Page 45 of The Glass Dolphin

“Of course they can.”

El nodded, but she didn’t like it. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” He sighed and looked down at their joined hands. “I don’t think they’ll be violent, to be honest. There’s a reason Weston threw those buckets into The Glass Dolphin at three-thirty in the morning.”

“Why send a letter then? That reeks of terrorism, almost.”

“It could be nothing,” Aaron said. “Paul texted, wanting to know if I wanted to be there to meet with the Councilman. I said no. He can handle it. He said he would.” He ducked his chin toward her without truly looking at her. “Okay? There’s always something like this out there, El. We handle it when they break the law. That’s my job.”

“I know what your job is,” she whispered. “And it’s to keep me, Billie, and Grace safe. It’s to keep everyone in the cove safe.”

“Right.” He swept a kiss along her hairline. “And Paul’s doing it. We’ll go from there.” He looked up as the door opened, and El’s emotions got yet another surprise as the doctor entered first, the nurse right behind her.

“Good morning,” she said pleasantly. “Chief Sherman. How are you?” She extended her hand to shake, and Aaron half-rose to do it.

“Great, Shandy. How are you?” He’d switched to passionate about the law and keeping Five Island Cove from regressing into the past to smiling, bright Police Chief in less time than it took to shake hands.

“Just fine.” Dr. Shandy Grishal looked over to El. “How are you feeling, Eloise?”

“Uh, okay,” she said, somewhat surprised the doctor had switched her attention away from Aaron so fast. El was used to being overlooked at his side, as everyone did it—including his own father. “I missed my period last week, and I’ve felt shaky and weak in the morning.”

Dr. Grishal looked down at the manila folder that El assumed held her chart. “That’s because you’re showing high levels of hCG, and that increased hormone in your body throws everything off.” She set the folder on the counter and grinned at El and Aaron. “Congrats, Eloise. You’re going to have a baby.”

El could only stare at her. For some reason, despite the signs her body had given her, and despite her instincts, she’d been expecting the test to be negative.

“That’s great,” Aaron said, laughing as he wrapped one arm around El.

“Yeah,” she said, coming to her senses. “That’s really great.”

“Oh, good,” Dr. Grishal said. “I’m never sure if I’m walking into a room where the couple wants to be pregnant or not.” She laughed too. “Okay, so I’m going to get some vitamins prescribed for you, and we can come up with a due date…” She fiddled with something on her computer. “Do you know the starting date of your last menstrual cycle?” She looked up at El, once again not paying much attention to Aaron.

Eloise liked that for some reason. “Uh, the exact date?” She looked over to Aaron, and he stared blankly back at her. Her mind raced. She’d been pretty regular her whole life, and her most fertile periods were near the end of the month. “I was supposed to start in January on the fifteenth, and I didn’t. So probably December fifteenth. Or close to that.”

“We can work with that,” Dr. Grishal said in a somewhat distracted voice as she typed on the computer. “This is telling me you’re due on September twenty-first.”

“September,” El repeated. “That feels so soon.”

Dr. Grishal grinned. “It is still January, so…you’ve got time.” She handed something to her nurse, and then returned her attention to El and Aaron. “I want to see you every month for the next little while. Sooner if you’re really ill or you start bleeding. In extreme cases, you should go to the ER, of course.”

She flipped something on the chart. “This is your first pregnancy?” She looked up, wide-eyed, at Eloise.

“Yes,” she said.

“And you’re forty-seven.”

“Yes.”

Dr. Grishal leaned against the counter, her expression sobering. “I’m sure you know this, but I have to say it. Getting pregnant at this age is pretty rare. It’s only a three or four percent chance, and the odds of having something wrong with the baby are far higher for you than for younger women.”

El nodded, because she did know this.

“You’re automatically considered a high-risk pregnancy,” she said. “You have to do more than moms in their twenties.”

“Do more?”

“Avoid stress, eat right, get enough rest,” Dr. Grishal said, listing them off on her fingers. “It’sreallyimportant, Eloise, if you want this baby to be healthy.” She switched her gaze to Aaron. “And you work the most high stress job there is. That has to bleed over into your household.”

Aaron swallowed and squeezed Eloise. “I will take care of her,” he said, and Eloise fell in love with him all over again. He smiled at her, and then the doctor. “We’ll do everything we can on our end, Doctor. I can promise you that.”

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