Page 68 of Dimitri

Dimitri handed me a plate with a giant cinnamon roll on it, and I wondered for a moment if I’d be able to eat the entire thing. Now that it was sitting right in front of me, I could smell it, and my mouth started to water in anticipation. I picked up the fork, and took a small bite. I closed my eyes and moaned when the warm treat hit my tongue. It was soft and had the perfect amount of cinnamon gooeyness in it. The frosting was cream cheese, and I couldn’t stop from dancing in my chair. It was perfect.

When I swallowed and opened my eyes, I found Dimitri staring at me. “I am glad you are enjoying your treat.”

“I’m an idiot,” I said as I pulled the plate a little closer. “When my stomach sorted itself out, I should have started eating more things I love. I focused too much on eating only healthy foods.”

“All things in moderation,” Dimitri said. I nodded in agreement. When I glanced down at his plate, I saw that hiscinnamon roll was almost gone. I needed to step up my game, and dove in. I managed to get several more bites in while Dimitri finished his and drank the cup of coffee I’d magicked up for him.

I gave up trying to finish it though. I just didn’t have the same appetite that Dimitri did, and we’d eaten breakfast not long ago.

“I can’t.” I said and pushed my plate away.

“It is all right. It makes me very happy that you ate any of it. I do not like that you deny yourself. What if our baby wanted a cinnamon roll?”

I looked over at Dimitri and snorted. He was absolutely serious, and it was just adorable. “Then our baby will get a cinnamon roll,” I told him. “If he’s old enough.” I felt full, perhaps a bit too full, but it didn’t take much for me to feel that way anymore. “We need to go,” I said. “We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”

“You can use magic to get us there, can you not?”

I nodded. “Then we can go that way. We will not be late. If you still wish to have a walk, we can walk home.”

“I thought you had to go to work after? It’s Wednesday.” He wasn’t going out on assignments at the moment since the trail to locate Marco had died. He was simply nowhere to be found.

“I am not working today. My only task is to see that you get to your scan and then spend the day with you while we decide what we wish to do for the baby’s room.”

I grinned. I had so few days where I got to spend the entire day with Dimitri, and I wasn’t going to complain about not having an extra one with him in the middle of the week.

“Then we should go,” I told him as I stood. Dimitri hurried to touch the back of my chair to steady it. Once I was fully upright, he reached for my hand. With our fingers laced together, I thought about the clinic that was over behind the council building. We were standing outside it in a blink, and Dimitri immediately reached for the door with his free hand. I entered,only too happy to get out of the cold. It was February, and even the air felt frozen. Add in two feet of snow, and the mountain was beautiful, but bitterly cold.

“Good morning.”

We looked up at the greeting and found Todd. He looked…frazzled.

“Hello Todd. How are you doing today?” I asked as we approached him. Dimitri was still beside me, his hand still holding mine.

“Do you know anything about computers?” He asked. There was such a hopeful look in his eyes. “I don’t know what I did.” He turned the monitor around and showed that it was a rainbow of colors.

“Oh my. Did you spill something on the computer?” I asked. Todd shook his head. “Drop it?” Another shake.

I flicked my fingers toward the monitor and when it went from the rainbow to what looked like a schedule, I grinned. Todd turned the monitor back around his way, and I watched as his eyes widened and then became watery.

“Todd, did you ever…oh, you did. Good job,” Dr. King said. “I don’t know how you fixed it, but good job.”

Todd opened his mouth, but Dimitri cut him off. “We apologize for being a bit late,” Dimitri said. “I finally got Caspian to eat a cinnamon roll.”

“Cinnamon roll, huh?” Dr. King said. “Well, that sounds like a treat. Are you ready for your scan?”

I winked at Todd, hoping he understood that it didn’t matter how the computer got fixed, just that it did. I knew he had struggled a great deal when it came to working his position. He was replacing Cecil, who had been Dr. King’s last office manager, but had decided that he was going to spend the next few years at home with their little ones. Not that I blamed him. I had every intention on not returning to work in any capacity for at least adecade. Of course, I said that now. Give me a year or two and I might be singing a different tune.

I followed Dr. King down the hallway, turning into the second room on the right. It had a cozy looking bed in it that I went directly to and climbed on. It was already in an upright position, so I found myself in what I would describe as an oversized lounger.

“How have you been feeling? I know you were experiencing pregnancy illness in the very beginning. Somewhat severe at that.” Dr. King glanced at Dimitri who had sat in the chair that was beside the exam bed. “But your One has mentioned having a cinnamon roll. Is that completely gone then?”

“Yes. He surprised me with them this morning. They’re my favorite, but I’ve not had one since before I met Dimitri.”

Dr. King’s expression changed. “Why is that? If they are your favorite, why would you deny having them? Do they not sit well in your stomach?”

I sighed. “No, that’s not it.” I placed my hands on my bump. Well, my pregnant stomach because it was a lot more than just a bump. “I feel fat most days, and I’ve been focusing on eating healthy things. Cinnamon rolls are anything but healthy.”

“Ah. Yes, well, you are growing an entire new person. A dragon at that.” Dr. King looked at Dimitri. “Were you a small baby?”