“Yeah, ‘surprise’ is a word for it. I didn’t know, and Ax doesn’t know.” He’d probably have figured it out in the next day or so, and if he didn’t, my fox would’ve soon enough.
Before we could finish the conversation, we were called to another trauma bay. My shift went fast, one emergency after another. I hated that so many people needed us, but it wasgood for keeping my mind off my newly discovered condition. Sitting at the nurses’ station and thinking about it when my mate still didn’t know wasn’t going to get me anywhere. This was something we had to work through together. We weren’t exactly the typical couple, career wise.
On my way back to the house, I stopped at the pharmacy and grabbed a pregnancy test. I could have gotten one at work, but I didn’t want to risk anyone seeing. The few other shifters would know soon enough, but the humans didn’t need to. I’d seen other doctors and nurses who were pregnant and got treated differently, and not in a good way. It wasn’t that they were given extra breaks for tea, it was more that they weren’t trusted to do their job. It was something HR had said they were working on, according to water cooler gossip, but I still wasn’t ready to jump into that fray.
I dropped my bag on the kitchen table and headed straight into the shower, promising Ax I’d be out in a few minutes. I was gross from the day’s work, the scent of chemicals still clinging to me, and I needed them gone. Especially for this conversation with my mate, he didn’t need to be bombarded with them either.
I turned off the shower and reached for my towel, instead grabbing onto the box. I popped my head out to see Axel there, his face smiling. “This fell out of your bag when I went to hang it on the hook. Is there something I should know, mate?”
“Yeah, there’s an elephant shifter at work, and you know how their noses are pretty spectacular…”
“Yeah...”
“He thinks I’m pregnant. And I don’t think he’s wrong. My senses have been keeping me on edge the past couple of days, and I’ve been sick to my stomach twice today.”
“Well, there’s one way to find out.” He eyed the box.
I grabbed it from his hand. “Get out. I’ll be a few minutes.” I pointed to the door. “I need to dry off first. I’m getting cold.”
“Hurry up. I want to know. I mean, I trust his beast’s nose, but...”
“Same.”
I didn’t even have the pregnancy test on the counter long enough to set the three minutes when it was already starting to show positive. I ran out and threw my arms around my mate. “We’re gonna be dads.”
“We’re going to be dads?” He hugged me tightly.
“This is good news, right?”
“This is the best news.” He kissed the side of my head. “But also, this isn’t what we were planning, either of us. We need to figure out what happens next… logistically speaking. I want to be the best father for our sweet baby, and if that means I need to alter my career plans…”
“You are taking a thousand steps ahead. Let’s take this one day at a time. Lots of professional players have families. We can make this work without you giving up your dream.” I loved that he was willing to consider such a move, but I wouldn’t let that happen. He’d worked too hard to get where he was.
“Don’t you know that you are my dream?” He kissed me breathlessly.
“Take me to bed, mate.” I ran my teeth along his mating mark. We could and would figure everything out later. “I need your knot.”
He scooped me up. “If that’s what my sexy mate needs, how can I deny him?” He sealed his lips to mine and crossed the short distance to our bed where we spent the next few hours wrapped in each other’s arms.
11
AXEL
I closed my eyes during PT and pictured being back on the ice.
Imagining the cold bite of the rink, I’d push off and take the breakaway, with defenders closing in. But I’d be faster. There’d be that moment when my body moved on instinct and where the puck was almost an extension of my stick. The net would be wide open and I’d take the shot. The lamp would light up, and the crowd would cheer. For those few seconds, nothing else would exist.
But I opened my eyes to reality, and I couldn’t bend my wrist back without experiencing sharp pain.
“That’s enough for today.” Darren, my physical therapist, gave me what I’d come to describe as a well-meaning smile.
Damn. He didn’t need to say anything because the reality was I wasn’t healing as fast as expected. For a shifter to need PT was an anomaly, but to also have my progress lagging put a dent in my ego.
“I can do more.” I didn’t get up.
He shook his head and encouraged me to sit. “Your body’s telling me otherwise. You’re pushing yourself too hard, and your wrist needs more time to recover.”
“I don’t have time. I have to be ready for the playoff push.”
