Chapter 29
Dominic held my hand—just as on edge as I was—while we waited for my ultrasound to begin.
We made it back home in ten minutes, each of those minutes dire. Did I drink enough blood today? Was it labor already? Was Vincenzo in danger? I recently experienced Braxton Hicks contractions, and I momentarily wondered if those were what was going on, but they weren’t this painful. Did I unknowingly do something wrong? Dominic never let go of my hand the entire ride, only when he had to when he exited the Escalade.
Dominic moved a few of my stray hairs from my face, his warm, inviting smile what I needed, but his eyes told me he was scared like I was. He couldn’t quite hide it.
“It’ll be okay,” I mouthed to him, but was I trying to reassure him or myself more?
Our OB-GYN on staff—Amy—finished applying the gel to my belly.
Julie couldn’t make it here on such short notice. She was at Englewood Health tending to one of her patients who needed her more—an eighty-year-old man who would soon be with the Lord. He didn’t want to die alone.
Amy moved the transducer over my belly, redirecting mine and Dominic’s focus to the machine. We waited in anticipation to see our son, to know if he was okay. If I was okay.
“You said you’re not experiencing pain anymore?”
“Yeah,” I answered, nodding.
Deep in her own concentration, the doctor pressed more buttons on the machine, continuing to move the wand around. I searched for signs in her eyes, even in the way she was breathing, for any indication if the results would be good or bad. Nothing. Damnit.
“Well, the good news is I’m not seeing anything alarming. Your baby looks fine, and I’m not finding anything of concern with your uterus. I’m honestly not sure what happened.”
I slowly released my breath as I looked at the ceiling. I was relieved to hear Vincenzo was okay but worried maybe it was something we weren’t seeing. Like she read my mind, Amy said she would have blood work done as soon as this scan was over.
“Labor?” Dominic asked.
“No,” Amy declared with confidence. “It might be stress, or we can check for dehydration. It could even be just because the baby is growing. That’s why I want to run a blood sample.”
Thinking about Braxton Hicks contractions, I asked if that could be the culprit. I remembered reading online, that, while rare, they might be painful for some women. Carrying a hybrid, I sort of expected that my pregnancy, or elements of it, wouldn’t play out as what was printed in all the books.
“That very well could be, too. Actually, now that you mention it, I wouldn’t be surprised if that is exactly what’s going on.”
Amy suddenly turned the monitor toward me and Dominic, Vincenzo’s heartbeats playing strong and fast. Our boy was curled up on the right side, unbothered by everything. I cracked a smile, tears burning my eyes. He was comfortable. He was okay. He wasn’t in distress. I wanted Vincenzo on my chest and in my arms.
As Amy turned the monitor back around to face her, Dominic brought my hand to his mouth, peppering it with kisses. Lost in my own tunnel vision at the sight of our son and listening to him, I forgot Dominic was beside me. I looked over at him.
“He’s okay.” More happy, relieved tears spilled past my temple. “He’s going to be okay.”
“And so are you, Bellissima .” Dominic stood up from the chair he sat on and kissed my forehead, touching the side of my face. He kissed me, holding steady, gazing into my eyes with love and contentment radiating from his eyes.
Amy turned off the machine and put the wand in its holder. She wiped the gel off of my belly, but none of that mattered. All that mattered in this moment was Dominic’s rough palm cradling my cheek and the way his eyes told me the fear that weighed on his heart and mind tonight was gone. The alarm blazing in them on our way here nearly reduced me to tears. Not in the handful of instances where I had been hurt or in danger had I seen panic like tonight.
“I love you, Lilith.”
I placed my palm along the side of his face. “I love you, too.”
“I’m going to go grab what I need to collect some of your blood for the lab, and then, we can go ahead and get that out of the way so you can get some rest. I want to keep you here tonight for observation.”
“Done,” Dominic agreed with Amy, his stare unwavering, challenging me to argue with him on the decision. Our focus was unwavering from each other.
Amy closed the door on her way out of the room.
Vincenzo moved around, becoming restless. I brought my left hand to my belly, palming it, my other hand still clasped in Dominic’s. He wrinkled his brows.
“Is everything alright?” He broke his gaze and looked down toward my belly. He rested his palm on it, and Vincenzo settled.
“Everything is perfect,” I thought out loud, my heart full of happiness.
Lately, our son was gravitating more toward his father’s voice and touch. Their bond was one I was eager to witness.
Dominic looked back into my eyes, keeping his hand on my belly, kissing me.
“I’ll move whatever mountains I have to so you and our unborn are safe.”
“I know.” I smiled.
“I’ll use every resource I have.” He kissed me again. “Pull out every stop I have to.”
Nodding, I repeated, “I know.”
“I don’t want a scare like this to ever happen again.” He touched his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. “Ever.” His voice shook with the word, coming out at just above a whisper.
I touched his bicep, rubbing it up and down, closing my eyes. I slid my hand up past his shoulder until I found his neck, holding its nape. I matched my breathing with his, refusing to release him until he let go of the anxiety and heartache creeping back into him.
“Your pain,” he said, pausing like he was collecting his thoughts, but he couldn’t. I opened my eyes, seeing fresh tears coating his. A single tear fell past his cheek.
Like he had told me numerous times, my pain was his pain. Well, it went both ways. Him fighting to hold himself together twisted my heart. It weighed on my chest. Wanting to get his mind off tonight’s emergency, I suggested an idea.
“Can you help me with a bath after Amy gets done?”
He nodded. A few more teardrops rolled down his cheeks. I kissed his forehead.
I breathed sympathetically. “I know, Dominic… I know.”