Chapter 56
Chapter 56
“Elara Vance?”
The receptionist’s voice cut through the silence in the waiting area. But Elara didn’t hear it.
She was lost in thought. Staring at the empty space in front of her and thinking about Marcus, about her mother, about the baby growing inside her that nobody except Mimi knew about. Her baby.
“Elara Vance?” The receptionist called again. Louder this time.
Mimi nudged her. “Babe. That’s you.”
“What? Oh. Yes. Sorry.” Elara stood up quickly. Too quickly as the room spun for a second, she staggered backwards a little bit.
Mimi grabbed her arm and steadied her. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just stood up too fast.”
They walked together to the receptionist’s desk. The woman smiled and pointed down the hallway.
“Room 204. Dr. Matthews is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
They walked down the familiar hallway. All plain white walls. Fluorescent lights. That hospital smell that never quite went away no matter how much they cleaned.
Elara stopped outside Room 204. Took a breath and knocked.
“Come in.”
Dr. Matthews was sitting at his desk when they entered. He looked up. His face changed immediately. Recognition and then a smile.
“Oh! You’re the woman with the hidden pregnancy.”
Elara smiled back. Awkward and a little embarrassed. “Yeah. That’s me.”
“Well, tell me. Have you told your husband yet?”
She nodded. The lie came easily. “Yes. I told him.”
“Good. I’m glad.” Dr. Matthews gestured to the chairs across from his desk. “But how is he not here with you? For the first ultrasound? Most husbands want to be present for this.”
“He’s working. Had an emergency meeting he couldn’t miss.”
The doctor nodded like this made perfect sense. “Ah. Yes. Mr. Thorne is a very busy man. I understand.”
Mimi was getting annoyed now. Elara could feel it radiating off her. The doctor hadn’t even looked at her once. Hadn’t acknowledged her presence at all.
14:46 Mon, May 11
Chapter 56
Finally, he turned. Noticed Mimi sitting there.
“Oh. I see. This is your friend?”
Elara nodded. “Yes. This is Mimi. My best friend.”
55 vouchers
“Nice to meet you.” But he was already turning back to his desk. Already pulling open a drawer. Searching for something. “I have your file here. Let me just… ah. Here it is.”
He pulled out a folder and opened it. Slide a piece of paper across the desk.
“The pregnancy result. From that day. I didn’t want to give it to you then since your husband was with you and you asked me not to say anything.”
Elara took the paper and looked at it. The Positive sign is still stamped. Making it real in a way the home tests hadn’t.
“Right now, based on your last menstrual period and the blood work we did, you’re about seven to eight weeks pregnant.”
Seven to eight weeks. That matched what she’d calculated. Late December. The fire exit. The night at the gala.
“You should be grateful for the kind of body you have,” Dr. Matthews continued. “You’re slim. Naturally small. I’m not sure you’ll even show when you’re four months along. Maybe even longer. Some women don’t show until six months with their first pregnancy.”
Elara smiled. That was good news at least. More time to figure out how to tell Marcus.
Mimi spoke up now. Her voice firm and direct. Making sure the doctor actually heard her this time.
“Is it possible we do the ultrasound today?”
Dr. Matthews looked at her. “The ultrasound?”
“Yes. We’d like to see the heartbeat. Maybe know the gender if it’s possible this early. Just make sure everything is okay with the baby.”
“Of course. Yes. We can do that.” He stood. Closed the folder. “Follow me.”
They walked down another hallway. Into a different room. It was darker and quieter. Medical equipment lined the walls. A bed in the center with white paper stretched across it.
“Give me just a moment. I need to get the ultrasound machine from the other room, please make yourself comfortable.”
Dr. Matthews gestured to the bed. Then looked at Elara. “You can change into a gown if you’d like, or just lift your shirt. Either works.”
He left. Closed the door behind him.
Mimi looked at Elara. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just nervous.”
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Chapter 56
“It’s going to be fine. I promise.
“Yeah. Yayyy.” But Elara’s hands were shaking.
She was wearing the striped dress. Easy access. She didn’t need to change, she just got on the bed, laid on her back as the paper crinkled beneath her.
Mimi helped her pull the dress up. Gathered it just below her chest. Leaving her stomach exposed. Then grabbed the thin sheet folded at the end of the bed. Draped it over Elara’s legs. Covered her from the waist down for modesty.
“There. You good?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
The door opened. Dr. Matthews came back wheeling a machine. Monitor, keyboard, wand attached by a cord, all of those things, no idea what they’re called but they all look very medical.
He washed his hands at the small sink in the corner. Dried them. Put on gloves. Then reached for a bottle
on the counter.
“This is going to be cold,” he warned. “The gel. Everyone says that but I’m still going to warn you anyway.”
He squeezed some onto Elara’s stomach. She flinched a bit. He wasn’t lying. It was freezing. Like ice water spreading across her skin.
“Sorry. I know. It’s terrible.” He picked up the wand. “Just try to relax. This won’t hurt. You’ll just feel some pressure.”
Elara nodded. Tried to breathe normally. Tried not to think about what they were about to see.
Dr. Matthews placed the wand on her stomach. Started moving it in slow circles. Pressing gently. His eyes on the monitor instead of her face.
The screen flickered. Black and white static at first as the shapes didn’t make sense. Random shadows and light.
Then something changed.
The monitor came to life.
14:47 Mon, May 11
