Page 82 of Lost
Pixie is in her cat tree by the window, enjoying the muted sunshine as she stretches and gives me a passing glance.
“You have water and food in your bowls in case I’m late,” I tell her as she continues to ignore me. “Don’t be a brat, pixie. I fed you breakfast. Be nice to your human.”
Lazily, she jumps down and winds between my legs, meowing loudly before she flounces away.
I guess that’s as good of a goodbye as I’m likely to get.
Shaking my head, I gather everything else I need and head out to the van. Bertha starts up for me without a complaint, and I shiver in my coat as I wait for her to warm up.
I’ve got a long wait till spring. I’m going to get comfortable with it, although I’ve never been a fan of the snow when I have to drive in it. Pulling down the road, I find that it’s all been shoveled for me, and Pack Ledger is nowhere in sight.
Clicking the gate fob, I slip through it and begin my drive to Pack Kelly’s house. During it, I make sure to call Katee to see how she and the baby are doing, losing myself to the conversation as I drive. I really like her, and she’s easy to speak to.
“Don’t be a stranger,” I say with a smile, seeing that I’m almost to my appointment. “Let me know how you’re both doing.”
“I will,”Katee promises. “Bye, Nova.”
The gates begin to open as I stop in front of them, and I say goodbye to Katee before hanging up. There are more vehicles than normal in the driveway, which makes sense for this appointment. Parking in the garage as usual, I grab my things and slide out of the front seat.
“Hey, Nova,” Duncan says with a smile as he stands at the door. “How was the drive?”
“I almost didn’t notice it,” I say honestly. “I was making phone calls and it helped pass the time.”
Walking inside, I hear a variety of voices that I follow until I step into the living room.
“Hi,” I say warmly, eyes widening as I take everyone in. There’s so many people here. “Who’s first today?”
“Quinn is,” Adira says. “I’m not in a hurry.”
I jump into checking vitals, seeing how the baby is positioned, and everyone grins as they hear the baby’s heartbeat. I love that these two packs get to experience some of their biggest milestones and memories together.
It makes it feel even more special.
“I brought an IV set up just in case,” I tell Quinn. “How are you feeling today? Do you want to skip it or have the IV?”
“The nausea isn’t as bad lately but I hate how little energy I have,” she says with a yawn.
“Babies take a lot of work to grow,” Christian says, parroting something I tend to say often.
“They do, I just want to be able to dance more,” Quinn sighs.
Nodding, I set up the IV and offer some nutritional tips to help. While naps and rest will always be the answer, there are other things to help boost energy so she won’t get frustrated.
While the IV drips and does its thing, I continue with Adira’s appointment, noticing that she’s heading toward her six month mark. Adira is just starting to show signs of being pregnant, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the baby shifts at some point to make its presence known.
“So, we haven’t really talked about finding out the baby’s gender,” I say, leaning forward. “Do you want to know?”
“We’re split on this,” Jed admits. “Damon and I want to know, but Kane and Morris don’t.”
“Do you want to be the tie breaker?” I ask Adira, smiling.
“I’m so far along, I kind of want to wait and see,” she confesses. “Is that silly?”
“Not at all,” I grin. “There’s really no right or wrong answer here.”
Once everyone is taken care of, I start to pack up, but notice that Adira is staring at me.
“What?” I ask, wondering if there’s something on my face.
