118 118. The Baby’s Gender

Lea couldn’t believe what doctor Kim said. She didn’t want to believe it. She and her baby were in big trouble? Too much for leaving the hospital?

“What will happen if I force myself not to stay in the hospital?” asked Lea in a whisper.

Doctor Kim sighed. She didn’t want to scare Lea, but she had to tell the truth. It was the best method to make the patient compromised.

“You might be in the worst condition of health,” replied doctor Kim with a frown. She looked at Lea with pity and said again, “Therefore, your condition must be monitored every day. To make sure how far this pregnancy is possible to be prolonged.”

“What does it mean?” Lea asked, panicking.

She was about to answer Lea’s question when Clara suddenly interrupted, “You still have to undergo further examination. That’s why we asked you to be hospitalized.”

Doctor Kim and Lea looked at Clara together. Lea, who was nervous, looked at doctor Kim with a questioning look, “Is it true what Cla-doctor Decker said?”

Doctor Kim nodded. “More or less. You still need to undergo further examination.”

Moments later, the two doctors from different generations left Lea’s room. Doctor Kim then approached Clara to fulfill her curiosity.

.....

“You seem to know the patient well?” asked doctor Kim. She did feel strange when Clara prevented her from answering Lea’s question earlier.

Clara only nodded in response. In her mind, she replied, ‘We are related in the worst possible way.’

“Okay, then, I’ll leave the next process to you,” replied Doctor Kim.

“But doctor Andreas asked me ... to leave,” Clara objected.

Doctor Kim smiled. She then brought her face closer to Clara, “Would you like it if you were asked to leave?”

Clara shook her head quickly. She, honestly, didn’t want to leave.

“I don’t think Doctor Andreas will mind if your next job is not related to scalpels.” Doctor Kim gave a finger gesture that made Clara feel that everything would be fine. “I’ll be the one to ask him to let you take this job.”

Clara smiled briefly. She felt bad for dealing with Lea. However, for some reason, on the other hand, she was happy because she was given the task of dealing with Lea’s problem.

Who knew the real problem was? The important thing was, at least, she didn’t need to take days off as requested by doctor Andreas.

On the other hand, Lea had no other choice but to obey. She took time off from work and kept quiet, spending time in the hospital. She lied to her sisters about her illness. She told Sarah and the others that she was out of town, on a business trip. Luckily they believed her without questioning further.

A few days later, she dutifully underwent a tedious health inspection. Moreover, she must feel intimidated by Clara’s presence every day. However, she did all of this for the sake of her baby.

“Hey, baby! Are you feeling like you have two mothers?” whispered Lea while stroking the little bump. “One can only let you stay in her belly and lie on the hospital bed. The other one checks on your health every day.”

Lea then smiled bitterly. She realized that she had no right to touch the baby after she gave birth to him.

***

Meanwhile, in another corner of town, Paula was preparing herself to go to the hospital. She was choosing the clothes to wear because everything was already too tight.

“Ah, my bra doesn’t fit anymore. It hurts to wear this,” grumbled Paula, who looked stressed while sorting out her underwear.

“You didn’t have time to go shopping?” William asked confusedly.

Paula shook her head, pursing her lips. She didn’t have time to shop because she had so much work to do. It was also impossible for her to ask other people to shop because this was a matter of ... bra. She never bought it online either.

“How about we spend some time shopping for underwear after we finish the doctor’s visit?” William asked hopefully. He couldn’t wait to go to the hospital now because he wanted to know the gender of their baby right away.

“Then, how can I deal with this? These are all uncomfortable to wear.” Paula was still grumbling. She looked so desperate.

“Just wear thick clothes. We’re going to the hospital now!” said William half forcefully.

historical

“Impossible! Do you want to make me go to the hospital braless? Let’s shop for the bra first, then head to the hospital!” Paula refused.

However, William immediately denied it by holding out the smartphone screen which showed 9:30 in the morning. Doctor Kim’s appointment was at 10:00.

Paula snorted. She finally took William’s advice and went to the hospital wrapped in thick, baggy clothes so no one would notice that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Luckily, Paula obeyed so they weren’t too late to get to the hospital. Once they went inside the examination room, Paula was asked to lie down. Doctor Kim took out the gel and was about to apply it to Paula’s belly’s bare skin.

“Relax, it’s warm,” said doctor Kim when she saw Paula’s face tense up because she thought the gel was cold. Last month, when she did her monthly check-up, a nurse forgot to warm up the gel, which made Paula scream immediately.

“Ah, thank goodness,” Paula replied, smiling widely. Her cheeks flushed red at Doctor Kim’s words. “It turns out that you still remember the incident last month.”

Doctor Kim then applied a warm gel to her patient’s skin. She then ran the probe onto her belly.

“Let me measure the baby’s head first, okay?” said doctor Kim, making William complain.

“May we know the gender first?” asked William, impatiently. “Last two months we haven’t been able to see it, have we?”

Doctor Kim chuckled at William’s pitiful expression. Last month, the baby was facing backward so they couldn’t see his genitals.

“Okay, let’s see,” said Doctor Kim.

William’s eyes stared at the ultrasound monitor without blinking despite he didn’t understand what the picture was showing. So was Paula. The mouths of the parents-to-be dropped open, full of hope.

“It’s a ...,” doctor Kim stopped for a moment to tease the lovebirds. “Congratulations! You are having a baby boy!”

William jumped for joy. He almost screamed when he didn’t remember he was in the hospital. While Paula just winced in defeat. She still wanted a baby girl. Poor Paula.