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“It’s not excessive, nor unusual after intercourse,” Haseya says, as she presses on my belly, with two fingers up inside me. The chasing frown on her face adds dread to the discomfort already churning inside of me. “Your uterus seems a bit large for eight weeks. Are you certain of your last menstrual cycle?”

Thankfully, Six is waiting outside, with whoever else gathered to see what the commotion was about, otherwise he’d probably have a dozen, or more, questions for Haseya right now.

Lying on my back, with my legs bent, I mentally calculate the last time I had to think about bleeding. Every girl born into a generation of Ragers that can smell the blood knows down to the hour, when their cycle begins, and I last had mine before I ventured out beyond the wall after Papa’s death, a little over two months ago. “Fairly, yes.”

“Hmmm. Any pain when I press here?” She moves her hand over my belly and adds pressure.

“No. I’ve only had some cramping, and then the blood.”

“I’m not finding excessive blood in the vaginal canal, so perhaps we’ll wait and see. You should rest, as I’m sure traveling has taken it’s toll on you.”

“At eight weeks? Doesn’t that seem early to have concerns like this?”

“Every pregnancy is different, sweetheart. I’m not entirely convinced you’re only two months along. You lost one prior to this, correct?”

“Yes. I ate some berries. I didn’t realize they were …”

“I’m not passing judgment.” She removes her fingers from inside me and dips both hands into an awaiting wash bin, scrubbing them with soap. “No intercourse for a couple of days. Just until we know what’s going on with the little peapod. I suspect it’s normal bleeding, perhaps even caused by implantation. But assuming you are as early as you say, there are a number of reasons, and I’d like to rule some of them out.”

“Thank you.” I lower my legs, covering them with the thin blanket Six gave me earlier.

With a smile, she dries her hands on a piece of cloth she brought into the tent with her, and rests her palm against my stomach. “Let’s not worry until we know for sure, okay? It doesn’t help.”

“Promise.”

She huffs and flattens her lips. “Who’s gonna be the one to convince Rhys not to worry, hmmm? I swear that man frets over you more than he would if a horde of Ragers ran through the camp right now.”

I chuckle, my worries dissipating with her calm voice. “I’ll assure him there’s nothing to worry about yet.”

“Good. And I’ll break the news that he has to abstain for a day, or two. Then you’re free to do your thing afterward.” She waggles her brows and snorts a laugh. “Now, rest.”

Rest. Which means no going forward, onto Florida, because of me. We’ve spent the past weeks gathering enough supplies to make the trek there, as well back, in the event east is worse than from where we came.

The moment Haseya moves the woven door aside, Six is standing there, his eyes flitting from me to the midwife. Behind him is a small crowd that keeps their distance from him, perhaps fearing what he’ll do if there is a problem.

Haseya places her hand to his chest and gives him a light pat. “She needs rest. And calm. Rest and calm, clear?”

Offering an impatient nod, he enters the cave, closing the door behind him, and sits against the wall on the opposite side. The way he rubs his shaved skull reminds me of the days back when he was just a boy, tormenting himself over the possibility that he’d hurt me.

“Hey.” I lift my head, staring down at him. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m okay.”

Hands braced at his skull, he breathes hard through his nose and shakes his head.

“Six, it wasn’t as much blood as I thought. And she said the cramping could be implantation.”

He watches me in silence, and I can’t tell if my words are reaching him, or not, until he wordlessly gets to his feet and settles in beside me, placing his hand over my belly. The man has always been quietly contemplative, perhaps from the days before he found his voice, but at times like these, I find it frustrating.

“You’re going to lie here and torment yourself all night, aren’t you? You’re going to blame yourself and hate yourself, and it’s all going to be for nothing, because I’m fine.”

“I know. You’re strong. Strongest woman I know.”

“Strong enough to kick your ass, if you don’t give up this self-loathing thing you do. Believe me, Six. I’ll tell you when something’s your fault. I’m good at that.”

He snorts and kisses me on the shoulder. “You are. We’ll stay here until you’re well enough to travel.”

Sighing, I look away toward the fire. “We had such high hopes of arriving in two days.”

Cupping my face, he draws my attention back to him. “If this place exists, it isn’t going anywhere. I’ll wait as long as it takes to ensure you’re well enough for our travels.”