Page 78 of Piston

Steal raises a brow, and she lifts the white wand thing at him, and he scrambles quickly, making Natalie laugh.

“Okay, Nat, I need you to lift your legs on the stirrups.”

Steal and I look at each other in shock.

Surely, that thing is not going….

The ladies ignore us, and my mouth drops open as Cass pours lube on the wand, and then?—

“Hang on, hang on,” I snap, stepping forward. Cass grins while Nat groans.

“Dammit, Eli, I now owe Cassidy one favor, any fricking favor she asks, and can’t question it.”

I frown and ask, “Huh?” and she scowls at me.

“Cass said you’ll snap at seeing that, and I said you wouldn’t, but there you go, proving me wrong.” I wince as Steal snorts.

Cassidy speaks up, making me look her way as she educates us, "This wand is what we doctors use to do a transvaginal ultrasound. I have to insert it inside of Nat. An ultrasound on the belly won’t pick up the heartbeat, but if there is one, this should hear it. Now stand back and keep your lips shut.”

I narrow my eyes at her. "Again, doctors are supposed to be caring and sweet.”

She laughs. “Yeah, not when said doctor has seen you trying to twerk.”

I slowly close my eyes as Natalie bursts out in laughter.

“Really, Piston?” Steal asks, and I flip him off, making him grin.

“Okay, let's do this,” Cass says, clearly in a rush to get away from her ex.

I wince, and Steal says, “Fuck that’s not natural, right?” as Cass pushes the wand inside my wife, the sheets covering her.

I watch, quite freaked out, as she moves her hand underneath the sheet, and presses a few buttons on the monitor next to her.

“All right, come on, baby, have a heartbeat….”

I swallow hard, seeing the emotions running over Cassidy’s face, her whispered words, “Please don’t let me watch my friend lose another baby,” hitting me hard.

I look at Steal and see his sole focus is his ex.

Suddenly—Whoosh-whoosh….

“Fuck me, is that….” I can’t get all my words out.

Cassidy looks at me, tears coating her cheeks, and she confirms, “Your baby’s heartbeat.”

She wipes her cheeks with her arms and sniffles, pressing more buttons, and then she points to the little blip on the screen.

“That there is the heart beating, nice and strong,” she says sniffling.

Fuck me….

Natalie, who has been quiet, lets out a sob and cries, “What if I fail?”

Pain hits me hard at the fear on my wife’s face, and I open my mouth, but Cass beats me to it, grabbing my girl's leg, causing her to look at her. She says, “The best mom, remember?” Natsobs. “This child is one lucky child because it has you as a mom, and Nat, that is the greatest gift this child could ask for, do you hear me?” Nat nods, her tears falling, and Cass turns the screen so Natalie can see it clearly. Cass points at the screen. “This baby is going to be brought into this world full of love. It’ll have a father that would kill for it,” I nod in confirmation, “it’ll have uncles to teach it things you wish they wouldn’t,” Nat chokes out a laugh, and I grin, “and it’ll have you. What happened three years ago wasn’t your fault. Your upbringing…shame on them for treating someone as special as you the way they did, because you deserve more. You are loved, Natalie Mathews, and the fact you got Piston to leave his manwhore ways just proves how special you are.”

I give Cass a grateful grin before kissing my wife’s head, murmuring, “I couldn’t have said it any better myself. We’ll be alright baby, I promise.”

Natalie nods and squeezes my hand as Cassidy takes fetal measurements, all while my prez looks at her with awe.

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