Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

45

FOUR WEEKS LATER

BEGINNING OF JUNE, 2025

"Baby looks great," Dr. Sherbourne said with a smile. "Still small, but there's still time."

"Can you tell if its a boy or girl yet?" Oscar asked, peering at the screen.

"We don't want to know," Molly said pointedly. "We want to be surprised."

"No, Mol. You don't want to know," Andrew corrected her.

"Okay, no vagina, no vote," she replied, glaring at him.

He sighed and sat back in his chair. "So, Doctor, are we good to go?"

"Yes. We'll do a standard scan at twenty weeks," Dr. Sherbourne said. "I'll see you then. It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Llewelyn. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Molly slid off the exam table with help from Andrew. He took her bag before she got a chance to pick it up.

"So why don't you want to know?" Oscar asked, sliding his hands into his pockets as they walked down the hallway.

"I don't think it matters," she answered. "We just want a healthy baby. The gender doesn't matter to me. The whole idea that people are obsessed with an unborn child's genitals is absurd. And creepy as fuck."

"Fair enough," Oscar allowed. "But still. I couldn't handle the not knowing."

"Fortunately, you aren't responsible for growing a human. So it doesn't matter," she said. "I need to pee."

"You just went!" Oscar exclaimed.

"Doesn't mean anything!" she called over her shoulder as she headed for the toilet in the reception. "I'll meet you at the car after I make the appointment."

Andrew led Oscar back to the car in the lot and got in. A summer rain shower was coming down, pattering on the windscreen. Oscar got into the back seat and shook out his wet curls.

"I don't know how you do it over here. The rain is insane," he remarked.

"You get used to it after awhile, I suppose," Andrew replied with a chuckle.

"I guess," Oscar said, looking out the window.

Andrew got the feeling that the other man wanted to say something else, but he didn't push. Molly reappeared and got in the car in a rush, sliding her hood off as she buckled in.

"So, explain to me how exactly you finagled a full month off from Michelle?" she asked as they pulled out into traffic. "You didn't attack anyone in the court room, did you?"

Oscar smirked at her. "No. I didn't fail quite so fantastically." Andrew turned onto the motorway. "I'm actually considering moving on from Bright Horizons."

Andrew drifted into another lane, earning several loud honks from the driver next to them. "You what?" he asked, correcting the car quickly.

"Why would you leave?" Molly asked. "You love it there."

"I'm burnt out, Mol," Oscar sighed. "I don't even know if I want to keep practicing anymore. Its getting rough. Michelle thinks if I take time away, it'll reinvigorate me or something."

"So she forced you to take a break," Molly finished.

Oscar grumbled. "Ever since the Reyes trial we've been getting overloaded with cases. Michelle's talking about opening a branch in New York City."

"Seriously? That's a big jump," Molly remarked.

"You're telling me," he groaned. "She wants to send me there to head it up."