Loving the Marine [Book One of "Loving the Marine" series]

Chapter Seven: Gender

January 10

At 8:00am Emma and Jake arrived at the hospital to have Emma's leg checked out then around 10:00am they're supposed to find out the gender of the baby.

After an hour of examining, the doctor told Emma that her knee was all healed up, and she wouldn't need to be on crutches anymore, and that her leg maybe a little stiff for a while.

Once they left the doctors office they still had an hour before Emma's next appointment so they went out for breakfast. Emma ate her breakfast sandwich slowly as she stared out the window at McDonald's. Jake placed his rough hand over hers and asked, "Are you okay baby?"

Emma's eyes drifted to her stomach as she softly asked, "What if we can't do this?"

Jake interlaced his fingers into Emma's as he said,  "No matter what happens I will always be here! I won't leave your side."

A half hour later Emma and Jake were back as the hospital and in the ultrasound room. As the nurse squeeze ice cold lotion on Emma's stomach a shivery quickly made its way up her spine.

As the nurse began to move around Emma's stomach her jaw dropped. The nurse moved her hand a little more before she stopped, pointed at the screen, and said, "Do you see these four blobs?" She paused as Emma and Jake nodded, "Those four blobs are feet."

Emma's hands, which were behind her head, now covered her eyes as tears pooled in her eyes.

Jake sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands.

The nurse pulled her hand back as she said, "I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes and then when I come back we can find out the gender." The nurse left as Jake looked up at Emma who glanced down at him then buried her face in her hands again.

Jake slowly got to his feet and placed a hand on Emma's stomach then said, "Baby, please stop crying."

Emma moved her hands and Jake kissed her rosie red cheeks. Jake looked into Emma's watery eyes and said, "Everything is going to be perfectly fine. We're just getting another baby sooner than we thought. We will raise these two babies to grow big and strong."

Jake leaned his forehead against Emma's as the nurse came in and asked, "Are you guys ready to find out the gender?"

Jake and Emma looked up at the nurse and nodded.

Emma raised her shirt up over her belly and the nurse squeezed more lotion onto Emma's stomach and began moving the ultrasound wand around Emma's stomach until she found what she was looking for then said, "Well, it looks like you're getting both."

Emma and Jake looked at each other confused, then Jake asked, "what do you mean were getting both?"

The nurse smiled and said, "Emma is carrying both a boy and a girl."