Page 40 of Shark’s Rise

“She’s okay. She’s with the doctor now. Guess we’ll have a definitive answer soon enough.”

“Dude.” Elijah tilted his head, adding a bemused smirk. “This is—”

I held up my hand, already stopping the lecture. “Save it, man. I don’t need it right now. I could use a glass of that, though.” I pointed to the drink as he lifted the tumbler to his lips. “And I will warn you fuckers now,” I added, becoming lethally serious. “The first one to make a Daddy Shark comment or sing that damn song will get cut in his sleep.”

I fell into the armchair across from my two friends, and the three of us burst out laughing.

Chapter Seven

Abbigail

“Since your period was due two weeks ago, you likely conceived about two weeks before that.”

As Dr. Landon explained all the details, Sebastian and I listened carefully. I looked up at my man’s intense profile, already able to read his mind. He was trying to remember where we were precisely at that time, wanting to commit every single moment of our child’s history to memory. He was combing through the same details I’d already reviewed—in painstaking detail. Since I had nothing but time on my hands these days, I’d been able to devote a good chunk of brain space to the process. Thanks to my uncooperative stomach, no way had I been able to use my downtime for perfecting recipes or working on the restaurant’s business plan.

The expression on the doctor’s face said that special free time still wasn’t about to happen. “For now, we need to start some IV fluids, Abbigail. Just from testing your urine, I can see you’re definitely dehydrated. That’s not good for you or the baby. I know you’re having trouble keeping things down”—she patted my hand with compassionate care—“so we can do things this way for now. After twenty-four to forty-eight hours, you should feel remarkably better. Maybe then you can start back on eating bland foods.”

“Can we hear the baby’s heartbeat?”

Sebastian’s question surprised me but in a good way. His excitement, already so palpable, touched a deep place in my heart—and then even deeper than that. I had to close my eyes to will away the emotion—but even with my eyes shut, I discerned the smile in Dr. Landon’s answer.

“It’s still a little too early, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong.”

I gave in to my own soft smile. Boy, did this woman have my man’s number already. That definitely would’ve been the next question from his mouth.

“At around eight weeks, we will be able to hear the heartbeat. If Abbigail has the conception date correct, she’s only around six now. We should be able to hear your child in two more weeks.”

“I can’t wait.” He leaned over and squeezed my hand. “You doing okay, baby? Warm enough?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. But what else is new?” I laughed a little, but the burst was forced. Dr. Landon was competent; I already knew that much. But I still wasn’t looking forward to having an IV in my arm. I sucked down a long breath, struggling to stay calm about this whole thing.

“I’m going out to my car to get the necessary supplies to start your IV,” she said. “And then you can rest. If you want to take a quick shower or do anything that would be easier while you aren’t tethered to a pole, I suggest you do it now.”

“I’ll have one of the staff show you out to your car.” Bas walked out the door with the doctor.

Slowly, I got up from the bed, holding on to furniture as I went, and moved into the bathroom. Bas came in with a panicked look, having worked himself up between seeing the empty bed and finding me in the bathroom. I put my flat palm on his chest and said, “You have to calm down. It’s going to be the longest nine months on the planet if you keep acting this way.”

“Sorry. Christ, I’m sorry.” As he dragged a hand through his thick waves, worry twisted his handsome features. “I thought you were throwing up again.”

“No.” I stroked his arm, glad for the chance to focus away from my condition and onto his comfort instead. “I thought I’d take her advice and shower, even though I just had one. The hot water feels so good on my overly sensitive skin.”

“Need some help?”

“No. You’re sweet, Bas, but I can manage—and I may need you more in a bit, when I’m not able to move around so easily.”

“Fair enough.” He conceded much easier than I expected, though there was already fresh purpose in his eyes. “I’ll go find Dori to change your linens, then. Elijah said you and her seem to be getting along really well? And you’ve mentioned she makes your bed just the way you like it.”

I answered him with an indulgent smile. The man was seriously like a German Shepherd sometimes. At his best when he had a clear purpose.

As soon as he was gone, I closed the bathroom door and flipped the lock, ensuring some privacy when he came back. With my back against the door, I closed my eyes.

And finally, for the very first time, let all the information sink in.

Deeply.

We were really going to have a baby.

Actual human life was growing inside my own.