He chuckled and settled his weight on top of her. “Don’t I always?”
The phone was not a welcome interruption, but Justin couldn’t ignore it. Being the only doctor in the family meant he was always on call.
Caitlin groaned beneath him.
“I’ll make it quick,” he assured her.
“You’d better be talking about the call,” she grumbled.
Justin rolled off of Caitlin and grabbed the phone. “Hello.”
“Sorry about calling so late,” Aiden said, doing nothing to hide his anxiety. As was common when his emotions ran high, Aiden’s Irish brogue was thicker.
Justin sat upright in bed. “What’s going on?”
“Tempest is bleeding,” Aiden said.
“How much blood?” Justin asked as he dressed.
Caitlin jumped up and started to dress too.
“Not much,” Aiden admitted. “Tempest told me it’s fine, but I’m worried.”
“Get her over here now, and I’ll do an ultrasound to make sure everything’s okay,” Justin said. “A lot of women spot during pregnancy, but I want to check her and the baby.”
“We’ll be there in forty‑five minutes,” Aiden said and hung up.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Caitlin demanded calmly.
“Tempest is having a little bleeding. She’s not worried, but Aiden’s freaking out. Like I told Aiden, I’ll do an ultrasound when they get here. I was planning to do one this week anyway,” he said.
Caitlin started mentally counting weeks. “She had one while I was at Rain’s, right?”
Justin shook his head. “Nope. That woman is as stubborn as you and wouldn’t agree to one earlier. The pregnancy seems to be progressing at a human rate, but she’s pretty big so it might be at our rate. Tempest said they always have a typical forty week pregnancy instead of the twenty‑four to twenty‑six week pregnancy my kind has. Still, I’m not sure how throwing Aiden in as the father impacted things. She may be full‑term now. For all I know the bleeding may be her body preparing for delivery. Only way to know for sure is an ultrasound.”
“Why wouldn’t she agree before?”
Justin sighed. “I think she’s a little nervous about what we’ll see.”
“Does she think something’s wrong with the baby?”
Justin smiled and shook his head. “We keep hearing two heartbeats. She’s in denial about the fact that she’s having twins. That’s the other reason an ultrasound should be done soon. If she’s having twins I may need to do a c‑section, and I’ll need to prepare for that.”
“That might explain the bleeding,” Caitlin said in a disapproving voice. “Tempest should have found out what was going on earlier. I’ll bet she’s not slowing down as much as she should.”
Justin sighed. “Let’s just be thankful she’s not out hunting rapists.”
Tempest had met Aiden while hunting a serial rapist. She’d mistaken him for that man, and he’d found himself in a cage in her basement.
“You’re worried,” Caitlin said.
“A little,” he admitted. “If something happened to Tempest or the babies, it would kill Aiden.”
“Stop being so dramatic,” Caitlin said with a disdainful stare. “Just tell me what you need me to do to help.”
Damn he loved that woman!
Chapter Nine
The fact that Aiden made it to the house in thirty minutes was a sign of how worried he was. Aiden normally drove like an old woman, but he was pretty shaken up. Aiden hadn’t been close to many people in his life other than his parents who he’d lost a couple of years back. In the last few months, he and Justin had become good friends. Aiden had also fallen in love with Tempest. Finding out he was going to be a father had been one of the most exciting moments in Aiden’s life. Everyone knew he felt that way because Aiden frequently told them how thrilled he was. Justin felt for his cousin and hoped he wouldn’t have to give Aiden any bad news.
“Stop worrying,” Tempest said to Aiden as they walked to the room where Justin had the ultrasound machine set up. “A little spotting is nothing to panic about.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t worry so much if you weren’t such a stubborn witch,” Aiden grumbled. “You shouldn’t even be walking.” The look he gave Justin was somewhere between irritated and terrified. Under other circumstances it would be comical. “The bloody witch didn’t even want me to call you until tomorrow, and now she insists on walking.”
Justin looked back at Tempest. “He’ll feel better once we check you out. I still can’t believe you waited this long for an ultrasound. You of all people understand how important prenatal care is.”
“You’ve nagged me about this enough,” Tempest said and glared at Justin.
Justin glared right back, not at all intimidated even though he should be. With Tempest’s abilities she could toss him across the room with a thought, but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t do it. Well, about eighty percent sure she wouldn’t do it. “You should’ve had one done no later than twenty weeks,” he continued to argue.
Tempest shrugged. “I don’t want to find out the gender, and I don’t have the will power to resist looking.”
“There are other reasons for an ultrasound,” Justin pushed, feeling really annoyed with Tempest. While this sort of thing would normally get on his nerves a little because he was big on following procedures, it was different with Tempest. She and Aiden were more than cousins he was responsible for; they were his friends. He opened his mouth to say more, but Caitlin stopped him.
“Let it go,” Caitlin said. “She’s getting one, so back the fuck off.”
Justin smiled at Caitlin and shook his head. “I’d tell you you’re right, but I’d never hear the end of it.”
Caitlin snorted. “You don’t need to tell me I’m right. I already know I’m right. In fact, everyone in this room knows I’m right.”
“I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t see anything to tip you off about the gender,” Justin assured Tempest. “Of course, it would’ve been harder to tell the gender if the ultrasound had been done at sixteen weeks like I suggested.”
Tempest made a sound of annoyance and rolled her eyes. “I have no idea why I let Aiden talk me into having you as my doctor.”
“You wanted the best,” Justin said simply.
“And the most modest,” Caitlin said dryly.
Aiden helped Tempest onto the table and kissed her belly.
Justin couldn’t help but smile when he saw her belly moving around. “That seems to be one healthy baby. There is no way you’re having a human length pregnancy. Look at that kid go!”
“I thought you said she’s . . .” Justin clamped a hand over Caitlin’s mouth. Luckily Tempest didn’t notice. He shook his head, hoping she’d get the hint. Any suggestion of twins so far had resulted in medical equipment flying around the room. That was one of the reasons the room with the ultrasound machine was so empty at the moment. If Tempest was to be believed, her pregnancy caused her to have less control over her telekinetic abilities. Justin suspected it was her temper she had less control over, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say anything.
Aiden had relaxed a little but still looked worried.
Justin squirted gel on Tempest’s belly. Normally, he’d have her drink water, but Tempest was far enough along that they wouldn’t need it. He put the roller on her belly and looked at the monitor.
Caitlin was looking too and gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Tempest asked in a panic.
Aiden’s hold on Tempest’s hand tightened and he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment.
“Nothing appears to be wrong,” Justin said and continued to move the roller around. From his first brief glance, everything seemed perfectly normal.
“If everything is normal, why the gasping?” Tempest demanded.
“I was surprised,” Caitlin said.
Justin didn’t give Tempest a chance to question Caitlin’s answer. He was hoping to ge
t a little further into the ultrasound before risking the destruction of his ultrasound equipment. “I was sure you’d be nearly full‑term, but this pregnancy is progressing at almost a human rate.”
When he turned to Caitlin, she was still staring at the screen.
“Isn’t that right, Caitlin?” he pushed.
“Yeah, everything looks normal under the circumstances,” Caitlin answered slowly.
“That must be one huge baby,” Aiden said.
“Not too big,” Justin said and turned the monitor in their direction. While he wanted to check more, he’d seen enough to know nothing was wrong. At this point, he was pretty sure he couldn’t get Tempest to wait any longer to take a peak.
All the color drained from Aiden’s face.
Tempest’s gaze jerked to the monitor, and she stared open‑mouthed for a few minutes before saying anything. “Is that what I think it is?”
Caitlin moved forward to point at the monitor. “Yep, the middle one is definitely a boy. You’ll have to settle for being surprised with the other two.”
“I thought I was having twins,” Tempest said, looking more than a little shocked. “I heard two heartbeats, but not three.”
“You said it was an echo!” Aiden accused.
“I really wanted twins, so I was afraid to get my hopes up. I was trying hard not to believe it. Yes, I’ve been a little crazy this pregnancy,” she admitted. “How do you feel about this?”
Aiden smiled without taking his eyes off of the screen. “We’re having three babies. That is fucking awesome!”
“Let’s get a closer look at everything,” Justin said in his clinical voice. Since it appeared that Tempest wasn’t going to destroy his equipment he’d try to get a good look at all three babies.
After about thirty minutes where everyone was silent, Justin was satisfied with the exam.
“They all look perfectly healthy,” Justin said with a smile. “Your cervix is still nice and long. The triplets are big, so I want to do ultrasounds every four weeks to keep an eye on how things are progressing. If I had to guess, I’d say they’ll be full‑term earlier than a human pregnancy but longer than ours. You’re twenty‑six weeks pregnant now, and the triplets look around thirty weeks. I’ll avoid any out of town trips until you deliver. I don’t need to tell you to take it easy, do I?”
Tempest nodded. “Fine, no more hunting rapists for a little while.”
When Justin glared at her, she laughed. “Just kidding. You already know I promised Aiden I’d take a break as soon as we found out I was pregnant.”
Aiden leaned down and kissed Tempest. “I told you we’d be better at this baby making thing than anyone else.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to know the genders of the other two?” Justin asked.
“No,” Tempest said. “We’ll wait. I know it may sound crazy, but I always thought it would be exciting to find out in the delivery room. Act excited when you tell me the genders,” Tempest said as she pinned Justin with a threatening glare.
Justin put both hands up in surrender. “I promise to act as excited as I can.”
Aiden snorted. “Yeah, that should be good for a laugh.”
“Maybe we should get someone else in the delivery room to announce the genders,” Caitlin suggested, and Justin saw her lips twitch.
He shook his head and looked at Caitlin, completely overwhelmed with love for this woman. Then he wondered what their baby would look like. Most of the males in their family inherited the blue eyes and brown hair, but that wasn’t always the case. Maybe they’d have a son with Caitlin’s eyes. Hell, they might even have a girl. His eyes drifted to her flat belly as he pictured it round with his baby growing inside.
“Don’t even think about it,” Caitlin said.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Me pregnant,” she said. “Aiden and Tempest will have enough for us to borrow one if we want to play house.”
“In that case, I’ve got some other games I’d like to play with you,” he said softly and was satisfied when Caitlin’s cheeks flushed.
Aiden and Tempest were too busy talking about their babies to notice the exchange.
“You should stay here for the night,” Justin suggested. Much as he wanted Caitlin all to himself, it was late and Aiden looked ready to drop.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Aiden said. “I brought an overnight bag.”
“You both need to consider delivery options,” Justin said. “I’m not comfortable trying to deliver triplets vaginally.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’ll be the one delivering them,” Tempest said with a smile.
“Smart ass,” Justin shot back. “My point is that I’d rather do a c‑section. I don’t have the experience to risk a vaginal delivery. We can consult Ursula, and she might feel differently. Even if she’s willing to try, we need to be prepared for the possibility of a c‑section. I have an operating room set up already, and I can set up a nursery for the babies. The problem is I’ll need support in the operating room. Do you have any other family members who are doctors or nurses?”
Tempest nodded. “There are quite a few, but only a couple close by. I’ll need to think about it. At least one of them I wouldn’t want in the delivery room because she’d get on my last nerve.”
Justin was quiet while he thought about the delivery.
“What’s bothering you?” Aiden asked.
“My preference for an OR nurse may be a problem,” Justin explained.
“Why?” Caitlin asked.
“It’s my mother,” Justin admitted.
“Ah,” Aiden said as understanding dawned on him. “From what I hear, she’s good.”
Good didn’t begin to describe his mother. She was skilled and knowledgeable enough that she should go through medical school. It’s not that Justin didn’t respect nursing; it’s just that she was bored and wanted to do more with her medical knowledge. The reason she wasn’t a doctor was she’d grown up in a time when only men were doctors. Well, that and his father didn’t approve of the idea. His father also wouldn’t approve of her coming out for the delivery because Justin would need her close by for at least a month.
“I’d prefer a c‑section,” Tempest said. “I’ve heard too many stories about what could go wrong, so I’d rather play it safe. Yeah, I know there are plenty of multiples born vaginally, but I don’t want to risk it.”
“There’s risk in any surgery,” Justin said.
“Not with you as the surgeon,” Caitlin said, making him feel ten feet tall.
“I want you to consider both options,” Justin said.
“I have,” Tempest assured him. “When I thought I was having twins, I’d planned to ask you to do a c‑section. The triplets make me more sure of that decision.”
“I’ll leave my mother a message,” Justin said and hoped it wouldn’t create too many problems with his father.
Aiden reached out and Justin took his hand. That’s when Aiden pulled him in for a hug. “Thank you,” he sounded a little choked with emotion. “I’d be a nervous wreck if you weren’t Tempest’s doctor.”
Justin had never been good with emotional stuff, so he was a little choked up himself. “No problem,” he said. “Go get some sleep.”
Chapter Ten
Getting back to sleep after the ultrasound was impossible. Caitlin was really excited for her friend and bursting with energy. Funny how multiples were so exciting when it was someone else having them. If she was the one having a litter of vampire babies she probably wouldn’t be quite this excited. Then again, she wasn’t interested in having even one baby at the moment. Eventually she’d like one, but motherhood could wait at least ten years.
Lying on her side, she was trying to be quiet so Justin could sleep when he gave her hair a gentle tug.
“Why are you still awake?” he asked.
She rolled over to face Justin and noticed that he didn’t appear any more ready for sleep than her. “After that nap thi
s afternoon, I’m not tired. Also, that whole thing about Tempest having three babies is hard to wrap my mind around.”
“Yeah, that was a total shock,” Justin admitted. “Since neither of us can sleep, we should do something.”
Caitlin liked the sound of that. “What did you have in mind?”
“Wanna go shopping?” he asked with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.
“Okay,” she said slowly, “I’ve never heard anyone use that phrase before, but I’m willing to give it a try.”
“That wasn’t a metaphor for sex or some kinky game,” he said. “I’m taking you shopping.”
“What a pity,” she said with an overly dramatic sigh. “The only things open at this hour are gas stations and grocery stores.”
Justin climbed out of bed and started dressing while Caitlin watched him, partly because she really enjoyed seeing him naked and partly because she wasn’t sure why he was dressing. There really wasn’t a lot open at two in the morning.
“Get your backside out of bed,” he said without turning around.
“Despite what happened earlier, I’m not going to take orders from you,” she said in a condescending tone.
Justin gave her an annoyed look. “We need to go to the store anyway. May as well do it while we can’t sleep.”
Caitlin climbed out of bed and slipped on a pair of jeans. “Are we really running out to the store in the middle of the night so you can pick up milk?”
“Nipple clamps,” he corrected as he finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed his wallet and keys.
“Grocery stores don’t usually stock those,” she said. Years of keeping her emotions hidden made it easy to avoid reacting to his shocking suggestion.
“There’s a place in Hayward that’s open twenty‑four hours,” he said.
That was just too much to ignore. Caitlin stopped zipping her boots and stared at him. “You go to a twenty‑four hour sex shop?”
“I got a lot of stuff there,” he said with no embarrassment at all.
“Then let’s go,” she said. It sounded like an adventure. Hopefully it wasn’t some creepy place with perverts masturbating in the corners.
The Vampire Will See You Now (Psy-Vamp Book 4) Page 6
