Chapter 32: The Sound of Love

THEO

I still couldn’t believe how much my life had changed over the last few months. Before my assignment with Nadia, I wasn’t thinking about settling down, buying a house, or having kids.

I guessed when you met the right person, things happened.

“What are you working on?” Nadia asked as she kissed my head.

“An opinion piece for Bill,” I said.

“Not a travel piece?”

“No. I asked him if I could try something different, and he agreed.”

“What is it about?”

“You’ll have to wait to read it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You can read it in the next print.”

“Anyway, are you ready to go? I don’t want to be late for our first appointment.”

Today, Nadia was eight weeks, and it was our first doctor’s appointment. I was hoping we would get an ultrasound so we could see our baby for the first time.

I knew it would look like an alien, but I was excited to see him or her for the first time.

***

The doctor’s office wasn’t what I expected. I was used to the typical waiting room that was usually a little too cold, where people sat and ignored you.

Here, they asked you questions about how far along you were and if you’d thought about names. It was an experience.

“Monroe?”

When I heard Nadia’s last name called, I quickly got out of my chair and helped Nadia, even though she didn’t really need help. I just wanted to feel useful.

The nurse directed us to the scale and then took her vitals before taking us to the room. The room was dim and warm; it was an atmosphere perfect for napping.

“I’ll need you to undress from the waist down and place the blanket over you. The doctor may want to do a pelvic exam,” the nurse said as she handed Nadia the blanket.

“Thank you,” Nadia said.

We were alone in the room for a few minutes before a cheerful older lady came in.

“Hello, Ms. Monroe. Can I call you Nadia?” she asked.

“You can, and this is my fiancé, Theo,” Nadia replied.

“It’s nice to meet you guys. I’m Dr. Teague. Today we are going to confirm your pregnancy and do a quick exam, and I’ll answer any questions you may have,” Dr. Teague said.

Dr. Teague performed the exam before doing the ultrasound. While I was happy to hear everything felt normal, I just wanted the ultrasound done.

I couldn’t wait to see the child we had made.

“Are you ready to see and hear the baby? We should be able to catch a heartbeat. Come and stand over here with us, Theo.”

I liked this doctor. She was kind and aware of how fathers wanted to be included.

She made sure I knew what was going on, especially with the ultrasound.

“Give me one second and… there it is,” the doctor said as she found the little heartbeat.

“Sounds like a small flutter, but there it is.”

“Can you believe this, Theo? We created a life.”

I grabbed Nadia’s hand and kissed her.

“I love you and I can’t wait to meet this little one.”

“Can we get pictures?” Nadia asked.

“I’ll print you a couple and have them waiting for you up front.”

“Thank you. We appreciate it.” I shook the doctor’s hand before she stepped out to let Nadia get dressed.

***

I couldn’t stop looking at the ultrasound pictures when we got home. I was amazed at what Nadia and I had created, and I hadn’t even met them yet.

“Is that the baby?” Nathan asked.

“It—this little blob—is your future niece or nephew.”

“Cool. I was wondering if I could talk to you before Nadia gets home, but you have to promise to not tell her.”

“It depends on what it is. If it’s something that is dangerous or wrong, I can’t hide that from your sister.”

“It’s nothing like that. There is this girl, and I want some advice.”

“I can promise to not tell Nadia.”

“Good, because I like this girl, but her friend likes me, so she won’t go out with me, and I don’t know what to do.”

“First, you are eleven years old. You don’t need to be dating. Second, it sucks that someone is going to get hurt, but if you like her and she likes you, then nothing else should matter.”

“How do I get her to see that?”

“Again, you’re too young to date, but you’ll need to talk it through. Is she afraid of hurting her friend or did she promise to not date you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I don’t think you should date, but I think you should talk to her about the issue.”

“That didn’t really help.”

I let out a laugh. “I know, but it’s what I would do.”

“So, if I were to ask you to take me to the movies so I could see her with friends, you would take me?”

“I would, but you’re too young to date, so you have to be with a group of friends.”

Nathan jumped up and said thank you before running back to his room.

“What are you smiling about?” Nadia asked as she closed the front door.

“I think Nathan and I just hit a new point in our relationship.”

“You promised you wouldn’t tell her,” Nathan yelled from his room.

“I know, and I won’t,” I called back.

“Now I’m curious.”

“He asked for some advice.”

“Hopefully, you didn’t lead him astray.”

“I would never do that,” I said with a smile.

Things were looking up, and I couldn’t wait to see what our future looked like.