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Fraser fist-pumped the air and Bram narrowed his eyes. “Fine, I’ll go. I won’t give Finn’s bloody cousin the satisfaction of dragging me around. Finn would never let me live it down.” He looked to Evie. “Call my name if you need anything, Evie. I’ll come running.” He cupped her cheek. “And don’t be stubborn and wait until the last possible moment to ask for my help. We’re going to do this together.”
Evie placed her hand over Bram’s. “Of course I’ll ask for help. Believe me, I will be shouting your name seven ways to Sunday once the baby comes. And not all in loving tones, I might add.”
Bram grinned. “I can handle that.” He gave her a gentle kiss and moved toward the door. “Take care of her, Sid. She has my heart and I can’t bear to lose it.”
Tears filled Evie’s eyes, but she managed to hold them back. Bram would never leave if she started crying.
Sid nodded. “I will do everything I can.”
With that, Bram exited the room. Fraser kissed Holly deeply, Evie was pretty sure it involved a lot of tongue, and then also left the room.
Holly was the first to speak. “Right, then. I’m going to check your blood pressure again. The protein levels in your urine were high, so you’re at risk for preeclampsia. We’re going to have to keep a close eye on you.”
Evie’s stomach dropped a little and she placed a hand over her belly. “Should I be worried?”
Sid spoke up. “At the moment, everything is manageable. Truth be told, I’m more worried about elevated dragon-shifter hormones. As soon as Holly’s done checking your BP, we’ll draw some more blood.”
Evie raised her brows. “What if both my blood pressure and dragon hormone levels are high? What happens then?”
Sid answered, “Then we start administering drugs that won’t interact with the dragon-shifter hormones in your body.” She waved at Holly. “Holly is up on the latest research and together we can decide the best course of treatment.”
Evie looked from Sid to Holly and back again. “That’s a lot of medical speak that tells me absolutely nothing. You’ve always been straightforward with me, Sid. Don’t start beating around the bush now.”
Sid raised an eyebrow. “If you have both preeclampsia and elevated dragon hormones, your chances of dying in childbirth increases 10 percent. That gives you a 40 percent chance of surviving. I hate asking you to keep it from Bram, but it might be best. His overprotectiveness will cause you stress. That’s why I sent him downstairs.”
Rubbing her belly, Evie nodded solemnly. “That’s all I wanted to know and I understand about Bram. He’s already convinced I’m going to die.”
Holly squeezed Evie’s shoulder. “But we don’t know if you’re at higher risk yet. Let’s do the exam, take some blood, and I’ll help you to the toilet to collect another urine sample.”
Not wanting to think about what could go wrong or how she could die soon, Evie jumped on the chance of a distraction. “I wasn’t expecting to need help to the toilet until I was old and wrinkly. I guess I should get used to a lack of modesty from here on out.”
Holly grinned. “Having a bairn means tossing modesty to the wind. Better accept that now. Although you’ve been mated to a dragon-shifter for nearly a year, so I would think you’d be used to their casual nature about nudity.”
Evie raised her brows. “Would your mate allow you to parade around naked?”
“He’d probably try to kill anyone who saw me.”
Evie nodded. “Exactly. Imagine a mate even more protective than yours, and that’s Bram. All hell would break loose.”
Holly opened her mouth, but another contraction rolled across her abdomen. Evie closed her eyes and drew in a breath.
Holly murmured breathing instructions and Evie forgot about everything else but trying to follow them.
~~~
Bram paced the living room, clenching and unclenching his fingers as he went. How could Sid kick him out of the room? Bram had studied the delivery process both with Evie and on his own. He might not be a doctor, but his mate would need him when the time came.
His beast spoke up. It’s not as if Evie is going to drop a baby in the next five minutes. Let Sid examine her and ensure our mate is okay. If there’s something wrong, then Sid needs time to try and fix it.
Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to agree with you.
Before his dragon could reply, Fraser MacKenzie’s voice filled the room. “Wearing a hole in the floor won’t help her, Bram. I tried that myself last month, and the only thing that helped my female was to take action when it was needed.”
Bram glanced over at the tall, auburn-haired Scot. “I heard about your reckless rescue attempt. But answer me this—when you knew your mate could be hurting, did you calmly sit by and go about your business?”
“Of course not. But I’m not a clan leader. You are. Expectations are higher for you.”
He turned toward Fraser. “Finn might let you talk to him that way, but I’m not your cousin. Be careful, Fraser MacKenzie, or I’ll toss you off my land.”
