Childish

40

I reached into my seat and grabbed my bear out. The wind whipped at our backs, sending a chill through all the layers I wore and to my skin under my clothes.

Alex shut the car door and carried me through the cold. The parking lot was busy for the late time of day. Luckily, Alex had a front parking spot due to his status as Mayor. It was hard to believe that he was the actual Mayor of Alpine. But crazier things had happened and I was used to it by now.

Alex opened the door and stepped into the warm waiting area. The front desk was empty.

Alex used a key to get us through the door that led to the hallway and elevator. He went straight to the elevator and hit the button for the doors to open.

I looked at the numbers on the panel and pointed at them. "Where do the higher numbers go?"

Alex looked at the buttons before looking back at me. "Our re-gen program is on the top floor and the labs are on the next down."

"Re-gen?"

He nodded. "Have you ever wondered what happens to the kids that have turned 18? We bring them here to stay while they do their schooling and learn how to be independent."

His words sparked a thought that I hadn't had until that moment but I wasn't sure why. I was even surprised that neither of us had brought it up.

"Did you and Monica have to do it?"

"No, our dad didn't send us. He did it on his own. In his own way." After his words, he sighed and looked at the elevator door as it opened.

I figured anything surrounding his dad was a touchy subject. Someone he'd been close with for his whole life had turned out to be an evil person with horrible morals and motives. It was hard to deal with yet it was just as hard to ignore.

Alex walked down the hall until he found room 309. He opened the door and stepped into the small waiting room. I couldn't tell if it was an examining room or a waiting room because of how small it was. It felt no bigger than a coat closet. The chairs on the left side nearly touched the bed on the right side and the desk in the back was the length of the wall and it didn't seem like it was made to be.

Alex set me on the bed and helped me get my coat off. He opened his mouth to say something when Naomi walked into the room.

She exhaled a deep breath and set her coat on one of the chairs. "Sorry I'm a little late. My stomach isn't doing the best today."

Alex stepped aside from the second chair and put his hand on the back of it. "Here, have a seat."

She waved him off. "I've been sitting all day."

"Yeah, but you're pregnant. It can't be good for the baby."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that pregnant."

A man stepped through the door, wearing a white lab coat. He had blonde hair that was slicked back away from his face but didn't look greasy. He had tan skin and carried a clipboard in his hand.

He set the clipboard on the desk then turned to look at us. His teeth were super white and he was super handsome. Was he even real?

"Hello, everyone. How are you feeling today, Naomi?"

She gave him a friendly smile. "I'm having some nausea but I'm okay otherwise."

He nodded. "That's to be expected." He turned and smiled at me. "You must be the Lyla that I've been hearing about."

I whined and reached out for Alex. There was something about a man in a lab coat that freaked me out to no end.

Alex picked me up and patted my back. "Sorry, she gets nervous when she meets new people."

"Oh, it's no problem. Kids can be that way sometimes." He gave me another smile. "I'm Dr. Kennedy."

Except I was like that all of the time.

"Are we ready to see the baby?" He walked around the table to where the ultrasound machine was. "Why don't you have a seat up here and we'll get started?"

Naomi sat down on the bed and leaned back. She looked over at us and smiled. She didn't seem very nervous which was a bit of a surprise to me.

Dr. Kennedy instructed Naomi to lift her shirt as he held a silver tube of something. Naomi had the smallest baby bump which made me wonder exactly how far along she really was.

Dr. Kennedy must have known what he was doing. When he put the white roller-looking thing on Naomi's skin, the machine started making noise. Right away, the baby's heartbeat sounded. There was no mistaking it for being the machine, either.

"Looks like we have a healthy baby. I'd say we're about 16 weeks right now though that is subject to change as the baby grows. Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" He turned from the machine and looked between Alex and Naomi.

She looked up at him with glossy eyes. "I do."

He smiled. "I do, too."

"Alright. It looks like you have a healthy, baby boy."

I relaxed the tension I didn't realize I was holding onto. I didn't want a sister. I knew how nasty sisters could be and I didn't want that, especially when I wasn't going to grow up. I'd constantly be the baby that would be picked on. At least a brother wouldn't be so bad.

At least... I hoped it wouldn't.

Alex grinned at Naomi. "I told you I was right."

She rolled her eyes. "You had a fifty-fifty chance of being right."

"I'm taking it."

Naomi looked at Dr. Kennedy. "Thank you for doing this for us."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm happy to help."

I rolled my eyes. He was happy to help because Alex was his boss and he wanted any chance to kiss up to him.

"Let me get a sonogram photo for you."

I was getting more and more nervous about what was coming. There was no stopping the baby. In nine months, I was going to have a brother and there was nothing I could do about it.