in the examination room, Brooke’s smile faded. “Wait . . .” She looked at Landon. “Is everything okay?”
“We think so.” Landon reached for Ashley’s hand. “Her AFP test was high.” He hated this. He wanted to be alone with Ashley, hurry her down the hall to the doctor’s office so they could hear the news that everything was okay. All this worrying was for nothing.
Brooke’s eyes grew wide. “What about Dr. McDaniel? What did she say?”
“She wants to see us in her office.” Landon shrugged. “We were just about to go.”
“AFP tests are high a lot of the time. Did she tell you that?” Brooke put her hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “Some pregnancies just run high.”
“Cole’s was high.” Ashley’s voice was shaky. She patted Brooke’s hand. “Thanks for coming by. I guess we better . . . we better go.”
“Amy’s a friend of mine.” Brooke seemed to be working to sound confident. “She’s very cautious; your baby’s probably fine.” She took a few steps toward the door. No doubt her words were meant to be reassuring, but the alarm in her expression said that she too feared what the doctor might tell them. “Call me later, okay? We’re home tonight.”
Ashley gave a quick nod. “Thanks.”
With a final look, Brooke turned and headed back down the hall.
Landon exhaled. Whatever the news, he wanted to face it without an audience. Just him and Ashley and God. From the moment he’d heard about the high AFP test, he’d felt a strange knot in his gut, a knowing that the news today was going to be almost more than they could bear.
When Brooke was gone, he led Ashley down the hall to the small office where Dr. McDaniel was sitting behind her desk. Photos of smiling little boys and a precious girl filled her desk. For a split second, Landon wanted to turn and run, take Ashley far from the medical office to a place where their future was still full of promise.
Before he could take another breath, the doctor looked up. Her expression told him that his feeling had been real, a warning sent from God. It was the sort of feeling he’d had once before, back on September 11, 2001, when he watched the Twin Towers collapse with his firefighter buddy Jalen inside.
That certain, horrible feeling that after today life would never be the same again.
Ashley willed herself to take in air as she and Landon sat next to each other opposite Dr. McDaniel. This whole buildup was nothing more than a figment of their imaginations. How crazy they were to read into a doctor’s sigh or her expression. The woman did ultrasounds all day long. Of course she wasn’t going to smile through every one of them.
Breathe , she told herself. Keep breathing . Ashley folded her hands on her lap and pressed her arm against Landon’s.
Dr. McDaniel turned to them, and her eyes glistened. “I’m afraid I have very bad news.” She turned her computer so they could see the screen. The ultrasound image that appeared was of their baby’s head. The head that had looked so normal just minutes ago.
“See here?” The doctor touched an area that appeared cloudier than the rest. “This is where the spine meets the back of the head, and it’s where something called the neural tube should naturally close up during development. But for some babies, this process doesn’t happen.”
Ashley squinted at the picture. What was she talking about? Neural tubes? How come she’d never heard of such a thing until now? Next to her, Landon was breathing harder than before. Ashley forced herself to listen.
“You can see here—” Dr. McDaniel pointed at the shady area again—“unfortunately your baby’s neural tube did not close properly.” She looked about to cry, and she shook her head. “Because of that, she will definitely have a neural tube defect.”
Landon slid to the edge of his seat. “Is this . . . is this something that can be corrected inside the womb?”
“No. I’m afraid not. This type of birth
“We think so.” Landon reached for Ashley’s hand. “Her AFP test was high.” He hated this. He wanted to be alone with Ashley, hurry her down the hall to the doctor’s office so they could hear the news that everything was okay. All this worrying was for nothing.
Brooke’s eyes grew wide. “What about Dr. McDaniel? What did she say?”
“She wants to see us in her office.” Landon shrugged. “We were just about to go.”
“AFP tests are high a lot of the time. Did she tell you that?” Brooke put her hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “Some pregnancies just run high.”
“Cole’s was high.” Ashley’s voice was shaky. She patted Brooke’s hand. “Thanks for coming by. I guess we better . . . we better go.”
“Amy’s a friend of mine.” Brooke seemed to be working to sound confident. “She’s very cautious; your baby’s probably fine.” She took a few steps toward the door. No doubt her words were meant to be reassuring, but the alarm in her expression said that she too feared what the doctor might tell them. “Call me later, okay? We’re home tonight.”
Ashley gave a quick nod. “Thanks.”
With a final look, Brooke turned and headed back down the hall.
Landon exhaled. Whatever the news, he wanted to face it without an audience. Just him and Ashley and God. From the moment he’d heard about the high AFP test, he’d felt a strange knot in his gut, a knowing that the news today was going to be almost more than they could bear.
When Brooke was gone, he led Ashley down the hall to the small office where Dr. McDaniel was sitting behind her desk. Photos of smiling little boys and a precious girl filled her desk. For a split second, Landon wanted to turn and run, take Ashley far from the medical office to a place where their future was still full of promise.
Before he could take another breath, the doctor looked up. Her expression told him that his feeling had been real, a warning sent from God. It was the sort of feeling he’d had once before, back on September 11, 2001, when he watched the Twin Towers collapse with his firefighter buddy Jalen inside.
That certain, horrible feeling that after today life would never be the same again.
Ashley willed herself to take in air as she and Landon sat next to each other opposite Dr. McDaniel. This whole buildup was nothing more than a figment of their imaginations. How crazy they were to read into a doctor’s sigh or her expression. The woman did ultrasounds all day long. Of course she wasn’t going to smile through every one of them.
Breathe , she told herself. Keep breathing . Ashley folded her hands on her lap and pressed her arm against Landon’s.
Dr. McDaniel turned to them, and her eyes glistened. “I’m afraid I have very bad news.” She turned her computer so they could see the screen. The ultrasound image that appeared was of their baby’s head. The head that had looked so normal just minutes ago.
“See here?” The doctor touched an area that appeared cloudier than the rest. “This is where the spine meets the back of the head, and it’s where something called the neural tube should naturally close up during development. But for some babies, this process doesn’t happen.”
Ashley squinted at the picture. What was she talking about? Neural tubes? How come she’d never heard of such a thing until now? Next to her, Landon was breathing harder than before. Ashley forced herself to listen.
“You can see here—” Dr. McDaniel pointed at the shady area again—“unfortunately your baby’s neural tube did not close properly.” She looked about to cry, and she shook her head. “Because of that, she will definitely have a neural tube defect.”
Landon slid to the edge of his seat. “Is this . . . is this something that can be corrected inside the womb?”
“No. I’m afraid not. This type of birth
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