Hey, loyal readers. So sorry it's taken so long for me to write an update. Senior year of high school is extremely hectic. Between writing college essays, applying for college, Vocal Ensemble performances and practices, and family issues, I've had hardly any time to write. And of course, who can forget going to school every day. I would write when I could, but I could never get more than a sentence down before I had to work on homework. With my computer class assignment of creating a website of my own using HTML, my government class, and my Honors Advanced Lit class with Crime and Punishment and East of Eden, I've had absolutely no time to myself and my thoughts. But I'm on winter break now, and I'll be able to write more. And of course with family coming for the holidays, my mom and I had to clean like crazy before Christmas. But now that things have settled down, I can write a lot more. Keep checking back for more updates! I promise they won't take forever this time.
Nigel watched the screen for a minute while Dr. Richardson moved the transducer to find the baby inside his belly, and he saw the flutter of the heartbeat, the string of the spine. His breath caught in his chest, and he started to tear up. He was holding the gown up with his right hand, and Lily was holding his left hand. The blanket was just under his pelvis, so that it was low enough for Dr. Richardson to do the ultrasound, but not low enough where he felt naked. The transducer slid a little bit, and Nigel saw the outline of a small head. "You see that, Nigel? That's your baby's head. And there's the heartbeat again. Have you told them about waiting to hear it on the Doppler?" "No. Can we show them? I mean, I haven't even heard it through that, but I've heard it on the monitor." "Sure. You wanna do it?" "Umm, I don't know. Okay. I'm just a little nervous about what might happen to the baby if I don't do it right." "Nothing will happen. It's just like this. Except instead of seeing your baby's heartbeat, you'll hear it. It'll be fast, but that's normal. It means that the baby's developing right as we want it to. Who knows? We might even hear your heartbeat also!" "Wow. That's amazing. Okay. I'll do it. I'm an amateur, though. All the people I do tests on are dead. I've never done a test on myself. But I'll do my best." "That's all we want is your best. Your best interest, your best health, your best happiness." "Wow. Okay. So, where's the stuff to do it with?" "Right here."
Dr. Richardson handed him the probe and the monitor, and he put a little gel on the end of the probe. "Okay, Nigel. Just put the probe where I had the transducer for the ultrasound. You might have to reposition and angle it, but that's normal. It's just that the baby's kind of small, and you have to find it. But you'll know when you've found it. The sound of your baby's heartbeat is unmistakable." "Okay. I just hope I don't screw up and hurt the baby or something." "Not gonna happen, Nigel. This is a harmless procedure also. The worst thing you could do is end up on your renal artery or something." "Oh, okay. That makes me feel a little better. I just don't want to hurt my baby." He put the end of the probe on his belly, and began to bite his lip. He turned the volume up, and heard a slight thumping. He angled the probe a little bit, and the sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. Tears filled Nigel's eyes as he heard the rhythmic beats of the child growing inside him. "Is that my baby?" "That most definitely is, Nigel. About 160 beats per minute. Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy." The tears fell down Nigel's cheeks as he listened to the heartbeat of the baby that was developing inside him.
A.N. I know that Nigel's the strong, quirky one, but I thought I'd have a little fun writing this. Also, when you're pregnant, the hormones rage, causing unpredictable moods.