Chapter 3: The Question He Couldn't Ask
Marcus did not shout.
That was what frightened Nia most.
He stood beside the examination bed, staring at the ultrasound screen while the machine continued to display the measurements. His wedding ring caught the overhead light as he slowly curled his fingers into his palm.
“I was overseas eighteen weeks ago,” he repeated.
Nia pushed herself higher against the pillow.
“Marcus, please listen to me.””
He looked at her.
“I am listening.””
“No, you're looking at that screen and deciding what happened before I've even said anything.””
“Then tell me what happened.””
His voice was controlled, but his jaw had tightened.
Dr. Carter stepped away from the machine.
“I want to be clear that an ultrasound estimate alone cannot establish every detail of conception. We need to review the earlier records and your medical dates.””
Marcus nodded without looking at her.
“Understood, Doctor.””
Then he turned back to Nia.
“What am I missing?””
Nia wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
“I don't know how to say this.””
“Start with the truth.””
She flinched.
Marcus immediately looked away, pressing his lips together.
“I'm sorry,” he said after a moment.
“I'm not trying to scare you. I just need to understand.””
Nia reached for his hand.
He hesitated before allowing her to take it.
“You know I love you,” she whispered.
His eyes returned to hers.
“That's not an answer.””
“I know.””
“Then why are we talking about love instead of dates?””
Nia stared at their joined hands.
For four years, she had imagined this moment differently. She had pictured Marcus holding their newborn in the hospital, crying as he counted tiny fingers and toes. She had imagined their first family photograph, the baby nestled between them, their faces bright with the kind of happiness neither had known before.
She had never imagined sitting beneath fluorescent lights while her husband questioned the beginning of their child's life.
Dr. Carter pulled a chair closer.
“Nia, can you tell me the date of your last menstrual period?””
Nia gave her an answer.
The doctor entered it into the chart and compared it with the ultrasound estimate.
“Thank you. Do you have the report from your first ultrasound?””
“Yes,” Nia replied.
“It's at home.””
“Was that scan performed here or at another clinic?””
“Another clinic.””
“Would you be able to provide the report?””
“Yes.””
Dr. Carter nodded.
“Good. That will help us compare the findings. I also want to make sure your abdominal pain has settled before we discuss anything further.””
She checked Nia's vital signs and asked several questions about the pain. Nia answered each one, her voice trembling less with every response.
Marcus remained beside her.
He listened, asked whether the baby was still stable, and thanked the doctor when she confirmed that the heartbeat remained reassuring.
But something between him and Nia had shifted.
When she reached for his hand again, he held it.
Yet his eyes kept returning to the monitor.
After Dr. Carter finished her assessment, she moved toward the door.
“I'll review the information available and return once I've checked the records,” she said.
“In the meantime, please call me if the pain returns or if either of you has a concern.””
“Thank you,” Marcus replied.
The door closed behind her.
Silence filled the room.
Nia could hear the soft rustle of the paper beneath her when she moved. Marcus stood near the foot of the bed, his shoulders rigid, staring at the floor.
“Say something,” Nia whispered.
He looked up.
“What do you want me to say?””
“Anything.””
“Okay.”” He took a breath.
“Why did Vanessa know to bring up the dates?””
Nia's face tightened.
“I don't know.””
“She had a paper in her hand.””
“I saw it.””
“She said you were lying.””
“She says cruel things when she wants attention.””
“Was she lying?””
Nia opened her mouth.
No sound came out.
Marcus watched her struggle.
His expression changed from anger to something more painful: uncertainty.
“Nia,” he said quietly, “I'm not asking because I want to hurt you. I'm asking because I need to know whether there is something about this pregnancy you haven't told me.””
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I never wanted you to find out like this.””
Marcus took one step closer.
“Find out what?””
She looked at him.
Then she glanced toward the closed door.
“I need you to trust me.””
He gave a small, disbelieving shake of his head.
“You're asking me to trust you without telling me what I'm supposed to trust.””
“I know how this looks.””
“Then help me understand it.””
Nia pressed both hands against her stomach.
“I love this baby.””
“I believe you.””
“I would never do anything to put our child in danger.””
“That's not what I'm asking.””
“I know!””
Her voice rose unexpectedly, echoing off the white walls.
She immediately covered her mouth and began to cry harder.
Marcus moved toward her.
“Easy, baby. Don't upset yourself.””
He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into him.
For a moment, they held each other as they had on the night they first learned she was pregnant.
Then Marcus pulled back just enough to see her face.
“Were you pregnant before I left?””
Nia froze.
The question hung between them.
Marcus searched her eyes.
“Nia. Look at me.””
She slowly lifted her gaze.
He swallowed.
“Were you?””
Her lips trembled.
“I thought I knew the dates.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
“I know.””
“Then answer me.””
Nia turned toward the window, squeezing her eyes shut.
Marcus stepped back.
He didn't curse. He didn't accuse her again. He simply looked down at the floor as if he needed something solid beneath him.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
Dr. Carter returned carrying a tablet and a thin folder.
“I've reviewed the information we have available,” she said.
“But we still need the earlier scan report to make a proper comparison.””
Marcus straightened.
“Does the current scan tell you when the pregnancy began?””
“It gives us an estimate of gestational age. It does not establish an exact conception date.””
“Could the estimate be wrong?””
“There can be variation, which is why we compare the ultrasound with menstrual dates and earlier measurements. I don't want either of you to draw a conclusion before we've done that.””
Marcus nodded, but his expression remained strained.
Dr. Carter looked toward Nia.
“Do you remember whether your first clinic gave you a printed report?””
“Yes,” Nia said.
“They did.””
“Can someone bring it here?””
“I can ask my mother.””
Nia reached for her phone on the bedside table.
Before she could unlock it, the screen lit up with an incoming message.
The sender's name appeared in bold letters.
*VANESSA.*
Marcus saw it at the same moment Nia did.
Neither of them moved.
A second message appeared.
Then a third.
Nia's fingers trembled as she picked up the phone.
Marcus looked at her.
“Read it.””
She shook her head.
“Nia, read it.””
Her eyes filled with tears again.
Dr. Carter quietly stepped toward the counter, giving them a little space without leaving the room.
Nia unlocked the screen.
The first message was short.
Don't tell him anything yet.
The second appeared beneath it.
You don't know what he's going to do when he finds out.
Marcus stared at the words.
His face hardened.
“What does she mean by that?””
Nia quickly turned the phone toward herself.
“Marcus, please don't.””
He didn't reach for it.
He didn't need to.
The third message arrived while they watched.
Ask him what happened on his last night overseas.
Marcus went completely still.
Nia looked up at him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Marcus slowly lifted his eyes from the phone to his wife.
“What does Vanessa think happened on my last night overseas?””
Nia's mouth opened.
The answer never came.
Because another message appeared on her screen.
May you like
This one contained a photograph.
And the moment Marcus saw the first corner of that image, every question he had been trying not to ask suddenly became impossible to ignore.
