Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“Thank you, Griffin.” He held out a tissue for me and I took it to wipe my eyes with.
Once my tears finally stopped Griffin started the examination. He had me lean back on the exam table and he measured my belly. Apparently that helped to determine if the babies were growing at the proper rate.
After that he listened to the babies’ heart rates on the handheld doppler machine he had. The beats were fast like I expected but they weren’t the same. One was a little faster than the other.
“Is that normal?” I asked him, worried again.
“Yes, it’s perfectly fine, don’t worry Riviana.”
“Ok.” I sighed with relief.
Following that exam we were taken to a room with the ultrasound machine. I was put into the reclining chair. My shirt was raised and the cold jelly was put onto my belly. When the wand for the machine was put against me I felt one of the babies push back against it. Apparently they didn’t like it that much.
I watched on the monitor as Griffin measured different parts of the babies. He measured their heads, their hearts, different parts that I couldn’t identify on the dark screen. He measures the length of their arms and their legs. He was thorough in his job.
What I loved the most about the whole thing was that I was able to see my babies the entire time. There they were. They didn’t look like little jelly beans and gummy bears anymore. They looked like babies now. They were really growing into my babies that I would hold very soon.
“They’re in very good positions right now.” Griffin was smiling. Would you like me to tell you what you’re having?”
“Dietrich told us that we were having one of each. Was he right?” Joaquin was happily staring at the screen as he listened to Griffin.
“Yes. You are having one boy and one girl. Congratulations.”
“Did you hear that, baby? One of each. Dietrich was right.” Joaquin was grinning at me now as he kissed the back of my hand repeatedly.
“I’m so happy Joaquin. Look at them, they’re beautiful.”
Of course they are, they’re your babies. Any baby of yours will be the cutest babies in the world.” I shed a tear then, my husband really was the sweetest ever.
Following the ultrasound we went on a lunch date. I wasn’t hungry and excited now that the emotions from earlier in the day had passed.
****
Joaquin
****
It was all becoming more and more real to me. Just like my Little Bunny had said before, it was starting to feel more and more exciting, more surreal, and more nerve wracking. There was so much stuff that we had to do still and not as much time as I was thinking there was.
Griffin said yesterday that it was just over three months but he also told me once that the babies would probably be about two weeks early since they were twins. They try not to let the babies come that early if they can because it’s not safe for them sometimes but there is nothing they can do when there are multiples.
If that was true then I barely had three months left before they came. I needed to get their room set up. I needed to buy the furniture and the clothes and the toys and the diapers and…. and…. and…. What else did I need?
I needed expert help here. I wanted to do all this myself, and I was determined that the nursery was going to be my project, but I didn’t know what to buy. I had never had a kid and I hadn’t spent much time around them either. What did they need?
There were only two people I could think of to ask advice from. Vincent, who had three kids of his own, and of course my mother. As clich茅 and childish as it might sound I needed my mom for help here.
I didn’t want Riviana to hear the discussion by accident. I wanted to surprise her with my plan and idea. So I took my mom out to lunch at the diner that my Little Bunny and her friends loved to go to. I knew she wasn’t going to be there since she was at home and therefore it was safe.
We were seated and ordered out food but that was all that we managed before my mom leveled a knowing look my way and began to talk.
“OK Joaquin, spill it. What are you planning?”
“Huh?” I was shocked, she figured it out already. “Can’t I ask my mother out to lunch from time to time?” I tried to play innocent but she wasn’t buying it.
“Boy, you haven’t been able to play innocent with me since you were four. You can’t lie to me, you never could.”
“Hahh.” I sighed and looked at her over my cup of coffee. “So, it’s that obvious huh?” I grinned sheepishly.
“I knew you were planning something but I don’t know what it is. So, I repeat, spill it.”
“I want to do the nursery. I want to be the one that paints it, does the floors. The one that puts the furniture together. I want to do it all. But I don’t even know where to start.” I thumped my head against the table and sighed again. “Hahhh! I’m a failure as a father.”
“You’re not a failure, Joaquin. You’re a first time father. That means you need to learn. No one is born knowing what to do, why do you think that you would already know?”
“I don’t know. I’m supposed to be an all powerful King and ruler of the shifter world alongside my wife. Shouldn’t I at least know how to take care of my own family.”
“You’ll get there, baby, you will. I promise. Your father and I were so nervous when you were first born. I would have sworn that I was doing everything wrong. Then I got used to it all and it just clicked for me. I wasn’t nervous anymore and I felt like I was on top of it all. I don’t think I did too bad, despite everything.” There was a look in her eyes that I couldn’t fathom, she looked both proud and disappointed. What the hell?
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked her with a nervous feeling in my gut.
“It means you’re good now but you were once an idiot. I didn’t raise you to be that way so I can only assume it came from your father’s side of the family.” I sighed again. Would I ever be let out from under that cloud? It wasn’t as bad as it once was though. It was only brought up in extreme cases. “I’m just playing with you honey. You’re a great man and I know that. You will be a wonderful father.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I smiled at her, the nerves still there but they were a little easier to bear right this minute.