by Kenna Grace
The waiter walked by and I flagged him down for the bill. The last time I had seen Katy was also the last time I had seen Donovan. It was only a brief moment that I saw him at the elevator when I was leaving the hospital, but his image was burned into my mind. We had made no attempts to contact each other, but I still found him wandering into my mind on a daily basis.
I paid my tab when the waiter returned with my bill and I crossed the street to the hospital. It was a lot quieter than it was the last time I was here. This time, I had the elevator all to myself as it took me up to the sixth floor. Stepping out, I made my way down the hall towards the receptionist and gave her my name.
“Katy will be right with you, why don’t you have a seat. It shouldn’t be long,” she told me before typing a few keys on her computer to check me in.
The waiting room was nearly empty this time and I took a seat near the corner next to a coffee table with a stack of Omega’s Choice magazines. It was only a few minutes before I heard Katy’s familiar voice call out to me from the hall.
“Lachlan?” Her head poked into the waiting room.
I gave her a smile and stood up from my chair and walked over to her. “Katy,” I returned the greeting, giving her a nod and shaking her hand.
We walked to her office and she held the door for me as I walked inside. She walked in behind me and took a seat at her desk as I took mine opposite of her. My baby bump wasn’t showing yet, but I caught myself resting my hand on my stomach and tracing small circles around my belly with my thumb.
“It could be as little as a few more weeks until you start to show,” Katy said, giving me a wink when she noticed what I was doing.
The corner of my lips tugged upwards. The thought of starting to show was both exciting and nerve racking. “I know it’s still early, but I can’t help but weighing myself every morning.”
Katy let out a laugh. “That’s perfectly normal.” She tapped a few keys on her computer before addressing me again. “Ready to see your little bundle of joy?”
My face lit up at that. “Yeah.”
She got up from her chair and took a few steps towards the reclining chair. “Come on over and take a seat. Make yourself comfortable.”
Complying, I got up from my chair and took a seat where Katy instructed. She pressed a button and the chair started to recline until I was leaned back. I had watched some online videos about what to expect, so I raised my shirt to expose my stomach before she even had to ask.
“Looks like you did your research,” she said with a smile. She grabbed a bottle from the shelf next to us. I could read the label, but I already knew it was the gel she would be using on my belly. “This might feel a little weird.”
I licked my lips in anticipation. Putting on a pair of gloves, she put her fingers into the bottle and scooped out a gob on the gel. I was expecting it to be cool, but was surprised when she rubbed it onto my belly. It was warmer than I expected.
“Well, I’m sure you already read this as well, but in case you didn’t, this gel helps eliminate any air pockets that might come up between the transducer and your skin that can block the sound waves from passing into your body.”
She was right, I had already researched all this. But her reassurances helped calm my nerves. She looked down at me and I gave her a nod, indicating that I was ready to continue. Katy clicked a button on the monitor. It beeped a few times and then turned on.
Katy placed the transducer onto my stomach and made a few small circular motions before turning to face the monitor. Slowly, she moved the transducer until an image came up on the screen. My face lit up, though I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at.
“There we are,” Katy chimed. She tapped a button on the monitor and the sound of the printer fired up from her desk.
She showed me the baby on the monitor. I still couldn’t really make out much, but when I saw the heartbeat, a tear started to well up in my eyes. I hadn’t felt this happy since my first date with Donovan. I quickly shook the thought from my mind and wiped the tears with a finger.
Katy took the transducer off my stomach and placed it back on the shelf next to the monitor. She passed me some tissue to wipe my belly. When I was all cleaned up, she reclined the chair back up and we went back over to her desk and took our seats.
“So, Lachlan, you’re far enough now in your pregnancy that I’m going to have to refer you to an obstetrician. I’m going to recommend Donovan Shields. He—”
“No.” I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. When the receptionist called a few days ago to remind me about our appointment today, she mentioned that it was going to be the last one with Katy due to how far along I was. But if there was one person I couldn’t have to be my OB, it was him. Hell, I was carrying his baby that he had no idea even existed.
Katy looked at me, confused. I tried to provide some justification. “I mean, I’m sure he’s a great doctor, but I was hoping I could be referred to a female OB. It would just make me feel a little more comfortable.”
The look on Katy’s face seemed to suggest she bought my excuse. “That’s fair, a lot of our male patients prefer our female obstetricians.” She brought her attention back to her computer. “Well, Dr. Amanda Charles is available. She’s great.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.”
“Great, I’ll send her your file and either she or the receptionist will be in contact with you soon enough.”
“Thanks Katy. For everything.” Just as I got out of my chair to head out, Katy called back to me.
“Lachlan.”
I turned around to see her walking towards me. “You forgot this.” She handed me the photo she printed of the ultrasound. “The baby looks healthy.” Katy gave me a final smile as I walked out of her office and shut the door behind me.
As soon as the door was shut, I pressed my back against the wall and took a deep breath. A rush of emotions rocked through my body. Despite being pregnant for over a month now, actually holding on to the ultrasound somehow made it feel more real. Suddenly, I started thinking about Donovan again. I felt guilty for not telling him about the pregnancy.
After catching my breath and collecting myself, I started heading back towards the elevator. As I was walking, I started reading the names above the doors. Suddenly, I saw Donovan’s and froze. I thought about knocking. Telling him I was pregnant. Donovan made it pretty clear that we were through, but somehow it felt wrong to hide that I was bearing his child.
As much as I wanted to let him know, I couldn’t bring myself to knock on the door. It didn’t feel right keeping my pregnancy a secret from him, but it also didn’t feel right to drag him into something he didn’t want. I reminded myself how clear he made it that he wasn’t interested in us anymore. I took another deep breath and moved along, continuing towards the elevator.
I clicked the call button and patiently waited. A few moments later, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. There must have been a dozen people already on it and I debated just waiting for the next one, but decided to just get in when a few people near the front shifted over to make some room.
They must have been on their way to a meeting or something because they were all talking among each other, and when the elevator stopped a few floors down they all started to head out. I shifted to the side of the wall to get out of the way.
Once they were out, I pressed the button to close the door. Just then, I heard a voice from behind me.
“Lachlan?”
Instantly, I recognized it. It made my knees feel weak hearing him say my name and a shiver ran down my spine. I turned around to confirm my suspicion. It was Donovan. He stood there in his white coat and raised eyebrows. Surprised to see me, no doubt. Quickly, I turned back around to press the button to open the doors, but Donovan beat me to it and held down the button to shut the door.
I took a step back and crossed my arms. As the elevator started to descend, we stood in an awkward silence. Looking up at the s
creen, I counted the floors as we moved past them, waiting to be able to escape the situation.
Suddenly, there was a loud screech and the elevator jolted. It dropped for another second or so before jolting again and coming to a hard halt, which sent Donovan and me falling to the ground. We stood back up. The light flickered a few times before shutting off completely. A moment passed and then a dim light shone from the ceiling and the emergency button started to flash red on the console.
I turned to Donovan to see if he knew what was going on. Obviously, this wasn’t something that was common or supposed to happen, but I took comfort in the fact that I wasn’t alone right now. Even if it was Donovan that I was stuck with.
16
Donovan
Lachlan was looking at me nervously. It no doubt had as much to do with the elevator breaking down as it did with being stuck on it with me. I couldn’t even imagine what was going through his head right now. I could feel my alpha instinct, even now, wanting to protect him.
“Are you alright?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Lachlan shook it off. “I’m fine,” he shot back.
Clearly, he wasn’t fine. Still, I wasn’t sure how I even felt about this whole situation. Despite having distanced myself from Lachlan the past few months, I still couldn’t get him out of my mind, even knowing it wouldn’t work out between us. Even now, I wasn’t sure if I was more happy or nervous about being stuck here with him. This was the first time I had seen him since last month, when I had thought he’d left a note with the receptionist. I still wasn’t sure why he was here at all that day. Hell, I wasn’t sure why he was here today. I wanted to ask, but I knew it wasn’t my place.
Lachlan pulled his phone from his pocket and tried to make a call. “Shit, no service,” he announced while shaking his head and raising his phone and shifting it around to try and pick up a signal.
“Of course there’s no signal. We’re in an elevator,” I replied back, trying to be funny and lighten the mood a little. Lachlan must not have seen the humor in my comment because he started to shake his head, clenching his jaws shut. He let out an exhale from his nose.
“Well, I don’t see you coming up with any smart ideas,” he fired back.
I flicked my tongue off the roof of my mouth and brushed past him to click the button to call the maintenance office. Lachlan rolled his eyes when I turned back to give him a smirk. A few seconds later, a short burst of static played through the speaker.
“Maintenance office. How are you doing in there?” a voice projected from the speaker above us.
“Been better. The elevator just died on our way down. What’s going on?” I questioned, leaning against the wall of the elevator and bending down closer towards the microphone.
“The whole block lost power. Our backup generators are powering communications and equipment right now, but the elevator backup hasn’t kicked in yet. We’re thinking the circuit might be fried, so calling someone in now.”
Well, it was comforting to know that they were already on top of the problem. Even Lachlan seemed to look a little happier. “How long until you think everything will be back online?”
“We’re not quite sure yet. It’s going to take a while though, so sit tight. We’ll let you know as soon as anything changes.”
I looked back at Lachlan, who was avoiding eye contact. He looked a lot less impressed now that he knew we’d be stuck in the same box for the next little while. He didn’t look like he wanted to have anything to do with me, but I felt awkward just standing there in silence. “How’ve you been?” I asked. Immediately, I regretted my question. I left him in the middle of the night, then ignored him until he stopped trying to get in touch. I clenched my teeth together, waiting to be told off.
“Fine,” he replied, not bothering to make eye contact. Instead he leaned back against the wall and threw his head back while closing his eyes.
I expected him to give me a piece of his mind. I wasn’t sure what would have been worse. Being told off, or having my question tossed to the side with the look of disinterest he currently had on his face. “What have you been up to lately?” Obviously, he didn’t want to talk, but I couldn’t help but to try and get him to speak. Even if it was only a few words.
Lachlan took a moment before answering. “Work. The usual.”
“Yeah? How’s that going?”
“Fine.”
My lips pressed together. “That’s great.” I found myself drifting closer to him, wanting to be near him. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop myself. God, even after all this time apart, he still tugged at my heartstrings. “Hope you didn’t have anything important to do. Hate to say it, but I have a feeling we’re not exactly maintenance’s primary concern right now. This being a hospital and all,” I said, leaning up against the wall next to him, leaving only a couple inches between us.
He started to take a few heavy breaths and I slid myself away a step, sensing that I was making him anxious. And why wouldn’t I? I abandoned him and here I was now trying to make small talk.
“Nothing that important,” he finally managed to muster up, his eyes now open and looking a few feet ahead of him on the ground.
There was almost a foot between us now, and I couldn’t help but stare at the space between us. Even at this distance, I could smell the scent of his sweet aftershave. I licked my lips. There was something different about him, though. Something about the way he looked. He carried himself a little differently too. “You look good,” I told him.
For the first time since the power went out, Lachlan looked me in the eyes. But he didn’t say anything. Just as quickly, he moved his gaze back to the floor ahead of him. I could see his breathing hasten.
Suddenly, I realized how pale Lachlan was getting. I could see him start to shiver in his clothes and a wet gloss covered his body as he started to sweat. Taking a step towards him, I realized that I mistook his heavy breathing for anxiety. No, he was panting because he was having trouble breathing. “Lachlan, are you alright?” I asked.
When he didn’t answer, I knew something wasn’t right, thought I wasn’t sure what. “Lachlan?”
I took a step towards him and closed the gap between us. I placed an arm on his shoulder and when I did he looked up at me, but didn’t say anything. “Sit down and catch your breath.”
I held out a hand and Lachlan took it as I put another around the small of his back and helped him take a seat on the floor. His hands were cool and clammy. “Are you sick?”
Lachlan let out a bitter laugh, which broke a little of the tension. “No, I’m not sick.” His voice was frail and I could hear a wheeze in his breath.
Rolling up one of my sleeves, I placed the back of my hand on his forehead. “Are you sure? You feel a little warm.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I think I would know if I was sick. Why do you even care anyway? You made it clear you don’t want to have anything to do with me, so what does it matter to you?”
The words stung as they came out of his mouth. If only I could explain why I left, maybe he would understand. “Lachlan. I’m still a doctor. If anything’s wrong, it’s my duty to help. So are you positive you’re feeling alright?”
He seemed to buy that excuse. “Yeah. I’m not sick.”
“What is it then?” I asked. Obviously, there was something that he wasn’t telling me. “Look. You’re pale and sweating, and your breathing is heavier than normal. What’s going on? You can tell me.”
“I’m pregnant,” he blurted out, but his tone suggested he was telling me in an effort to shut me up, not because he wanted to.
“You’re pregnant?” I asked, making sure it wasn’t just my ears playing tricks on me. Lachlan nodded.
I took my hand off his forehead and took a seat next to him, using the wall to support myself. I knew Lachlan would eventually move on, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. The entire time we were together, he never once mentioned he wanted a baby. To be fair, I guess I didn’t eit
her. But hearing the news, I started to get jealous that it was someone else's child that was growing inside of him.
“Explains why I saw you here the last time,” I said, thinking back to the time I ran into him by the elevator.
Lachlan gave me a smirk. “Yeah, that’s why I was here. Something like that, anyway.”
Noticing that Lachlan was starting to go pale again, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a package of breath mints. “Here, take one of these. It’s a mint. It should help with your nausea.”
Lachlan took the mint and popped it into his mouth. “Thanks.”
“Alright, now take a few deep breaths.” Being an obstetrician, walking people through nausea was a regular occurrence. It seemed so natural to do it with Lachlan, I almost forgot that it wasn’t too long ago that we were falling for each other. “I want you to completely exhale, then inhale to a count of four through your nose.”
When I noticed he was complying, I continued. “Perfect. Now hold your breath to a count of seven then exhale to a count of eight through your mouth.” He looked at me and I gave an affirmative nod that he was doing well. “Good. Now do it a few more times.”
After a few minutes, Lachlan’s breathing fell back into a normal rhythm. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Thank you,” he said, sounding like he was actually grateful that I was here now.
Lachlan shifted a little to his side and just as he did, what I thought was a piece of paper fell from his jacket and onto the floor. He didn’t notice it at first so I leaned over to pick it up.
“I got it,” he hollered as I reached for it.
But by the time the words left his mouth, the paper was already in my hands.
When I picked it, I realized that it wasn’t a piece of paper at all, but a photograph. I immediately recognized the watermark on the back indicating that the photo was taken here at the hospital. I flipped it over, not intending to look at it, but as I was about to hand it over to him, I realized exactly what it was. A sonogram photograph.
