Chapter 23
Ian
We meet in the clinic parking lot for the prenatal appointment. Julia’s already there when I pull in the spot next to her. She looks nervous as she gets out of the car, smoothing her skirt. It’s raining, so I hold one side of my jacket over her head as we dash for the covered entrance.
Inside, Julia’s bustled off to pee in a cup as soon as we check in, and then we’re shown right to the exam room, so we don’t get a chance to talk. I turn around while she takes off her underwear andspreads the paper cover over her lap. When she says she’s done, I notice that they’re purple this time. The panties on the chair.
If she forgets them again, I’m not giving them back.
I miss her. I’ve managed to see her a couple of times this week by finding excuses to buy books, but that was just to catch a glimpse and a smile. I’ve texted daily, but only gotten one-word responses.
“Are we still pretending to be mated?” she asks, voice light. “Should we hold hands?”
“We don’t have to pretend,” I assure her, holding mine out. What I mean is that in my mind, wearemated. I think she understands it the other way, that we don’t have to put on an act for the doctor.
But she takes my hand just as Helena enters, squeezing it. I step closer so our arms touch, too. It feels like my heart might explode, being this close to her.
“Hi, Dr. MacDougal,” Julia chirps.
“Nice to see you two again. I hear we have some good news!”
Julia nods, going rosy. “You were right about my eggs.”
Helena grins, her tail wagging. “I always am! Well, that’s just wonderful. Well done, both of you. How are you feeling?”
“Great!” I say. Helena and Julia look at each other and crack up.
“I meant the pregnant person,” Helena says gently. “But I’m glad you’re feeling good, too, Dad.”
Oh, right. Julia squeezes my hand, still giggling. “I’m all right. A little tired and queasy, but that’s normal for me in the first trimester.”
Helena nods, typing notes into the computer terminal. “I forgot you’re an old pro at this.”
“Emphasis on old,” Julia jokes. “I’ve never been pregnant with a wulver pup before, though, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“Well, I think you’ll find a wulver pregnancy is very similar to a human one, just a compressed timeline. It’s a whole pregnancy in a little less than three months, so things move quickly. You’ll be done with the nausea before you know it.”
“That’s nice.”
Helena nods. “The key thing is for you to make sure you’re getting enough nutrition to support the rapid fetal growth. You’ll want to increase your protein intake in particular, and make sure you’re taking a good prenatal vitamin. I’ll prescribe one, but there are some specifically for wulvers available over the counter, too, and they usually come in better flavors.”
“How much extra protein?” Julia asks. I wonder if she’s thinking about her grocery budget and her husband’s rule about not paying for extra food.
“I’ll bring you whatever you need,” I murmur.
Helena catches my eye and gives a small, approving flick of her ear as she answers Julia’s question. “That depends on how many you’ve got in there! Why don’t we take a look? Might see a heartbeat at this stage. Ian, if you don’t mind stepping out?”
“Oh!” Julia holds onto my hand tighter. “It’s okay if he stays. He should see this, too.”
The doctor looks between us and chuckles knowingly. “I guess you’re a little better acquainted now than the last time you were here.”
You could say that. I know the color of her nipples and the sound of her sighs. I’m still greedy for more, though.
Julia gets into position while Helena prepares the ultrasound wand. I try not to watch as it’s discreetly inserted under the paper drape, staring at the dark screen instead. I am very conscious that I’m a guest in this room, and I’d very much like to stay.
An incomprehensible black-and-white image appears on the monitor. Loops and dots and swirls grow and shrink as the doctor moves the wand around inside Julia. “I’m just locating the uterus,” she says. “Ah ha, there she is.”
A fuzzy shape coalesces on screen, a dark kidney bean. Inside it is a small, white circle with a flashing dot at the center.
