both patted me on my back.
I flexed my back and threw light elbows to get them to back off a little.
There was nothing else to be said.
The Justa brothers had my back when I needed it the most.
Something I would never forget.
“Okay, let’s talk,” the doctor said as she entered the room.
“I want to apologize first,” I said. “I got a little worked up. I’m sorry about that, doc.”
“Call me Dr. Frederick, please,” she said. “And it’s perfectly okay. You’ll spend the rest of your life defending your child.”
“Everything is okay?” Mila asked.
She squeezed my hand tight.
“Everything is okay,” Dr. Frederick said. “Aches and pains and your body changing is all part of this. Some pains are worse than others. Some pains are cause for concern. Coming to the hospital was definitely the right thing to do. Never be afraid to get checked out. That’s for sure. I wanted to go over everything and make sure all is well before I send you back home. I spoke with Dr. Smallers too. Together, we’ll all work closely and keep things moving along. Now, there are a couple ligaments that are quite big in that area. Your uterus is enlarging. Sometimes women feel pain. It’s usually sudden, hits hard, then goes away on its own. It can be caused by many things. Something as simple as sneezing can make it hurt for women. I think what happened here, Mila, is that you felt a jolt and your body panicked a little. The location of the pain and where things were moving and other things such as an elevated heart rate and feeling a little dizzy… I think you had a little bit of a panic attack. Which is understandable. You’re pregnant. You feel some kind of pain and it’s whoa.”
“But the baby is okay?” Mila asked.
“The baby is perfect, Mila. And I know we had an appointment for next week already, but… if you want to know the sex of the baby…”
“You can tell?” I asked. “How?”
“Well, Silas,” Dr. Frederick said. “There is a big difference between a man and woman. Do I need to explain what it is?”
I smiled. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know the…”
“It’s okay, Silas,” Mila laughed.
Her eyes glossed over.
The sense of relief that hit me was welcomed. So welcomed.
I thought about my reaction with Tyler and Crosby. I felt foolish, but what happened I couldn’t control.
“So I have to ask,” Dr. Frederick said. “Do you want to know the sex of your baby?”
“Yes!” Mila and I said at the same time.
Then we looked at each other.
“Really?” I asked.
“Oh, I can’t wait. I can’t do the suspense thing. No way, Silas.”
“I agree,” I said. “I want to know.”
Mila nodded.
We held hands.
Dr. Frederick stood with a grin on her face. “Well… are you sure you want to know?”
“Come on, doc,” I said. “Today has been a shit storm. No joking here.”
“Yeah, don’t fuck around,” Mila added.
Dr. Frederick laughed. “Congrats on your baby… boy.”
Chapter Twenty-One
MILA
I sat on the edge of the bed, holding the ultrasound picture. The little white text had the word boy right next to what Dr. Frederick assured me was the part that made the baby a boy.
It didn’t matter though if I couldn’t see or tell what was what.
I heard the heartbeat.
And everything was okay.
Silas’s strong hands touched my shoulders and I shut my eyes.
He squeezed, sending warmth throughout my body.
I groaned and put my head down.
“You need some sleep, darling,” he said. “Good sleep. You need to trust yourself, Mila.”
I opened my eyes and turned my head. “Trust myself?”
“Yeah. Your body is amazing. It’s doing exactly what it needs to do. Trust your body. And trust me. I’m not going anywhere. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Every ache and pain are going to be a big deal for me, Silas.”
“Okay. Then I’m glad I made friends with Dr. Frederick.”
I laughed. “Me too. I’m also glad everyone was there. I mean, it’s a little over the top if you ask me, but…”
“Family,” Silas said. “You have family, Mila. You’re loved. You’re cared for. You’re so important to so many people.”
“I know,” I said as I nodded. “I can’t believe we’re having a boy.”
“Neither can I.”
“Silas Junior?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” Silas said. “The Rhodes name might have to carry on, but it won’t be Silas.”
“Then what will we name him?”
“I think we have time to spare to figure that out.”
“True.”
“You know, I’m surprised your brothers haven’t pressed me into the baby taking the Justa last