Page 262 of Red Marked

“They’ll be fine,” she says in her doctor voice. “They’re shifters. Shifter DNA is stronger than human DNA, so even though they’re technically half human, they’ll have every shifter trait there is. They heal fast, they’re resilient, they’re fighters. Carla would have had steroid shots to mature their lungs as soon as she was admitted. A premature shifter baby is a very different thing from a premature human one. I don’t think we need to worry.”

“Okay.” I let out a breath. “Okay. Good.”

“I’d be more worried about Magma,” Ridge says. “He was getting ready to have a heart attack.”

“Magma is a lost cause. He’s going to be one of those dads who takes a thousand pictures a day and cries at every single one.” Robyn laughs.

“He cried during all of the scans,” Ridge says.

Star laughs. “That’s so sweet.”

I look at Robyn. Her back is stiff, and she’s suddenly looking away from us. Ridge puts his arm around her.

Oh shit!

Fuck!

“I’m really sorry,” I say. “About what you two are going through. Ridge told me. I should have called sooner. I should have⁠—”

Robyn shakes her head. “It’s fine.” I can see it isn’t. “We know you care. You’ve had a full plate. You rescued all those people. Please don’t worry.” She sniffs, and her eyes fill with tears.

It’s not fine at all.

Shit.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. Not here, of all places. I’m⁠—”

“Please don’t.” She holds up a hand. “Don’t apologize. It is what it is, Flint. We’ll work through it, like we work through everything.” She squeezes Ridge’s knee. “Right?”

“That’s right, love,” he says, looking at her with such tenderness.

“Can we get you guys some coffee?” I ask them.

“Oh, god, yes.” Robyn sits up. “That would be awesome. We’ve been here half the night. The stuff from the machine is like mud.”

“Half the night?” I fold my arms. “I’m glad someone got a phone call.”

“Magma called me because I’m a doctor and I work here, you dolt.” She shakes her head at me. “Don’t you dare take that personally. They really thought they’d stopped the labor. The IV was working, and Carla was stable, and everyone thought they’d bought a few more weeks. The minute it was clear they hadn’t, Magma called you.”

“Fine. He’s off the hook. But only just.”

“Big of you,” Ridge says.

“Sit tight. Any special requests, or are cappuccinos fine?”

“Flat white for me,” Robyn says. “A cappuccino for Ridge. The biggest size they have.”

“Obviously.”

I take Star’s hand, and we head out.

The coffee place is on the ground floor near the main entrance. It’s a glass box with a counter along one side and a couple of tables. The girl behind the counter looks like she’s been on shift since yesterday.

Star tugs on my hand before we get there, and I stop.

“So, I’m your girlfriend?” she asks.

I widen my eyes. “Was that okay? I mean, yes, you are. You are, right?”