Chapter Ten
There was a couple directly opposite Riley and Shane, a women a few more months along then her whose husband had his hand permantly attached to her stomach. Riley scrunched her nose and looked around the waiting room for something other then parenting magazines, there where none. Shane however was immersed in one seven months out of date. Riley checked her watch, their appointment was scheduled for fifteen minutes ago. She hated being kept waiting. The couple opposite had now taken out an early scan picture and where cooing over it. She rolled her eyes and doubted that there's looked any less like a blob then her last one had. Shane put the magazine down and noticed the couple too, the husband was now muttering to his wife's swollen stomach. He frowned.
"If I did that...."
"I'd kill you." Riley finished. "I get the whole miricle of life thing, but do they have to turn into idiots?" He laughed and a nurse appeared from a side door.
"Riley Helms." she called.
The room was the same one as last time and she needed no prompting to lie down and pull up her T-shirt. She also needed no warning that the gel would be cold. The midwife had given her notes a quick glance and was turning on the ultra sound.
"How have you been Riley? Any problems?"
"No. I'm alright?"
"Just wait, soon you'll be begging for September to come. Believe me, I've got three."
She gave a poliet smile and had turned to mutter something to Shane, but his eyes where already fixed on the blank screen, and his hand was hoovering strangley close to hers. The black and white image came on the screen and because her expectations had been so low, Riley's breath was take away by what she saw. She could actually see the baby. Even without the midwife's tracing finger she could see the outline of the baby's head and it's spine. For the past two weeks, ever since the offical half way stage of her pregnancy, Riley had begun to worry that she wouldn't feel like she was going to be a mother and once the baby was born she wouldn't feel a bond with it. But now, it had hit her. Seeing the image had sent all her doubts and half worries fleeing for her mind. This was her baby and she was going to be a mom.
"Perfectly healthy. Do you wnat to know the sex?"
Riley wanted to get Shane's opinion. But he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.
"No," she said. "We'll wait."
But in all honesty, she didn't want to.
Shane made dinner that night and they ate it in the kitchen in silence. Every so often Riley couldn't help her eyes from wandering over to the newset scan picture stuck to the fridge door. It was clearly labelled underneath 'Baby Helms, 5 months.' Shane had scanned the picture into the computer and Riley ahd e-mailed it to Sydney, Yvette and Alice, although she knew Alice would be seriously unimpressed by the whole thing.
"Still underwhelmed?" Shane asked her suddenly.
"What? Erm....no. Most definatly not. It seems real now doesn't it? "
"Yeah. The scan today has made me reailse that there are only four months to go."
Four months wasn't a very long time considering that in the first four of her pregnancy she'd gotten married and move to an entirely differnet state. She felt very weird sitting at the table. the strangest sensation swept over her, something she couldn't describe that made her legs tingle. Then it hit her. They where going to be a family, her and Shane, and she didn't really mind.
There was a couple directly opposite Riley and Shane, a women a few more months along then her whose husband had his hand permantly attached to her stomach. Riley scrunched her nose and looked around the waiting room for something other then parenting magazines, there where none. Shane however was immersed in one seven months out of date. Riley checked her watch, their appointment was scheduled for fifteen minutes ago. She hated being kept waiting. The couple opposite had now taken out an early scan picture and where cooing over it. She rolled her eyes and doubted that there's looked any less like a blob then her last one had. Shane put the magazine down and noticed the couple too, the husband was now muttering to his wife's swollen stomach. He frowned.
"If I did that...."
"I'd kill you." Riley finished. "I get the whole miricle of life thing, but do they have to turn into idiots?" He laughed and a nurse appeared from a side door.
"Riley Helms." she called.
The room was the same one as last time and she needed no prompting to lie down and pull up her T-shirt. She also needed no warning that the gel would be cold. The midwife had given her notes a quick glance and was turning on the ultra sound.
"How have you been Riley? Any problems?"
"No. I'm alright?"
"Just wait, soon you'll be begging for September to come. Believe me, I've got three."
She gave a poliet smile and had turned to mutter something to Shane, but his eyes where already fixed on the blank screen, and his hand was hoovering strangley close to hers. The black and white image came on the screen and because her expectations had been so low, Riley's breath was take away by what she saw. She could actually see the baby. Even without the midwife's tracing finger she could see the outline of the baby's head and it's spine. For the past two weeks, ever since the offical half way stage of her pregnancy, Riley had begun to worry that she wouldn't feel like she was going to be a mother and once the baby was born she wouldn't feel a bond with it. But now, it had hit her. Seeing the image had sent all her doubts and half worries fleeing for her mind. This was her baby and she was going to be a mom.
"Perfectly healthy. Do you wnat to know the sex?"
Riley wanted to get Shane's opinion. But he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.
"No," she said. "We'll wait."
But in all honesty, she didn't want to.
Shane made dinner that night and they ate it in the kitchen in silence. Every so often Riley couldn't help her eyes from wandering over to the newset scan picture stuck to the fridge door. It was clearly labelled underneath 'Baby Helms, 5 months.' Shane had scanned the picture into the computer and Riley ahd e-mailed it to Sydney, Yvette and Alice, although she knew Alice would be seriously unimpressed by the whole thing.
"Still underwhelmed?" Shane asked her suddenly.
"What? Erm....no. Most definatly not. It seems real now doesn't it? "
"Yeah. The scan today has made me reailse that there are only four months to go."
Four months wasn't a very long time considering that in the first four of her pregnancy she'd gotten married and move to an entirely differnet state. She felt very weird sitting at the table. the strangest sensation swept over her, something she couldn't describe that made her legs tingle. Then it hit her. They where going to be a family, her and Shane, and she didn't really mind.