The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 26 - The Ultrasound

Wednesday afternoon was the day of Susan's ultrasound appointment. As promised, Greg arranged to have the afternoon off to come with her, however with children out of school early and Matt no longer staying with them to watch them, Jessie and Zack had to come with them. Marion had of course immediately volunteered to keep them when Susan called to ask. And so Greg and Susan picked the children up from school and fifteen minutes later dropped them off at the beach house, just before Susan's appointment, with promises to return as soon as they could. Consequently they arrived at the radiology center later than they would have normally and barely got there in time for Susan's appointment.

Just as she'd been required to do for her previous ultrasound appointments, Susan drank a lot of water before they arrived and was already uncomfortable by the time they checked in. The one advantage of not coming early was that they didn't have to wait long. Rather they were escorted from the waiting room before Greg had time to sit down or Susan had time to ask about using the bathroom. She was handed a hospital gown to change into before being directed to an examination suite for the ultrasound. She got up onto the table and the technician was ready and waiting for them.

"Hello again," she said with a friendly smile. "Shall we see how you are doing?"

"Yes, please," Susan said.

The exam took longer this time as the technician took measurements and carefully examined the walls of Susan's slightly expanded uterus. This time the fluid-filled space within Susan's womb was clearly visible with the image of the developing fetus at its center. They could see the baby's heart beat and watched it move ... a thrilling sight for any parent. The technician recorded everything for the doctor then captured a couple still images for Greg and Susan, explaining one would be printed for them before they left.

"These will be ready by the time you get dressed," she promised.

"Thank you. I'll be right back," Susan assured her.

Greg went to wait for her in the waiting room. By the time his wife emerged, she held the photo in her hand and looked ready to go.

"The doctor will have the results in time for your appointment on Friday," the technician assured her she saw Susan out.

Susan thanked her and they left.

c

Greg watched Susan's face attentively as they returned to the car. She was smiling happily, though a bit shyly.

"You still can't believe this is happening, can you?" he asked.

"Not hardly," Susan admitted as they got in. "We're past twelve weeks. I was at twelve weeks yesterday, and still everything looks okay, from what I could see."

"It did seem to be," Greg replied, "though I agree with your hesitation in telling very many people, at least until after Friday."

"I saw you watching the technician just as much as you were watching the screen," Susan commented.

"I don't know what I'm seeing when I look at an ultrasound screen, but I do know how to ready faces," Greg said in a cautious tone.

"You think she saw something that concerned her, don't you?" Susan asked.

"Possibly. I could tell from her expression she did not consider your examination to be routine. However I do not know if that is because she has read a medical history on you and knows of your previous problems, or if it is because of something she was seeing," Greg said.

Susan frowned slightly. "She didn't say anything."

"It's not her job to say anything, as you well know," Greg reminded her.