Accidents Happen

28. Twenty weeks

Half way.

The baby was now fully formed with all working parts. Fingernails, senses, even the ability to dream. Now all it had to do was keep on growing and preparing itself for the outside world.

And a big day was upon us. The twenty week scan. The same routine we'd been through a few times before, darkened room, a bed and a scanner. They were similar to the rooms I'd spent half my childhood in having heart checks. And even now with every week I went to the cardiac centre for monitoring. They actually couldn't believe just how well I was coping off the anti-rejection medication. It would seem the first doctors initial skepticism had been unfounded. It was as though my body was doing perfectly fine with someone else's heart beating in my chest and now in my uterus too.

'Do you want to know what you're having?' The sonographer asked.

'Yes.' I said.

'No.' Dan said at the same moment.

I wanted to know. I needed to know what my life was going to entail. Would it be all princesses and dresses and make up? Or football and dinosaurs and muddy shoes? Dans answer surprised me. I thought he'd be dying to know.

'A surprise would be nice.' He shrugged at me.

'I think we've had enough surprises for one lifetime, don't you?'

'Fair enough.' He laughed.

But the baby was having none of it. Legs tightly crossed and its back to us. It was determined to keep mummy and daddy waiting a little longer. We left the hospital clutching yet more photos to add to the collection. Dan sent his parents a copy while I text Ben.

'Its gotta be a boy. That kind of stubbornness isn't a trait of the girl species.' I was sure. I just had a feeling that it was a boy.

'Are you kidding me? You're the most stubborn person I know.'

'No I'm not.' I protested, proving his point.

'Better start thinking of names either way.' We strolled to the car park where we'd left my car earlier.

'Im not really good with this kind of thing. All my dolls when I was a kid were called Molly.'

'Oh all my dolls had different names.' He laughed. 'How about I choose boys and you choose girls?'

'Seems fair.' I agreed. 'Any ideas?'

'I like James, or John, William, Edward.'

'Typical English names.' I pointed out. 'I dunno...kind of want something special, something that sticks out.'

'I dunno, my names pretty boring and I did ok.'

'Yeah well, you're talented, you can sing and play piano at the same time.'

'Then we can sign him up for lessons before he can talk, so he can do it too. If that's what you'd want I mean.'

'He can be whatever he wants to be. Probably won't follow my footsteps of being a failed actress.'

'You'll get there. I'll help you.'

'Its not what you know, it's who you know right?' I told him. If he could get me in there with his famous acquaintances then I would not complain. I looked at the time on my phone as we got to the car. 'You really need to get to work.'

'Guess so.' He sighed.

'I'll drive you there.'

'You can come in if you want? The boys want to see you anyway.'

I agreed to go. I'd only be sat at home on my own anyway. And I liked that the rest of band wanted to see me, as these guys were probably going to be heavily involved when the baby arrived.

'Should probably tell the record company at some point.' He said as we arrived at Virgin Musics head office, a massive building in the heart of London. We parked in the underground car lot, my little blue Nissan looking out of place besides all the BMWs and Audis.

'Its not going to be splashed all over the paper is it?' I worried. Because though my parents probably still didn't have the internet, and I didn't know how big bastille were in America, I didn't want them to find out. Not yet. Probably not ever.

'I'll tell them not to publish anything.' He assured me as we headed to the lifts. 'Ready?'

'Ready.'