When the rains may come (Science Fiction)

29. The Last Trimester (part 2)

Week ten.

Gemma had driven Lisa to an abandoned hospital that was three blocks away from the manor.

"It's in surprisingly good condition." Gemma said. "Also, Brendan goes in to check it out every once in a while just to make sure whatever equipment is still intact and still working."

"You sure the pregnancy ultrasound is working right?" Lisa asked.

"Brendan said it is. And I trust him," she said.

They met Brendan at the reception, he was chowing down an energy bar that he stowed back in his pocket as he saw the two ladies walk in through the decontamination booth.

He led them to the sonography room. "Now, I used to be just a nurse but I know the basics of how to operate this thing and draw results," he said as he gestured to Lisa to lie down on the padded examining table.

"I think the basics are all we need," Lisa said as she took her position. "Thanks to Richard's job C3MC, I was actually given appointments at a government facility for two sonographies during my first and second trimester."

Brendan nodded. "Yep, only two sonographies are needed under normal circumstances," he said as he was booting up the equipment. It took him a moment to realize what he'd just said. He turned to Lisa with a guilty frown.

"It's okay!" Lisa waved at him frantically. "I'm not offended at all, I swear. Um, my condition isn't really normal anymore, is it now?" She smiled ruefully. "I don't imagine many pregnant ladies have to outrun a bunch of gun wielding lunatics. Or get caught up in the middle of a skirmish."

Gemma squeezed Lisa's shoulder. "I bet the baby is gonna be fine. I know it is as strong as his mama." She smiled.

Lisa smiled back, looking down at her belly with that slight anxiety again.

Brendan cleared his throat and went about the procedure. Lisa didn't need much instructions since she had already done this twice. She pulled her shirt off her belly and Brendan rubbed some water-soluble-gel on her stomach. Then he asked Gemma to turn off a switch which made the lighting in the room go dim.

He then pressed a transducer down on her belly. The monitor came alive with a 2D image of the baby. Lisa's heart skipped a beat as she saw the picture on the screen.

"Now, we won't be able to have a complete report and analysis so I'll just tell you what I observe on the screen," Brendan said as he shifted the transducer on different spots on her belly to get better images. "The baby's heart-rate looks normal. The skull looks uninjured. The torso is uninjured.The limbs are uninjured. No physical anomalies are visible."

Lisa and Gemma let out a collective sigh of relief. That's when Brendan grinned at them. "Here's the fun part," he said. "You wanna know if it's a baby boy or a girl?"

Lisa's heart skipped another beat. But this time it was a more pleasant feeling. She swallowed hard before saying. "Y-Yes."

Brendan paused with a smile, drawing out the anticipation before saying, "It's a girl!"

"Yayy, isn't that great, Lisa?" Gemma said.

Lisa was lost for words. She was fighting tears while struggling to contain her smile that threatened to split her face. Gemma and Brendan were both celebrating the good news. Lisa had almost checked out of the situation. Her eyes were fixated on the black and white image on the monitor. And a thought fluttered into her mind like a butterfly: Look, Richard. It's our daughter!

###

Week eleven.

Cathy and Erik were in the industrial zone again. Cathy was done with just fifty push ups when Erik said, "That's enough for today." They were in one of the old warehouses. Erik walked over to a corner where a pile of wooden crates and an empty drum lay abandoned. "There's something else I want you to practice before we carry out the prison break." He shoved the boxes aside and opened what looked like a trap door in the ground. From the space under the door, he pulled out a long pelican case. He unlocked the case. Inside it was a fully automatic assault rifle.