14. Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Duncan
T he waiting room of the H?pital Saint-Louis buzzed with activity—expectant mothers, anxious fathers, and efficient nurses moving in and out of doors.
Elsa sat next to me, her hand resting lightly on her slightly rounded belly, a serene expression on her face. She seemed so calm, so ready for this, while I was a bundle of nerves, my leg bouncing with restless energy.
I had told her we should see a private doctor, but she'd given me such a scathing look that I didn't bring it up again. She saw me as a spoiled rich man—and that was true, but she was my wife, and I wanted the best for her and our baby.
"Relax, Duncan." She placed her hand on my knee to still it. "What are you worried about?"
"Hospitals make me jumpy, and I prefer to see a doctor at a private clinic. This place has too many people."
She grinned. "This is a great hospital. I know my doctor here, and I want to continue seeing her. Please, be okay with that."
Damn it! I'd do anything for her. Didn't she already know that?
I kissed her mouth then because I couldn't resist it. She was so beautiful, so perfect. I put my hand over hers, covering her belly. "I don't know how it's possible to be so happy and scared at the same time."
Before she could respond, a nurse called her name. "Mademoiselle Elsa, le docteur est prêt à vous voir." Miss Elsa, the doctor will see you.
" Madame Elsa Archer," I grunted. Fuck that. She wasn't a mademoiselle . She was my fucking wife.
We followed the nurse down a sterile corridor to the examination room. The doctor, a sharp-eyed woman with a professional demeanor, greeted us.
"Bonjour ."
" Monsieur et Madame Archer ," the nurse said quickly and gave me a small smile.
The doctor raised both eyebrows.
I placed one hand on the small of Elsa’s back, and I extended the other to the doctor. "I'm Duncan Archer, Elsa's husband."
" Je suis le docteur Lévy ." The doctor had a firm hand.
"Could we do this in English?" Elsa requested.
I'd told her that I worried about losing something in translation, especially in a clinical setting, which was why I wanted her to see the Archer private doctor in his private hospital in the first place. He spoke English. His OBGYN spoke English. All the nurses there spoke English.
" "Of course we can." Dr. Lévy smiled, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement—probably because she found my possessiveness over my wife entertaining. "You'll have to let her go for a bit so she can change, and we can run a few basic tests."
"Tests?" I felt something freeze inside me. "Why?"
"It's what we do at every appointment, Duncan," Elsa said softly.
"I'll come with you."
Elsa licked her lips. "Why don't you stay and talk to Doctor Lévy? Ask all the questions you have?"
"And you'll be alright?" Of course, she would. Women had children all the time, and yet I couldn't help but worry about mine. The truth was, I had been feeling out of my element ever since I met Elsa and I didn’t think that was ever going to change.
"Yes." She patted my shoulder and then, on impulse, went on tiptoe and kissed my lips. "I'm fine. I'm going to continue to be fine."
I kissed her back in a way that was wholly inappropriate in front of an audience. But they could all go fuck themselves. I was feeling territorial.
"Are you American?" Doctor Lévy asked as she sat down on a chair by the examination table.
"Yes," I said brusquely. "Is she okay?"
She smiled. "First baby?"
"Yeah. Is it that obvious?"
"I've had more than my share of worried fathers and mothers in my examination room." She looked at me speculatively. "This is the first time I have seen you with Elsa."
I nodded but didn't elaborate. It was none of her fucking business that we were still finding our marital legs.
"When exactly is the baby due?" I asked. "Elsa said sometime in December."
"December twentieth, but you never know with first babies. They can come early or late."
"A Christmas baby," I whispered under my breath. It was the best thing I could ever find under a Christmas tree.
I calculated in my head. That was thirty-eight weeks from conception, and since even I knew pregnancy was measured from the first day of a woman's last period, the timing fit, not that I ever doubted the baby was mine.
Had the condom broken? And I didn't even notice that? Well, no surprise there. I was so into the woman in my bed that the city could've been on fire, and I'd be between her legs, tasting that vanilla pussy of hers, fascinated by her breathy moans.
I asked more questions about what Elsa should eat, how rough we could fuck; what should she drink? Was it okay that she worked so many hours in her bakery? Was it okay that she was on her feet so much?
The doctor answered all my questions patiently.
By the time Elsa came back wearing one of those hideous hospital paper gowns.
"You look beautiful," I murmured in surprise. How could she look like this in a fucking hospital gown? And why did I want to strip it off her and fuck her?
She giggled.
" Il est gentil, ton mari ," the Nurse said, grinning broadly. He's a sweet one, your husband.
No one ever called Duncan Archer sweet, but then no one had ever seen him with his pregnant wife, who had him pussy whipped, I thought.
Dr. Lévy gestured for Elsa to lie down on the examination table. "We're going to do an ultrasound today to check on the baby's development and, if you want, to find out the baby's sex. êtes-vous prêts ?" Are you ready?
"Are we?" Elsa asked me.
I swallowed hard and nodded, feeling both excited and terrified all at once. "Yes, we're ready."
As Dr. Lévy prepared the ultrasound machine, I moved closer to Elsa, taking her hand in mine. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the medical equipment. After the doctor applied the gel to Elsa's belly, warning her it would be cold, she began moving the transducer. The screen lit up with blurry images.
"There's your baby." Dr. Lévy pointed to the screen. I leaned in, squinting at the little figure that slowly came into focus. My breath caught in my throat as I saw a tiny heartbeat fluttering on the screen.
"Everything looks good," the doctor continued. "Would you like to know the sex of your baby?"
Elsa squeezed my hand, looking up at me with questioning eyes. I nodded, unable to speak.
" Félicitations ." Dr. Lévy smiled. "You're going to have a daughter."
A baby girl like Elsa. The words hit me like a freight train, leaving me breathless. I felt a rush of emotions—joy, fear, love, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
Fuck me! I was going to have a daughter. Elsa and I were going to be parents.
I felt a prick at the back of my eyes and realized they were tears. I hadn’t cried since I was a boy, and this was proof that I was overwhelmed—something I never was. What was this woman doing to me? And what would this baby do?
Elsa's eyes filled with tears of happiness, and she reached up to touch my face. "We're having a girl, Duncan."
I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. "Yeah, ma douce , we certainly are"
I was so screwed. My whole life was changing, and I didn't know how to handle this. I had regimented my life to live it in a way that worked for me. I had no surprises; not until Elsa—and now I had nothing but that. My well and ordered life was truly fucked.
Dr. Lévy continued with the examination, but my mind was spinning. How was I going to handle this? How could I be the father this little girl deserved? The fear of failure loomed large.
My first instinct was to hold on to Elsa, which I did. My second instinct was to run, which I buried.