Page 115 of A Kingpin's Weakness
I laughed under my breath and nudged her with my elbow. “What if it’s a girl?”
“Then we’re definitely not naming her Seth nothing.”
She leaned back into the seat and put her phone down in her lap.
“I didn’t think we’d be here,” she said softly, eyes forward now. “Not like this.”
“Yeah, I didn’t either.”
She glanced over at me then. “But I’m glad it’s with you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. My throat tightened. So, I just reached out and took her hand in mine. No words. Just held it.
“Stormi Knight.”
The nurse called her name, and we both stood. I didn’t say anything. I just reached for her hand and laced my fingers with hers. She gripped mine tight, like she needed it. And I needed to give it.
As we walked back, she was quiet. Not cold just in her head. The nurse handed her one of those thin tissue blankets for after she peed in the cup and pointed her to the bathroom.
"Remove your jeans and underwear, cover up, and hop on the table," the nurse said with a warm voice, but I could still feel Stormi stiffen.
When she came out, she sat on the edge of the table, feet swinging lightly, wrapped in that sorry excuse for a sheet. Her knee bounced one of her nervous habits.
“You nervous?” I asked, sitting down next to her.
“A little,” she whispered, eyes flicking to the medical equipment on the counter.
“Why?”
She hesitated, then let out a breath. “Because I’ve never been pregnant before.”
She didn’t have to say more than that. I could hear the rest in her voice. She was scared. Of what came next. Of being vulnerable. Of doing this wrong. I stood and wrapped my arms around her, holding her like I was trying to take all the fear out of her body and carry it myself.
“I got you,” I murmured into her ear, my voice rough. “For life.”
She melted into me, like she needed that more than anything else. I kissed her lips gently then again, deeper this time, like Icould speak through my mouth what I couldn’t say with words. A knock broke us apart just in time. The door opened.
“Hi, Mommy and Daddy!” the doctor said cheerfully.
Stormi laughed nervously. “Hi.”
“I’m Dr. Simpkins. Well, we’ve got a confirmed pregnancy. Congratulations.”
Stormi gave a soft smile. “Thank you.”
“And you said your last period was maybe around three months ago?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Your bloodwork puts you at about 10 weeks along. Still early, but baby is cookin’. We’ll do an ultrasound today to get images and measurements.”
Stormi nodded. I could see her jaw tighten.
“How you been feeling?” the doc asked, moving around.
“I can’t keep anything down,” Stormi admitted. “Everything makes me nauseous. And I’m just tired. Like bone-tired.”
“That’s totally normal,” Dr. Simpkins said, warm and calm. “You’re growing a human from scratch. Your body’s doingalot right now. I’ll prescribe something for the nausea, and give you a few natural remedies you can try too.”
