Page 37 of Bred By the Dragon

This is all for the best, then. I didn’t want to fall in love with a dragon, and now any feelings I might have had for him have, thankfully, dried up. We are not even friends.

I bury myself in work, even though this early in the pregnancy, I feel like trash all the time. I can tell my body is flooding with strange hormones, making me touchy and snappish at the partygoers who get into my car. I don’t get morning sickness, like I’d expected, which is my one saving grace. I do start to crave foods I don’t normally eat, like barely-cooked steak, or a turkey leg right off the grill.

But as hard as I’m working, I still can’t save up enough to get rid of this roofing bill and still make my mortgage payment. The roofer is growing irritated with me now that the work is done. On my day off, I fix some grout in my bathroom and grease the swings on the playground so they don’t squeak whenever a wind blows past.

While I sit on one, aimlessly swinging back and forth, I wonder if Zakarion will let me see the baby after its born. I run a hand over my stomach, imagining where it will grow, and at least that brings me warmth. I never imagined myself having a child before, but here I am. This one will be quite special, too, and I’m grateful I can be a part of that.

That’s what I tell myself, anyway.

My friends invite me out for drinks, so I tell them about the positive test result, and they demand they come over to celebrate instead. They all bring food and bubbly water, and even homemade lemonade. I put on my best smile and pretend everything is as it should be, and this is what I wanted.

“But you’ve been working so much lately,” Sarah says as our friends dive into a card game. “Is it really a good idea to sustain that while you’re pregnant?”

“Why not?” I ask. “It doesn’t change anything. My body still works fine. I’m just going to be carting around some extra weight for a while.”

“I think it’s a little more involved than that,” she says, her brow furrowed. But I just wave her off with a smile.

That smile stays on my face as Tuesday rolls around and I head to the ob-gyn’s office. It’s in a monster area in the hope that the room will be big enough for Zakarion to fit, and the doctor will know what to do with a human-dragon hybrid.

When I walk into the waiting room, I find a big, red, hulking dragon sitting on the far end, in the area meant for children to play games. Even here, he’s a little too big to fit. There’s a very pregnant orc woman sitting there, as well as a pair of gargoyles with a toddler scrambling from one lap to another.

Zakarion’s head rises when I walk in, and for a second I catch a glimpse of the old Zak. He’s hopeful and excited, and I’m relieved when I see that part of him.

But then, when I sit down beside him, the smile fades and he goes as cold as a stone again.

“Sammy,” he says, tipping his head. “I hope you’re well?”

“Yes, yes. Doing great. Taking my vitamins and exercising.” I smile and flex. “Staying strong.”

He nods. “Good.”

“How are you?” I venture, sitting in a nearby chair. Neither of us moves to be closer to each other.

“I am fine.” He bows his head. “Thank you for doing this.”

“For doing what?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it again, like he’s not sure what he should say.

“It’s fine,” I say quickly. “I understand. You don’t have to say thank you. I chose to do this, remember?”

He studies me. “Yes, you did. And I appreciate that more than you know.”

Sure doesn’t seem like it, I think. But I have to remember I didn’t just do this just for him. Right?

We wait in silence until we’re called in. The doctor is a rather tall yeti with so much hair I can barely see his eyes. He has me pee in a cup, and sends the sample away to be analyzed. Then he asks me to me lie down on the table, and brings out an ultrasound wand.

Great.

Zakarion pushes the chair next to the patient table out of the way and sits on the floor while the doctor works, finding the right image. The yeti points at the screen.

“See, there?” he says, and we both peer at it. I don’t see anything. “That’s the sac where the fetus will grow. It’s attached properly to the uterine lining.” He smiles at both of us. “It’s still very early, but all looks good. I’d like to see you again in a few weeks.”

“All right,” I say breezily. “Sounds good.”

The doctor leaves, and I hastily put my clothes back on while Zakarion sits in the corner of the room. He doesn’t speak until I’ve zipped up my jeans and I’m headed to the door, so I turn around and offer my most radiant smile.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” I say. “We made a baby, the two of us. I didn’t think it would work, and then?—”

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