She allowed Henry to lead her to the obstetrics and gynecology department of the hospital. He motioned for her to sit and he registered her at the desk. Her eyes stayed in the floor. She felt defeated. A sense of foreboding filled her chest. Suddenly, a paper cup with water was pressed into her hands.
"Here, child, settle your nerves. All will be known soon." Henry told her as he sat beside her.
Never would she have imagined that she would be at the maternity ward with her boss, the man she'd known as Uncle Henry all of her life. It was surreal. Minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness. She glanced over at Henry. He pursued the business section of the newspaper he'd found.
"Liu. Miss Liu?" a nurse called out. Gemma and Henry stood.
"You're coming?" She whispered in shock. Would this become even more awkward?
"I think I'd better. Someone should be with you. You shouldn't face this alone." He spoke with gentleness she had not recognized before and his hand pressed into the small of her back, leading her down the linoleum hallway.
Once in the exam room she was relieved that he waited behind a curtain while she changed into the hospital gown. She climbed the exam table and was joined by Henry and the ultrasound tech.
The young woman smiled reassuringly at Gemma as she spread the cold petroleum jelly across her flat stomach and swirled the wand around.
In a few moments blurry images appeared on the screen and the whoosh-whoosh of a heartbeat filled the air.
"So this," the ultrasound tech explained as the pointed to something flickering on the screen, "this here is the baby's heartbeat. I would guess by the date of your last period and by the size of the fetus that you are about twelve weeks pregnant. Congratulations to both of you!" She said smiling up at Gemma and Henry.
"He's—" Gemma began to correct her but was interrupted by Henry.
"Delighted to become a father again. Thank you for your help." He said signaling to the young woman that she could leave.
Gemma stared at him with widened eyes. When they were finally alone, she opened her mouth but again Henry beat her to it.
"Gemma, what do you want here. Do you want to have this baby? Or would you like to schedule an abortion? If you choose to end it, your secret will stay with me. If you choose to keep the baby, I will protect you and the baby." He said gently.
She stared at the screen. What did she want? Before the b-ultrasound she would have said that she didn't want to be pregnant. Once she had seen her baby's heart beating though, knowing that the child was conceived in love, she couldn't abort it. But if Charles found out, what might happen? He'd insist on an abortion! Or he might insist that she marry him. And she couldn't marry Justin, but her child must have a father. What would she do?
"I don't want an abortion." She whispered.
"Do you want to raise the child or do you want to have someone adopt it?" He asked cautiously.
"It's...it's my baby. Part of me. I don't know how, but I have to raise my baby. I couldn't bare to give it away." She said softly as she wrapped her arms around herself, cradling her stomach.
"Come, Gemma, let's go. I will keep my promise to you." He said as he took her arm and led her away.
Once back in his car, he gave an address to the driver that Gemma didn't recognize right away, but she wasn't fully paying attention. She looked down at her hands and realized that Henry still held her small hand in his. She looked to him in confusion.
"Gemma, I will keep my promise. I will protect you. I will raise your child as my own." He spoke gravely. Her widened and she shook her head.
"What—what do you mean? How can you—" Gemma stuttered to a stop as he held up his hand.
"Gemma, I want you to marry me. I will give your child my name. I will protect you and this baby. Charles will not bully you. Your father will suffer no shame. You will be treated with respect." He said earnestly.
She realized the car had come to a stop. They were at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Why? Why would you do this? What do you get out of this?" She asked in shock.
"Your father is my oldest and dearest friend. And you have been special to me your entire life. I used to think that you would be my daughter-in-law, but Justin would never agree to raise Charles's baby. And to be very honest with you, my feelings toward you have changed in the two months we've spent working together. Gemma, I realize I'm not your first choice for a husband. And I know I am not a young man. But I'm not an old man either. I can be a father again. And I can be a good husband. I'm not doing this entirely out of pity. I want to marry you. This is not how I'd have gone about it before today, but we don't really have time for me to court you properly. I'll make that up to you later." He spoke in an impassioned way.
"But, but if you marry me, what do you get out of it?" Gemma asked in confusion.
He cupped her face in his hands and whispered, "What a question, my dear. What do I get? I get to be married to you."
Her breath caught and suddenly the air between them felt ambiguous. She looked at him as though seeing him for the first time. She had always looked at him as someone from her father's generation, but she realized he was actually a very good looking man to be in his mid fifties. She wasn't in love with him, but she had to admit he was handsome. And he was kind. She knew he'd honor his word and she knew he would be a good father to any child. Why he was willing to offer her so much she still couldn't understand. But she couldn't imagine a better man than him, of all the men in her life. She reached up to place her hands over his as they rested against her cheeks, and solemnly agreed.