He held my gaze.
“That’s it.”
But I didn’t believe him.
Because I’d seen the way he’d looked at me in the hallway before the procedure.
The way he’d nodded when I walked past.
The way he was looking at me now—like he’d been worried.
Like hecared.
And he wasn’t supposed to care.
But nothing about the way he was sitting in this chair felt clinical.
“They got fourteen,” I said quietly.
“I know. The nurse told me.”
“That’s good, right?”
“That’s excellent.”
I nodded.
Looked down at my hands.
The IV line tugged slightly when I moved.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“Now they fertilize them. In a few days, Dr. Beaumont will call with an update. We’ll know how many embryos we have. And then…” He paused. “Then we wait.”
“For what?”
“For them to develop. For the transfer.”
I nodded again.
The ache in my abdomen pulsed.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
“A little. It’s not bad.”
“You need anything?”
“No. I’m okay.”
Silence.
The machines beeped.
The fluorescent lights hummed.
And Amai sat there.
