~/~/~/~/~
Slate helped Dakota onto the examination table, hiding his smile at his mate’s adorable pout. Removing a lightweight blanket from the cupboard, he draped it around Dakota in an effort to keep him warm, before sitting down next to him. Now, since his mate was no longer in a position to hurt himself if he fainted again, Slate quietly exhaled, letting out all the fear and panic he felt in the kitchen. Tugging Dakota close, he murmured, “You okay?”
“Yeah, just embarrassed,” Dakota said. “I should’ve sat down when I first felt dizzy…but I thought I could power through it. I’m sorry if I caused you any worry.”
“Have you had these spells before when you were cooking?”
“No…not that I can remember,” Dakota said, punching Slate’s arm. “Of course, I wasn’t getting my brains fucked out every night, either.”
“Hey, we can always stop until our pup is born,” Slate smirked.
“Only if you want to die,” growled Dakota. “My libido is going wild because someone…namely you…got me pregnant so it’s your duty to take care of it.”
Just as he started to respond, the door opened and Mac walked in. “Hi Doc,” Slate said, jumping down from the table, grateful for the interruption.
“Steel told me you fainted, Dakota,” Mac said.
“Yeah, it happened when I was standing over the stove,” replied Dakota.
“Did you injure yourself when you fell?” Mac asked.
“No, Slate caught me.”
“That’s good,” Mac said, putting down Dakota’s chart. “Let’s check your vitals and make sure everything is okay.”
Frowning, Dakota sat still while Mac examined him, trying to ignore the worry curdling in his stomach. His dizzy spells were coming more frequently now, something he wanted to ignore, thinking they were just another one of those pregnancy things that would eventually go away.
“Slate, can you find Colton for me? I want to have him do an ultrasound,” Mac said, taking Dakota’s blood pressure again.
“Is something wrong with our pup?” Slate asked, worry evident in his voice.
“Not that I can tell, but I just want to make sure,” replied Mac.
Waiting until his mate left the room, Dakota asked, “What’s the problem, Doc? And don’t tell me there isn’t one.”
“Ahh, yes,” Mac grimaced, “shadow voice…listened to my thoughts, did you?”
“No, I wouldn’t do that without your permission, but my…”
“Right…your empath abilities,” Mac said. “I guess I’m going to have to learn to school my emotions better.”
“I usually block them but I was worried about my pup so…” Dakota’s voice trailed off.
“Don’t be, I’m pretty confident your pup’s doing fine,” assured Mac. “Here, let me help you lie down.” Once his patient was horizontal, he asked, “How often are you getting dizzy? And don’t even think of denying it, Dakota.”
“How did you know?”
“Your blood pressure is quite low,” Mac said.
“What does that mean?”
“It happens often in pregnancy and is usually not a problem. However, I think you’re experiencing periods of extremely low blood pressure which is causing the dizzy spells,” Mac explained.
“Can it hurt my pup?” asked Dakota.
“Don’t know. I’ll discuss it with Ian since his knowledge is more extensive than mine. In the meantime, I’m ordering complete bed rest for three days.”
“Isn’t there another way? What if I promise to sit down if I get dizzy?”
