model call || h.s

87.

"Hi Nora..." Dr. Ghausi sauntered into the room and then he smiled at Rosie. "And is this who I think it is?" Rosie had a thing for older men, she got all bashful and cute around them...Dr. Ghausi was no exception. She immediately perked up in my lap.

"Rosie, this is Dr. Ghausi, he helped me bring you into the world." She looked up at me, confused.

"I thought daddy helped you." We both laughed. More or less.

"Daddy did help, but Dr. Ghausi...he helped a lot too." She shrugs and he continues to smile down at her.

"It's been five years since I've seen you, Rosie...you look just like your mom."

"Thanks for helping mummy and daddy with me."

"You're very welcome." He says, "Are you excited to meet your new baby brother or sister?" She nods, excitedly.

"I'm so excited. I want a sister so she can play Barbies with me, cause Peter doesn't like to."

"Well...would you like to find out if you're having a sister or a brother?" I had originally planned on waiting for Harry to come back, but the look of pure joy on her face was too cute to ignore. And this was the first time she'd been this happy, so I decided to go for it.

"Can we please, mum?" I look up at my doctor and nod.

"We'd love to." So he goes forth, getting everything ready and soon, the sound of the heartbeat is thumping across the walls of the small room and Rosie is in complete awe as she stares at the screen. It takes him a minute, but he finally deciphers the gender and I just know, by the grin on his face, what our answer will be.

"Rosie, I think you're going to be very happy to meet...your baby sister..." She jumps up and starts giggling ferociously, then she hugs me tightly.

"Are you happy for that, mummy?" Her hands squeeze my cheeks and I admire her.

"I am so, so happy for that."

"Do you think daddy will be happy?" I caress her soft cheeks.

"I think so. Do you want to tell him?"

"Yeah, but can I tell him now?"

"Oh, I wish you could, baby. But we have to wait until he gets home, okay?" And just like that, her mood has turned sour.

"I want to talk to him now!"

"Rose, come on, we'll talk about this at home. How about you tell grandma and Peter?"

"That's not the same, I miss daddy."

"I know you do, angel...I know. But right now, he has to stay with Uncle Jeff, okay?" She starts to cry and the last thing I want is for Dr. Ghausi to pick up on anything. "Rosie, please, honey? No crying, not right now."

"I want him, mummy! Why can't he just come home?"

"Rosie, enough. Do you want me to take away your reading time tonight?" She pouts and crosses her arms.

"No..."

"Then stop, please." Threatening her reading time was truly the most effective form of punishment, and for the most part, she wouldn't risk it. Of course, she didn't stop being grumpy, but she kept her tears and her unhappy words to a minimum.

"So, everything looks good, Nora. Baby girl is healthy, you're healthy...we're still expecting her on or around November third."

"I'm good to go?"

"You're good to go." I pull my shirt down and lift Rosie off the high chair. Her arms are still crossed and she looks thoroughly dispirited. I feel her pain, and I'm right there next to her...missing him so very much and just wanting to hear his voice.

"Thank you, Dr. Ghausi...for everything."

"It's my pleasure." He looks down at Rosie. "Goodbye, Rosie...it was very nice seeing you."

"Nice seeing you." She grumbles back, which is still very cute, despite her attitude. I wave to him once more before we slip out of the office. I strap Rosie into her carseat in the back of my Jeep and then I buckle myself in. "Where is he, mummy? You never tell me the truth."

"Rosie, honey...daddy is...he was sick when he left and he's just trying to get better. He doesn't want you or your brother to get sick too."

"Is he gonna die?" I know that this is the last thing that will happen, but it still creates a black mass in the pit of my tummy. I quickly shake the idea away.

"No, baby, he is not going to die. He's going to be just fine."

"What does he even have?" She asks, sounding bratty and sarcastic. "A cough or something?" If only it were as simple as a cough.

"He'll be home soon, Rose. I promise."

"You said that when he first left, mummy. Why do you lie?"

"I'm not lying."

"I think you are." She truly was going to be the death of me.

"I'm done having this conversation, okay? You're not being very nice."

"Neither are you."

"Okay, that's it." I clip. "No reading for you tonight."

"I don't even wanna read."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"Why would I tell you? You'll just take it from me."

"Maybe I won't."


"I want daddy to sing to me while I go to sleep...I don't even care about books."

"Well, I have an idea about that...but you need to promise me that you'll be nice. If you're mean to me, or grandma or Peter...my idea is going to go away."

"Fine, I'll be nice."

"Thank you." I feel semi-triumphant. "Do you wanna know something?" She shrugs.

"I guess."

"Daddy loves you so much...and he misses you, and he'll sing to you over and over when he gets home."

"You promise?"

"I promise." She seems content upon hearing this, and I hope that my word will be kept. I hope that he'll be the man that he was before this whole mess began.