Just in case.
God, please.
The room is quiet again, save for the rhythmic beep of the monitor and the slow rustle of hospital sheets.
A nurse enters, tablet in hand.
“Vitals are looking good. Blood pressure’s stabilized. EKG was normal. Bloodwork’s clear. No signs of infection, anemia, or dehydration.” She scrolls, then adds, “We’re still pending one more result: your serum beta hCG.”
Cami blinks. “Sorry—my what?”
“Your pregnancy test,” the nurse says, her fingers gently tapping at the screen. “We run it routinely in cases of fainting with an elevated heart rate. Covering all bases.”
Cami shifts slightly. “I-I have an IUD.”
The nurse nods. “Totally understand. We do see surprise positives more than you’d think. Just being cautious. Results should be back shortly.”
Cami starts to speak—then stops herself, nods once instead, her fingers tightening around mine.
After a beat, the nurse steps out, and suddenly, the wordspregnancy testsuck up all the oxygen in the room.
For a second, I let the thought in.
Her. Me. A baby. Not the furry kind.
This was supposed to be a fling.
A place to land after the fallout in New York.
And yet the idea of her having my child doesn’t scare me. Doesn’t feel like a mistake. It feels unexpected. Like someone cracked open a future I hadn’t let myself picture, and now I can’t look away, a surprisewhat ifI can’t shake.
Squeezing her hand, delicate, warm, trembling slightly, I brush my thumb over her knuckles.
“They’re being thorough,” I offer, trying to sound steady. “This doesn’t mean anything.”
Cami nods, eyes fixed on the ceiling tiles like they hold answers she hasn’t asked for yet. “Yeah. Just…processing.”
I know this woman well enough by now to recognize the shutdown mode she slips into when scared. When it’s easier to think logically than feel anything at all.
Shifting in the chair, I lean closer, ducking my head so she has to meet my gaze. “You scared the hell out of me when you passed out.”
Her lip twitches. “I didn’t mean to be so dramatic.”
“Yeah, well. Next time you want attention, all you gotta do is ask. I’ll still show up, no theatrics required.”
She shifts slightly, brows furrowing. “Are Shadow and Stripe okay?”
“Yep. Being spoiled by the Trouble Triplets,” I say, brushing her knuckles.
Millie was already on the deck, sipping coffee in her robe, when I carried Cami out. I told her what happened, and she waved me off, told me to hurry, and said they’d look aftertheirbabies.
Cami lets out a quiet laugh, more breath than sound, but it’s something. “I don’t think it’s the wine.”
“Yep. Me neither,” I say carefully. “So, what do you think it is?”
She hesitates. “I’ve been having heart flutters out of nowhere. And then yesterday and this morning, the dizziness whenever I stood.”
My jaw tightens. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
