Page 51 of What A Croc
Finn grabbed some pamphlets off the wall holder and handed them to me. “These have all kinds of quick, useful information on pregnancy.”
Clutching them, I nodded. “I have a five year old. I’ve been through this before.”
When he stared at me, I added, “My mate passed away shortly after he was born.”
He nodded, “I’m sorry. I do remember Brendan telling us that when he hired you. Now, back to your earlier question about Robert’s age.”
“Yes,” I breathed, “are there dangers to him?”
“We do monitor our older patients a bit more,” he told us, “but there is absolutely no reason for there to be any concern. But because of your age,” he turned to Robert, “we do need to watch you a bit more closely for things like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and early labor. How old were you when you had your last pregnancy?”
“Twenty-three,” Robert told him quietly. “A lifetime ago.”
Finn laughed, “Yeah, that’s quite the age gap. And was that an easy pregnancy? Any complications?”
Robert shook his head, “It was easy. I didn’t even have any morning sickness really. Other than not producing milk. Wyatt had the same problem when he had Julianna, so I’ll definitelybottle feed.”
“Well, you may find yourself more tired this time around than last.”
“The morning sickness,” I chimed in, “he’s been super sick for a few days now. Is there something he can take for that?”
Finn grabbed a prescription pad, scrawling on it, before ripping it off and handing it to Robert. “That should help. If it doesn’t you let me know and we’ll try something else. Or if it lasts all day or is too severe, let me know. Do not be afraid to call the office with any concerns. If it’s after hours, one of us is always on call.”
“Thank you,” Robert said, “I think I’m just a bit in shock right now, and my brain hasn’t completely wrapped itself around the idea that I’m actually pregnant. Jackson insisted I was, but even with the positive tests, I was sure you were going to tell me it was just a big joke the universe was playing on me.”
Finn smiled, and again, I was amazed how his smile completely changed his face from grumpy looking grouch to warm and kind. The man should really make an effort to keep a smile plastered on his face at all times. “I understand it’s a shock. I will want to see you every three weeks the first months, then every two, then every week the last six weeks before your due date. I know that seems excessive, but our goal is for you to have a healthy pregnancy and baby.”
“When am I due?” Robert asked the question I was about to. As shifters, we only carried for seven months, while humans carried for nine.
Finn consulted his file folder once more. “Based on the dates of your heat, and the levels in your blood, it looks like your due date is around November fifteenth. That could change once we do an ultrasound, but probably not by much.”
We talked a little more, and I was impressed with the time Finn took to answer all our questions. I knew we’d have plenty more at the next appointment. It helped that I had been through a pregnancy not that long ago with Levi. It had been over twenty years since Robert had given birth, and so much seemed to have changed since then. Plus, as Finn had pointed out, Robert was much older than the last time.
My job was to keep him healthy and happy, and I intended to do just that. We’d work anything else out along the way. But when I helped him settle into the passenger seat of my car after his appointment, I worried over the frown he’d been wearing since we’d left the doctor’s office. All through the elevator ride and getting to my car in the parking garage, I could feel Robert’s unease. Or tenseness?
Something had my mate upset. While I knew this pregnancy had come as a huge surprise for both of us, and it was rather early in our relationship, I wasn’t at all unhappy about this turn of events. I had tried to relaythat to Robert but maybe I had failed somehow to reassure him. Or maybe he really just wasn’t ready for all of this. His divorce had been fresh when we had met, and everything had kind of been a whirlwind since that day.
Brushing a stray lock of his hair that had fallen over his forehead back, I asked him, “What’s got you upset? Is it the pregnancy? Do you not want this baby?”
That got an immediate reaction out of him. His eyes flashed honey gold of astonishment my way, his mouth opening in a strangled gasp. “What? Of course I want this baby? Why would you even ask me that?”
Scooting his legs over in the seat, I made just enough room to sit and face him, but barely. The car door was still open, and I tensed my thigh muscles to keep myself from falling on the pavement, but the position meant I wasn’t towering over him and I could touch him. “Because I can tell you are upset by something. What is it?”
He shook his head, his hands wringing together in his lap. He nibbled his bottom lip, and I had come to realize it was a nervous, anxious gesture he did. His poor lip was looking mangled about now, and I made a mental note to make sure to stop and get him some lip balm.
“What if I mess it up like I did last time?” His voice was so quiet, it took me using my croc hearing to decipher his words.
Frowning, I tried to make sense of his sentence. “Wyatt seems like a very together adult.”
Robert gave a sort of derisive snort laugh that was anything but humorous. “Wyatt was raised by nannies.” He looked away, concentrating on something out the driver side window. “Jane only wanted one child, and we had more important things to deal with than raising that child. It wasn’t seemly.” He used air quotes around the last word, telling me his ex had used that word too. “Then when we discovered Wyatt’s I.Q. was what it was, she became hyper focused on him. Well, not him, but what he could accomplish and the accolades and awards it would bring.”
When he didn’t expand or elaborate, I finally said, “I’m gonna need more to understand all of that. Pretend you’ve just met me and I know nothing about your family.”
While not exactly the case, we hadn’t really ever delved deep into any of his family drama, just sorta skimmed the very surface. But whatever had happened had left an impact on Robert and his confidence in being a good father.
He finally looked at me, his eyes watery, and he blinked them several times. “Wyatt has an I.Q. of one hundred and eight-seven. He’s a certified genius. He also has an eidetic memory.”
I let out a low whistle. “That’s…impressive. Then why is he–?”
