197 The Ultrasound

"Well?" I glared impatiently at Salem as he moved the fetal doppler over my belly. Five weeks had gone by fast between working on the charity project, crying at therapy and worrying my tits off. Now I was worried for another reason altogether. "What is it?"

"A girl." He smiled, turning the screen my way. I couldn't see much more than a blob with a slightly bigger baby shape than the last time I'd been here, but if he said so, I believed him.

"No shit." Breathless couldn't begin to describe how I felt. A girl. My own Astra. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He fiddled with the machine a bit and a second later I could hear the wub-lub of a tiny heartbeat filling the room. "She has a strong heartbeat, too."

<i>Dammit, not again. </i>

Mac handed me a tissue as I teared up and I thanked him silently, dabbing at the corners of my eyes. Looser clothing had become my best friend as I started to show. At four and a half months, my belly wasn't big but it was noticeable.