Second Hand Waitress

“You’d really do that?”

“Maybe.”

What am I even doing here? Tesah sat hunched in a small, uncomfortable plastic chair, surrounded by women at different stages of pregnancy. They were all openly staring at him, probably wondering why he was hanging around in a pregnancy doctor’s waiting room without a pregnant woman nearby. He didn’t understand what had made him come here this morning. All he knew was that at random times over the past two days, the image of that tiny, toddling baker with the charming smile and sparkling green eyes had popped into his thoughts and had made him wonder, imagine, and want to be better.

But he wasn’t sure how much better he could, or wanted to, be. He and Kira were now strangers forever connected by this situation. He couldn’t pretend there was anything more between them than that. His knowledge of the woman was very limited, and he really didn’t want to get to know her, but he had discovered a strange desire within himself to know that baby. Because of this, he would have to find a way to reach a friendly agreement with Kira.

He had closed more difficult deals than this in the past. Every problem had a solution, and he was confident he would find the solution for this one too. He just had to find a way to convince Kira that his way was the best approach.

If only he knew what his way actually was.

“He drives me crazy,” Kira complained to Jake as she lay down on the examination table as instructed by the ultrasound technician.

“Don’t think about him now,” Jake said. “You’re about to see your baby for the first time. Where’s your sense of wonder and excitement?”

Her eyes welled up at Jake’s words, and she felt guilty for her initial hesitation in having him join her for this. He sometimes said and did the perfect thing at the perfect time. She should be excited, she should be amazed. She had been waiting for this moment since she had decided to keep her baby, and Tesah Clover was not going to ruin it for her.

She reached for Jake’s hand, offering him a watery smile as the technician applied the cold gel to her abdomen and stomach. She gasped slightly at the unpleasant feeling.

“This is the transducer,” the technician, Sheila May, explained as she held up the wand. “I’ll move it over your tummy to get the pictures. I’ll measure the baby’s size today so we can estimate the due date more accurately. We’ll check the baby’s heartbeat, make sure everything looks good, and . . . do you want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“No,” Kira said firmly. “I want it to be a surprise.”

“No problem.” Sheila May smiled.

“Don’t press down too hard with that thing, okay?” Kira warned, and Sheila May chuckled. “My bladder feels like it’s about to burst.” She wasn’t feeling very comfortable at all, thanks to all the water she had to drink in the past hour to prepare for the test.

“You have no idea how often I hear that,” Sheila May replied. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” Kira nodded and watched as Sheila May lowered the wand. “Wait.”

Sheila May’s hand stopped just an inch above her belly, and Kira sighed. She was such a soft touch.

“Jake,” she whispered. “Maybe we should . . .”

“You want me to get him?” Jake asked.

“Would it be okay if we had someone else come in here?” she asked Sheila May, who raised her eyebrows before shrugging and nodding. “Jake, tell him he’s not allowed to speak. He has to stand quietly at the door while I pretend he’s not there.”

“Mature,” Jake muttered.

“Shut up,” she replied without anger. It didn’t feel right to leave Tesah sitting out there, even though she still didn’t want him involved in her pregnancy. She was so confused and really just acting on instinct right now. After all, her own reaction upon finding out she was pregnant had also been disbelief followed by a complete rejection of the idea of a baby, but she had changed her mind, and nobody had judged her for it. Was it really so unlikely that perhaps Tesah also, after getting over the initial shock, now had similar feelings?

He had signed papers basically giving up his rights to this child, but would it be fair to enforce that document? It wasn’t just Tesah she had to think about. She had to do the responsible thing and think about her baby as well. Surely having Tesah around would do more good than harm?

The door opened, and Jake came in with Tesah following meekly behind him. Kira heard Sheila May’s breath catch slightly at the sight of him and felt a little sorry for her. Tesah Clover’s strong physical presence was hard to handle without warning. Just standing there, trying desperately to look shy and unassuming, he gave off sexual magnetism and complete self-confidence. Seriously, it was like someone had put a leopard among house cats, and it turned Sheila May into a giggling girl.

“Okay,” Sheila May said quickly, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are we ready now?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Right.” Sheila May was all business again, despite the blush on her cheekbones. “Let’s see what we can see.”

She moved the wand around, pausing in some places, gliding over others, and Kira, Jake, and Tesah all stared at the monitor in fascination as the blurry image began to form right in front of their eyes.

“Ah, there we go, beautiful . . . Look at that little heart beating away.” She pointed to a blurry, twitching spot on the screen and smiled, making a few notes before looking back up. “There’s the forehead. And down here is where the nose is forming. Look at

that little jaw and mouth.”