Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(51)

“Honestly, you're a model pregnancy. You’re going to start really putting on the weight though. By the end of the next five months, you'll probably be about twenty to thirty pounds heavier than you are right now.”

“Thirty pounds?” Andrea asks, slightly surprised. “Where am I going to put all that?”

“A lot of it is your baby, and what's inside your womb,” Dr. Jackson says with a knowing smile, “while another few pounds are going to be weight I'm sure Mr. Sands here will enjoy. Most spouses do.”

“Huh?” Andrea asks, and Nathan laughs lightly.

“He's saying that you are going to get milk boobs and your butt is going to get a little bigger for padding and to balance the weight up top,” Nathan says wisely.

“Ah... gotcha,” Andrea comments, then gives Carson a sly look.

Carson's grumble is hilarious, and I'm sure that Andrea's going to get it when we get home, and she's looking forward to it too from the saucy look on her face. “Let's just do the ultrasound, okay?”

Dr. Jackson has Andrea lift up her shirt, and smears some gel on the end of the wand on the machine. “Okay, let's see what we have here,” he says, pressing the end of the wand against Andrea's belly, just below her belly button. “Now, at this point we should be able to see... yep, there we are. Say hello.”

The image on screen is beautiful, with a perfect little curve to the head and we can even see the nose and ears. The baby shifts, and suddenly little legs and arms come into view. “Oh my God,” Andrea whispers, breaking the silence. “She's beautiful.”

“Well, we can't be sure yet if it is a boy or a girl,” Dr. Jackson says, moving the wand some more. “We probably won't be able to see that until the next scan or so. Now, let's get some measurements.”

Dr. Jackson freezes the image, and all of us stare nearly silently at the screen while he clicks away with his mouse at the image. Afterward, he sits back, a pleased look on his face. “I'm happy to say that your baby is perfectly fine, and looks to be in perfect health for the twelve to thirteen week range. So our original estimate is pretty good, I'll still say you're due at the end of August, maybe a little earlier.”

Ten minutes later we're in the lobby, Andrea holding the DVD with the data burned onto it. She's still got stars in her eyes as she tucks it into her backpack and tightens the straps. “Can you believe it?”

I shake my head, reaching out tentatively to touch Andrea's stomach. “It's a miracle. You're amazing, Andrea.”

Andrea smiles and reaches out, touching my stomach. “You got next, 'Lissa. I can feel it. You've got the next one.”

I blush and smile, looking at Nathan who nods. “That would be great. Actually, I was hoping that we could all have a lot of kids. It's not like we can't afford it.”

“That's true,” I say, smiling.

Carson comes back from the front desk, tucking his wallet back into his jacket pocket. “Okay, we're all good. Paid in full.”

“Do they ever question why you don't use your insurance?” I ask, and Carson shakes his head.

“I think Dr. Jackson prefers getting paid in cash, and it reduces our footprint,” Carson says, shrugging. “And it's not that big a deal to pay for it out of pocket for us. So what's next for us?”

“Hold on guys, go on out to the van,” I say suddenly, looking around. “I just... I'd like to ask Dr. Jackson a question or two. Five minutes or so?”

Nathan nods and looks outside. “Be quick, okay? After this we have a trip to Home Depot, then Sam's Club to get food for the week.”

I nod, leaning in close while Carson and Andrea head to the doorway. “Are you that worried?”

Nathan shakes his head, then nods. “I have a funny feeling, that's all. The sooner we're back up on the mountain, the better.”

I give him a kiss on the cheek, and reach down, putting my hand on my belly. “Don't tell Andrea and Carson, but I've had a funny feeling, too. I know it's only been a few weeks, but let me be silly on this?”

Nathan's face brightens and he nods. “Our secret.”

I hurry back to the front desk, where the receptionist is typing away. “Excuse me, but would it be possible if I could talk to Dr. Jackson for just a few minutes?”

The receptionist looks at her schedule, then nods. “I think so. Dr. Jackson's next appointment is running a bit late, head on back, I'll buzz him.”

I go through the door to see Dr. Jackson already coming toward me, a questioning smile on his face. “Miss Sands, is there anything wrong?”

“Doctor, would you mind...” I say, before blushing and hurrying before I lose my nerve, “Do you have a pregnancy test?”

Dr. Jackson stops, then nods, waving toward the exam room. “Sure. Got ten bucks? That'll cover costs and I won't worry about the computer BS unless we get a result.”

He gets the box and hands it to me. “Would you like to do it now or later?”

“I can do it now,” I answer, rushing to the bathroom and pulling my jeans down. It's a little bit of effort, I peed right before we came down the mountain, but I work up enough, and then cap the test, bringing it back to the exam room. “Well?”