Page 42 of His Bittersweet Regret

“It’s what we chose together, why wouldn’t I?”

“I thought maybe you were so angry with me that you wouldn’t do anything I had put any thought into.”

“No matter what, we’re both this baby’s parents. He deserves to have something from each of us, something that represents a time in our lives when we were together and loved one another.”

“I still love you, Opal, with all my damn heart.”

I didn’t return the sentiment. The love for him might have still been there, but it was buried under too much hurt, betrayal, and sadness for me to muster up the words. Besides, he didn’t really deserve to hear them anyway after everything.

“Opal?” Tanya, my favorite nurse, called out from the doorway that opened up to where the exam rooms were. “We’re ready for you,” she added when I looked up.

Carefully, I did my belly-forward, backbend stand from the chair and then wobbled toward her. She grinned at me as I made my way to her. “I see your waddling skills are advancing,” she teased.

“Paint me black and white and call me a penguin,” I answered back, leaving us both giggling.

I didn’t miss the way her eyes tracked back to Marsh and then to me before she leaned in to whisper, “Do you want him back here for all of this, or should we leave him in the waiting room and call him once you’ve changed?”

“Oh, gosh, I forgot about the changing part. Thanks for the reminder.” I turned to Marsh then. “You need to wait here for now, they’ll call you when I’m ready.”

“Why?”

“I have to go pee in a cup, get weighed, and then change into the stupid paper gown that they give me to wear.”

Marsh sighed, but for once complied with my demands without argument. It was almost like he’d been expecting it, so I assumed Ryker had filled him in on procedure and he’d just been hoping that the same rules wouldn’t apply to him that applied to his brother.

Once I was ready, Tanya came back into the room and gave me a knowing look. “We could forget to tell him that you’re ready,” she suggested.

I couldn’t stop the giggle that erupted from me. Not because I wanted to hurt Marsh that way, but just for the sake that it was nice to have someone on my side for once.

“Thanks, Tanya, but he needs to see that this baby is real.”

“Honey, you’re a small girl. Did he think you were smuggling a basketball under your shirt all this time?” She teased. Again, I had to laugh, because if I didn’t, crying was my only option. She must have realized, as she came over and put her arm around me in a quick hug. “I’ll go get him for you. You just sit tight, and the doctor will probably be in soon after.”

“Thank you.” The quietly spoken appreciation wasn’t necessarily about her going to fetch Marsh. I truly appreciated the human contact.

A few minutes later, Marsh was escorted into the room and thankfully, the doctor came in right behind him, so there wasn’t any awkward wait with my ex-boyfriend standing there staring at me while I only had the thin barrier of the gown between us.

“Opal, how has the little guy been treating you?” Dr. Burns asked, as he moved to the foot of the exam table and sat on the stool.

“The kicks to the bladder have lessened, but he’s putting a hurting on my ribs these days,” I complained.

“To be expected. He’s getting ready for his entrance into the world. Sounds like he’s turned head down now.”

“Is that normal?” Marsh asked.

Dr. Burns turned ever so slightly to acknowledge him. “Well, we do like for babies to be born head first. The other way tends to cause problems for both mom and baby.”

“No, I meant her being in so much pain from the baby kicking,” Marsh clarified.

“Well, that’s fairly normal. Babies move around in there, and they don’t have a lot of room to do it, especially at this stage.”

“How about everything else, Opal? Tanya said you mentioned something about being dizzy often when she was taking your vitals.”

“I wouldn’t say often, but whenever I stand up, if I’m not careful, and do it too quickly, I end up with a dizzy spell that takes a minute to clear.”

Dr. Burns seemed a bit concerned by that. “Now, I know at this point in your pregnancy, getting up too quickly is pretty much out of the question, so that development concerns me a bit. Sounds like your blood pressure’s been a bit low.” He glanced down at the tablet in his hands and nodded his head. “It’s not at concerning levels today, but I want you to be aware of how you’re feeling and take precautions. Usually, we see low blood pressure as a norm before twenty-four weeks, but you’re way beyond that.”

“Is there something you can give her?” Marsh asked.

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