Page 73 of Surprise Mother Pucker

Kennedy walked over and hopped onto the table with ease. “It looks like you've done that before.” I smiled.

“It’s easy in the early stages, but toward the end of pregnancy, I need a crane to get me up on this thing.”

“Don't worry, I'll pick you up when you get too big to climb on yourself.”

Dr. Helm chuckled. “This one’s clearly a romantic. He's a keeper, Kennedy.”

“He even gives me foot rubs,” she said as she pulled up her shirt.

“Okay, definitely a good one, then.”

The doctor spread a jelly-like substance on Kennedy’s stomach before pressing the Doppler into her skin.

“Just give me a moment to find your baby. They like to hide occasionally. Ah! There we go,” she said, turning the screen around so we could see.

The screen just looked like blobs to start with… But the more I looked, the clearer the image of the tiny fetus became. I was just starting to make out their arms and legs when Dr. Helm pushed a button and a loud heartbeat filled the room.

It was a rapid heartbeat, but that was something I had also discovered online. Babies' heartbeats tended to be quite fast while they were in utero. Kennedy didn't look at all worried. And as long as she was happy, I was happy.

“Well, all looks good here. You know what, Kennedy? I think you're right. I would put your pregnancy at twelve weeks, exactly. That’ll give you a due date in June.”

Kennedy nodded. “That’s perfect, considering I graduate in May.”

Dr. Helm looked away from the screen to frown at Kennedy. “If you're still going to be studying, I don't want you to work. You stressed yourself out far too much with your last pregnancy. It's not good for you or the baby.”

“She's not going to have to lift a finger,” I said confidently. “My pack and I will be taking care of her.”

“Pack?” she asked, looking between us. “Good for you, Kennedy! I knew someone would scoop you up. Now”—she turned to face me—“ideally, she should be hardly getting out of bed, and she needs to put her feet up regularly. I know nothing will stop this girl from studying, but she can study from a comfy sofa or a nest.”

“I'm not an invalid,” Kennedy grumbled.

The doctor rolled her eyes. “Will you stop being stubborn and let the alpha spoil you? It’s the least you deserve after everything you've been through. Enjoy yourself a bit. Now, have you been having the same kind of nausea as last time?”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty brutal.”

“Do you want me to prescribe the same anti-nausea medication?” she asked, but then turned to me. “There aretwo types of anti-nausea medication that can help Kennedy. There's one that is really good, and there's one that's just okay. Unfortunately, Kennedy's insurance doesn't cover the one that's really good,” she said pointedly.

I raised my eyebrows. Well, there was no question of which one she would be getting.

“The normal one is fine,” Kennedy insisted.

“Order the better one,” I said to the doctor before turning to Kennedy, taking her hand in mine. “We can afford it, and you're going to need it. You're pregnant and you have a baby who’s almost a toddler. You should take any medication you can if it’ll help you feel better.”

“Are you sure?” Kennedy asked, biting her lip.

“Positive.”

After the appointment, we went straight back to the pack house, and Kennedy crawled into my bed for a nap. Her exhaustion levels had been ridiculous of late, but growing a human being was a difficult task, so I was doing everything I could to make it easier for her.

Charlotte was also having a nap in her pack-and-play crib in the living room while Charlie sat on the sofa, studying.

“Where the hell is Storm? He’s supposed to be watching her.” I frowned.

Charlie looked up from the laptop for a brief moment to smile at me. “You should see for yourself,” he said with a laugh. “He’s rearranging the den.”

The den? What the hell was he doing in the den? Despite living in an apartment building, the unique layout of our unit meant that we had a few spacious rooms on the main level and a second floor. Like a typical house, the bedrooms were located upstairs. There was a small double bedroom for each pack member. Well, at least there had been until Kennedy came along.

Heading in the direction of the den, I was surprised to find the room completely dismantled. Gone were the sofas and study tables. It was a large room that we didn't use very often, but it was good for when we wanted to host small get-togethers. Otherwise, we mainly used the family space in the open-plan kitchen area.

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