by Livia Grant
“The doctor is with another new patient, so it’s a bit hard to know when he’ll be free. Can I bring you anything to eat or drink while you wait?”
“No, I’m good,” Emma responded just as Jaxson added, “Do you have any fruit juice for Emma?” She glared at him, but he didn’t back down. “What? You threw up your entire breakfast. I want to at least get some juice in you.”
The nurse patted her arm, somehow sizing up their family dynamic correctly when she agreed, “I’ll be right back with some juice.”
Emma tackled the paperwork to avoid showing her annoyance with Jaxson’s insistence on monitoring every calorie that entered her body. As she had promised herself, she refused to get upset by the men’s hovering because it was infinitely better than how separated they had become when they had first moved to California.
The paperwork was routine until she dug deep enough to hit a questionnaire wanting to gather the medical history of the unborn child’s father. She assumed it was to help with the screening for possible hereditary or genetic health problems, but the simple dilemma of not knowing which of her lovers had actually fathered her child brought unexpected tears to her eyes. Her father’s words sprung forward, shaming her before she could consciously reject them.
Chase leaned closer. “You need some help, baby?”
Emma shot to her feet to avoid showing Chase what had her stumped. “I’ve completed all I need to. I’m going to take these back up to the nurse.” She almost sprinted towards the opening to their small waiting room.
“Freeze.” Jaxson’s order had her screeching to a halt. “What’s wrong?” he prodded her.
Still facing away from the men, she could have tried to lie that nothing was wrong but refused to hide things from them again so soon after promising not to.
“The rest of the paperwork is about the baby’s father. Since I honestly don’t know which of you is the father, and more importantly I don’t care, I was going to just take the packet back up to the nurse,” she answered with the most even voice she could muster.
The men paused long enough that she was about to proceed to the glass window when Jaxson spoke. “Bring it back. Let’s look at it together.”
Taking a calming breath, she turned towards the men. An awkward silence fell between them as both men leaned over her lap to review the pages of health history questions.
She was grateful when Chase spoke. “I’ll go get another set of these forms. We’ll both fill them out.”
“Good idea,” Jaxson added quietly.
It took another ten minutes to finish the questionnaires. When they were complete, Emma met the nurse waiting outside the entrance of the exclusive waiting area.
“Ah good. I’ll take these. We have a room ready for you in the back.”
“Okay, let me just go back and tell the guys…” Jaxson’s arm around her waist cut her off.
“No need. We’re coming back with you.”
Emma should have expected this, but she’d truly been naive enough to think the men intended to stay seated in the waiting room, waiting for her.
“But, I’m sure he’s going to want to examine me. Maybe the nurse can come get you when the appointment is ending and we are just talking.”
Chase grinned a devilish smile. “Do you really think that lame excuse is going to work with us? I mean come on,” he teased.
Emma looked back and forth between her lovers and knew there was no point in arguing. Their minds were made up.
“Fine. Let’s go,” she relented.
She’d been to visit doctors many times in her life, but this visit continued to progress unlike any other she’d had in the past, starting with the complete void of any other patients or even medical personnel for that matter.
They were ushered into a room that looked like a strange mix of traditional examination room to the right and a living room with a couch, several cushioned chairs and two end tables to the left. An attractive man in his fifties looked up from the iPad in his lap, turning his chair to face the door. He took off his reading glasses and stood tall, walking towards them with a hand offered towards Emma.
“Miss Fischer, it’s wonderful to meet you.” Only when he’d made eye contact with her, smiling kindly, did he turn to Jaxson, shaking hands as he introduced himself. “Mr. Davidson, I’m Dr. Tipton.” He then turned to Chase and shook his hand as well. “Mr. Cartwright. Why don’t you all join me over in the sitting area first so we can talk through Miss Fischer’s medical history together before we get down to business.”
Emma liked the doctor instantly. She’d intentionally chosen women doctors in the past, worried she’d feel awkward with a male doctor, but she appreciated Dr. Tipton’s easy acceptance, at least outwardly, of their unusual relationship.
Once seated, the doctor asked the question of the hour. “So, what brings you here today?”
Jaxson had made the appointment. Emma had assumed he’d already covered the basics of their situation already. She looked to her Dom, uncertain. He reached to hold her hand before answering the doctor.
“We got your contact information as a referral from our good friends Cash and Samantha Carter.”
The smile on the doctor’s face broadened. “How is the beautiful Natasha doing?”
“Fine. Healthy. Still not sleeping through the night.”
“Yes, well, these things can take some time.” The doctor paused, waiting for Jaxson to continue.
“I called Cash because I wanted to find a doctor we can trust with our unique situation.”
“You’ve come to the right place. Like many of my other patients, Mr. and Mrs. Carter received what I call my VIP service, offered to clients who are in need of additional privacy based on their occupations or simply their last name.”
Jaxson started an interrogation. “Exactly how do you guarantee confidentiality?”
The kind doctor didn’t seem upset at Jaxson’s challenging tone. “You’ve already seen the beginning of how we differ from most of my peers. From your anticipated arrival and security escort through secured spaces to the private waiting rooms, to making sure patients never accidentally bump into each other… we make every effort to maintain your privacy. All of my nurses have worked for me for years. They have signed strict confidentiality clauses and legal non-disclosure agreements to ensure they never share the private information about our patients. This is over and above the normal HIPAA laws guaranteeing confidentiality. In other words, we recognize that many of our clients have more to protect than just their family medical history.”
Jaxson nodded, seeming satisfied with the doctor’s answers. He glanced to his right at Emma and Chase quickly before launching into a new question. “How familiar are you with our relationship?”
Dr. Tipton smiled as he answered. “I’d prefer you fill me in yourself. I’ve been at this long enough to know how much the press and social media can skew the truth. I tend not to believe half of what I read. All I ask is you are honest with me and give me all of the information I need to make informed decisions about Ms. Fischer’s health.”
If she hadn’t already made up her mind she liked the doctor, his perfect answer would have sealed the deal. Jaxson proceeded, clearly satisfied with the doctor’s answer as well.
“Chase, Emma, and I form a romantic trio. We live together and plan to spend the rest of our lives together. If it were legal, we would have already bound ourselves to each other in marriage. Unfortunately, that’s not possible, and while I wish it were, it’s irrelevant to the current situation.”
“Which is?”
“Emma is pregnant.”
Dr. Tipton turned her way again. “That’s wonderful news. Congratulations to you all. Do you mind me asking a few questions?”
She liked that his question was directed at her, the patient, not the men. “Of course.”
“Do you know for sure who the father of the child is?”
“No, sir. It could equally be either Jaxson or Chase.”
&
nbsp; “Okay, that’s not a problem. I guess the bigger question is do you want to know who the father is?”
All three of them answered in unison, “No.”
“Well okay then,” the older man chuckled. “I’m sure you realize that with the visual differences between the men, it is likely you will be able to tell once the baby is born anyway, right?”
“Well, sure, but it doesn’t matter to us at all.” It was Chase’s turn to answer that time.
The doctor glanced down at the pile of paperwork the nurse had left with him. “That will work as long as I don’t see anything concerning in either of your medical histories that might have an impact on the pregnancy or the post-natal care of your child.” He spent a few minutes looking over the paperwork before adding, “I see that heart disease runs in your family, Mr. Cartwright.”
The news alarmed Emma. She turned to her lover, concerned. Chase grinned. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not dying here.”
Jaxson groused, “No, but I’ve always worried about you knowing your father died of a heart attack at forty-two.”
Emma felt like a total loser. She’d always known Chase’s father had passed away years before, but she’d never bothered to ask the background of how that happened. She felt terrible.
“I’m so sorry. I should have known.”
“How? I don’t talk about it.”
The doctor interrupted, “While that may be important down the road, this shouldn’t make any difference with the pregnancy. My only caution to you is you might want to consult a lawyer with your unique scenario. I’m guessing you will not want to leave the father slot empty on the birth certificate. Establishing legal parental rights with one of you will be in both Ms. Fischer and your child’s best interest.”
Emma hadn’t even started to worry about that hurdle yet. She was relieved when Jaxson replied, “I’ve been in contact with our lawyer to get his recommendation. He has practiced in both California and the District of Columbia, the two locations we would expect to deliver in. I’m confident he’ll be able to guide us to the proper legal stance.”
The doctor smiled widely. “It sounds like you’ve covered your bases. Just let me know if you decide you’d like to determine biological paternity prior to the delivery for purposes of the birth certificate. There are non-invasive tests we can administer.”
Chase and Jaxson shared an uncomfortable staring contest until Chase finally assured the physician, “We’ll let you know if we change our minds.”
“Very well.”
Emma was relieved until he turned and directed his next question to her.
“So how far along are you, young lady?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she answered truthfully.
The doctor made some notes on the iPad on his lap before asking, “Were you trying to get pregnant? Have you been on birth control in the last twelve months?”
Those were two different questions. “We weren’t trying to get pregnant. It was a surprise.”
“I see, well, that happens. What birth control were you on when you conceived, and when did you become aware you were pregnant?”
Jaxson answered for her. “She’s been on the Depo-Provera shot, but then found out about the baby on Valentine’s Day.”
“Hmm, that was almost two months ago. Have you been to see another OBGYN in the meantime?”
“Just once.” She felt Chase and Jaxson’s incriminating stares as she answered. “I had an appointment with my doctor for my next shot on Valentine’s Day when they discovered I was already pregnant.”
“I see. So they performed a pregnancy test prior to administering the shot?”
“Exactly,” Emma admitted.
She could tell Dr. Tipton was choosing his words carefully as he continued. “What was the cadence your physician had you on for your injections?”
Emma looked the kind doctor in his eyes as she answered, “Normally every twelve weeks.”
“Interesting. The effectiveness of Depo at that interval is over 99%.” He smiled as he asked the million-dollar question. “So you are either in that one percent or perhaps there was an interruption in your normal twelve-week cycle?”
She felt three pairs of eyes on her, waiting for her answer. The longer she took to speak, the more guilt she felt. “I missed my appointment in January. The Valentine’s Day appointment was the make-up visit,” she finally answered softly.
Emma felt the hand resting on her right thigh squeezing as Jaxson internalized her words and their implication. Why couldn’t the damn doctor move on and just ask his next question?
Unable to stand the silence anymore, Emma whispered a soft, “I’m sorry.” Her gaze dropped to her lap, unable to look any of the three men in the eye.
“So, you missed your appointment in January so you could go visit Samantha and the baby in Colorado?” When Jaxson spoke, it wasn’t in anger, but the question was delivered in the ice-cold tone she’d heard him use in business meetings with other alpha men. In that context, his voice had a way of melting her core, watching her alpha Dom control everyone and everything in his way. Him using that tone today… with her… when she was already feeling vulnerable… it hurt. Her hands in her lap swam through the tears pricking at her eyes.
“Answer me, young lady.”
“Jax, don’t do this. It doesn’t matter how it happened,” Chase defended her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders supportively.
Jaxson didn’t back down. “Eyes.”
Oh God, why was he doing this here… now… in front of the doctor?
Because you didn’t tell him the truth at any point over the last five days when you could have done it privately.
Relief was all she felt when she looked into her lover’s gorgeous green eyes. Despite his clear displeasure at her actions, she could still see his love for her pouring from him.
“You’re just full of secrets lately, aren’t you, baby?”
Sweet relief came when he called her his baby. “I wanted to tell you,” she admitted.
“And yet, you didn’t.”
“I told you now.”
“A small consolation I’ll take into consideration.” Jaxson’s eyes didn’t leave hers as he addressed the doctor sitting across from them. “Dr. Tipton, there is another matter we need to discuss with you.”
Oh no. He wouldn’t.
“Of course. How can I help?” the elder man prompted.
Jaxson’s lips curved up slightly, telling her that this conversation was part of her punishment for hiding the truth. “Are you familiar with the BDSM lifestyle?”
“I am. In fact, I have a few other clients that practice the lifestyle as well.” Emma noted the doctor didn’t name names, even though everyone in the room knew that at least one of those clients was Jonah and Samantha Carter. “Do you have specific questions I can answer for you?” he prompted.
Jaxson spoke for the trio. “Emma and the baby’s safety is our top priority. I’m interested to know what aspects of the lifestyle should be put on hold during her pregnancy and which activities, specifically disciplinary sessions, can remain an option until after the baby is born.”
Emma wanted to crawl under the long coffee table in front of the couch they were seated on. Her Dom was doing an excellent job of making her squirm in her seat. He knew damn well talking about punishments always did that to her. As much as she hated real discipline sessions, there was no denying not all parts of her body agreed. She was humiliated realizing the doctor would surely see the proof of her sudden arousal when she bared herself for the upcoming examination. The growing grin on Jaxson’s face told her he knew that too.
“As a basic rule, most of the tamer portions of the lifestyle can remain safely unchanged throughout the pregnancy. Simple spankings, light bondage of wrists and ankles… anything that might be considered BDSM light is fine. Things to avoid are severe punishments or situations that will cause increased blood pressure. It goes without saying that at no time should any pre
ssure of any kind, even light, be concentrated in the area of the baby. No breaking of the skin anywhere or activities considered on the advanced end of the BDSM lifestyle. Things like breath, blood, knife, or heavy impact play must wait until after Ms. Fischer recovers from her delivery.”
Jaxson finally looked away from Emma to address the doctor. “It sounds like you’ve done your homework on the lifestyle.”
Dr. Tipton’s smile grew. “I’ve been known to dive into topics I would find it helpful to research for my rather specialized practice.”
Jaxson reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out his wallet. He took a black business card out that was blank on the front. On the back, Emma knew he had printed his cell phone. Nothing else.
“You might have heard we are opening a club here in Beverly Hills. We might have a more private area, one where you might like to do some research. That’s my private number. Give me a call in a few weeks after we open if you’d like a tour.”
The doctor got up to take the card. “Thanks. That sounds interesting and exactly like the kind of research my wife and I might be interested in checking out together.”
Chase jumped into the conversation with his own cheery question. “What about sex?” He paused, glancing to his right at Emma, then Jaxson. “Things sometimes get a bit… vigorous between us. Can we hurt the baby having sex?”
“Normally I would say absolutely not, but as things can get a bit more intense in the BDSM lifestyle, my only caution is to use common sense. Intercourse is fine up until the final few weeks of pregnancy when the pressure of the baby may make it uncomfortable for the mother.”
Emma could feel her cheeks turning a rosy red at the blunt talk in front of basically a stranger. And she had thought the actual exam would be the most embarrassing part of the doctor’s visit. She didn’t think she could be more mortified.
She was wrong.
“What about anal sex? Is that okay too?” Chase asked.
“With plenty of lubrication, I don’t see that as a problem. Particularly if it’s an activity that is within your normal lifestyle,” Doctor Tipton answered with a smile playing on his lips, showing he was more than comfortable talking about personal sexual topics with his patients.
