The wait is over! Thank you to everyone for being patient, and enjoy this next update! I already have the next chapter written as well so I will post that one in two or three days! Yay!

Thank you to everyone who has written awesome reviews! I love reading all of them! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 18

Erin woke up to the sound of the coffee machine grinding coffee beans in the kitchen, and she rolled to her left side, rubbing her eyes. The light coming in through the window was very bright, typical of a hot Chicago morning. She didn't want to get up, but then she looked at her clock on her bedside table and realized what today was.

The next ultrasound.

She and Jay had managed to schedule it on a Saturday so neither of them would miss work, even though Erin was already starting to wind down. Next week would be her final week in Intelligence before going on maternity leave, and Erin was already unhappy that she would have to go on leave. Her job meant a lot to her.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Jay said affectionately as he walked into the bedroom with a cup of tea and a cup of steaming coffee. He handed the tea to Erin, who had sat up against the back of the bed. Or, more like, tried her best to sit up. Her bump was getting much bigger now that she was at 20 weeks. "Thanks," she said, taking a sip of the chamomile tea, "Did you put something in this?"

"Just a bit of honey," Jay replied, sitting back down on the bed next to her. He put his coffee on the table and leaned against the back of the bed. He sighed, causing Erin to look over and ask, "What?"

"Nothing," Jay replied, "Just, you know what today is."

"Yeah, I know," Erin replied, "And it's not nothing, so please don't say that it is."

Jay put his hands up in surrender, and then leaned over to give Erin a kiss. He placed his hand on her belly. "Has he or she started kicking yet?"

"No, thankfully," Erin said, "I've heard that some babies kick a lot, so I hope that ours doesn't. I don't want to lose any sleep before the baby's born, because then we really won't be sleeping."

"Okay then," Jay said, taking another sip of coffee. Erin gave him an envious look and said, "I can't wait when I'm able to drink coffee and alcohol again."

"You will be able too. Soon," Jay assured her, but his words didn't fully reassure Erin. She was happy that she wasn't getting morning sickness anymore, but some evenings she just desperately wanted a drink. And she refrained because she knew that it wasn't safe. Erin's silence prompted Jay to say, "Do you want to start getting ready? We have to be there at 10."

"I'm going to go pull on some clothes and have some breakfast. Thanks for the tea," Erin replied, a hint of anxiousness in her voice. She slowly lifted herself off the bed and headed for her closet.

Jay and Erin walked into the reception area at Dr. Anderson's practice and Jay checked Erin in as she sat down in the corner. She couldn't sit fully upright anymore, so she was slumping a little. She leaned her head against the wall, remembering the first time that she and Jay had been in here. So much had changed.

And here they were again.

"Hey, Erin, you okay?" Jay asked, seeing Erin's head against the wall and her eyes closed. She quickly opened her eyes and replied, "Yeah, just tired. And nervous."

"Everything is going to be fine. I'm sure of it," Jay said, knowing that he just needed to try and comfort her right now. "Erin Lindsay?" a nurse called out from the doors to the back. Erin and Jay stood up, and followed the nurse to an examination room. She took Erin's heart rate and blood pressure, and after asking some standard medical questions, she told the two of them that Dr. Anderson would be in soon. After the nurse shut the door, both Erin and Jay looked at each other. Erin looked up at the ceiling, and smiled and closed her eyes, realizing that they were in the same room that they had been in ten weeks ago. "What?" Jay asked, seeing Erin's facial expression.

"The paint on the ceiling," Erin commented, "We were in this same room ten weeks ago. When we saw our baby for the first time."

Jay saw the ceiling too and smiled, saying, "What a coincidence."

"Yeah," Erin said, "You okay?" She could feel Jay's hand was getting covered in sweat.

Jay looked briefly at the floor and then said, "I'm just nervous. I want everything to be okay. With you and the baby. And I'm excited to hear whether it's a boy or a girl."

"Me too, and I appreciate you saying that," Erin said. She was about to sit up and kiss him, but Dr. Anderson entered with two pens, a clipboard with papers on it, and a computer. "Hello Erin. Jay," she said, nodding to both of them, "How are you feeling today, Erin?"

"Pretty good, now that I'm not feeling sick every other day," Erin replied, trying to make a joke. Dr. Anderson chuckled and said, "The joys of moving past the first trimester. Now today's the 20-week ultrasound, correct?"

"Yes," Erin replied, nervousness in her voice. Dr. Anderson put some gel on her round belly and put the end of the cord on top. The screen lit up once again after a few seconds, and Erin and Jay became focused on the screen.

He, or she, was much bigger now, and looked a lot more like a human being. "Wow, your baby looks great," Dr. Anderson commented happily, "Everything that we should be examining right now looks fine. Would you like to know the gender?"

Erin and Jay looked at each other, nodded and smiled, and Erin turned back and said, hesitantly, "Yes."

Dr. Anderson moved the cord around to get a different angle, smiled, and said, "You're having a boy!"

Erin smiled, and so did Jay. Dr. Anderson printed out a picture for them to take, and as she gathered up her things, she said, "I'd like to start seeing you about every two to three weeks from now on since you're past the halfway point, and I want to monitor your baby's position leading up to your due date. You can schedule another appointment up front."

"Okay, thanks," Erin said, and after they were alone in the room, she looked up to find Jay smiling from ear to ear. "You're happy that it's a boy, aren't you?" Erin asked, and she got her answer when Jay laughed and said, "Yeah, I am. I didn't tell you, but I was secretly hoping that it was." He couldn't stop smiling as he thought of how his son was going to be a daddy's boy and he was going to teach him how to play soccer and football and Frisbee in the park. Erin laughed and said, "Yeah, I was hoping the baby would be a girl, but you know what? Now I don't have to do potty training. That's all your job!"

"Really?" Jay said, helped Erin off the examination table. "Yes, I mean it," Erin said with a smile on her face. She looked down at the picture and said, "When should we tell the guys? Should we just text them right now or should we let them stew over it?"

"Let's wait till your last day next Friday to tell them. I'm sure they'll start a betting war which will be hilarious."

"I agree. Let's let them stew over it for six days," Erin said, smiling, and as they walked back to the car, she texted Dawson and Shay. It's a boy! Jay's over the moon

Dawson and Shay replied back like lightning.

OMG! Congrats to you both! Can't wait to meet your bundle of joy, Dawson replied, accompanying it with multiple smiley faces and hearts.

Yay! Too bad it isn't a girl, we could have played dress up. But it will be fun to go shopping for a boy! Congrats! Shay replied, with more smiley faces. Erin laughed as she read the texts in the passenger seat, and Jay asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"Just Dawson and Shay's reactions to the news that we're having a boy," Erin replied. Before Jay could protest, she said, "Don't worry, they won't tell anybody." Jay chuckled, and gave Erin a kiss. "You know what we have to do now, right?"

"What?" Erin asked.

"Go shopping for sheets. And clothes. And paint," Jay replied, smiling at the thought of buying lots of blue. "And a new place. For the three of us."