Chapter 30
Becky walked the halls of the compound; her steps slower than they used to be.
It had been a week since she had been taken.
Physically, she was fine. Slade had checked her over more times than she could count, and the baby was okay.
She was okay. At least that was what everyone kept telling her.
Mentally, though, that was a whole different story.
Taking a man's life, even a piece of shit who would have killed her if he'd been ordered to, was still too much to process.
But Sloan saw it. Saw the struggle she tried to hide and was there for her, talking her through it.
He even offered to find someone professional for her to talk to, but after everything that had happened, her trust in the medical field was pretty much shot.
The nightmares still came.
Every night.
Sloan lay with her while she slept, always there, always ready to wake her and pull her out of whatever horror her mind decided to drag her back into.
He had taken such good care of her since that night, barely letting her out of his sight.
And yet, she still hadn’t approached him about the conversation she had overheard.
And yes, it still bothered her.
A lot.
The one true blessing she had gotten was when Sloan told her that the doctor had lied to Mercer about the procedure who obviously told Darius.
Phillips had known she was pregnant and found some morals and didn’t do the procedure.
She cried her relief, because for anyone to be violated in such a way was hard to deal with.
She had asked what had happened to Dr. Phillips, Sloan had been honest with her.
While they had come for her, Steve and one of his friend’s men along with Frankie had stayed behind to keep an eye on the doctor.
Phillips had said he needed to relieve himself, they uncuffed him and without warning he had managed to grab the Warriors gun and unlived himself.
Honestly, Becky had no feelings about that at all.
She felt bad for any family he had left behind, but other than that... no feelings.
Pushing those depressing thoughts away she tried to focus on the present.
Today was her first visit with Dawn. Her office had been set up in the compound, and she had already seen some of the mates.
So far, everyone loved her. They had thanked Slade and Sloan more than once for bringing her on, and honestly, Becky liked her too.
Dawn was smart, kind, and didn’t make Becky feel like she was crazy for still being scared.
There had also been a lot of talk about Kent spending an awful lot of time in Slade’s office.
Some of the mates were already whispering about matchmaking the two, and yeah, Becky may or may not have been involved in a few of those conversations.
What could she say? After everything that had happened, a little harmless gossip felt almost normal.
Katrina walked out of the kitchen and spotted her, then headed her way. “Hey.” Katrina smiled, but Becky saw a sadness behind her friend’s smile that worried her. “How you feeling?”
“Better,” Becky replied, not wanting to burden Katrina since it seemed she was battling something herself. “How are you doing?”
“Good,” Katrina said, her gaze flickering away for a second before shifting back to her. “Listen, I’m late. Let’s do lunch next week or something.”
“Sure. Sounds good.” Becky reached out and hugged her. “You know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”
Katrina pulled away. “Same.” She gave her a small wave, then hurried down the hall and out of sight.
“You ready?” Sloan’s voice had her turning. She watched him stride toward her, then walked into his embrace.
“Yes,” Becky answered, then looked up at him. “Are you?”
Sloan frowned, staring intently at her. “Why would you ask me that?”
Okay, that threw her a little bit. “Um, because you asked me if I was ready.” She laughed, but honestly, she was a little confused.
He didn’t say anything as they made their way to Dawn’s office, which was connected to Sloan’s. When they walked in, Dawn was setting up some equipment.
“You guys ready for this?” Dawn asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Becky couldn’t help but chuckle as she looked up at Sloan. “Seems everyone is asking that question.”
“Hope you don’t mind Slade being here.” Dawn glanced at Becky. “To say this whole vampire fertility and Golden Blood thing has thrown me a little would be an understatement. I’d like him here, especially after seeing Pam and talking to her about her pregnancy with Daniel.”
“I’m fine with it,” Becky said, then glanced at Sloan, who nodded in agreement.
“Good.” Dawn patted the table. “Lay here and roll your pants down to your pelvis, shirt up under your bra. You know the drill.”
“I do,” Becky replied with a smile. She was nervous, but excited.
The door opened, and Slade slid in. “You ready for this?” Slade asked with a grin aimed at Sloan.
Becky and Sloan looked at each other and laughed.
“What?” Slade asked, looking between them.
Sloan just shook his head, still grinning at Becky, who was looking up at him.
“Okay, this is a little cold, so be prepared.” Dawn squirted the gel on her stomach, then started spreading it with the probe. The machine made a hollow, echoing sound as she moved it around Becky’s stomach.
Becky watched as Sloan’s eyes shifted to the monitor.
She could see the concentration in them, but also the awe.
With this being her second pregnancy, she knew what to expect, but this was all new to Sloan.
He was a man who had never thought he could have a child and she wanted to live this moment through his eyes.
A more recognizable sound came from the monitor, and Sloan’s eyes widened.
“Is that a heartbeat?” His asked, his eyes wide.
“It is,” Dawn said with a smile. “There isn’t a better sound in the world.”
Becky smiled in agreement as she watched Sloan and for a second, she forgot to breath. The look on his face was something so deep she couldn’t even name it. His hand found hers, and when his fingers tightened, she held on just as tight.
Dawn moved the probe again, clicking a few things on the keyboard. Becky glanced at the screen listening to the sweet sound of her and Sloan’s baby echoing all around them.
“Becky when was your last period?” Dawn asked, her smile gone as she focused hard on the monitor.
“It’s hard to say. I’ve never been regular because of the cysts I’ve dealt with.” Becky frowned. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, everything looks perfect, except the size isn’t adding up.” Dawn glanced over at Slade. “Are you seeing this?”
“Seeing what?” Sloan’s voice turned hard as he glared at Dawn then Slade.
“The baby should be measuring six weeks, or at least with all the information I have from her medical files, that’s where the baby should be.” Slade leaned forward looking closely at the monitor. “But this is measuring the baby close to twelve weeks.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Dawn murmured. “Have you?”
“Only once before,” Slade said, then looked at Sloan. “Pam.”
“Is this dangerous for Becky?” Was Sloan’s question and the way he asked it, he wanted the answer now.
“No, but we need to keep a close eye on this.” Dawn replied quickly picking up on Sloan’s tone.
Becky said still looking at the monitor. “I figured it was close to six weeks.”
“This is just crazy.” Dawn still clicked around the monitor as she ran the probe along her stomach.
“New medical term?” Slade chuckled, then shook his head. “Welcome to our world. Everything is crazy. We need to learn more about this Golden Blood. But Dawn is right. We need to keep a close eye on this.”
“Sure is an active little girl or guy,” Dawn chuckled as she leaned out of the way for them to see a little better.
On the screen, the tiny shape shifted, the curve of a head and body clearer than Becky expected. Small arms and legs moved in quick little jerks, and for a second, the room went completely silent. She glanced to see a smiling Sloan as he watched his child on the monitor.
“Let me try to get some good pictures for you guys.” Dawn said, as Becky continued to watch Sloan.
She had missed out on this when she was pregnant with Frankie.
Her ex hadn’t wanted anything to do with any of it, and it broke her heart for not only herself, but her unborn child.
At this very moment Becky didn’t think she could love Sloan Murphy more.
“Okay, got some good ones,” Dawn said as she removed the probe, then wiped the gel off Becky’s stomach. “I want to do another one in two weeks. If you have any issues, contact me right away. You know the drill since you’ve been through this before.”
Becky nodded as Sloan helped her sit up. Dawn handed her the pictures, and Becky smiled as she showed them to Sloan. He took one, staring hard at it. “Is that a—”
Both Dawn and Becky looked at the picture he was holding and laughed. “No, that’s not a penis,” Dawn informed him, shaking her head. “That’s his foot.”
“Man, wouldn’t you be a proud daddy if it was a penis.” Becky laughed, and damn, it felt good.
Slade even laughed at that as he and Dawn headed toward the door. “Take your time,” Dawn said, giving them a smile before closing the door behind her.
They both sat in silence, staring at the pictures. Becky finally dropped her hands to her lap. She hated to bring it up now, but dammit she had to get this out. It was driving her insane. “You can’t resign, Sloan.”
“You heard?” he replied, and she could feel him staring at her.
“Yes.” She nodded, then took a deep breath. “I heard everything. I know I’m human, but don’t use that as an excuse to walk away.”
“It’s your safety that matters to me above everything.” Sloan cupped her chin, bringing her gaze to his. “You’ve already been targeted because of me. And now I have a child to consider.”