Andante con Brio

CLII

Lily climbed up on an uncomfortable looking metal table, and the doctor rucked up her t shirt without preamble and took a white plastic bottle from the cart on the side. But by that point Eddy had already stopped breathing.
There was a bulge, there, on Lily's flat, toned stomach. A small, but clearly present bulge. Tears pressed behind his eyes, because oh my God. A baby. There was a baby growing in there.
The doctor spread some gel from the bottle over the bulge, and before he knew it the screen above the foot of the table was crackling to life, showing some sort of white noise. To be honest, Eddy had no idea how the doctor could see anything in there, it all looked like weird blobs and shapes to him. He held Lily's hand tight and looked at the screen. And then, suddenly, they both saw it at once. He heard Lily's sharp intake of breath, and before he knew it a tear was rolling down his cheek. Because there it was, clear as day in black and white, the shape of a tiny baby. It looked like it was doing a little boogie, moving its little arms and legs rhythmically as if music was playing in there.
He squeezed Lily's hand and looked sideways. Tears were streaming down her face as she looked on in awe.
"She's already a dancer." she whispered, and the doctor looked at her with a sympathetic smile.
"Do you think it's a girl?" she asked. 
Lily shrugged.
"Yeah, just a gut thing."
"Well, it's a little too early to tell for sure, but at the next ultrasound you'll know more. Everything is looking good, though. The measurements are all fine, and I'll print you out a few photos."
"Thank you, doctor."

Eddy took some deep, deep breaths as they left the sterile environment behind and he could feel the sun shining on his face again.
"You okay?" he asked her, but when he turned to her he saw already.
"I'm good. Real good."
"Wow, Lils." he said, and where did that frog in his throat suddenly come from? "I can't believe it. You're growing a human in there."
She giggled softly. 
"I know. It's ridiculous, right?"

They walked towards the street in a happy daze, but there was an elephant in the room, of course, or in the carpark in this case. The thing that when he had dared broach it a couple of weeks ago, she had shot down straight away. The thing she hadn't wanted to think about at all, until the ultrasound. 
Matt. 
She had had the ultrasound. Did he need to broach it again now? She looked so happy and he didn't want to spoil that for her. She was still holding the little black photo the doctor had printed out, of a boogying baby, staring at it with her eyes all moist.  
"I'm so happy for you everything is looking good." he said feebly. 
"Thanks, Eddy. And thanks for being here, too."
"Of course. So, er... so, do you... do you want me to talk to, er.... at some point, with you?" he stumbled awkwardly. 
She turned to him and stopped dead. 
"Oh, Matt?" 
Suddenly she smiled at him and stroked his cheek. 
"You're sweet, Eddy. Yeah. Maybe. I was thinking of contacting him and meeting up for coffee or something. On neutral ground. You know, maybe after your competition this weekend or something?"
A small dizzy spell flew through Eddy's head as he pictured the three of them around a table, in a cafe. Having a conversation he was pretty fucking sure Matt wasn't ready to have. But he got it together before she would be able to see. 
"Absolutely. Whenever you say."

As they came to the crossroads, where he would take the bus to the con, she home, she put her hand on his shoulder. 
"Here." she said, handing him one of the photos. "Hang on to this. Show Brett and the guys."
He had no idea what to say, he just took it from her as if it were made of gold or something. Her bus was stopping in front of them and she kissed him quickly on the cheek and waved as she got on board. 
"Later, uncle Eddy!"