Page 27 of The Boss's Triplet Surprise

CHAPTER 11

LEAH

“Ready for this?” Dan gave Leah a measuring look. They were standing outside the fertility clinic, about to go inside. Leah took a deep breath and nodded.

“Let’s go.” Together, they stepped inside, Dan holding the door open for her. She smiled her thanks at him.

It meant a lot that Dan was accompanying her to this appointment — and that he’d agreed to spend as much time as possible with their child. Leah liked the idea that Dan would be involved. She knew her baby’s life would be enriched by an involved father’s presence.

Yet she also knew that it was going to be hard. She’d just agreed to be close to Dan, without actually dating him, for the rest of their lives. It was going to be incredibly difficult to co-parent with him and share intimate moments with him — without relying on him. Leah knew Dan was dedicated to his job, first and foremost. And she knew he would probably date, even fall in love, eventually. Just not with her.

She shook her head to clear it. You’re getting ahead of yourself, Adams. This was a huge day for Leah, one of the first steps towards becoming a mother. She couldn’t let herself be distracted by anything else.

She checked in at the reception, then took a seat beside Dan in the waiting room located at the side of the lobby. This time, there was one single woman flipping through a magazine. Leah gave her a friendly smile. She knew how difficult it was to be here alone.

This time, they didn’t have long to wait. After only a few minutes, a nurse called them back. As before, Moira stood up from behind her desk and came to shake their hands.

“Nice to see you two again. Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’m all right,” Leah said.

Dan nodded. “Me too.”

“Wonderful. Let’s dive right in, then. I spent some time over the last week reviewing your file, and I’m happy to say that no red flags jumped out. What we’ll need today is a basic physical and a few tests to make sure you’re in good health. If that’s all clear, we’ll get started straight away.”

Once again, Moira went over a bit of the medical process, but Leah found herself tuning it out. She was very familiar with fertility and didn’t need much review. Plus, she was far too excited and nervous to focus on anything.

“Finally, I realized that I didn’t ask about birth control last time. My apologies; that was an oversight. Are you on any birth control at the moment?”

Leah shook her head. “No, nothing. But I am taking a drug called Forenal, which is meant to improve chances of conceiving.”

“I’ve heard of that from a colleague.” Moira tilted her head. “Who prescribed it?”

“Um, I did. I was the lead researcher on the team that developed it. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it last time.”

“No worries. You’re the scientist behind Forenal?” Moira nodded slowly. “I’m impressed. I’ve heard that it’s shown great results in clinical trials. And now you’re here. I’m looking forward to working with you on this. Although you must know everything there is to know about Forenal, I’ll take a little time to read up on it myself so that I know what we’re working with.”

“I can send you some information if it would be helpful.”

“Yes, please. Anyway, back to my original question. You mentioned that you aren’t on any kind of birth control. Is that right?”

Leah shook her head.

“Okay. So, the first thing we’ll have you do is start on birth control.” Moira turned to Dan. “I know, it might seem a little counterproductive to take birth control when you’re trying to get pregnant, but, as I’m sure Leah knows, the first step is to make sure the menstrual cycle is regular and predictable. That way, we can ensure the optimal time for implantation.”

“I’m happy to take birth control, but I shouldn’t need it. I’ve always been as regular as clockwork.” Leah felt embarrassed to be discussing all this in front of Dan, but she was a scientist, and they were having a baby together. She wasn’t going to be too bashful to discuss her own body.

“When was the first day of your last period?”

“Let me see. If it’s the seventeenth now…” Leah counted back. Her period was every twenty-seven days, without fail, except for a few occasions when she’d been very sick or stressed. Yet this time… Leah checked, then double-checked to be sure. No, it was true. “Um. I think my last period was about six weeks ago.”

Leah glanced at Dan. Did he know the significance of this? From his wide eyes, she was pretty sure he did. They’d spent the night together at the conference around a month ago. The timing lined up. But surely she couldn’t be pregnant after they’d spent just one night together. It was possible, but so unlikely that it belied belief, especially after all the struggle her parents had gone through.

“Well, the two of you are in the right place.” Moira gave them a kind smile. “I know what you’re thinking, but keep in mind that there can be lots of reasons for a late or missed period. Stress, illness; even changing climate or lots of exercise can delay a period. I will draw a blood test, though, so that we can know for sure.”

Leah nodded, but she already knew what the results of the blood test would say. She’d been as regular as clockwork since she was a teenager, and all the numbers lined up. She was certain that she was already pregnant, as impossible as that felt after just one night together.

“Are you all right?” Dan laid a hand on her arm. Leah nodded again.

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