clue what I was looking at.
Then, out of nowhere, I heard it. The sound of my baby’s heartbeat. It raced so quickly, beating strong and true. Though I was never much of a crier, I burst immediately into tears. The only thing missing from that perfect moment was the rest of my family.
She tried to explain what I was looking at, but I was beyond comprehending. I still marveled over the miraculous sound of his heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
She completed her measurements and then wiped my tummy off, telling me I could dress. In what felt like an eternity later, she came back into the room. “Everything looks good so far,” she said. “You’re in good health and everything looks normal. Your ultrasound confirms you are nine weeks along.”
I nodded, completely overwhelmed, but in the best possible way. Suddenly it was all real. And it was all wonderful.
Dr. Hamish prescribed some vitamin B-6 with an over-the-counter medicine to manage the nausea. She likewise recommended ginger to keep the nausea in check, while advising me to cut down on any caffeine intake and to stay away from fish. “Don’t worry about dieting right now, your baby needs nutrients. Eat smaller, more frequent meals, which, by the way, can help manage the nausea.”
I nodded.
“I want to see you in about a month.”
“I don’t know where I’ll be in a month,” I said, which was the absolute truth. Miami, Detroit, Sheboygon… all the dates were a blur.
Dr. Hamish nodded with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry. I can come to you. You’re not alone anymore, Peaches,” she said, and silly me, I started to cry again.
But you know what? I began to embrace it. My heart had filled to overflowing, with love, gratitude, hope and wonder. If it leaked out from time to time, I was good with it.
I mulled over everything on the car ride home. I sat in the back, quietly reflecting on all the new changes in my life. I didn’t know what made me pick up the platinum phone I now carried in my purse to text Auggie directly, but I didn’t really think much before I did it. It felt as natural as drawing a breath.
I just came from seeing Dr. Hamish.
I only had to wait a moment before the phone chimed in response.
Excellent. How did it go?
I smiled.
It went great. She said everything looks normal. She wants to see me in a month.
Another moment went by.
I’ll make sure it happens.
I paused. Then, quickly, before I lost my nerve…
Thank you for everything, Auggie.
I held my breath and waited.
My pleasure, Pea.
I felt all warm inside that he used my nickname.
See you tomorrow, I wrote.
It’s a date, he responded, using a grinning emoticon.
I tried to bite back a smile, but then gave up entirely. You couldn’t pry that sucker off my face with a crowbar.
Mom decided that we needed to throw a big party for our last night together for a while. Disco-themed, because “you can’t be depressed listening to disco. It’s physically impossible.”
My mother had a known history of demonstrating that theory with the whole finger-pointing dance. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t own a white leisure suit. But, since it was a much-visited theme in Mom’s party arsenal, there were tons of 70s clothes for the whole fam to get into the spirit.
And of course, we did. We’re McPhees, for fuck’s sake.
Dad made his famous brisket with baked potatoes and my favorite: jalapeno corn casserole. I couldn’t resist one little bite, figuring Peanut would have to get used to spicy Tex Mex to fit into our family. We ate outside under the festive lights they had strung on the patio, where we polished off dinner and chatted till the sun went down. Then we all took turns at the karaoke machine. Fern and I opened the festivities with Dancing Queen. Dallas came next with I Will Survive. But it was Dash stole the show with his own version of I Love the Night Life.
“These kids think they know the 70s,” she said to Dad. “Well, we were there,” she told us. “You think we’re going down without a fight?” Mom asked as she pulled my dad to his feet. They took the microphone. She came to play, breaking out We Are Family, which was unofficially our family anthem. We were all dancing around large patio, singing to each other under a perfect starry night.
This was my family, the way they had always been, the