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

by Kenna Grace

  Instead, I asked if he wanted to go into the living room with me and help me choose a crib from a baby catalogue I had subscribed to. Donovan agreed.

  When we sat on the couch, I grabbed a stack of the magazines I had already gotten from them and set them on the table. Donovan started to flip through them immediately.

  “Hey, I’m just going to use the washroom. I’ll be right back.” I didn’t regret the sex with Donovan, but I needed a second alone.

  “Sounds good,” Donovan replied, still occupied flipping through the magazine.

  When I got into the washroom I splashed some cool water on my face and dried it off with a towel. It was only when I pulled my pants down to take a piss that I noticed little specks of blood on my underwear. “Donovan!” I shouted, having no idea what was going on.

  As soon as I shouted his name, he came rushing into the washroom. “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. There’s blood on my underwear. What’s that mean? It’s normal, right?”

  From the look on Donovan’s face, I knew it wasn’t normal. “You’re spotting. We need to get to the hospital.”

  I had so many question, but I knew we didn’t have time for answers right now. As quickly as we could, we headed for Donovan’s car and drove to the hospital. As soon as we got there, we went up to an examination room where Dr. Amanda Charles, my obstetrician, met us.

  “Is this the first time it happened?” she asked, as I lay back on the examination table. She rubbed the ultrasound gel on my stomach and turned on the machine.

  “Yeah, it’s the first time. What caused it?” I asked, watching the computer screen as she glided the transducer over my baby bump. Donovan stood next to me with a hand on my shoulder, his eyes also glued to the screen.

  After a moment, an ultrasound image of the baby appeared. “The baby’s fine,” Amanda said, giving me a smile.

  I immediately let out an exhale of relief. “Do you know what happened?”

  She looked closer at the screen and studied the images from a few different angles. Then, Donovan leaned in a little closer and spoke up. “The placenta isn’t moving upwards.”

  Amanda looked over at us and pressed her lips together, shaking her head in agreement with Donovan’s observation.

  “What does that mean?” Suddenly, I felt a little left out. “In case you guys forgot, I’m not a doctor.”

  Donovan cleared his throat before speaking. “The placenta is supposed to be moving upwards the further along the pregnancy is. According to the ultrasound, it’s not.” He looked back up at the image briefly. “It’s covering your cervix.”

  “And… That’s bad?” I still wasn’t exactly sure what the risks were, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I just needed to know how concerned I should be.

  Amanda nodded and took over the conversation. “It’s not good. Male pregnancy does have more inherent risk though, so this isn’t something we haven’t seen before. When the placenta doesn’t move upwards and instead blocks the cervix, it can lead to hemorrhaging.”

  “Hemorrhaging?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “The baby. Will it be alright?”

  “With proper monitoring, the baby should be fine,” Amanda said, printing off the images she had taken.

  “Should be?” I looked up at Donovan.

  “It’s a higher risk pregnancy, but nothing we haven’t had to deal with before.”

  His answer didn’t comfort me as much as I’d hoped.

  Amanda returned her attention to me. “You’re going to have to be on bedrest until the C-section. It’s still a little premature to go through with now, so until then you need to limit your activities and stress levels. No strenuous activities. That includes sex.”

  Sex was the last thing on my mind right now. “How am I supposed to stay on bedrest? I can’t just lie at home alone all day.”

  Suddenly, Donovan spoke up. “I’m going to move in with him, so I can take care of him.” He quickly glanced down at me. “At least until the C-section.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Amanda agreed.

  I nodded. I was in no position to argue right now.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect when we got back from the emergency meeting with Amanda, but it certainly wasn’t Donovan constantly hovering over me. I was optimistic that it would be nice to have him around to help me out, but he took it overboard. He wouldn’t let me do anything for myself, and it was absolutely maddening.

  It reminded me of being a child again. Like pretending I was sick, so my parents would let me stay home from school. It always sounded like a good idea. That was, until I realized that all there was to do was sit around and watch day time television.

  Donovan living with me started off easy enough. He would do all the heavy lifting and house chores, and even make all our meals. But, as the weeks went on, he become more and more protective. It got to the point where I couldn’t even go to the washroom without him asking if everything was alright. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate him dropping everything to help me through this. I did, more than words could express. But I also missed being able to do things for myself.

  The closer it came to my due date, the more annoying he became. I was lying in bed, reading a book with Donovan, who was lying down next to me and watching a movie on his laptop. When Donovan moved in with me, he refused to use the guest room. Instead, he insisted we share a bed in case anything happened. That way, he explained, he would know if something was wrong during the middle of the night.

  Sharing a bed with Donovan might have been the most frustrating part of living with him. Amanda had explained that we couldn’t have sex due to the placenta blocking my cervix. Any strenuous activity could possible lead to hemorrhaging. So, it wasn’t easy lying next to him, unable to act on our impulses. Especially considering Donovan loved to hold me at night.

  Feeling parched, I started to shift my weight to get out of bed.

  “Where are you going?” Donovan asked, pausing his movie.

  “Just feeling a little thirsty. Going to grab a glass of water.”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, Donovan stood off the bed. “Oh, I’ll get it for you. Stay and rest.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Donovan, it’s just a glass of water. I think I’ll be fine.”

  Donovan laughed. “I guess I am being a little much, aren’t I?”

  “A little?” Nodding, I raised my eyebrows and pressed my lips together. “So, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a little independence back and get my own glass of water.”

  He tugged his lips up into a smile and laid back down on top of the covers. “Well, if you insist. “He turned his movie back on.

  “I do.” I rolled my eyes at him and got out of bed. I filled a glass with water from the kitchen sink and made my way back to the bedroom.

  “Everything alright?” Donovan asked, the second I stepped back in the room.

  I froze at the doorway and shot him a glare. “I swear, Donovan,” I fired back, only half serious.

  He held his hands in front of him and let out a laugh. “I was just making sure.” He patted the side of the bed next to him.

  I put my glass down on the nightstand and crawled back up next to him. When I did, Donovan snaked his arm around my neck and I nestled my head into his chest. It didn’t matter how much Donovan irritated me with his babying, each night when he wrapped his arms around me as we fell asleep, all the irritation melted away. At least, until we woke back up and the babying persisted.

  22

  Donovan

  It was kind of funny. I’d delivered hundreds of babies and completed years of medical school and residency. I’d completed too many ultrasounds to count and had gone into details regarding childbirth with numerous expectant omegas. But, when it came to Lachlan, I was still terrified.

  I knew the ins and outs of what to expect and how it was a biological response to be nervous, but even with all that knowledge and knowing what to expect, I know knew how all my patients fel
t during our conversations. As nervous as I was though, I didn’t let Lachlan know.

  Lachlan was going through enough right now and I was sure he had the same nervous feelings as I did. Right now, he needed me to be strong and supportive. I didn’t want to worry him by being anxious about the pregnancy, so I did the next best thing. I spoke to Katy and she said it was alright for me to cut my hours at the hospital. That way I could spend more time with Lachlan and help him through everything.

  When I finished speaking with Katy, I drove over to Lachlan’s place. I parked on the street outside. Tanya was supposed to be stopping by soon to spend some time with Lachlan, so I figured I’d let her have the extra space in the driveway in case by-law was doing their rounds. The last thing I wanted was one of Lachlan’s colleagues and friends to get a ticket when she was just coming to comfort my pregnant omega. I’d only met her a few times when she took over my condo listing, but from what I saw she seemed like a good person and I was glad she was stopping by to see him.

  Getting out of the car I made my way to the front door and let myself in. Usually, I’d knock, but lately Lachlan and I had just been letting ourselves in each other’s places. Maybe I was misinterpreting the situation, but I thought it was a good step forward in our relationship. I sucked on my teeth. Relationship? I let out a heavy exhale as I stepped through the front door. I wasn’t sure how you would classify what Lachlan and I had, but it seemed like more than just friends. I mean, friends didn’t casually have sex and raise a baby together, right?

  “I’m here,” I called out when I shut the door behind me.

  “In the kitchen,” Lachlan called back.

  When I walked in to meet him, he was on the phone. I took a seat at the table and waited while he finished his call. A smile crept over my face when I noticed a magazine opened to a page about decorating a baby’s room.

  “Sorry about that,” Lachlan said as he hung up the phone. “That was Dr. Charles. I have some news.” He rubbed a hand over his large baby bump and took a seat on the chair next to me, using his other hand to put pressure on the arch of his back.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked curiously. “About the baby?”

  Lachlan nodded. “She said that she recommends a C-section. Apparently, it’s the more common practice for male omegas. Safer for both the baby and the father.”

  “Yeah, that’s been my experience as well,” I agreed. “Did she give you a date yet?” I tapped my foot on the ground anxiously. Of course, I already knew she probably would have scheduled the appointment with him. Lachlan was now thirty-seven weeks and they usually tried to schedule the C-section around the forty-week mark for safety purposes.

  Lachlan pressed his lips together. “Two weeks.,” he said nervously. “Seems like it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant.”

  My lips tugged up into a comforting smile. “Funny how time flies when your hormones are going crazy.”

  He let out a laugh that seemed to break the tension a little, but I could still see the anxiety on his face. I reached over and put my hand on top of his and circled my thumb over his wrist. “I’m not going to tell you not to be nervous, because I know that me saying that won’t help. And I’m not going to say that I know how you’re feeling, because I have no idea.” I paused for a second. “But, I do know that you’re going to be an amazing father, and I’m going to be there with you every step of the way.”

  This seemed to comfort him more. “Thanks, Donovan. That means a lot.” When he noticed that I was still resting my hand on his, he quickly stood up and broke our contact. “So, I have something else to tell you.” It seemed like we were fine with having sex, but both backed off when it seemed to be anything less than completely physical.

  “Hmm, what’s that?” I combed my hand through my hair trying not to let the fact he pulled away bother me.

  Lachlan walked to the other side of the table and leaned over, supporting his weight on his hands, which were pressed against the wood. He squinted and pressed his lips together before talking. “Don’t be mad.”

  “What?” I asked, curiously. I wasn’t sure what he was going to tell me, but I braced myself for the worst.

  He clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth. “I set up a lunch date today for you with Henry.”

  I grimaced at the words as he said them. A lunch date with Henry. I hadn’t seen him since that day in the mall. Even then I would have preferred to have avoided him. “You what?” I asked, making sure I wasn’t hearing things.

  “I just thought you should talk to him. He seems sweet and I think you need to spend some time with him. He is your father, after all.”

  “How did you even get in touch with him?” I never talked much with Lachlan about my parents, so I was surprised as to how they even communicated. They only met each other briefly and I was pretty sure they didn’t secretly exchange contact information.

  Lachlan took a seat opposite me. “I found him online and sent him a message. He replied with his number, so I gave him a call.”

  I sat for a moment in silence. Sure, I’d told Lachlan a bit about my childhood, and I’d told him why we didn’t speak much anymore, but I never told him just how much the full extent of my parents’ divorce affected me. How Henry was one of the reasons that I left him in the middle of the night.

  Seeing Henry sounded awful and I wanted to refuse, but before I could, Lachlan spoke up again. “Besides, I need a break from your hovering. It’s not that I don’t appreciate you being here for me, it’s just that you’re about to have a child. I thought you should try and make peace with your father before becoming one.”

  Well, I couldn’t argue with that. He was my father, after all. The very least I could do was hear him out. “I guess that makes sense,” I said finally, though still reluctant. The idea of sitting across from Henry having lunch like father and son, alone, had my stomach in a knot.

  “Well no need to be so mopey about it.” Lachlan reached over and gave my shoulder a playful jab. “I think it’ll be good for you.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” I said, pepping up a bit and giving him a smile. “I’m just going to send Tanya a message to see if she’s almost here.”

  Lachlan rolled his eyes. “I’ll be fine alone for a bit.”

  “I’d just rather be safe than sorry. Besides, if you get to call my dad to set me up on a secret lunch date behind my back, I get to call Tanya and make sure she’s on her way.” I gave him a wink.

  He pressed his lips together and nodded. “Fine, I can live with that.”

  Snaking my phone out of my pocket, I tapped Tanya’s name on my contact list and asked her if she was still able to make it to Lachlan’s today. A few minutes later my phone vibrated with her response.

  “And?” Lachlan asked.

  I cleared my throat before telling him. “She said she will be here in five minutes or so.” I tucked the phone back into my pocket. “I can wait for her to get here before I head out.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly. It’s only five minutes. Quit stalling and get out of here, it’ll be fine.”

  Standing up and walking over to Lachlan, I kneeled next to him. “Now, you be good for Daddy and don’t give him a hard time,” I said gently as I put a hand on his baby bump. Lachlan looked down with a smile and rolled his eyes.

  “Let’s go, get out of here,” he said, laughing and motioning towards the door with his hand.

  Once I got into the car, I hesitated for a moment before taking off. This was going to be the first time I had an actual conversation with my father that lasted longer than a few minutes and I could already feel my nerves getting the better of me. After a few deep breaths, I turned on the ignition and made my way to the coffee shop that Lachlan told Henry to meet me at.

  When I got there, I was relieved to notice that I had arrived before he did. Good. That gave me a few minutes prepare myself. A moment passed, and then I heard a chime from the front door as it opened. It was Henry. He looked around for a second to spot
me. When he couldn't, I raised my arm and pressed my lips together to force a smile.

  “Donovan. You look good,” he told me as he took a seat across from me. “Thanks for coming, I wasn’t sure that you would.”

  “Well, neither was I. You can thank Lachlan for convincing me.” My words were a little harsh, but he gave me a sympathetic smile.

  One of the baristas came over to our table. “What can I get you boys today?”

  Henry ran his fingers through his short beard while glancing over at the menu on the wall. “Can I just get a caramel macchiato and a glass of water? Thanks.”

  “I’ll just have medium coffee, black,” I replied when she looked over at me.

  She gave us a nod. “Coming right up.”

  “So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, directing my attention back to Henry.

  He bit down on his lower lip. “Can’t a father just get a coffee with his son?”

  I exhaled hot air through my nostrils. “Father? Looks like we’re using that term loosely now.” I wasn’t sure what Henry was expecting out of this, and I wouldn’t be here if Lachlan hadn’t asked me to come.

  “I guess I deserve that. I want you to know I tried my best with the resources I had. I’m sorry it wasn’t enough.” He held his head down and locked his hands together. “But I want to be here for you now,” he added, looking back up to me.

  The barista returned with our drinks and set them down on the table.

  “I’ve been seeing someone. It’s not what you think, though,” Henry told me.

  I put a hand up and looked the other way. “Look. I’m here because Lachlan asked me to come. To see what you had to say. I didn’t come to hear you talk about your love life.”

  Just then, Henry’s watch alarm started to beep. He clicked a button on the side to shut it off and then reached into his bag and pulled out a medication bottle. Unscrewing the top, he took one out and tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it with the glass of water next to him.