36. Casey
THIRTY-SIX
Casey
Casey
Sitting in that cold waiting room brought back memories I didn’t want to revisit.
Blood draws. Endless tests. All of them telling me the same thing, that this day would never come.
Holding onto hope was almost impossible as I sat there beside Adam, and memories of the past threatened to pull me under.
Other pregnant omegas sat in the waiting room. Some with partners, some on their own, or with family. They rubbed their swollen bellies and smiled as they flipped through the waiting room magazines.
Adam’s arm came around my shoulders, and he pulled me against him. I rested my head on his shoulder, my stomach in so many knots, I worried I might throw up. “It’s okay, Casey,” he whispered, his voice so low only I could hear him.
It wasn’t. I was wrong. The tests lied. They couldn’t be real.
“Casey West.” My name echoed around the quiet room.
Standing on wobbly legs, I had to lean against Adam for support as we were led into the hallway. The nurse took my weight and showed us to a room. The cold tile. The paper sheet on the uncomfortable exam table. The last time I’d been in a room like this, I heard the worst news of my life.
Adam helped me sit on the table. I laid back and stared up at the ceiling. There was a kitten poster on it, held up by thumbtacks. I stared at it until spots formed over my eyes, and I blinked as the exam room door opened.
“Mr. West,” the doctor greeted. “I’m Doctor Hanna.” I couldn’t make myself sit up to talk to her. I wanted to fall into the floor cracks and disappear. “You must be his Alpha. I’ve seen you around town. The landscaper. Mr. Wilson, yes?”
“Yes,” Adam affirmed. He took my hand and gave it a small squeeze. “Casey’s a little nervous.”
“I understand. This is your first pregnancy?”
I couldn’t move, so Adam had to answer for me.
“Yes, it is. He has a history of infertility. We didn’t even think he could get pregnant.”
Chuckling, the doctor sat down and rolled her chair to a machine by the exam table.
“Believe it or not, fertility can vary between partners, especially when you’re scent matches.
” She had the same wide-eyed excitement as Marshall.
“I almost couldn’t believe it when I saw that on your chart.
There’s still not enough research on it, but we do know that fertility is higher between scent matches. ”
I couldn’t even speak my thoughts aloud, that I was terrified we had all been fooled by a few lines on a pee stick. My ears rang in panic as she lifted my shirt and coated my stomach with cold jelly. She put the wand on my belly, and one sound filled the room. A heartbeat.
My eyes flew to the machine. Right there on the screen was a tiny little bean. It jumped as we watched it, wiggling around inside me. “It…” My throat went painfully dry. “It’s real?”
“It is very real, Mr. West,” she confirmed with a smile.
“D-don’t we uhh…” I forgot how to speak for a moment. “Don’t we need a blood test or something?”
“Nope. We’ve got a heartbeat. I can see your fetus. You are pregnant, Mr. West.” The air left my lungs in a sudden burst of relief, of joy. “I’d say you’re about eight weeks along.”
Eight weeks lined up with my heat. He didn’t just sate me for the first time in my entire life, he also knocked me up in the process.
A laugh bubbled out of me, and I had to cover my mouth as I drifted between giggles and tears. The baby’s heartbeat filled my ears, and that small image on the screen became my entire world.
“This is really happening,” I whispered.
The doctor printed a screen capture without me having to ask, and handed it to me. “This is really happening.”
I squeezed Adam’s hand, and he squeezed right back.
No words were needed as we gazed at the screen, watching our little bean.
I didn’t realize tears were streaming down my cheeks until my gaze met his and I saw his eyes were as damp as my own.
We both thought this day would never come, for completely different reasons, and now we were here. Together.
He leaned down and kissed me, his lips lingering for a little too long, given how close the doctor was. She cleared her throat to break us apart. Adam kissed my hand instead, over and over, his eyes dancing between me and the image of our baby.
“It’s cute,” he said, sniffing to hold back more tears.
I chuckled, and the image shook with every giggle. “It’s like an inch long. It’s not cute yet.”
“Everything you make is cute,” he insisted. “He’s going to look just like you.”
“Doubtful,” I muttered. “Your sons are a carbon copy of you, and you know it. Also, he?” I raised my eyebrow at him. “You and David have a bet going, don’t you?”
“Not yet.”
Doctor Hanna sat quietly during our banter, and waited until we’d calmed down before she continued.
“I’m very happy for the two of you. Now.
Down to the important details.” She lifted the wand, and the image went black.
“I’m giving you a prescription for a prenatal, and AfterCare Plus.
AfterCare helps with omega recovery after a rut, as I’m sure you know.
Plus is for pregnant omegas. Sex is safe for the moment, but if your Alpha goes into rut, you need to take the pills during, and after.
If you experience any abnormal bleeding, let us know straight away.
And you, Mr. Wilson.” She swiveled towards him, a stern look in her eyes.
“Nothing too rough when you’re in rut. I know it’s almost impossible to control yourself, but your mate and baby need to stay safe.
Some Alphas lose their cycle when their mate is pregnant, but there’s no guarantee that will happen.
If needed, I would suggest either taking a rut suppressant until the baby is born, or spending them in seclusion. ”
It was obvious she made this speech often, and had pushback from other patients over it, but Adam just nodded and squeezed my hand again.
“They’ll be safe,” he told her.
I knew about AfterCare pills, I just never needed them until now.
They were for omegas with particularly amorous partners who might not be so gentle in or out of their ruts.
Just the thought of Adam going into rut made me ache with both fear and delight.
He was intense on a good day. A rut might actually kill me.
“I’ll take the pills,” I added. God knows I would need them.
“Excellent.” The doctor quickly cleaned my belly and switched the machine off. “You need to see your normal OB every month going forward. Call your OB’s office when Mr. Wilson goes into rut so they can be on standby if you start bleeding.”
That’s right. Doctor Hanna was the Omega OBGYN in Oakridge.
I had an Omega OB back in Hanford, one that had been with me through all of my adult life, including my infertility tests.
I could go back to him for my pregnancy.
He would be so happy for me. But… Oakridge had become more than Adam’s home now.
Even in the middle of the city I loved, with all the cars and people passing me by, I longed for this place, the small town where I felt peace.
“I…” I swallowed and sat up. I hadn’t spoken to Adam about this yet, but I knew exactly what he would say. “I’ll come here. If that’s okay with you, Doctor Hanna.”
Her warm smile made my choice feel even more perfect. “Excellent. I’ll get you those prescriptions and get out of your hair. You can make your next appointment at the front desk.” She gave me a quick pat, shot Adam another stern look, and left the exam room.
My eyes fell on the photograph, on that tiny little bean growing inside me. I wished she hadn’t turned the machine off so I could hear its heartbeat again. Adam’s arm came around me, and we stared at the photo together.
“It’s been so long since…” He paused and kissed my head. “They didn’t have this kind of thing last time.”
I handed the photo to him. “Here. You keep it.”
“Tsk,” he said under his breath. “As if you won't be in my house from now on. Don’t think I missed you saying you’d have your appointments in Oakridge.” His arm lowered to cup my waist, and he slid me across the paper sheet until my legs dangled between his knees. “You’re staying with me.”
“I’m staying with you,” I repeated, and he rewarded me with a heated kiss. His lips felt hot. I pulled back to feel his forehead. He always had a light sunburn, so it wasn’t unusual for his face to be a little warm, but he was hotter than usual. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I have never been better, omega.” He helped me down and took my hand, and he didn’t let it go until we were standing on the porch steps and he had to unlock the front door of his home.
His hand still felt hot. My palm was starting to sweat from the heat. I pulled back as he took his shoes off and went to the kitchen. I’d have to be blind not to notice the signs. That slight aggression earlier towards my ex. His temperature rising. It was all pointing to one thing.
“Adam,” I asked as I crossed to the kitchen. He was chugging a cold bottle of water. “When is your cycle due?”
“A week.” He wiped his forehead and noticed the drops of sweat on his arm. It was dawning on him before I even said it out loud.
“I think it’s early.”
When his eyes met mine, a wave of heat washed over me.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” I wanted to tell him he wouldn’t, but we both knew that might not be true.
“Everything we’ve done up to now is nothing compared to my ruts.
Laura used to pop AfterCare like candy before my rut was even over.
” I stepped closer, and he automatically backed away.
“Casey.” That warning tone was one I knew well, but I wasn’t going to listen.
Not today. “You don’t have the pills yet. ”
“I’ll get them delivered. They’ll be here before your rut is over.”
We matched each other step for step until his back was against the wall and there was nowhere else to go.
“Casey.” A sheen of sweat coated his forehead, and his eyes were dotted with fear. “I don’t want to hurt the baby. You’ve wanted this for so long. If I hurt either of you, I won’t be able to live with myself.”
“So you’d rather lock yourself up in a room every month until I deliver?”
“If that’s what it takes to keep both of you safe.”
“No.” I pulled up on my tiptoes and kissed him, tunneling my fingers through his unruly red hair. I knew he would punish me for this later, but I didn’t care. My Alpha would not suffer through his ruts, not ever.
A deep growl rumbled from Adam’s throat, and his eyes fully dilated.
He leaned close for a long, lingering sniff of my pheromones as the last remnants of sanity abandoned him.
His scent grew thick and pungent, like a cloud of smoke invading my senses.
“You remember our safe word? You may have to use it. I feel like I’m going to break you.
” He roughly grabbed my hair and forced my gaze to meet his. “Last chance, omega,” he growled.
A tidal wave of fear and excitement surged through me. “I’m not going anywhere.”