she didn’t understand and trying really hard not to let anyone see that she was scared spitless. Ultrasound technology wasn’t invasive or painful, which made it an extremely useful diagnostic tool for gathering information.
Most expectant mothers were excited at the prospect of “meeting” their child for the first time. The majority of them brought along the expectant father to share in the joy. But Amy had no one, at least no one she felt she could count on. No one except her brother. And counting on him was iffy at best.
“Amy asked if you could be there while she has the test done.”
“My sister?”
Rebecca smiled. “Do you know another pregnant Amy?”
“What I meant was—are we talking about the same sister who thinks I don’t know anything?”
“That would be the one. I know tolerance is a challenge when she’s been so difficult. But try to put yourself in her shoes.”
One of his eyebrows rose. “Did you ditch those anatomy classes in med school?”
“Humor me. Just try to get in touch with your feminine side.” Yeah, right, Rebecca thought. Could the man possibly look more masculine with his long sleeves rolled up, revealing wide wrists with a dusting of hair on his forearms. It was a sexy look and so far from feminine she felt stupid for even making the suggestion. Taking a different tack she said, “Try to understand that her body is changing and all of this is new to her. In spite of the fact that she’s doing her best to pretend it’s not happening, she’s scared and would like someone there when she has the test.”
“She’s got you.” The look on Gabe’s face said he’d rather hike barefoot through a foot of snow on Mount Charleston than walk in that room.
Benefit of the doubt, Rebecca thought. Maybe he was one of those squeamish types who couldn’t handle seeing a loved one in discomfort. During Amy’s first appointment he’d known about the ultrasound, but the procedure was so routine that practically everyone knew the term, although not necessarily the specifics of how it was performed. A few of those specifics might help.
“Look, Gabe, it won’t hurt her. It’s a noninvasive procedure. I’m going to take a transducer—a wandlike instrument—and move it across her belly. It bounces harmless sound waves off the fetus and gives us an image that will tell me the approximate size and weight of the baby, and general information, possibly the sex—”
“She doesn’t really want me in there.”
He started to turn away, but Rebecca put her hand on his arm and he froze. The muscles beneath the warm skin were hard and unyielding, not unlike the man. Which made the unexpected flutter in her stomach all the more puzzling.
Ignoring the sensation, she said, “Not so fast.”
The teen had been alternately passive, hostile and defensive. There’d been apprehension in her eyes and a tremor in her voice when she’d asked if Gabe could be there, and it was the first time she’d asked for anything. Rebecca had no idea what their history was or the nature of the problems between them, but he was the grown-up and wasn’t getting off the hook.
He looked surprised as he glanced at the hand still on his arm, then met her gaze. “Not so fast?”
“I’m not letting you walk out on her.”
One corner of his mouth curved up. “And just how do you plan to stop me?”
She removed her hand, then curled her fingers into her palm. “I haven’t quite figured that part out yet.”
She inspected the width of his shoulders and the idea of using physical force lost some appeal at the same time it produced even stronger stomach flutters. The sensation did not improve her odds of figuring it out and, in fact, made thinking even more of a challenge. What were they talking about? Oh, yes. Stop him from leaving.
She could share the fact that his sister was at increased risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Violating a patient’s privacy would be a minor blip on the trouble scale if she couldn’t get the teen to take care of herself. But she’d rather not break a rule.
She figured it was a positive sign that he was still there. “I’m hoping you’ll just do it.”
Gabe didn’t say anything for several moments. Then his mouth thinned and a muscle jerked in his jaw before he simply nodded his head.
“Okay. Let’s do this,” she said, opening the door.
Amy was lying on the exam table with the head slightly elevated. She looked expectantly at Rebecca, then smiled when she saw her brother. Not a big smile, but it was the first Rebecca had seen. It was a start.
“Gabe, you sit there next to Amy.”
He did as instructed and the teen started to reach out for him then dropped her hand when he ignored it and sat. Not a good start, Rebecca thought, when he rested his elbows on his knees and linked his fingers.
She walked around the exam table and sat on the stool beside the instrument. “This won’t hurt. I promise.” She gently lowered the sheet covering the teen’s belly, then picked up a tube of gel. “I’m going to squirt some of this on. It’s not cold. One of the really exciting advances in medicine is warm gel. Now, if someone could just come up with a way to keep a stethoscope above freezing.”
This was a tough room and she was getting no cooperation in her attempts to ease the tension. One look at brother and sister told her the bridge over those troubled waters would have to be miles long. Probably it would be best just to get this over with. She picked up the transducer and pressed it against Amy’s stomach, then moved it around, relieved that she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“The baby is active. That pulsing is the heart—it’s normal and strong. Everything looks very good.” She glanced at her patient, who was staring straight up at the ceiling. Again, benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it was hard to decipher organs and limbs unless they were pointed out. She pointed at the image on the screen. “Here’s a foot. And a little hand. See here?”
Amy said nothing and Gabe wasn’t looking, either. He was staring at the floor and frowning as if it were a competitive sport. What was up with these two? She suspected she knew what Amy was going through, but Gabe’s reaction puzzled her. Did he not like babies? Or doctors? Or his sister? Whatever it was, they were going to have to get over it because there was a life at stake. An innocent life.
“The baby has a very strong kick. Right now it’s turned away, but if it moves just right, I might be able to tell you the sex.” She looked at them to gauge a reaction to that suggestion, but neither responded, and she didn’t understand the absolute indifference. But she couldn’t make them care. All she could do was her job. The best outcome to this pregnancy was a healthy mother and baby and she’d do everything in her power to make that happen.
When she’d seen everything and gauged a due date, she moved the transducer around and typed in the command to print various views of the fetus. After wiping the gel off the teen’s stomach, she said, “Okay. We’re finished. I can—”
Amy pulled her shirt down, sat up and swung her legs to the side of the table before sliding off. “I’m going to the car.”
Gabe stood. “Amy, wait. Dr. Hamilton is—”
The girl never looked back but simply opened the exam room door and left.
Gabe rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, then met Rebecca’s gaze. “I apologize for my sister’s rudeness.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Hard not to.”
“I’m concerned, but not about her manners.”
His frown deepened. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything looks okay with the baby. I was just hoping that this procedure would help her connect to what’s going on, engage her emotionally