unsolved disappearances » otis and ruby

Part 27

Ruby's POV

While anxiously waiting in the brightly lit room, I'm sat beside Otis who looks very comfortable. Looking around the room were other pregnant woman and their partners, many were older than the pair of us. "Otis, stop shaking your leg," I warn him, I was already stressed as it was.

"Sorry." He mutters, his leg hits the ground. "Are you worried?"

I look at him confused, every scan checked the overall health of the infant growing inside me. I had already had two, I knew what to expect since I started taking better care of myself. "No, nervous as always because I'm the one responsible for the baby's health and some excitement to find out the gender," I explain. "Do you have a preference?"

Otis shakes his head in reply. "I would be happy with either, as long as it's healthy."

Nodding my head, we watch as another couple is called into the doctor's office. "So how are your friends taking the news that you're a father?" I ask, breaking the awkward tension in the air.

Otis lets out a long sigh, there seemed to be a disappointment. "Eric is excited to have a mini-me running around and Maeve is just avoiding me completely." He explains. "It's more the gossip about you being back in town has everyone talking."

I have a smirk on my face as I brush my hair over my shoulder. "What can I say, everyone loves me. Good or bad news." I say sarcastically. Like the old Ruby would do before everything changed. "Doesn't seem like your girlfriend wants to stick around."

"We had an argument." He mentions. "Did anything happen between you because she seems to think you're the devil reincarnated?"

There is a bitter laugh that escapes my lips. "There may have been an interaction when we arrived back at the school campus after the field trip to France." I shrug my shoulders. "Just the usual insults, nothing you need to worry about."

I pat Otis' shoulder slightly before we are called next to the doctor's office. "Thank you for coming Miss Matthews. Now is this the father?" The male doctor asks looking towards Otis, which I confirm. "Excellent, welcome."

Otis gives a brief nod and takes a seat next to the bed where I am instructed to sit upon. Pulling up the shirt I was wearing exposes the round stomach that was forming due to our child developing. "So you are estimated to be about twenty weeks correct?" I nod my head. "Exciting, we should be able to tell the gender today."

There is a brief moment where Otis and I make eye contact, a small smile present on his face. This creates the instinct for my cheeks to flush red as the doctor spreads the cold jelly-like substance on my stomach and gets out the contraption that would show the ultrasound on the screen beside the doctor.

Once the machine is turned on, automatically you can hear the healthy heartbeat of the small fetus shown on the screen as the doctor checks over their health. In a moment of desperation, I reach out to connect my hand with Otis' as we both look at the screen. "Well, it looks like you two have a strong little kicker." He mentions as I watch a small leg moment happen on the screen, I couldn't feel the sensation yet, they claimed the sensations would start in another fortnight. "She's very healthy though."

I look at Otis' bright blue eyes at the news of the gender of our child. We would be having a girl, the doctor goes on the explain how he was positive she was good. "Congratulations, you'll be able to get dressed now." The doctor hands me a wipe to wash the substance off my stomach. "How many copies of the photo would you two light?" The doctor asks.

"Would we be able to have two?" I ask throwing the wipe in the rubbish bin.

The doctor instructs us to wait in his office as he goes off the print of the screenshot he took while looking at the ultrasound. My hand once again connects with Otis', a wide smile present on my face. "I did have a preference for a little girl. I'll be able to dress her in cute outfits."

Otis lets out a chuckle. "I would've expected nothing less." He mentions making me playfully punch his shoulder with my free hand as Otis' thumb brushes over the top of my hand.

We're handed the copies in envelopes as Otis and I decide to make use of the beautiful day outside to walk back to my parent's house, rather than ask for a ride. "So will you be announcing the gender?" Otis asks, catching hold of my hand as we walk along the sidewalk.

"I might leave it as a surprise until she's born if that's alright with you." He nods in understanding, a lot of the decisions were my choice as I was carrying the child. "We better start thinking of some name ideas."

There is shock presented on Otis' face, perhaps the news was still creating fear inside him. That feeling I had to let go of long ago. I had to accept what had happened when I made the decision to keep my child. Although these new milestones I was glad to be able to share them with a trusted partner that was her father. I didn't wish for an absent father, although I would've understood with the circumstances. 

Walking through the village centre there was no doubt that I would witness my old peers. Many of whom I haven't reconnected with, I'd rather just leave them to enjoy the rumours surrounding my return.

There I would see the sight of Noah shamelessly flirting with a very familiar figure belonging to Aimee. A former friend for a short while before Maeve became her best friend. That meant that Maeve wasn't too far from Aimee.

"How cute." Comes the voice I dreaded most.