Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
“I doubt I’ll get an appointment today,” she said.
“You will.” He knew she would because he’d called each doctor this morning, before going on his run, and ensured that they’d have a slot for her—even if it meant creating one after hours or during lunchtime. She just had to choose the doctor she wanted.
“These places are usually fully booked weeks in advance, especially these doctors. They’re the most highly rated ones in the city.”
“Yes. So, pick one.” He pushed to his feet, angling his body slightly away from hers so she wouldn’t notice his still persistent hard-on. He had his back to her seconds later.
He didn’t bother saying anything else and he ignored her annoyed sigh, as he painfully made his way back inside to the punishing cold shower that awaited him.
Cade stared fixedly at the large, colorful fetal development poster on the wall in front of him, while he and Fern waited for the obstetrician to join them in her office.
“You can wait outside,” Fern told him again, her whisper filled with urgency. “I don’t need you here, Cade. There’s really no point in your staying, when you won’t be a father to my baby in anything but name.”
He exhaled loudly through his nose and dragged his gaze away from the poster to glare at her.
“I know that. But if you’re going to be living with me, I think I need to have at least a basic understanding of what the hell is going on with you and your body, in case of emergency, right?”
“It’s private.”
“Look, Fern, I just need to be here and to know everything is alright with you. For my own peace of mind.”
“I’ll tell you if there’s any reason to be concerned.”
He allowed her to see his blatant skepticism and disbelief and her cheeks went slightly pink beneath his gaze.
“Fine… you can stay. This one time. But not a word. Okay?”
“I might have questions.”
“Why?”
“Because I won’t allow anything to happen to you, Fern. Not on my watch.”
“What on earth do you think will happen to me? I’m pregnant, not suffering from some dread disease. Knock on wood.”
Cade fought to keep the grin off his face as she quickly tapped the wooden desk in front of her.
“Superstition?” he asked, battling to keep the amusement out of his voice. “You went to a Catholic school, I would sooner have expected you to cross yourself and bust out a rosary.”
“Just because I went to a Catholic school doesn’t mean I’m Catholic.” Her voice was prim, and this time it was she who fixed her gaze on the poster behind the desk.
“It doesn’t?”
“No, it was just the first and furthest boarding school Granger could find that would take me in the middle of the school year.”
“How soon after your mother’s death did he send you to boarding school?”
“As soon as he could arrange the student visa—three weeks later.”
The thought of it infuriated Cade. Her whole world must have been upended after her mother’s death. And while the wound of that loss had still been raw and bleeding, that fucker had simply removed her from everything and everyone familiar and parceled her off to a different country and a new school, where nobody knew her or cared about her.
How frightened she must have been.
Fern wasn’t sure what was going through Cade’s complicated mind. Something dark was brewing behind that impassive stare. He looked almost angry and she wasn’t sure why.
“Well?” she prompted and he stared at her in blank confusion. He must have lost track of their conversation. “What do you think will happen to me?”
“I’ve been reading up on all the catastrophic shit that could happen to you while you’re pregnant.”
How… odd.
“Why would you do that?” she asked, confused.
His shoulders shifted uncomfortably but before he could reply, the door opened and the doctor walked in with a slightly harassed smile on her face.
“I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting. Just had to deal with a minor emergency. Hello, I’m Dr. Amina Khan. And you must be the Hawthornes.”
She was a petite, dark skinned, attractive middle-aged woman with a short, sleek black bob, and kind eyes. She rounded her desk and Cade and Fern both stood to shake her hand, before they all took their seats.
“And this is your first pregnancy, right?” she asked, after consulting the folder on her desk.
“Yes,” Fern said with a nod, feeling unaccountably nervous. She still wasn’t too happy about Cade being here, but he’d made it clear that he wasn’t going anywhere, so the next best thing was just to proceed as if he wasn’t there.
The first appointment was longer than Fern had expected. It involved an overall assessment of her physical and mental health. Bloodwork, pelvic exam, uterus size. And so many questions. Dr. Khan was friendly, informative, and extremely thorough.
Cade remained a grim presence throughout most of it, and he wasn’t very pleased on the few occasions that Dr. Khan asked him to step out. He listened attentively and peppered the doctor with questions about the most doomsdayerish topics: ectopic pregnancies, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, anemia, even depression.