Free Summer by Karen Kingsbury Page A

“But we have to look carefully at the ultrasound to make sure there’s nothing unusual going on.”
    Ashley had wanted to check the Internet before they left, do a search on high levels of AFP and see what it could possibly mean. But she’d resisted the urge. It was one thing to have the high test results in the back of her mind this morning. If she had a list of possible problems, it would ruin her mood completely.
    “Why don’t you lie down and we’ll take a look.” Dr. McDaniel went to the sink and washed her hands.
    Ashley did as she was told, but a lump filled her throat. Please, God . . . not my baby. Don’t let there be anything wrong with her, please. Ashley gripped the sides of the table and realized she’d done it again. Prayed for her baby as if she knew for certain the child was a girl.
    A nurse entered the room and handed the doctor a tube of gel. The younger woman smiled at Ashley but otherwise kept quiet.
    Dr. McDaniel lifted the gown off Ashley’s abdomen and opened the tube. “This’ll be cold but only for a minute or so.” She squirted a blob of the clear gel onto Ashley’s stomach and reached for the ultrasound paddle.
    The nurse turned up the volume on the machine. Immediately a familiar fwup, fwup, fwup, fwup filled the room.
    A thrill raced through Ashley. She looked at Landon, and they shared a silent celebration. The baby’s heartbeat sounded strong and healthy. Ashley moved her head so she could see the screen. Little feet took up the circular image. Thank You, God . . . two feet, what looks like ten toes. There was nothing to worry about.
    Landon came to her side. He put his hand on her shoulder and stared at the screen.
    “There’re the feet and legs.” Dr. McDaniel kept her eyes on the images. “There’s nothing more beautiful than that.” She clicked a button and the picture froze. She pointed to the feet. “Looks good.” She shifted the paddle, and Ashley felt a sense of movement.
    In the past week, she’d felt a fluttering, like butterfly wings against the inside of her belly. It had happened often enough that she was sure it was the baby, and now the feeling returned. Ashley watched the images as they changed. Movement had to be good. A baby that moved around as much as this little one must be healthy.
    She checked the doctor’s expression. She wasn’t smiling, but then she was probably too focused on the screen to worry about how Ashley might be reading her.
    Dr. McDaniel adjusted the paddle so that the image changed to the top of the baby’s legs. With a few shifts in either direction, she stopped and clicked the picture frozen again. “Congratulations.” She looked over her shoulder at Ashley and then at Landon. “You’re having a girl.”
    Ashley sucked in her next breath and covered Landon’s hand with her own. “I knew it.”
    “You have two boys already, right?” Dr. McDaniel was clearly happy for them.
    “Yes. Cole and Devin.”
    “We have four boys and a girl.” The doctor grinned. “No question, there’s something special about having a little girl in the house.”
    Ashley couldn’t respond. Tears stung her eyes. She was having a girl, her first daughter. A love like no other filled her heart, and she pictured her own mom, how close they’d grown in the years before her death. Ashley loved having sons, but a daughter would be so different. A girl who would look up to her and hold long talks with her and learn about love from her. Two tears slid down the sides of her face.
    Landon bent down and kissed one of them. He whispered in her ear, “She’ll look just like you.”
    Ashley nodded, too overcome to speak. An hour ago all she could think about was that maybe, just maybe, there was something wrong with her baby. But now she knew better. She was having a little girl, and everything was going to unfold just the way she’d pictured it.
    The doctor moved the paddle and settled it inches from where it had been. The baby’s spine came into