Page 52 of Daigo

"A pair of twins and a single." Dr. Middleton beamed at them as if she had personally seen to that particular feat. "Two girls and a boy."

Shelby's hand gripped her husband's. "Two girls? Are you sure?"

"It says so right on the monitor."

"And are they all right?" Shelby's eyes swung to the grainy monitor, and she wondered when they were going to come up with a machine that would allow them to see clearly enough.

"They're fine." Dr. Middleton frowned slightly.

"What is it?" Daigo, who had been watching the doctor, asked abruptly.

"Just... your blood pressure is elevated. And the boy is slightly underweight. Your ankles are also swollen. Have you been doing much up and down?"

Shelby's eyes flew to her husband, who was looking at her with raised brows.

"We're in the process of redecorating the house we bought," she explained.

"Which is no excuse, since you're not doing the actual job," Daigo said.

"You know I have to be involved, and dammit, I went there twice. All right, three times, to make sure they're doing a good job."

"Shelby-Anne-"

"Please don't lecture me." She sighed. "All right. I'll cut down. I've been going to the store three times a week; I'll cut it down to two times."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to recommend complete bed rest," Dr. Middleton said.

"What?" Shelby sat up on the table suddenly. "Stay in bed? But why? It's just swollen ankles-"

"And a very elevated BP," the doctor replied. "Your pulse is also a little weak. I want complete rest and restoration. No stress. That means nothing strenuous other than eating and resting."

"I can't-"

"I'll see to it." The inflection of steel in her husband's voice warned her that he wasn't playing around.

"What about walks?" she asked desperately. The idea of lying in bed doing nothing was making her panic. She was not a sit-still-and-do-nothing person.

"Around the room at intervals. You're getting nearer to the delivery stage and getting bigger." The doctor wiped the gel off her stomach. "I'm going to prescribe some vitamins and iron. Please meet me in my office."

"Daigo-"

"You should get dressed." Turning away, he picked up her dress and handed it to her before stepping back.

Clamping her mouth shut, she did as she was told, resentment roiling around inside her. Christ! The man was aggravating.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that you'll lock me inside the room if I don't obey. Like I'm a damn child."

Instead of rising to the bait, he held out her light jacket for her to put on.

"Silence?" She knew she sounded like a bitch, but she couldn't help it. And she felt like crying. This was supposed to be a happy moment, and the only thing she could think of was the fact that she was going to be chained to the bedroom for a week or more.

Turning her to face him, he tucked his fingers under her chin and stared at her steadily. "I cannot help you carry those babies, but I will do what's necessary to ensure that you're all safe. If that means chaining you to the bed, then so be it."

"Go to hell!" Shoving his hand aside, she waddled toward the door and felt the effort in every part of her body. Her back was hurting, and her ankles were throbbing. On top of that, her stomach was queasy. She did not dare mention any of that to him, or he would do something drastic, like locking her in the room and placing a guard outside the door.

Lifting her chin, she marched into the doctor's office.

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