The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 50 - Medical Appointments

The week following Thanksgiving weekend returned to its usual level of busyness on Monday. Susan worked, Greg went to the studio, and the children went to school. On Tuesday, Susan acknowledged she'd officially reached six months with her current pregnancy and the end of her twenty-fifth week. She and Greg quietly celebrated, with Greg paying a little extra attention to the state of his wife's body. As she entered her third and final trimester of her pregnancy, he was more than a little aware that they'd also entered what Dr. Daniels considered to be the riskiest period of them all for her and the baby. In Greg's mind, both Susan and the baby were at risk ... whether or not that was actually true, and he was pleased that her next routine ultrasound would be done on Wednesday, the very next day. He'd even taken the morning off from working at the studio to be with her for her appointment.

"Are you ready?" the technician they'd known from previous visits asked as Susan emerged from the dressing room wearing a hospital gown.

"I think so," Susan said. "Is my husband here?"

"He's waiting for you in the exam room," the technician told her.

Susan followed the other woman to find Greg seated in the extra chair in the room reserved for expectant fathers. He rose to help her up onto the exam table then stood back as the technician expertly draped her lower body with a sheet before pulling up the lower hem of her gown to expose her abdomen. Susan gasped as she applied the gel, but relaxed as the technician placed the wand over it and began to move it around while the instrument sent images to the screen.

"She's head down," the technician commented. "She must be comfortable in that position. Look, she's sucking her thumb."

"Another one," Greg commented.

Susan smiled. "Our daughter sucked her thumb when she was younger," she commented.

"Well it looks like her sister does too," the technician said.

"Her sister? Are you certain?" Greg asked.

"Mmmm ... I'm not allowed to provide a diagnosis or interpretation of these things, but look here." She moved the wand over the baby's buttocks and groin then flicked a switch on the screen, rendering an image of the baby's skin instead of the usual view that concentrated on the internal fetal organs. She continued to move the wand allowing them to visualize the baby's legs, toes, and abdomen, complete with the umbilical cord, which was floating between her legs ... that and nothing else. The image was clear enough they could tell what was what with no difficulty at all.

"Well I'll be," Greg commented. "It does look like she's a girl. This image is very clear ... much clearer than we've had before."

"She's bigger than she was before and this machine has a higher resolution than what we've used before," the technician said. "I'll snap some stills for you to take with you before I switch views again. I still need to get these measurements for your doctor."

"Thank you," Susan said, smiling up at Greg. "How does it feel to know you're having a daughter?"

"New ...refreshing, wonderful. Julie's always wanted a sister," Greg remarked.

"Jessie has too. We'll have to tell them," Susan said.

They watched the baby's movements in awe as the technician finished Susan's exam.

"How do things look?" Susan asked as she sat up again.

"As I've said, I'm not supposed to interpret or diagnose. Aside from the pictures, you'll need to talk to your doctor about everything else," she said.

"We will," Susan assured her.

"When is your appointment?"

"On Friday," Susan supplied.