Page 36 of Roman
“I’ll bring water. But I’m going to bring you some juice as well. Is there anything specific that you would like?” I shook my head. I wasn’t overly picky. But I was trying to figure out what happened. “All right. I’ll be back in just a few minutes. If the water fills before I get back, are you all right to turn it off?”
I nodded. He picked up a blue bottle, opened it, and poured it into the water. Immediately, the tub became fragrant, but I couldn’t tell you what the scent was. Roman kissed the top of my head, then stood and left, leaving me with my wandering thoughts. What had happened? It was apparent that I’d had a fertile period. The discomfort I was feeling was obviously because I’d spent my fertile period with an alpha. It had been intense, but I didn’t remember anything about it, and that confused me more than anything.
I looked around the bathroom and noticed small things, items that hadn’t been here before. Thinking back to the last time I remembered being in here, it looked as if Roman had just moved in. That was because he had. He’d told me that he’d just been offered this house that very day. He’d unpacked a few things, but all of the bottles and soaps around the edge of the tub hadn’t been here when we claimed each other. Had he added them while I was having my fertile period? He must have. Where else would they have come from?
I was quite lost in my own thoughts, and it wasn’t until I heard Roman coming back into the bathroom that I realized that the water level was quite high. I reached over and turnedthe faucet off, wondering if I should drain some of the water. Probably since Roman had said he intended to join me. I wasn’t sure about using magic, so I pushed the stopper and immediately was met with the gurgling sound of the water draining out of the tub.
“Is something wrong?” Roman asked as he came back into the bathroom.
“I don’t know. Probably.”
Immediately, Roman seemed to be on alert and rushed over to the tub. He placed a tray on the end where there was a shelf area and reached for me. “What’s wrong? What do I need to do to help? Should I call a doctor?”
I felt terrible, not only physically but also for worrying Roman like I had. “It’s not that. But maybe we should call a doctor. I’m not sure though.” I sighed. “I was so lost in my thoughts, trying to remember anything, and I let the water get too full.”
Roman visibly relaxed. “If that’s the extent of the issue that is most pressing, that’s an easy enough fix, and I hear that you’re already working on it.” Roman moved me back to where I was leaning against the end of the tub before he stepped in and slowly sat down. The water level didn’t overflow, but it was probably higher than we needed. Roman reached for a glass, holding it out to me. “Here’s some water. But I brought some juice as well. We have apple and orange juice. You said you liked apples, so that’s what I brought. There’s toast as well, but you said your throat feels scratchy. If the fluids don’t help with that, there’s fruit and yogurt here for you. Both should be easier to swallow.”
I could only stare at Roman, who was looking at me with concern. “Thank you,” I managed to whisper to him before taking the glass. I realized it was actually plastic but looked like glass. Probably best for in the tub. Roman reached over andclosed the drain while I took my first sip. It was cool and felt amazing on my tongue, and even better as I swallowed it down. I took several more sips, and in no time, it was gone. I handed it back to Roman, who was smiling at me.
“Want to try some yogurt? You really liked it over the past week,” Roman asked as he held out a bowl with a spoon in it.
“I do like yogurt.” I especially liked the peach flavor, but I wasn’t going to complain about anything at the moment.
Roman nodded, then held out the spoon. When I noticed the peach color, I was hopeful. When the first spoonful hit my tongue, I moaned around the peachiness of it. How did he know? It only took me a moment to realize that we were mated and we had a bond. Roman was able to access my thoughts, and most likely, he’d peeked in and searched in order to find out what I liked and didn’t. But I remembered that when we were having our meal that night, steak and spaghetti for Roman and just spaghetti for me, there wasn’t a whole lot in the refrigerator. I definitely didn’t remember seeing any yogurt. Or juice.
“Should I ask where the yogurt and juice came from? I don’t remember it being there before.”
“You can certainly ask.” Roman held out another spoonful of yogurt, and I was thankful that he was willing to feed me. I was starting to feel a bit more energized, but I still felt like my entire body weighed a ton. “I woke up on the couch with you that first night, and at first, I didn’t know what had woken me. Then you moaned. You were burning up, and it didn’t take a whole lot to figure out what was happening. I sent off a text to my brother-in-law Knox. He lives down here off of the mountain with Philip and their twins. Almost immediately, he replied and let me know he would bring supplies in the morning once the store opened.”
I nodded slowly. That was so kind of him. I wasn’t sure if I’d met Knox or not. There had been a whole lot of people in thepast days, but I had no doubt that I would be meeting him soon enough.
“The yogurt is good,” I said.
“Did you want more?”
“In a bit.” I sighed as I leaned back and closed my eyes. “I’m not sure what happened.” I took a moment to gather my thoughts, but it was no use. There was simply nothing there. I opened my eyes and looked directly at Roman. “I’ve never had a fertile period that lasted more than three days, and I have always remembered them. The fact that this one was like it was, I’m concerned.”
Roman nodded slowly. “I’ll call Dr. King later on once we get you cleaned up and situated somewhere. It’s most likely that you’re feeling as you are because of the intensity of the past week.”
“Do you think that’s necessary?” I asked. I didn’t want to put the doctor out just because I felt like I’d been run over by a very large truck.
“Dr. King works for the council. He’s the doctor who runs the omega clinic. Unless you want to see Alexander for medical care, which is actually a possibility if that’s what you want, then I should call the doctor to have him give you a checkup. Dr. King is a warlock. Alexander is a wolf shifter, and although he doesn’t work full-time while Rowan is so young, he does still work every so often.”
I had seen Dr. King around a time or two. He’d been coming out of the clinic that was behind the council building. I was sure I’d met Alexander, but again, there were so many new names and faces, and right now, my brain seemed to be mush.
“I honestly don’t have a preference for who I see.” I sighed and looked down at the water. “I spent a fertile period with my mate, so I have a feeling that I’m going to be needing the services of a doctor for other reasons.”
Roman touched my chin. “If you’re pregnant or not remains to be revealed. But it’s the fact that you cannot remember anything from the past week, and you have stated that your fertile periods only lasted a few days at most, that has me concerned.”
I nodded. “I understand.” I thought about my body, and despite my efforts to sense a little one growing inside me, I couldn’t. “I can’t sense a baby. Maybe it’s too soon? Or maybe I didn’t catch.”
“That’s why the call to Dr. King is important.” I nodded in agreement. “Good. For now though, would you eat a bit more? Or at least drink the juice? Water is good for you too, but it doesn’t provide any sort of calories or energy.”
I smiled at Roman. “I’d very much like the yogurt. I think I can hold it now though. That way, you can eat too.” I glanced at the tray. “You did bring enough for you as well, right? Or at least something to get you started?”
“I’ll eat the toast if you’re not going to.”
I nodded. “And the fruit? Tiger shifters eat fruit, right?”
