“Define better.” I wrinkled my nose. “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

He sat down gingerly at the edge of my bed as the nurse adjusted the tubes hooked up to me. “So, I’m not sure how much you remember, but when you got here you were in pretty bad shape.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that with all the passing out and stuff,” I quipped, going silent as Callie’s hand gave mine a warning squeeze. Shit, I hated doctors, and even though I knew he was trying to help, my natural inclination to be a smartass was rearing its ugly head.

“Your grandmother thought at first that you were having a miscarriage, but thankfully that wasn’t the case,” he went on as if I hadn’t said anything. “You actually had a pretty bad case of appendicitis, and we had to take you into surgery to remove your appendix. We went in laparoscopically, and everything went beautifully.”

“The baby’s okay?” I asked, letting it sink in that I hadn’t been losing her like I’d thought.

“Baby is just fine,” he assured me, resting his hand on my ankle comfortingly. “Appendectomies are actually one of the most common reasons for surgery in pregnant women. It happens, and you aren’t the first one, or even the fifteenth one I’ve done.”

“Oh, okay, good,” I mumbled. “Are you sure everything’s okay, though? Because I haven’t been to the doctor yet, and I didn’t know I was pregnant for like, a long time, and I haven’t taken any vitamins and—”

He squeezed my ankle gently, making me pause in my rambling.

“Hey, Sam?” he called out to the nurse. “Why don’t you go grab the ultrasound machine in room four and bring it in here. I think Mama’s gonna feel a whole lot better if she can see her baby safe and sound.”

With a nod and a smile, Nurse Sam left the room, passing by Cody and Gram as they filed in the door. Gram had a huge relieved smile on her face as she came closer to kiss me, but Cody’s face was tight, his eyes focused on the way the doctor’s hand still wrapped around my ankle.

“Hey, good timing,” I rasped, bringing Cody’s attention to my face. “The nurse just left to get the ultrasound machine so we can see the baby.”

His face lost a little of the harshness, and his lips lifted up in a small smile as he moved toward me. Gram and Callie took a step back as he reached the bed, and after Cody gave the doctor a pointed look, he stood up and moved back too.

“Hi,” Cody whispered, leaning in to kiss my lips gently. “Sorry I freaked when you woke up.”

“That’s okay,” I whispered back.

“I know I fucked up, Ladybug.”

He sighed as he rested his forehead against mine, and the entire room faded away as I reached up and gently cupped the side of his head.

“Shhh, let’s just see our baby, right now. Okay? We’ll deal with all of that later.”

“I fuckin’ left—”

“No. We’re not doing this right now, okay, handsome? Right now, we’re going to see our baby.”

His breath shuddered out against my mouth, and I couldn’t help myself as I reached up to give him another soft, closed-mouth kiss.

“Here we go!” Nurse Sam called out as she pushed the machine into the room.

“Will you be able to tell if it’s a boy or a girl?” Callie asked excitedly, her hand on her own belly in a gesture I was becoming very familiar with.

“Callie?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

“Yeah, we just found out a few days ago,” she answered with a dreamy smile.

“You bitch! You stole my thunder!” I teased, making everyone in the room burst out laughing.

“You’re gonna beat me, though, obviously,” she replied as the nurse pulled my gown up and the blankets down, baring my belly and the small incisions there.

“Not unless I’m having twins. You’ve already got Will,” I grumbled as the nurse squirted lube on my belly. Nasty.

“Nope, just one in there,” the doctor informed me, rubbing the little ultrasound wand over my belly gently. Suddenly, a rhythmic whoosh whoosh whoosh filled the room, making Cody go still beside me.

“That’s your baby’s heartbeat. Nice and strong,” the doctor said.

Cody leaned in and rested half of his ass on the bed beside me, as Gram and Callie huddled in close so we could all see the monitor. Slowly, the unmistakable shape of a baby formed on the screen, and tears filled my eyes.

“The baby’s measuring about fifteen weeks. That sound about right?” the doctor asked, moving the wand a little more so we could see the profile of its tiny little face.

“What? Oh yeah. Maybe,” I answered, too enthralled with the picture on the screen to care what he was talking about.

“It’s a little early still, but if we can get a good look, would you like to know what you’re having? Baby seems pretty active, we might get a peek.”

“Yes!” Cody and I both answered, causing the doctor and nurse to laugh.

“Okay, so the heart is the little thing that sort of looks like it’s blinking,” the doctor explained. “Baby’s looking really good. Oh, look, he’s saying hi.”

The baby’s hand was waving around near its face, and I watched in awe as the hand moved toward its mouth. Whoa. Apparently babies sucked on their fingers in the womb.

“It’s a boy?” Cody asked, his fingers lacing with mine.