PETRA
Before Sin or the incredulous-looking doctor can reply, tremors hit the walls around us, and the building starts shaking.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” I gasp even as a fresh wave of pain rips through me.
The technician looks up, his face contorted with some unseen fear.
“Let me check the heartbeat,” he says in a hard-edged voice. But the display flickers and plunges into darkness while the shaking motions get more intense.
I grip Sin’s hand tightly, my breathing becoming erratic. “Sin, I’m scared.”
“You’re going to be okay. I’m right here.” He leans closer, his eyes filled with fear and determination. “Just focus on me, Petra. I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
As the tremors in the building grow stronger, I can only cling to his words, my heart racing with fear, my breath caught in my throat.
All around us, the physician’s tools—scalpels, forceps, scissors, injections—clatter and rattle in their trays while the overhead light flickers uncontrollably. The curtains swish and billow around us, and the windowpanes jangle in their frames.
“Sin, the baby—” I groan.
“The baby’s fine, Petra,” Sin replies in a steady tone, cupping my face with his hands and whispering sweet nothings into my ears. “You’re gonna be just fine, my sweet girl,” he croons so lovingly that my pulse starts to slow down despite my rising panic.
In the next few minutes, the tremors stop.
“Phew!” says the technician, who had been cowering next to the examination table.
“Been years since we had one of those hefty earthquakes,” he says while fussing over the screen and retrieving the ultrasound wand.
“Ah, now, where were we?” he continues, turning toward me with the same oblivious smile that he had worn at the beginning.
The ride home from the clinic passes by in a blur of exhaustion and discomfort, Sin’s hand in mine anchoring my wandering mind. He drives with a focused intensity, brow furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line.
I want to say something to reassure him, but fear still gnaws at my insides, and I end up floundering around for the right words.
When we finally reach my house, Sin practically jumps out of the car to help me inside.
“Take it easy, Petra,” he says softly, putting his arm around my waist while he leads me up the stairs. “You need to rest. I won’t hear any arguments.”
“Good, I wasn’t gonna argue anyways,” I reply somewhat tartly, but he just gives me a low, throaty chuckle that makes me tingle.
Once inside my bedroom, he helps me into bed, tucking the covers around me, and fluffing up the pillows so I’m tightly wrapped like a cozy burrito.
“Now you just make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you some water, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” I reply in a teasing voice and send him a flying kiss. He flushes with pleasure and returns the gesture.
My heart feels full from all his thoughtfulness.
The days when I had worried about being too much of a grump for this charming, sunshiny guy seem to be way back in the past.
Today, it seems natural that he should be by my side, attending my OB-GYN appointment with me, and then taking care of me when there’s a blackout and the earth starts shaking like it’s the second coming of Christ.
The last thoughts send a pang of fear through my heart, and I want him back in the room, even though he has just left.
“Sin,” I call softly.
“Coming! Just a minute,” he shouts back from the kitchen. And from the way the sound of his voice makes my limbs relax and settles the butterflies fluttering around in my stomach, I know that I have fallen for him. Deeply.
Soon, he returns with a glass of water.
“Drink this. You need to stay hydrated, especially after . . . you know, everything.”
As I sip the water, he sits on the edge of the bed, looking slightly hesitant.
“How are you feeling now?” he asks.
“A little better, I think. Just tired and sore.”
“Good, just rest. I’ll be right here if you need anything.” He fusses over the blanket, making sure that I’m as comfortable as I can be.
His face looks so adorable and adoring, so filled with the light of affection, that I feel an overwhelming urge to lean in closer, to plant a kiss on those downturned lips.
“Sin . . .” I begin, but my throat tightens slightly.
“Yes? What do you need?” he asks immediately.
“I want—” I begin uncertainly before clearing my throat and trying again, “Can we . . .” But then I lose my nerve at the last minute. By now, I’m tired of all this politeness, so I reach forward and cup his face in my hands instead.
With slightly more force than usual, I pull him toward me.
His eyes widen as our lips connect, but in the next second, his arms are crossing around my body, and he’s pulling me closer, too.
The kiss starts out sweet at first, but then it quickly turns steamy as Sin pulls me into his lap so that my legs are wrapped around his waist. His hardness pushes against my center, and I grind myself against him.
I moan into his mouth he grips my waist tighter.
When we finally pull back, Sin’s eyes are downright glittering. “Wow,” he breathes, his tone tinged with wonder. “That was . . . mind-blowing.”
“It was,” I reply, my heart racing. “Today was quite the day, huh?” I laugh nervously.
Sin nods and pulls me down to the bed, tucking me back under the covers again.
“Just know that I’m here,” he says in a voice thick with untold emotions. “For you and the baby. No matter what happens.”
The night stretches deep and dark before us, but the snug circle of Sin’s arms lulls me into a sleep that comes fretfully but stays awhile.