Friday April 30th (The last day before deployment)
Clay and Nicole were at the hospital getting a 3D ultrasound and finding out the gender! They anxiously awaited for the technician to come in the room.
"Huh. Where is she?" Nicole was getting impatient.
"I don't know babe, just relax." Clay told her and brushed the couple stray hairs from her face.
2 minutes later the technician came in and got started.
"Baby looks perfectly healthy! Growing just perfect!" She told them. They smiled and then she asked if they wanted to know the gender for sure. They both said yes at the same time.
"Alright well I'm about to get down there so you can either look with me or I'll write it down. Up to you." She said and waited for there decision.
"Just show us!" Nicole could hardly wait and blurrted out, she made them all laugh.
"Alright...let's see... looks like it's a..." she started.
"Huh! Omg! It's a girl!?" Nicole said as soon as it showed up live on the screen.
"It's a girl!" The tech confirmed. Nicole was shocked and looked at Clay with her mouth open wider then ever. He was smiling ear to ear and kissed her.
"Congratulations!" The women said and then cleaned up everything.
"Thank you so much!" Nicole said when she left the room.
"It's a girl!" Nicole told Clay again as she got dressed. Once her pants were on they hugged and he kissed her.
"Ha I know baby, I'm excited." He asked and handed her her purse.
"Ugh I know!" She said excited and they left.
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When they got home Nicole was hungry for lunch and needed a shower. Clay had promised her a burger with pickles and onions, she'd been craving it since the night before.
When she came out he had all the food out and ready.
"Oooo" she said smiling. He looked so hot with a towel thrown over his shoulder and his sleeves pushed up to his biceps.
"Still hungry?" He asked.
"Oh yes." She answered and sat down at the counter.
"What's that?" Clay asked about the paper she had set on the counter.
"These are names I like." She said and sipped her water.
"Already!?" He said with a laugh.
"No I mean I had them written down for a couple weeks." She said.
"Well let's hear them." He said sitting down next to her. She unfolded the paper and Clay started eating.
"I have two...Teagan Rose, and Riley Rose." Nicole said.
"Aw, Rose after your mom I'd guess?" Clay asked. Nicole smiled and then all of a sudden was fighting to hold back tears thinking of her mom. She tucked her upper lip in, trying to stop it from quivering. Clay wiped his hands on the towel he had over his shoulder, put it down next to his plate and got up.
"Come here." He opened his arms for Nicole to hug him. Her belly pressed up against him she cried into his shirt.
"Shh..." he said, rubbed her back with one hand and her hair with the other. He felt bad she had no family to share this exciting time with. It didn't help he was leaving for deployment tomorrow either.
"Okay. I'm okay. Sorry." She said and let go of Clay. He kept his hand on her back as she wiped away the tears.
"It's okay...I'm sorry babe." He said feeling bad for her.
"...Which name do you like?" She asked him.
"I think they're both great." Clay said.
"Well I want you to think about it, or is there any you like?" She asked.
"Honestly I hadn't thought of it, I like them both though, either one is good with me." He explained. She smiled and sat down to eat now.
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Later that day they were in the car, it was time to say goodbye. But first they were going to announce the gender to the rest of the team. Leave on an exciting note.
"That the big announcement?" Sonny asked.
"Yes sir." Clay said walking toward everyone with Nicole, she had a black balloon in hand.
"So you guys know what it is?" Jason asked. Nicole shook her head yes.
"Alright let me see...carrying sort of high, turn for me." Sonny was observing her body and making Nicole laugh. She turned like he said to see her profile.
"Alright slightly wider then round...I say girl." He said.
"I think it's a boy!" Megan said afterward.
"Yeah, boy. No way Sonny's logic is right." Jason said. Ray and Naima agreed with a laugh. Clay and Nicole smiled at each other and he got his pocket knife out.
"Hell you mean? That's some damn good logic." Sonny said to them with his arm around Megan.
"Ready? 3...2...1!" He jammed the knife into the balloon and out came pink confetti all over. Megan jumped on Nicole she was so excited.
"Oh my god!!" She said hugging her tight.
"TOLD YA!" Sonny shouted over everyone cheering and laughing that Sonny was actually right. He gave Clay a hug.
"I almost gave it away with my laughter when you said all that!" Nicole told him as Sonny gave her a hug too.
"Don't ever underestimate Sonny Quinn." He said. The rest of them said congrats and how excited they were for them, also giving hugs.
After the mini celebration everyone went back to their vehicles with their family/partner to say good bye.
"Huh. Alright..." Clay led Nicole by the hand to the side of his truck for privacy (as did everyone else.) When he turned around to face Nicole she had already started crying.
"Ugh babe..." he wrapped his big arms around her neck for her to bury her head into his chest. He let her go a couple seconds, kissed her head.
"Don't do this baby." He told her rubbing her back that's been aching the last couple weeks.
"I know I know." She got it together and let go of him.
"3 months. I'll see you in 3 months, soon after that it'll be time to meet this little girl of ours. Think about it that way." He told her wiping away her tears.
"Your right." She admitted. He grabbed her face gently and kissed her passionately.
"I love you." He said.
"I love you too." She said letting another tear run. He even started to get emotional as he gave her one last hug and headed into the building. Nicole watched him off and then looked around at the rest of the teams families doing the same as her.
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Clay is going to be the cutest girl dad! Which name do you like?! How will Nicole handle this deployment? Luckily she has Megan and Naima to lean on as they go through it together. Leave your reviews!
