Felicity urged him to sit while she changed into the gown, but he was too nervous to sit. This was her first appointment with a fully certified OB-GYN and they were going to find out if his gut instincts were right.

She climbed onto the bed and sat up with her bare legs hanging over the side of the table while they waited for the doctor to return.

The doctor came in and wheeled over a machine, then asked Felicity to lie back. He put a small sheet over her legs when he asked her to lift the gown and Steve had to hide his hands behind his back so Felicity wouldn't noticed his clenched fists. He knew the man was only doing his job, but he had his hands all over his wife's stomach and dangerously close to an area he had no business being...Or he did, damn it. That's why they were here after all. Why couldn't they have found a woman doctor again? Now he was beginning to understand why his father never went along on his mother's check ups. This was just inviting trouble. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to be here. He wanted to be a part of everything. He didn't want to miss a single moment. He'd missed enough.

"So you're measuring about 26 weeks. A bit bigger than your notes but looking at Daddy over there, I'm not all that surprised," The obstetrician joked good-naturedly.

Felicity broke into a wide smile, her eyes twinkling at the not so secret knowledge of her own gene-power when she looked at the doctor. "Seems Mom's side isn't so small either. Well, just as long as this one doesn't put me through a labor like I did for my mom, we'll be fine."

"Can't give you any guarantees unfortunately," the doctor replied in all seriousness. "But let's make sure Mom and baby are healthy and we'll go from there. Any complaints? Sore muscles, spasms, cramping? No? Any urinary tingling. No history of cystitis? Have you had any spotting?"

Felicity shook her head in answer to all the doctor's questions bar the last and Steve had a nervous flip in his stomach until he noticed that she looked unconcerned, allowing him to relax marginally. "I did early on, but it was never a brilliant red and I was told that, it can happen in some pregnancies all the way through, around your normal period time? It's why I didn't suspect anything right away."

"Yes, some women do have a very light period. It's never an arterial red though. If you have anything like that, get to hospital right away. I know you're not local. Have you given any thought to your birthing plans yet?"

Felicity nodded. "I'd like a home birth, if you don't consider us a high risk. Laura had a homebirth, with a midwife."

Laura had been the one who had recommended this country physician. He'd been her doctor for her two youngest. Their eldest having been born when she and Clint still lived in the city.

"We let's take a look at junior." The physician got Felicity to lower her gown and turned up the part of the sheet covering her legs.

Steve looked on confused as the doctor retrieved a strange looking device and squirted clear gel all over it.

"This is warming gel but it'll still feel a little strange, and the pressure might be a little uncomfortable on your cervix and bladder but we won't be too long and you can use the bathroom," he said with a genial smile.

Steve put two and two together and the chair he was sitting in gave a high pitched whine. The man had this alien looking piece of equipment that looked suspiciously like a vibrator on steroids, though he would vehemently deny knowing what either of those things were if asked - damn Tony and his unwanted education to sex in the 21st century - he watched on, making a visible effort to keep his expression neutral.

Felicity glanced at him and obviously read his anxiety. She reached for his hand but also looked a little confused herself and lowered her knees. "I thought I only needed a full bladder for a transverse ultrasound?"

The doctor pinked, looking flustered. "Yes, I prefer to do both to get the clearest images. You're absolutely right, we should to the other scan first so you don't have to be uncomfortable for so long." He wheeled across a different machine and fixed the sheet to cover her legs again and patiently waited for Felicity to reveal her tummy.

Steve let out a breath not realizing he'd been holding it the whole time, and Felicity squeezing his hand back had been immeasurably helpful in getting him to realize his pent up tension. The tub chair hadn't been able to take his grip but he wasn't apologizing for that.

The image on the second monitor above Felicity started to swirl and grey, and soon he could see the shape of a baby. Their baby. She was moving her mouth, and it looked like she was playing with her fingers. He could see the shape of her tiny head and even amplified it was smaller than the palm of his hand. Her perfect little fingers flared as she flexed and played with an imaginary stimulus. He was in awe.

The bubble of euphoria rippled but didn't burst when the doctor finished highlighting and pointing out certain areas and switched off the monitor feed, bringing them back to the present. "Everything looks good and healthy. Do you want to know the sex?"

"Yes," they said in unison.

"You're having a girl. Strong heart, and she's going to be a big one. I'd like you to have a GCT test and also check your mineral levels. We can do that today or you can make another appointment if you don't have time." The doctor wheeled back the other machine, that Steve had dubbed the Unmentionable Investigative Scope, in the safety of his own mind. "Oh right, I promised a bathroom break."

The doctor paused in his action, the ominous and disturbing attachment poised in a manner that reminded him far too much of that single condensed X-rated info-mercial he'd been unwillingly subjected to. Stark had taken it upon himself to put together a short video to educate him in the courting and mating practices of the 21st century. Even though he'd protested that he didn't need to education - he knew how to read, thank you very much - supermarket magazine covers were enlightening enough. Tony had hit play and he'd seen and heard 20 seconds of things he could never unwatch.

Steve felt the vein under his eye twitch again. "Darlin', I think Bruce has been doing a fine job taking care of you two. We really don't need another scan. Or blood," he said to her with one eyebrow arched in a pointed way. Nobody was sticking his wife with anything while he was around. The good bubble he'd been in for the past ten minutes had just burst again.

Felicity patted his arm as she sat up. She'd traumatized him enough for one day and she agreed with him that no one outside the team should have access to either of their blood. "Thank you, doctor. But we'll have to cut this visit short. If I could have the scanned data files please."

The doctor flustered under the weight of their united commanding presence and pushed a few buttons on the machine. "I'll get the nurses to put the data on a drive for you…"

"I can do it myself, just point me to where your servers are," Felicity said pulling on her pants under her gown. Stepping into her shoes, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door in search of a bathroom first, and then for the server room. Leaving Steve alone with the doctor.

"So did you always do internals?"

The doctor smoothed down his tie. His fingers twitched nervously. "I know who you are, sir and I'd be stupid to attempt any kind of misconduct. It would be completely unprofessional, disrespectful and discredit me in my field of medicine. And if your wife is not comfortable with it, we don't have to do one. From what I could see, the child is absolutely perfect."

"Good answer," Steve all but growled.