Crossing Paths

Chapter 21: Little Bundle of Joy

Copyright 2014 © Rosesareforever

Crossing Paths

Chapter 21

Little Bundle of Joy

Sedric stared absentmindedly at the baby blue wall in front of him as he impatiently shuffled from left to right and back again on his chair in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. Soft classic music played in the background, made to relax patients, but it only annoyed Sedric further. He cast a look at Jade, who was reading a pregnancy magazine next to him, oblivious to the rest of the world as she flipped the pages. He wished he could be as patient as her. On the inside, he felt like he was going to burst at any given moment.  

A loud sigh left his throat, causing Jade to look up from her magazine and sent him an annoyed glance. “You’re such a baby, Sedric Miller. We’ve only been waiting for about ten minutes,” she pointed out.

Sedric had tried to apologize to her several times that day, but she kept interrupting him by holding a hand over his mouth and saying “Just don’t, not now.” He didn’t know what to do anymore. How could he make it up to her if she wouldn’t to listen to him? She’d asked for time, to be patient, but Sedric didn’t know how much longer he could wait. It was obvious he wasn’t the most patient person in the world.

“Aren’t you nervous?” He couldn’t comprehend how she could be that calm and serene when she knew she was going to see their baby for the first time in a matter of minutes. Sedric couldn’t seem to get a hold of his nerves and she just looked like she was going to an everyday appointment. Women. He’d never understand them.

“I’m excited to finally see our little peanut and listen to its heartbeat, but no I’m not nervous. I’ve never felt this calm and…content…like everything is just like it’s supposed to be.” Jade’s eyes sparkled along with her smile as she glanced at him.

Sedric hesitantly returned her smile, happy to hear her admission and reached out to rest his hand on her barely-there baby bump. She was slowly starting to develop a bump, but it was still so small most people didn’t notice. For a moment Sedric feared she might flinch or pull back from his touch, but she surprised him when she rested her own hand on top of his. “It still seems surreal that we’re going to be parents in seven months,” Jade confessed softly.

“You’ve no idea,” Sedric agreed, lazily rubbing her stomach as he watched Jade close her eyes and smile contently. He was truly shocked she was letting him have this moment. Usually when she was angry at him, she could be quite irrational and unfair. It threw him off. He didn’t know what to expect anymore. Jade was a true enigma.

“Ms. Johnson?” the nurse called out, smiling kindly when Jade got up. “The doctor’s ready to see you.” Thank god!

Ten minutes later, Sedric was nervously biting his bottom lip while they waited for the doctor to perform the ultrasound. Jade had reached out for his hand a few seconds earlier and was squeezing so hard Sedric was afraid she was cutting off his blood circulation. He didn’t say anything though.

Sedric watched Jade intently, surprised when tears started to well up in her eyes. He quickly adverted his gaze to the computer screen and found the cause for her tears. Swallowing thickly, trying to get a grip on his emotions, Sedric watched as the doctor started to explain where their baby was located. A lump formed in his throat as their child’s heartbeat echoed through the room.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Holy shit. No words could describe what Sedric was feeling as he listened to the sound of his child’s steady heartbeat. The closest emotion was probably happiness and joy. Never in his life had he been that close to actually bursting into tears like an emotional wreck. The only reason he managed to stay strong was the woman desperately holding onto his hand.