I Became a Surrogate for My Brother – When He Came to the Hospital for His Newborn Daughter, He Looked at Her and Said, ‘I Can’t Take This Baby Home’

I told myself that he was nervous. New dads get nervous.

At the last ultrasound before the birth, the technician was moving the wand slowly along the baby’s spine, humming under her breath. Then she stopped.

She held the wand still on the baby’s lower back for one beat too long.

I told myself that he was nervous.

Then she smiled, moved on, and said everything looked good.

I watched Melissa’s face. She hadn’t noticed a thing.

But when I looked at Ryan, he was staring at the screen as if he’d seen something none of us were supposed to see.

He didn’t say a word the whole ride home.

She hadn’t noticed a thing.

***

“One more push, Ivy. You’ve got this.”

I gripped Nurse Bianca’s hand so tight I thought I might snap her fingers. The contraction crested, and I pushed through it with everything I had left.

And then, all at once, the room filled with that impossible sound. A baby crying. My niece crying.