Lying there, in the exact spot where my wife had been all those years before, felt surreal. I wished we had even a fraction of the excitement from that day. My only comfort was being in Dr. McKnight’s care again. She already knew our story, and I felt like she would handle this situation delicately. When we entered the room, she was already waiting for us with a warm smile. I appreciated her getting down to business because I couldn’t handle anyone asking how I felt. With a low yet confident tone, she paced her words carefully to ensure we heard and understood everything.
“I can see this was unexpected news, and I probably won’t be able to make you feel better about it. But what I will do is give you a clear picture of what you’re dealing with, answer all your questions, and outline your options. I’m here to help.”
As she spoke, my eyes fell on the poster above her head with a lady holding a baby standing next to a doctor. That lady was me. How was this happening??
Sophia comforted me, holding my hand and saying everything would be fine, but the moment was anything but. I shouldn’t be laying here. I shouldn’t be pregnant! How was I pregnant??
“Okay, Luca, let’s see your baby. You can either take off the gown or roll it up for me.”
I sat up, and Sophia helped me out of the gown. When she laid here before, Dr. McKnight warned her the gel would be cold. I remember wondering how cold it was; now I knew. I stared at the ceiling, holding my breath as she slid the wand around my stomach. It wasn’t painful or even uncomfortable. The whole situation was just so freakin’ weird! It took everything I had to hold it together.
“Okay! Here we go,” Dr. McKnight said.
She turned on the speaker, and the lub dub of a tiny heart filled the air. There was something haunting about the sound of a heartbeat coming from my body that wasn’t mine, especially when its presence was not welcome. I turned to look at Sophia, maybe for comfort, maybe to check in. She just stood there, blinking rapidly, like her brain was buffering the scene.
“There it is,” the doctor said gently. “There’s your baby.”
At least it looked familiar. Desiree also looked like an abstract blob at that stage. How will she take this?
“It’s a boy!”
A boy?
I was the one blinking rapidly and processing now. A son?! My heart nearly gave out. Everything inside me went silent, like fog burning off after the sun came out. I didn’t mean to cry, but I couldn’t stop. The pressure had been building up all morning and I couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Oh Watcher!! OH WATCHER!!!”
I couldn’t feel Sophia’s hand on my shoulder anymore.
“I never thought I’d have a son,” I said, tears and snot running down my face.
Sophia sighed heavily.
“Me either.”
“I’m sorry, Sophia. I know you didn’t want-“
“It’s not your fault, Luca,” she said with a tinge of annoyance. “It’s not like you planned this.”
True. This whole thing was still weird as hell, but knowing I’d finally have a son made it a little less awful.
“Can you tell what it is?” I asked. “I mean like…is it a sim, or…”
“Unfortunately, we can’t tell. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
She wiped my belly, put the wand away, told me I could put the gown back on, and started talking next steps. Because I am a man and I lack the equipment to birth a child, a surgical birth was my only option. I didn’t like the idea of being cut open, but at least I won’t be in pain. We could even schedule the birth if we wanted; I liked the sound of that. With any luck, I could skip the whole labor part. The other options were, of course, adoption, and the other thing I’m not sure I could think about even if I didn’t want the baby. After a few more particulars and questions, Dr. McKnight left us to process. I was afraid to ask Sophia how she felt, especially since I had expressed so much joy, but I had to know.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
“I’m thinking…,” She paused for a moment and jumped back in. “I’m thinking this was not how I expected to spend my extra days.”
“Me neither.”
