Inside the room, the doctor was waiting for us. “Hello, you two. The week has just flown by, hasn’t it?”
Griffin and I exchanged a knowing glance. With a smile, he told her, “Yes, it truly has.”
The doctor nodded. “Well, now, let’s take a look at this girl.”
Dr. Kennedy opened the carrier door and ignored Lilith’s protests as she lifted her outside. She ran her hands over her body, took her temperature and listened to her heartbeat, all while humming in pleasure.
Finally, she said, “She looks great, you two. She even seems happier than when I saw her last time.”
We both smiled.
“That’s fantastic,” Griffin said.
Dr. Kennedy examined us for a moment and said, “And I’d like to say that the two of you look happier, as well. You must be excited about the kittens.”
“We are,” I said, my heart feeling warm at the idea of them.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Griffin glancing at me with a smirk. He must have been thinking about all the things that had happened between us this past week - things that Dr. Kennedy was probably better off not knowing.
“Well, she looks good, boys.” Dr. Kennedy stroked Lilith. “I don’t see anything wrong with her. If all continues well, she can have her delivery at home. You’ll need some things in advance, like maybe spare towels and warm water - just like delivering a human baby.”
Her words sent a little jolt of excitement through me.
“Have you thought about where the kittens will go?” she asked.
“We put up some posters at my roommate’s workplace,” I told her. “And we’ve had some interest online, but I want to actually meet the people first.”
Dr. Kennedy nodded. “Very good. If you like, we can give out information on them as well.”
“That would be very kind,” Griffin said.
“Of course.” She stroked Lilith under the chin. “I want these little ones to have good homes.” She sighed and added, “She’s lucky to have a home with you two.”
Griffin suddenly put his arm around me, and my cheeks turned warm. We’d only ever been intimate in private - never even holding hands in public - but now he was making it perfectly clear we were a couple. My heart fluttered like a trapped butterfly.
“No, it’s us who are lucky to have her,” Griffin said. “She brought us together in many ways.”
Dr. Kennedy looked back and forth between us, then her lips spread in an understanding smile. “I see. Well, then I’m glad. You three are a beautiful family.”
* * *
When we got backto the apartment, it was silent. Skylar was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed he finally crashed and passed out from lack of sleep in his bedroom for a well-earned rest. We released Lilith from her infernal confines, she darted off with an evil look at the two of us before disappearing under my bed.
“She really doesn’t like the carrier, huh?” Griffin remarked with a laugh.
I let out a halfhearted “Hmm.”
He turned to me. “Something wrong, Jake?”
“Huh? Oh, no,” I said distractedly. “I just… There’s something I want to do.”
Griffin blinked. “What’s that?”
I met his eyes. “I want to use the pregnancy test.”
“Jake, it’s a bit early,” Griffin said gently. “Your HCG level might not be balanced out yet.”
“It’s been a week. I know two weeks is best, but sometimes they can still tell,” I insisted. “If it’s negative, we can just buy another one and try again later.”
