he held her closely, tears starting to form in his eyes as well, "I love you."
Willow sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. "I love you too."
Some more movement and some kicks caused the couple to look down at Willow's still exposed belly. Apparently someone didn't want to feel left out. Wilson chuckled and put his hand on her bump. "Don't worry, mommy and daddy love you too. Very much."
Willow smiled and put her hand on his. "Yes," she whispered, "we do."