I sit beside her on the bed and take her hand in mine. Her fingers feel cold. "Are you sure you're okay? Does anything hurt?"
"I'm fine," she says. "Don't worry."
But I am, and I can see something in her eyes that tells me she's concerned, too.
Dr. Tanner turns on the machine, the screen flickering to life. She squeezes gel onto Lyra's abdomen, and Lyra flinches at the cold.
"Sorry about that," Dr. Tanner says. "Always cold."
She presses the wand against Lyra's skin, moving it in slow circles. The screen fills with gray and white shadows, meaningless to me. Dr. Tanner watches intently, her expression giving nothing away.
Then she stops, focusing on something. "There we are," she says.
I lean forward, squinting at the screen. There's a small, dark space, and within it, something tiny. Something with a flicker of movement.
"What the hell is that?" I ask, my throat suddenly dry.
Dr. Tanner turns to me, her smile warm. "That," she says, "is a baby."
The world stops, and I mean everything stops. The room, the air, my breathing—freezes for one perfect moment.
"What?!" I manage. "I don't. How?"
Lyra's grip on my hand tightens. She's looking at me, her eyes bright with tears.
"Remember when you asked why I was smiling and I told you I’d tell you when we got home?" she says, voice trembling. "Well, the doctor who told me I couldn't have kids, turns out he lied. I can, and…" She pauses, looking at Dr. Tanner. "Am I?"
Dr. Tanner nods, pointing to the flickering on the screen. "Yes, baby looks fine. It was just some spotting, probably due to stress or exerting yourself. You'll need to relax. Take it easy."
"Oh my god." I stare at Lyra, at the screen, at our joined hands. "You're fucking pregnant."
Dr. Tanner laughs softly. "I'll give you two some time," she says, wiping the gel from Lyra's stomach and stepping toward the door. "Congratulations."
I watch as the door closes behind her and then turn to Lyra.
Her face is radiant through her tears. "The doctor, Dr. Johns, was his name. I ran into him tonight at the tournament. He told me he lied to protect me from the Albanians. Something aboutrepaying my dad. I don't know, and honestly, I don't care now. I was thinking of going to get some tests to make sure he was bullshitting, but I guess I don't need to now,” she smiles.
I can't speak.
Can't think.
A baby.
Our baby. Growing inside her right now.
I bring our joined hands to my lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.
"Declan," she says, her free hand reaching up to touch my face. "We're going to build that future, that family together. I can give it to you!"
"We were already going to build our future," I say as her tears flow freely now, her joy so bright it's almost blinding. I lean down, pressing my forehead against hers, breathing her in.
"With the baby, you know what this means now, right?" I ask.
Lyra smiles through her tears. "What?"
"You have to marry me."
She laughs, pure and beautiful. "Oh, is that so? I don't have a choice?"
