The Sound of Silence

Chapter 3

"Baby has a good, strong heartbeat," the technician said, as she moved the ultrasound wand over Sarah's belly, covered in blue goo. "The umbilical cord is good. Perfect blood exchange. Do you want to hear the heartbeat?"

"Do we ever!" I said. The technician pressed a button and the room filled with the 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' sound of our baby's heartbeat.

"Oh," the technician laughed. "Baby seems to be thirsty. If you look here, you can see their jaw moving up and down. Babies will 'practice' eating and swallowing with the amniotic fluid."

"Is that healthy?" I asked. "I mean, isn't it basically their pee and... stuff?"

The technician laughed again.

"Technically, but considering the only thing in there for them to drink is amniotic fluid, it's basically just amniotic fluid coming out. They're not getting food through the umbilical cord. Just nutrients and blood."

"Oh," I said.

"Now, you're sure you don't want to know the sex?" She asked.

"Positive," we both said.

"Okay, we'll, I have to take a few measurements and check some things that could reveal the sex, so Dad, turn away, Mom, I'm going to turn the screen away from you."

I turned away but kept my eyes on Sarah's. She smiled at me.

"Okay," the technician said, after a few minutes. "I'll print you off some pictures. I promise, none will reveal the gender. Everything looks really good. Nothing to be concerned about. You and baby are both measuring exactly where you should be for six and a half months. If the radiologist sees anything I missed, they'll be in touch, but I try to be very thorough and I don't see anything to be concerned about. You have a follow up booked with Dr. James next week?"

"I do," Sarah said.

"She should have the full report by then and can go over it with you," she said, handing Sarah a towel to clean off the goo.

"Great," she said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," she handed Sarah a strip of black and white photos. I helped Sarah clean off the ultrasound goo.

"This stuff gets everywhere!" I said, finding more when I thought I'd gotten it all.

"Tell me about it," Sarah said, examining the photos. "Look at our baby's nose. It's so cute."

I looked at the photos as Sarah changed back into her clothes. No way to tell the gender of the little peanut. But he or she sure did have a cute looking button nose. So far as I could tell.

"Sarah," I said looking at one of the pictures and showing her as she came out of the change room. "Look here. They're sucking their thumb!"

She leaned on me, looked up and smiled.

"We're having a baby, Bren."

"Is that what that is?" I asked, peering at the photos. "I was about to ask you if you'd been kidnapped by aliens recently."

She hit my shoulder playfully.

"Can you be serious ever?"

"Good god. Why would I want to do that?" I smiled down at her.

We left the building and got into our separate cars.

"I have to make a quick stop on my way home," I said. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Sounds good. I'm going to stop at In N' Out. I'm craving a chocolate milkshake. Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks. I'm still full from lunch," I said.

We went our separate ways and I drove to a baby boutique along the way home. I wanted to get Sarah a gift and a onesie for our peanut. Two more months and the little alien would be here. I smiled to myself.

I picked up a couple of things at the shop, and made one more stop for flowers for Sarah and drove home.

When I walked into the house, I found Sarah sitting in the living room, with the TV on and crying.

"Sarah! Honey, what's wrong?" I asked, dropping my shopping bag and rushing to her side.

"Nothing," she said through her tears. "I just saw the cutest commercial where a dad made tea for his daughter and her girlfriend!" She wailed.

"Uh... and that made you cry?"

"It was so sweet! Because the daughter was worried about telling her dad she's gay and you think the dad walks out of the room because he's upset but in reality, he just went to make tea for the girlfriend and asks her to tell him about herself!"

I hugged my wife. Pregnancy hormones. I'd heard about this. I smiled.

"Here," I said, handing her the flowers.

She burst into tears again.

"Now what?!" I asked, worried I'd upset her.

"You got me flowers! They're beautiful!" She wailed.

"Please tell me this is a hormone thing?"

"I think so. I'm just so emotional. I cried at a commercial!" She laughed through her tears.

She got up and put the flowers in a vase and came back to the living room.

"Now I'm afraid to give you the other gift I got you," I laughed.

"What did you get?"

I pulled out the onesies I'd bought. One said 'Daddy's Little Drummer' and the other said 'Mommy's Little Footballer' with a soccer ball.

Sarah burst into tears again exclaiming how cute and funny they were.

"I wonder what would happen if I started singing 'Sarah Smiles' right now," I smiled.

"Don't you dare Brendon Boyd Urie. I'm already a hormonal mess!" Sarah exclaimed, smiling.

I laughed and hugged my wife. I turned my attention to her belly.

"Peanut, you're making your mom cry for no reason," I admonished her belly.

"Look," Sarah said picking up her phone. "I found something I thought we could do for the baby's room." 

She showed me pictures of baby rooms with neutral colours, and musical themes.

"I should paint the notes to the lullaby on the walls," I said. "Maybe some of the lyrics, too."

"Oh! Could you?!  That sounds amazing. Perfect!!  Yes!"

"Will do, then," I said. 

"We should probably consider starting to get furniture and stuff. We only have two more months, really," Sarah said. I nodded. She was right.