Page 122 of In Control

“Phew.” His body sags in relief as a nurse steps into the corridor.

“Miss Valentine?”

“That’s me.” Soph steps towards her, taking a steadying breath.

“We’re going to have to change that,” Esra rumbles. “Don’t want everyone thinking you’re fucking available.”

“I’m not changing my name unless you do too,” she says.

Gabe takes her hand in his. “Hmmm I like that idea. We could create a pack surname.”

The nurse’s gaze flicks around the five of us. “When you’re quite ready, only one of you can accompany the mother-to-be.”

“Err, no,” Liam tells her. “All of us will be accompanying our beta. She belongs to our pack.”

The nurse frowns. “It’s against the hospital rules–”

“Which can be bent in this circumstance,” Liam says firmly, his tone making it clear he won’t be losing this argument.

“Fine.” The nurse’s shoulders sag in resignation and she pushes against a door. We step inside a darkened room, a bed resting in the centre with a trolly and a computer screen alongside. The nurse points to the bed. “Up there, please.”

I help Sophia onto the mattress and hold her hand, my eyes locked on hers as the nurse shimmies up her top and squirts clear gel onto her skin.

“I can’t look,” Sophia whispers to Liam. “You’ll tell me when it’s OK?”

“I will,” he promises.

Sophia may not be able to look, but my gaze is pulled towards the screen as the nurse lowers a device to Sophia’s stomach and wavy monochrome lines fill the screen. For a while, the lines make no sense and all we can hear is the device scraping lightly across Sophia’s lower belly.

Then, all of a sudden, a noise fills the room. Loud and strong. Thethud thudof a heartbeat.

Sophia chokes on a sob. “That’s …”

“It is, sweetheart,” Liam says, stroking her arm. “That’s our baby’s heart.”

“And is it healthy …”

Liam’s eyes are drawn to the screen, to where strange blobs float, blobs I can make head nor tail of.

“Nurse?” Liam asks.

“Everything’s looking healthy.”

We all let out a combined relieved sigh and Sophia ventures a peek at the screen. “Is that …”

Liam walks over to the screen and points. “Here’s our baby’s little head and here is its spine. Can you see? And look here’s a leg – long legs like yours, Sophia – and a tiny, teeny hand.”

I can hear the tears in his voice as we all stare transfixed and water slides down Sophia’s cheeks too.

“Beautiful. Can we tell if it’s a girl or a boy?”

“Too early for that,” the nurse tells her, “but everything is looking fine. I’m going to take some pictures,” she presses some buttons on the machine, “and then I just need to check some more things.” She slides the probe over Sophia’s stomach. The heartbeat fades, then grows again. “Oh,” the nurse says, eyes darting to the five of us.

“There’s another one, isn’t there?” Liam grins.

“Yes, you appear to be carrying twins. Congratulations.”

“I knew it!” Liam punches his fist into the air in triumph.

---