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“That’s normal at this stage of gestation. It will slow down over time. You’re about nine weeks along, just as you thought.”
Nine weeks. Her stomach rolled. Dealing with morning sickness was bad enough without being faced with that little white flickering blip of a heartbeat on the screen.
Her child.
A baby created from two parents who didn’t love each other.
That wasn’t totally true—Slade clearly stated his position on the topic every chance he got. She, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure about where her heart stood.
Part of her would love him forever. It was hard to reject that portion of their life together as something ugly. Things only turned sour after Slade started getting overprotective and what she deemed to be controlling behavior, aka Bosnia.
Dr. Collins pressed some buttons. “Smile for the camera, baby.” She pressed another button and a small paper printed out of the machine.
She handed it to Lena. With a shaky hand, she accepted the printout of a tiny circle around a spot with the words 9 weeks beside it.
Oh god.She was actually looking at the little life inside her. Hearing the heartbeat, seeing the tiny blob with her own two eyes…made itreal.
Tears filmed over her vision. She tried to blink them away but they started falling rapidly one after another, until they drenched her face.
“This is so out of character for me,” she said in a wobbly voice.
The doctor passed her a box of tissues and took her seat on the stool. “A lot of hormones are going through your system right now, not to mention the emotions that come with meeting your baby for the first time.”
She bit off a cry and swiped the tears away with a wadded tissue.
“You’re in great physical shape, and I expect you’ll carry the baby with no problem. You’re doing everything right so far, Lena.”
“Tell my stomach,” she whimpered.
“Morning sickness is normal. But the second trimester, you’ll have less nausea and fatigue.”
“I can’t be outed at work. They’ll kick me off the team.”
The military doctor had enough clearance to know Lena’s situation was sensitive.
“I need something for the nausea. I can’t be sniffing alcohol prep pads all day.”
“No problem. I’ll write you a prescription for something that will help. In the meantime, here’s a bag of pamphlets and information on what to avoid while pregnant.”
Was being shot at one of them? Because that would definitely be a problem.
She didn’t voice her concerns, just thanked the doctor. After the woman left Lena alone, she sat there clutching the ball of damp tissue and staring at the tiny photograph.
When she came here today, she wasn’t sure she was even going to keep the baby. But after seeing it and hearing the heart beating, she couldn’t entertain any other option.
With a big sniff, she mopped up the rest of her tears and pressed her hands to her hot cheeks. “Well, kid…it’s you and me.”
She wasn’t even the motherly type. Hell, she was Blackout. A dead woman walking.
And there was the not-so-small issue of having to deal with Slade.
She slipped the photograph in her pocket but left the bag filled with information. It would be too difficult to hide from the team. Anything she needed to know, she’d look up on the internet.
Next stop was the pharmacy to pick up the anti-nausea medication, and boy, she couldn’t wait to get a pill into her.
Feeling dizzy on top of clammy and nauseated, she entered the pharmacy and waited in a long line. She was about to step up to the next cashier when a woman darted up first. She was in her twenties and had an infant strapped to her body. The chubby legs dangled around the woman’s waist and the top of its fuzzy brown head bobbed right and left. When a set of bright eyes landed on Lena, her heart flooded with…with…warm fuzzies.
Dear god. In seven months, I’ll have one of these of my very own.
