She looked back at the screen and focused on the shadowy outline of her baby. She tried to summon up some of his enthusiasm but there was no rush of maternal awe. It was hard to associate the thing on the screen with the baby she pictured inside her. The last of her built-up excitement drained away. It was as if the ultrasound machine was a vacuum sucking it from her.

Paula had started the day with such eagerness. Dan had been out early checking sheep but he’d come back as promised and they’d driven the hundred or so kilometres to arrive at the large regional hospital in time to have a look at the delivery suite. That’s when she’d first felt the excitement wane.

The room the midwife proudly showed them looked like a hospital room, in spite of the floral bedspread and comfy chairs. Whatever Paula had expected, it wasn’t that. The midwife had given them a packet of pamphlets to read through and urged them to sign up for parenting classes soon. There were forms to fill in and she began to feel like events were being taken out of her control.

“I’ll just take some measurements,” Jenny said.

Paula felt a lump push under the scanner.

“Look,” Jenny said. “Your baby’s waving at you.”

“It’s amazing,” Dan said again.

“The doctor says you’re at nineteen weeks.”

“Nearly halfway.” Dan bent and kissed her on the forehead.

Paula looked into his beautiful blue eyes and her own heart overflowed with happiness. This was the man she had married. He loved her. She loved him. And before long they’d have their first child. Nothing else seemed important at that moment.

* * *

“Hello, Dan, fancy running into you again. That’s two days in a row, in two different towns. Are you following me?”

Paula gritted her teeth and clutched her bag of purchases tightly as she recognised Katherine’s voice. She stepped out of the shop to stand beside Dan.

“Oh, and Paula’s with you this time. Looks like you’ve managed to fit in some shopping as well.” Katherine inclined her head towards the shop Paula had just left. “They have a rather nice clothing range in there for a country shop, don’t they?”

“Hello, Katherine,” Paula said. Dan still hadn’t said a word to his ex-girlfriend.

“It’s amazing. You’ve managed to get Dan away from the farm two days in a row.” Katherine wiggled two fingers on her manicured hand. “Ahh! Trying to think of names for the baby.”

Katherine pounced on the book Paula had purchased earlier from the newsagency.

“We’ve just had an ultrasound,” Paula blurted as she pulled the book back and slipped it into the bag of shirts she’d just purchased for Dan.

“So have you discovered the sex yet?” Katherine’s eyes glittered.

“Oh, no. They can’t always tell and…”