Jo stood in the exam room, with her scrub shirt tucked under her bra and a towel tucked into her scrub pants as she moved the wand around on her belly. The only light in the room was a little lamp next to her as Jo focused on the ultrasound. The best thing about working in the hospital while she was pregnant was that Jo had access to all of the health care for her and the baby. Thus she occasionally found herself in the ultrasound room watching her baby. They had been both a comfort and an exciting part of her day as Jo watched her baby grow up on the ultrasound screen.
At first, it was a little bit of reassurance that her baby was there and that they were healthy. She couldn't quite believe that her baby was growing inside her when the pregnancy test came up positive. Seeing her baby on the screen helped cement the fact that she was pregnant. As her pregnancy progressed and she developed a little bump, Jo did the ultrasounds less frequently especially as the baby started kicking. However, one afternoon when Jo didn't feel the familiar kicks she rushed to the ultrasound only to find that her baby was turned inward and was kicking her intestines instead.
Jo smiled as she watched the chambers of her baby's heart flutter as it beat steadily. She felt a flutter in her belly and another kick and moved the ultrasound wand down to see their legs kick. The sound of the door opening startled her as she looked up in surprise, however, she was greeted by Alex's soft eyes.
"Hey you," Alex said, smiling as he saw what she was doing.
"Hey yourself," Jo said, smiling as she turned back to the monitor.
Alex came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder as they watched the ultrasound together. "How are they doing today?"
"They're good, kicking a lot and they flipped around again so hir head is down here," Jo said as she put a hand on the lower left side of her belly.
"Oh yeah, are they still kicking inward?"
"No, their feet are up here now," Jo moved the ultrasound up to the top slope of her bump to their baby's feet, focusing on the soles of their feet and counting each little toe.
"Look at that," Alex said in amazement, reaching out to touch the screen and ghosting his fingers over their little toes. "You're getting so big. I can't wait to feel them kick."
Jo smiled as they watched their baby kick again on the screen. Alex moved his hand right next to the ultrasound wand. Although Jo felt a few light kicks Alex hadn't yet felt it. The baby kicked next to his hand, but there wasn't anything significant and she knew he couldn't feel it.
"So are you checking if you can see if they're a boy or girl?" Alex said with a smirk as he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"No," Jo scoffed as she lied, badly.
"Uh hu," Alex laughed as he kissed her cheek.
"I don't," Jo lied again, as she fumbled and dropped the ultrasound wand and it clinked as it fell against the machine.
Alex laughed as he held onto her waist and reached down for the ultrasound wand, handing it back to her as Jo blushed in embarrassment. "It's okay Jo, I know you know."
"I'm sorry I just couldn't resist, but I know you want to keep it a secret until they're born, so I won't tell you," Jo insisted, as she took the wand again and started to clean it with a wipe.
"Jo, I love you but you can't really keep secrets like that," Alex said with a knowing smile as he came around, still holding her hips as he faced her now.
"Yes, I can!" Jo insisted, waving the wand at him. "I kept the secret about being married from you for years."
Alex paused as his smile fell like it always did when she brought up her ex-husband even lightly. "Okay, that's true. But why don't you just tell me then we won't have to keep secrets."
"No, you said you don't want to know and I won't tell you I," Jo said firmly as she looked away from him to the machine and started to print off a few pictures for them.
"Jo it's alright, I kind of want to know as well," Alex said as he glanced down at her still exposed belly with a soft smile. "Besides I have a feeling that it's a girl, especially with the way you've been acting and I saw you purchase that pink Barbie you bought online."
"No, it's for me, it's an emotional support Barbie," Jo insisted as glanced at him with a side eye and turned off the machine.
"I know it's not just for you because you bought two of them and you also bought a little baby doll," Alex said with a smile as he rubbed his hand over her belly, not caring that he got gel on his fingers.
Jo sighed as she gave in with a smile. "Okay, it is a girl and she's so cute Alex, and I love her so much. I want her to have everything that I didn't have as a kid which is why I bought her the Barbie and everything!"
As she spoke, tears appeared in her eyes and he knew how much it meant to her to have a little girl of their own. He couldn't help but smile as well because of how much he loved her as well.
"It's really a girl?" Alex whispered as he asked with a large and happy smile appearing across his face.
"Yeah, it's a girl," Jo said, smiling as well as she put a hand over his on her belly.
Alex twisted around and kneeled down, keeping his hand on her belly as the baby greeted him with a series of kicks that Jo felt. Then he leaned in and kissed her belly right next to where her head was. It was a little down lower so he disappeared from her sight.
"Hi baby girl," Alex said in little whispers, his lips tickling her belly. "You're daddy loves you so much and I can't wait to feel you kick my hand."
Alex placed another kiss on her belly, his lips lingering there for a few precious moments. Then he got up and came back up with his arms around her waist. He smiled as he came up, staring into her eyes with deep brown eyes full of love and adoration with a deeper feeling of love than he could ever say. He leaned in and kissed her as Jo dropped the wand in surprise. It was an excited kiss, full of love and passion as Jo melted into his arms like butter as he held her up.
"What are you going to do if she doesn't like pink and Barbies?" Alex asked, looking down at her belly.
"Well, I don't know. She's got to like something and whatever it is I'll buy it for her," Jo said, already tired around her little finger and willing to spoil her rotten.
"Yeah," Alex said with a dopey smile across his face, ready to do the same. "If she asked for the moon I'd get it for her."
"Me too," Jo agreed with an equally loving smile as they both stared down at her bump.
"What do you say we head down to the cafeteria and get lunch then have a little time to ourselves?" Alex with a smirk as his eyes glanced up from her belly, but not to her face.
"Shut up, let's just go eat," Jo said with a laugh as she pulled her shirt down and walked out without him.
"That's not a no," Alex smiled as he followed her with a smile.