The Omega's Physician (Bundle of Joy Series Book 1)

by Kenna Grace

  The flowers, food, and gifts to pamper myself tempted me to give him a call, but it was the baby gifts that were what drove me over the edge. It was clear that Donovan was excited about the baby, or at the very least thinking about being involved.

  Donovan was the father after all, and it wasn’t like I could deny him access to his child. I figured it would be better to settle our issues between us instead of having to resort to court after the birth. I picked up the phone and gave him a call, deciding to extend an olive branch.

  The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Hello?”

  “Donovan. It’s Lachlan,” I replied.

  The line went silent for a moment. “I didn’t think I was going to hear from you,” he finally said. “Did you get the baby gifts?”

  “Yeah, I got them. Thanks.” Just hearing his voice brought back all my emotions for him. I could feel my vulnerability opening back up and I wanted to hang up, but I knew I was doing the right thing. “Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my next OB appointment with me. You’re the father of our child, so if you want to be involved I’m not going to deny you that.”

  “I’d love that.” He sounded ecstatic.

  “Alright, I’ll text you the details.” I wasn’t sure if I was happy or not that he wanted to be involved. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I didn’t regret my decision to give him a call.

  “Talk soon,” he said before hanging up the phone.

  18

  Donovan

  It was a few days later that I got another text from Lachlan letting me know that his OB appointment was scheduled for later that afternoon. I’d been waiting several days to hear back from him and I was starting to get nervous that he had changed his mind. Fortunately, he hadn’t. I knew that I wasn’t back in his good books yet. Not even close. But I took hope in knowing that this was at the very least, the start of a reconciliation.

  It was an OB appointment, not a date, but I still couldn’t quite shake the jitters of seeing him again. I tried to remind myself a few times, that was all it was, but I still couldn’t ease the knot forming in the pit of my stomach. The same nervousness that I’d felt the first time we went out. I offered to pick him up, but he was firm on his decision that it would be for the best if we just met there. I didn’t want to push the matter any further, but I still wished he’d accepted. It would have given us a little more private time together. Still, I was grateful that he even decided to let me come along with him.

  It was a quarter to twelve when I arrived at the hospital. I took the parking spot next to Lachlan’s car, which I was fortunate enough to spot when I pulled in. Getting out of the car, I locked the doors behind me and peeked inside his tinted windows. It was empty, so I made my way inside the hospital and headed towards the OB unit, keeping an eye open for Lachlan.

  When I got into the waiting room, I saw him slumped down in a chair near the back corner thumbing around with his phone. He didn’t see me when I walked in, so I stood there for a second and watched him, taking a few deep breaths to help alleviate my anxieties. Feeling a little more relaxed now, I started to approach him. I was only a few feet away from him when he looked up from his phone and right at me.

  “Donovan,” he said, greeting me as I took a seat next to him.

  “How are you doing?” I asked, giving him a nervous smile.

  He tucked his phone back into his pocket before addressing me again. “I’m doing alright. You?”

  I licked my lips. “Not bad. It’s nice to see you again.” My palms were starting to get sweaty, so I wiped them down the side of my jeans.

  “Yeah.” His lips tugged up into a nervous smile of his own. “Thanks for coming,” he added.

  I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me that he’d invited me along. How bad I felt about everything that had happened. But I didn’t. I was excited to see him again, excited that he’d decided to let me into this slice of his life, but I didn’t want to let out too much as to just how excited I really was.

  Lachlan invited me to come, but I was positive he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision. I knew it couldn’t have been easy for him to ask, and I didn’t want to lead on like I was just walking right back into his life. I knew he was still hurt by everything I put him through and I didn’t want to say something that would push him into regretting the decision. “My pleasure,” I assured him.

  A few minutes of awkward silence passed until the receptionist came out into the waiting room. I was grateful that she did.

  “Lachlan, the doctor is ready to see you now,” she announced with a bright smile on her face.

  We both got up from our chair and headed towards her. We followed her to one of the empty examination rooms and I took a seat on a chair next to Lachlan, who took his on the examination seat.

  “Dr. Amanda Charles will be right with you,” she informed us before exiting the room.

  Up until this point I wasn’t positive who Lachlan’s obstetrician was, but I was relieved to know it was Amanda. She and I had been colleagues for a while now. We didn’t talk much besides on a professional level, but she was a good doctor and I respected her. I knew without a doubt that Lachlan was going to be in good hands.

  It was only a moment later that she walked into the room. She had a little look of surprise on her when she saw that I was in the room with him, but she didn’t bring it up. She introduced herself to Lachlan and gave me a silent nod. I was sure that Katy had discussed Lachlan’s file with her and she was just connecting the dots now that I was the father of the child.

  “How have you been feeling, Lachlan?” she inquired while looking quickly looking over his file again.

  “I’ve been feeling alright. A little nauseous at times, but nothing I can’t handle. I’ve been carrying around a box of mints with me, it seems to help.”

  “Good,” she said, placing the file down on the desk next to the sonogram machine. She reached over to Lachlan’s chair and flicked one of the switches so he was leaning back a little.

  When the chair was in the correct position, she flicked the switch back up to lock it in position. She sat down at her chair next to him and flipped his file back open. She asked him a few standard questions about his diet, medication, and any concern he may have. The information was already in his file, but it was standard to monitor any changes that may have occurred between his appointment with Katy and his transfer to her. Nothing had changed and Amanda seemed satisfied.

  “Do you mind lifting your shirt up for me a little?” she asked before getting back up from her chair and grabbing a bottle of lubricant from a shelf in the corner of the room. Lachlan complied.

  After putting on gloves, she turned on the computer monitor. When the system was loaded, she directed her focus back over to Lachlan. “Ready?”

  Lachlan licked his lips before answering. “Yeah, I’m ready.” He leaned his head down on the padded chair and looked over to the computer monitor.

  Amanda squeezed a dab of the lubricant onto his belly. With his shirt raised, it was the first time I was able to see his baby bump. It was still small and not noticeable with his shirt on, but now it was hard to miss. She picked up the transducer and placed it in the center of the dab of lubricant, and made a small circular motion to spread it around.

  The machine beeped once to indicate that a proper seal was formed. When it did, I glanced over to the monitor. My heart pounded against my chest in anticipation for our little bundle of joy to show himself.

  “There we are,” Amanda said, as the image on the screen came into focus.

  When the fetus came into view, I felt my heartstrings tug a little. Amanda moved the transducer around his belly to examine our baby from different angles. I looked down at Lachlan, who was intently staring at the screen with a smile spread across his face.

  “It’s amazing,” Lachlan said, still keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

  “Do you want to know the sex?” Amanda asked.

 
When she did, I looked back at the screen. Immediately, I knew what it was. Lachlan looked over at me. “What do you think?” he asked.

  Amanda and I shared a little laugh. Lachlan’s eyebrows tugged up, confused as to what he missed. Then, it clicked and he chuckled as well. “I guess as an OB yourself, you don’t really need another one to tell you.” He let out another little laugh. “Is it too late to add pregnancy brain to the list of concerns?”

  Amanda and I shared a quick laugh at his joke, but it died down when we both noticed something on the monitor. Something that instantly made my heart drop. I looked over at Amanda, who was looking back at me.

  Lachlan must have caught on to the sudden tension that filled the room. “What is it?” he asked, his voice full of concern. I said nothing, but stood from my chair and leaned in a little closer to the monitor. Lachlan lifted his head from the pad of the chair and tried to get a closer look as well. “What’s going on?” he demanded, this time sounding more impatient.

  I waited for Amanda to break the news to him, knowing that it wasn’t my place to do so. “Your placenta is low-lying,” she finally spoke.

  Lachlan looked over at me and then to Amanda. “I don’t understand. Is… Is that bad?”

  “It’s not good, Lachlan. It is possible it could lead to complications.” Amanda grabbed a pen and jotted down a few notes into Lachlan’s file. “Male pregnancy is always higher risk, and this isn’t something we haven’t seen before. It’s not common, but it does happen from time to time. The surgeons here are well-versed in any complication that could arise during birth, but this is something that we have to take seriously.”

  Lachlan swallowed the lump in his throat. “What… What sort of complications? Is the baby going to be alright?”

  Amanda finished her note and then pushed the file back to the side and gave Lachlan her full attention. “During pregnancy, the placenta is supposed to move up. In some instances, for whatever reason, it doesn’t. At this stage of your pregnancy, it should be higher than it currently is. As your pregnancy continues to progress there’s a couple things that could happen. In the best-case scenario, the issue could correct itself and the placenta could move up.”

  Lachlan looked a little relieved hearing that, but then finally asked the question that was weighing on his mind. “And what if it doesn’t correct itself?”

  “If the placenta doesn’t correct itself, it can lead to a condition called placenta previa. Basically, it means that the placenta failed to move up during pregnancy and is continuing to cover your cervix. If that happens, it may lead to hemorrhaging, which can be dangerous for both you and the baby.” When she noticed Lachlan was growing more anxious, she continued to try and alleviate his concern. “Placenta previa is rare, though. In fact, it only affects approximately one in two-hundred pregnancies.”

  The fact didn’t seem to comfort Lachlan as much as she would have hoped, but he seemed to handle the news well enough, all things considering. “Try not to worry about it too much, Lachlan. Now that we know that this is a possible issue, we can be more prepared for it.”

  When the ultrasound finished, she printed off a couple photographs of the fetus and gave him one, putting the other in his file. She gave him a cloth to wipe himself down with and returned his chair to its upright position.

  “So, that’s all for today?” Lachlan asked as he readjusted his shirt.

  “That’s all for today,” Amanda confirmed. “I’m just going to look at my schedule and see when I can get you back in here again. I’m going to want to see you a little sooner than your next scheduled appointment, so I need to move a few things around. I’ll give you a call in the next day or two to confirm your appointment. Does that work for you?”

  Lachlan nodded in agreement. We made our way out of the office, shutting the door behind us. The entire walk back to our cars we didn’t say a word to each other. I could tell by his demeanor that he was still hung up on what Amanda had told him. I couldn’t blame him. The news was weighing on me as well, but I tried not to let it show. If it made Lachlan anxious, the last thing he needed was me, an obstetrician, to be as well. I needed to remain calm and not seem worried. If I could pull that off, maybe he would notice and relax a little by himself. Right now, there wasn’t anything we could do anyway, and stress could just make the problem worse.

  “Thanks for coming again, Donovan,” Lachlan said with a forced smile on his face as he fished around his pocket for his keys.

  I stepped around the driver’s side of my own car, but hesitated for a moment before getting in. “Lachlan?”

  He slid his keys into the door and looked over at me. “Hmm?”

  “Would you want to maybe grab something to eat?” I asked, knowing there was a chance he would say no, but not quite ready to leave him so quickly.

  Lachlan bit down on his lower lip and averted his eyes to the pavement. He took a second before answering, rolling the idea around in his head. Finally, he looked back up at me. “Yeah, I could go for something to eat,” he agreed hesitantly. “What were you thinking?”

  “A new fry place just opened up a couple blocks away that I’ve been meaning to try. It’s a nice enough day out, maybe we can walk?” I suggested, surprised that he’d even agreed.

  He locked the door of his car again. “Yeah, I think a walk might be nice, actually. Get some fresh air and a little exercise.”

  We didn’t talk much the few blocks there, but I enjoyed being in his company and Lachlan looked like he was in a bit of a better mood. I ordered us some fries and a bottle of water and took them to a picnic table facing the waterfront. Lachlan sat across from me.

  I tossed a few fries in my mouth and washed them back with my drink. I wasn’t hungry at all, but a snack was the first thing that came to my mind when I was thinking of an excuse to spend a little more time with Lachlan. “So, I was thinking,” I said, finally breaking the silence.

  Lachlan looked up at me. “About?”

  “I was thinking that it might be good to spend a little more time together,” I told him, hoping that I wasn’t stepping out of bounds. He seemed a little uneasy about the idea, so I continued, “I mean, just to get better acquainted again. For the baby’s sake.” I wasn’t just asking because I wanted to spend time with him, I really was still concerned about his health. Especially now that I knew there might be possible complications with the pregnancy further down the line. “That way I can also keep an eye on you. I know you’ll have another appointment with Amanda soon enough, but it might ease your nerves a bit if you have someone around who can help you out.”

  Lachlan didn’t seem so convinced that we should be spending more time than necessary with each other, but when I brought up that it might be good to have me around to observe him, his demeanor shifted and he seemed more open to the idea. “It might bring me a little bit more peace of mind knowing you were around,” he reluctantly admitted. Then he perked up a little. “We’re going to need some ground rules, though.”

  I nodded in agreement. I wasn’t sure what kind of rules he was thinking, but I didn’t really care if following them meant I got to spend a little more time with him and make sure everything was alright. “Name it.”

  He took a sip of his water and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. “We can spend a little more time together. For the baby. But, just so we’re clear, that’s where I draw the line. I’m glad you want to be in our child’s life, but that’s as far as I want to take it. There’s no relationship between the two of us to salvage. So, if you’re only offering to try and establish a relationship or because you feel like you have to, you can just stop right now.”

  The words hurt to hear, but I couldn’t blame him. “I’m alright with that. I want to be in our child’s life. I want to be a father and I want our child to grow up knowing that both his parents love him.”

  Lachlan looked appeased at my answer if not a little surprised. “Alright then.” He snacked on a few more fries and looked down at the water.r />
  I wanted nothing more than to be a good father and part of our child’s life. If that meant agreeing to Lachlan’s terms then I was okay with it. At least, I should be. He’d made himself perfectly clear that there was nothing between us to salvage, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to not fight for them.

  Suddenly, Lachlan turned back around to face me. “Back inside the hospital. Amanda asked if I wanted to know the sex of the baby. I wanted to know, but I didn’t get the chance to ask before, well, everything else that happened.” He set his hands down on the table, overlapping one over the other and fidgeting with his fingers. “Is it a boy or a girl? Not that it matters at all, but I was just wondering.”

  A smile spread across my face at Lachlan’s question. “It’s a boy.”

  19

  Lachlan

  As I sat at the booth at the diner, I couldn’t help but stare at Donovan’s cute ass as he stood in line to order us some milkshakes. I licked my lips as his cheeks shifted from side to side as he moved his weight from one leg to the other. As soon as he received our order, I turned back around so he wouldn’t notice that I was staring at him. He’d already caught me several times and I had caught him. Though, neither of us said anything about it.

  It had been about a week since my OB appointment and Donovan and I had been spending more and more time together. It was a little awkward at first, but that feeling quickly faded. I told Donovan one of the conditions of spending more time together was that there was no chance we could reconcile our past relationship. Donovan had agreed, but it was me who seemed to be having a little more trouble sticking to it. I tried not to think about it too long and convinced myself that it was normal to flirt with him. I mean, we had been intimate in the past and we were both attractive guys. Hell, he was the father of my child. A little innocent flirting couldn’t hurt that bad. Besides, we both knew that was all it really was.