Page 34 of Dare To Free Us
“Arianna Russo,” she called.
“That’s me,” I called back. We stood and made to follow the nurse through the door.
* * *
“Mr. and Mrs. Russo,are you ready?” the doctor asked as she pushed her glasses into place.
I squeezed Matteo’s hand and nodded. My heart raced so fast I couldn’t sit still.
Matteo sat beside my table leaning on his elbows, eyes glued to the monitor. I laid back, lifted my shirt and undid my pants so the doctor could get to my lower tummy and took a deep breath. Then she squeezed cold goo onto my still-flat stomach.
“Ok here we go,” she said, and placed the doohickey on my stomach, pressing down slightly.
The monitor instantly lit up with lines and blotches that moved and swirled as she dragged the wand across my lower abdomen. I waited with bated breath as the dark room went silent.
“You are over ten weeks so we should be able to find a heartbeat easily.” Slowly swirling the wand back and forth she studied the screen until her hand came to a stop.
“There it is.” Keeping the wand in place the doctor pointed out the little bubble amongst the chaos that I never would have seen. It pulsed ever so slightly.
“There is your baby. Let me turn up the volume.”
Suddenly the room filled with a small whooshing sound. My heart squeezed so hard it hurt. A warmth steeped into my soul that was so pure I started to cry. That little tiny blip on the screen was our baby.
I had another being growing inside me. Something about seeing it and hearing it’s fragile little heartbeat made it far more realistic than reading a pee stick.
My instant love for our child took ahold of me hard enough to steal my breath away. The smile on my face hurt my cheeks. That person no bigger than a pea suddenly became my new mission in life.
I still hadn’t opened up a gallery of my own and hadn’t worked since the day Matteo claimed me but I never felt a loss. Matteo had always been my biggest dream. But we talked about it a lot. Especially when he’d come home and find me painting in the amazing six-hundred square-foot sunroom he turned into a studio for me.
I just always knew the opportunity was there if I wanted it, so didn’t feel rushed. I sold some paintings online and in galleries across Boston but the priority of having my own had changed.
I felt that same change as I stared at the screen. Something amazing was coming, and I knew that thatsomethingwould become my whole world.
Soft lips pressed against my hand and I turned to see Matteo’s eyes glossier than ever before. I’d never seen Matteo cry. Not even close.
His shoulders were scrunched like he was trying to hide. He squeezed my hand and I squeezed back as his gaze never left the screen.
The doctor pressed a button and the picture froze. She gently pulled the wand away and handed me some paper towels to clean with. “I’ll give you two a minute.” She dipped her head slightly with a smirk after casting a glance at Matteo.
“Matteo, are you ok?” I asked him after the door closed.
“I’m going to be a father,” he breathed.
“Yes, you are,” I smiled.
Matteo stood from his seat to lean over and kiss me. It wasn’t an open mouth wild kiss but the affection burned bright in the dark room. “I love you, Arianna.”
“I love you too.” I swallowed hard, not liking the sudden uneasiness that settled on me. What if I messed up? What if I sucked at being a mother? What if something goes wrong during the pregnancy? What if I do something wrong to cause a problem? “Matteo, I’m scared.”
He smiled at me and my world stopped. He was the love of my life. The reason I woke up smiling every morning. The person who could stop my heart with just one look of passion and make it skip a beat at the sound of his deep voice. My love for him grew everyday.
“Don’t be scared, Beautiful. I know you will do great. You are going to be an awesome mom. I can’t wait to see you big and fat with my son inside you,” he said with a wink.
“Fat, huh?” I crossed my arms and acted like I was mad at his bad joke. “And it might be a girl.”
Uneasiness flashed across his face just long enough to make me suspicious. He swallowed hard and recovered. “Then I hope she turns out just like you.”
A ring sounded from Matteo’s pocket, shattering the moment. Pulling it out he scowled at the caller ID.