Page 59 of Forced Pregnant Mate

Even though the exam room is warm, I’m feeling a bit chilly in my hospital gown. It’s also not a nice feeling to be laid out on a table with my lower body almost completely exposed. I’m very glad that Jack is sitting next to me, holding my hand.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I told Jack about the baby, and he has barely left my side. This is the first doctor’s appointment I’ve had since then, and now we finally get to hear the heartbeat and see our baby for the first time.

I grip Jack’s hand a bit tighter as the cold gel spreads across my belly. The lovely old lady doing the ultrasound speaks to me in a kind voice, explaining what’s happening as she goes. She firmly sweeps the wand across my belly, making me shiver.

“Just a second,” she mutters, twirling the wand a little. “Little one seems to be hiding from me. It’s not always easy in the first few weeks to get a good picture.”

A thousand questions clamor to the front of my brain, and Jack squeezes my hand, leaning forward with an anxious look on his face. Before either of us can speak, a deep, even throbbing sound echoes around us. For a moment, I’m so stunned, I can’t even move.

“Is that—” Jack doesn’t get to finish his question as the lady laughs softly.

“Yes, that’s your baby. Nice, healthy heartbeat. Take a look at this.”

She presses down with the wand, making me wince, but both Jack and I are looking so intently at the screen that I barely notice the discomfort. A gasp slips out of my mouth as I see the bright outline of our baby, clear as day in the murky dark.

I look over at Jack. He is staring intently at the screen, his eyes shimmering. Even though he looks like a statue, he’s also more full of emotion than I’ve ever seen him. It’s all in his crystal-blue eyes and the faint curve of his lips.

“That will do, dear,” the lady says. She holsters the wand and hands me a stack of paper towels. “The bathroom is just through there.”

She points to a nearby door, and I almost moan with relief. I need to pee so badly, I can barely move. I wipe at my belly with the towels and let go of Jack, swinging my feet towards the floor.

“Do you need some help—” he starts.

“Jack, I love you, but if you get between me and that bathroom, I’m going to tear you apart!”

I hear the old lady chuckling as I stagger towards the bathroom. Jack seems confused, but I’m sure she will fill him in on the gory details of pregnancy ultrasounds.

A few minutes later, I’m dressed and comfortable, sitting in the doctor’s exam room with Jack. He’s leaning over the table with a worried expression.

“I know she told us in the exam room that the baby is healthy,” he says. “But I’d just like you to give us a bit more detail, please.”

The doctor smiles kindly at him. “I understand your concern, son. You’re going to make an excellent father. Everything looks great. The baby is a good size, and the heartbeat is strong. I’d say, just keep doing what you’re doing. Did you read the information I gave you, Lena?”

“Yes, I did,” I answer, nodding. “I didn’t really have to make any changes to my diet or anything. Well, I should probably be eating less takeout, I guess. But then I’d have to learn how to cook.”

The doctor laughs and shakes his head. “As I said, whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up! We don’t want to make any big changes if things are going well. It’s good to keep working, if you can. Just stay a bit active if that’s what you’re used to.”

“No problem—”

“Wait!” Jack cuts me off. “What do you mean, keep working? Shouldn’t she be on the couch with her feet up?”

The doctor chuckles. “Not yet, unless she is feeling unwell. We certainly don’t recommend full bedrest without a good reason.”

Jack nods, but I can see he doesn’t quite agree. We book our next appointment and head home, where Sam has valiantly tried to make dinner. It ends up being a disaster, so we head out to eat.

“Should we tell Mom tomorrow?” Jack asks. “She’ll meal prep for the next ten weeks if we do.”

“Yes, I think it’s time,” I agree. “I can’t wait to tell Gina. I should really spend some time with little Natalia so I can practice.”

So far we had held off on telling anyone, because we wanted confirmation that the pregnancy was going well. Now that we know, there’s no reason to hold back.

After dinner, we head out to the parking lot, and when I reach up to grab the door handle of the truck, both Sam and Jack yell.

“What?” I ask, mystified.

“Don’t reach up like that!” Jack cries at the same time Sam yells, “Stop!”

I stand there, looking at the boys, then the truck. “How am I supposed to get in?”

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