Page 85 of Glitterati Omega

Rupert tried not to curl in on himself. “Thank you,” he grumbled, feeling more self-conscious by the second.

“Is this a second pregnancy?”

“No, my first.”

“Oh, wow,” Quinn said, like their mind was blown. “Well, I guess every body is different, right?” They beamed, then frowned. “Still, you should have had this ultrasound a couple of weeks ago.”

“I’ve been busy.” Rupert drew the curtain and changed into the gown.

“I guess!” Quinn said. “Doing lots of stuff to prepare for baby?”

“Mm, yes,” Winston said, saving Rupert from answering, “there is a lot to be done.”

Rupert flung the curtain back, eager to be done with this. He’d been told to drink a good amount of water, so now he found he needed to use the facilities perhaps a bit more urgently than he would have liked.

He also wanted confirmation that everything was going well. He wanted to hear the baby’s heartbeat. He felt wretched and almost ill when he thought that something might be wrong, that he’d left tests too late.

Winston gripped his hand and settled himself in a chair beside the exam table. “Do you think,” he asked slowly, “there is any possibility that it is twins?”

Rupert was fairly certain he stopped breathing for a second. “Twins?” he wheezed when he remembered how to exhale.

“Mm,” Winston said. “We didivf. There is a higher risk of multiples.”

“Oh God,” Rupert muttered. He’d forgotten about that.

“Hm,” Quinn said, “dunno! Let’s find out.”

With no further warning, they applied the wand to Rupert’s belly. Rupert pinned his gaze to the ceiling, willing himself to summon better bladder control from … somewhere.

It didn’t work. He flushed furiously.

“Aw—hey, don’t worry about it, lots of people do that.” Quinn chuckled. “There’s a lot more pressure on your bladder from all the stretching going on in here! And there’s good news—looks like your baby’s doing great!”

Rupert felt so relieved, he thought he might throw up. “Yes?”

“Mmhmm! Baby’s moving around a lot in there, so that’s really good.”

“Is it an alpha or an omega?” Rupert twisted around to see the screen, suddenly curious.

“Little bit too early to tell that. Did you want to do the fluid testing?”

Rupert glanced at Winston. “I’m fine with waiting,” the lawyer said.

“No,” Rupert agreed. He didn’t really fancy any more needles down there.

“Okay,” Quinn said. “By twenty weeks, we can usually tell.”

“And it’s just the one?” Rupert asked.

Quinn nodded. “Yup. Just one.”

Rupert glanced at Winston, who sighed. “That is a relief,” he said, smiling. “I am not sure I am ready for one, never mind more.”

“Mm,” Rupert agreed.

“Yup,” Quinn said, snapping off their gloves. “They’ve really gotten better with theivfstuff, just making sure there’s one. Two is often too much for parents. You wanna hear the heartbeat now?”

“Please,” Rupert said, giving Winston’s hand a little squeeze. He was still filled with dread.