“Yes!” I cried.
“I - I thought you didn’t want a baby,” Caleb continued.
“What gave you that idea?” I said with a relaxed laugh.
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I dunno. Maybe it was just me freaking out about nothing again. I guess you never struck me as the type of guy towantkids…”
I kneeled down so that I gazed up at him. “Listen to me. As soon as the idea became a possibility, I realized it was something I wanted. Desperately. This is a good thing, Caleb.” I smiled. “Not a bad one.”
Caleb gave me a wobbly smile, then burst into tears. He threw himself at me and I held him in my arms, stroking his back in soothing circles. I murmured verbal comforts in his ear as he cried the stress out. The tender moment reminded me of the night Margaret passed, and how Caleb had done the same thing for me.
“I’m here,” I told him gently. “I’ll always be here. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
When Caleb was cried out, he sniffled and nodded. Maxwell handed him some tissues. “Thanks,” he told him. “Sorry about the big scene I made.”
“Not at all,” Maxwell replied. “A lot of people react the same way when they learn they’re pregnant. It’s common to feel overwhelmed.”
Caleb wiped his face and hiccuped. “I still don’t understand how it happened. We used a condom, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But there’s always that slim chance it won’t work.”
Maxwell nodded. “Yes. It’s rare, but unfortunately it does happen. If you’re too rough - and that might be the case, given that Adriel is a vampire - “
I frowned.
“Or, simply, the condom was old and fragile to begin with,” Maxwell concluded. “Storing it improperly can damage them, too.”
“Oh.” Caleb looked embarrassed. “Er… Then, it might have been my fault. They gave me a bunch at the hospital months ago and I stuffed them in my pocket. I was kind of careless with them.”
Maxwell grinned sympathetically. “Yeah, that’ll do it. In the future, just… use new condoms stored properly, okay?”
“I’ve definitely learned my lesson,” Caleb murmured.
Maxwell paused like he was thinking about something, then asked, “How is the nausea? Better?”
“Yeah,” Caleb said. “It went away a while ago, thank god. I thought morning sickness only happened in the morning?”
“Not necessarily. Some people get it at different times of day,” Maxwell explained. “You might have bouts of it until the end of your first trimester.”
“Great.” Caleb groaned. “That’s just what I needed. Why am I always getting sick?”
Maxwell frowned. “Are you sick often?”
“Well… I was pretty ill, and had a big surgery a few months ago. I was bed bound in the hospital for while.”
With a slightly furrowed brow, Maxwell nodded and wrote down on his clipboard. “I see. Can I ask your permission to transfer your files? Since I’ll be here, and your pregnancy is confirmed, I think you should continue to see me for regular check-ups. It will help me if I have all the information on hand.”
“Yeah, sure,” Caleb said. “And, um, thanks.”
“Yes, thank you, Maxwell,” I added. “I know you’re not here of your own free will, given the circumstances, but we greatly appreciate your help.”
Maxwell blushed and averted his eyes. “It’s fine. It’s my job.” He cleared his throat. “Anyways, before you leave, let me give you some prenatal vitamins. Take one a day. If anything changes, or you just want to ask me something, feel free to come see me.”
Caleb nodded. “We will. Thanks.”
As we got up to leave, Caleb paused. “Er… Actually, Dr. Maxwell, I do haveonequestion.”
“Yes?”
