Chapter 6: Alone in the Waiting Room

Lorena went to the appointment alone.

The clinic was a small yellow building on a quiet street, with a waiting room full of couples.

A man held his wife's handbag while she filled out a form.

Another woman rested her head on her husband's shoulder and he did not move so she could sleep.

Lorena sat at the end of the row with her folder and her phone face down on her knee.

There were no messages.

She had not expected any.

The doctor was a brisk woman in her fifties, with short silver hair and warm hands.

She read the file, asked six questions and turned on the screen beside the bed.

"This may be cold," she said.

It was.

Lorena stared at the ceiling, then at the screen, because she could not help it.

The doctor moved the wand and a small dark shape appeared.

Inside it, something flickered, quick and steady.

"There," the doctor said. "Do you see it?"

"What is that?"

"That is a heartbeat. Eight weeks, about. Strong."

The room went very quiet.

Lorena put her hand over her mouth.

She had meant to be calm.

She had practiced being calm in the car.

But she was twenty-six, and she was alone, and the small dark shape on the screen was hers and Ignacio's, and it was beating.

"Is the father with you today?" the doctor asked gently.

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