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He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around the kitchen, the peed-on stick completely forgotten in their excitement. Xavier lifted her and howled his pleasure. She could see the wolf in his eyes, just below the surface. She felt an overwhelming sense of protection emanating from him.
“Right, I’m taking you to the healer,” Xavier said when they’d both calmed a little. “Let’s check just to be sure everything’s okay.”
“Don’t you have to work today?” Sara asked.
“Work? On a day like today? You must be kidding. This is way too important. Work can wait.”
It pleased Sara to see how passionate Xavier was being about it. When she’d first agreed to this surrogate deal, she had thought she would be facing most of it on her own. Having Xavier involved made her feel much more confident about the situation.
“Okay,” she said with a smile. “I’d better get dressed then.”
When she got out of the shower, she stood naked in front of the full-length mirror. She examined her flat stomach, placing her hands tenderly upon it. “Hello, little baby,” she said, a tear of love welling up in her eye. “You are going to be the most loved baby in the world.”
The moment was ruined somewhat by another wave of nausea rising. “Though I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t make me too sick,” she added.
She dressed quickly and rushed downstairs to join Xavier. “Are you ready?” he asked. “I’ve called ahead, and she’s expecting us around ten. I hope that’s okay?”
“That’s absolutely fine,” she said. “I’m so thrilled.”
“I am too,” he said. “Are you hungry? You threw up your breakfast. We could stop in at The Hungry Horse on the way if you like?”
The Hungry Horse was a shifter diner that specialized in large steaks and plenty of carbs. It was a very thoughtful idea, but the mere idea of it made her gag. “Um, no, thanks. I think I might avoid that kind of food for a while.”
Xavier must have seen the color drain from her cheeks at the prospect. “Ah, okay,” he said. “Some soft fruit then?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “That sort of thing for now, I think.”
When they got to the healer’s, there was no one there except for them. Xavier told her that he’d asked for privacy, so she had shuffled her appointments around to accommodate them. “We don’t want word getting out until we’re ready,” he said.
Sara was relieved. She hadn’t liked the prospect of waiting in a packed waiting room to be seen. There were definitely perks to carrying the alpha’s baby.
The healer was a middle-aged woman with graying hair pulled back in a long braid that reached down her back. Some of her hair had worked its way loose and fell in gentle waves around her face. Sara instantly warmed to her.
“Come in and sit down,” she said. Even her voice had an air of reassuring comfort.
Sara sat and looked around her exam room. It was not very different from most exam rooms she’d been in. There were the usual anatomy posters on the walls and an examination table in the corner.
However, there were also jars of herbs and bottles of colored liquids in glass-fronted cabinets. The shelves that lined the walls were filled with books, not only on human ailments but many that would look more at home in a veterinary clinic. Sara guessed it must be very different treating shifters. She wondered if carrying a shifter baby would affect her pregnancy.
“Hi, I’m Dr. Annie Parker, but you can call me Annie,” she said by way of an introduction. “And you must be Sara?” She held out her hand.
Sara shook it, feeling a little awed. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” she said.
“As you can see, things are done a little differently here,” said Annie. “Let me reassure you that I’m a human doctor as well as a shifter healer. I’ve had many years of experience bringing both human and shifter babies into the world,” she added with a smile of encouragement.
The room gained a serene energy, a sanctuary of understanding and trust. She instinctively felt that as long as Annie was part of birthing her shifter child, she could face the uncertainties ahead with renewed strength and optimism.
“First, let’s do some checks and confirm that you’re definitely pregnant and that everything is all right with the baby,” Annie went on. “Do you think you could give me a small sample?” she asked, waving a bottle in the air.
“Yes, of course,” Sara replied, taking the bottle. She was so nervous, it wouldn’t be difficult.
“The bathroom is out in the waiting room,” Annie told her.
Two minutes later, Sara returned with the specimen jar full of urine. “Well, that’s nice and clear. That’s a good sign,” Annie said. She took the sample to a counter and pulled from the cabinet a white strip that looked similar to the pee stick from earlier.
“Isn’t that just the same as the pregnancy test we did earlier?” asked Sara.
“Very similar,” replied Annie. “But this is a lot more sensitive. I’ll also test for a bunch of other stuff while I’m at it. It will make sure your body is responding properly to the pregnancy and confirm that you’re nice and healthy too.”
