Best Friends (New Species #15)(120)

“No. It looks more like you’re constipated and trying to look happy about it.”

Doc Alli laughed, that time grinning for real. “I wasn’t going to say it. Are you ready, Mary?” She opened something.

Mary avoided watching but she held out her free hand. “Yes.”

“I’m going to swab your mate’s fingertip with an alcohol rub. Then just a quick prick and a little squeeze on her finger to get a few drops of blood on this strip the NSO created just for this test. It’s more effective than urine tests.”

Mary turned her face away and stared at Lash. His hold on her hand tightened. She smiled. Doc Ali gently took her hand in one of her gloved ones, ran a wet swab over her index fingertip, and did what she’d warned. It didn’t really hurt more than a second.

“I’m fine,” Mary assured Lash again.

He was watching every move the doctor made. “How long until you know?”

Doc Alli put a tiny round bandage over the top of Mary’s finger. “Not long. Especially if you noticed a change in her scent.” The doctor moved away, carrying something that kind of looked like one of the over-the-counter pregnancy tests Mary had seen commercials for. It was a plastic strip with a small window. It was placed on the counter, and then the doctor removed her gloves, tossing them away.

Doc Alli leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “I know waiting is hard. Let’s give it a few minutes.”

“I know what it will tell us.” Lash smiled.

Doc Alli opened her mouth, but then closed it. Mary noticed that worried look on the other woman’s face again.

“What is it? Just spit it out. He’s not going to attack you.” Mary tightened her hold on Lash.

The blonde doctor met her gaze. “He’s a Wild Zone, and I asked about him after I knew he was bringing you in. He hasn’t been around many human women. A change in your scent might not mean pregnancy. It could be that you’re about to ovulate or start your period. I mean, he probably is right, but there’s a small chance…”

“Okay. That makes sense.” Mary slid off the exam table and hugged her arms around Lash’s waist.

“I want a cub.”

“I know you do, lion man. It’s fine any way this turns out. If not this time, there’s always next month. It just means we’ll have to have even more sex than we’ve been having.”

He hugged her back.

Doc Alli pushed off the counter. “Let’s cross our fingers.” She did that and spun around, staring at the end of the stick. Then she turned, her face serious.

Mary’s heart plummeted. Lash was going to be disappointed.

Doc Alli suddenly winked. “Congratulations! You’re having a cub!”

Lash picked Mary up, burying his face in her neck, and hugged her tight. “We’re having a cub.”

Mary blinked back tears. She was going to have a baby with Lash. She never been happier.

He finally put her down and grinned at the doctor. “Can we see our cub inside my mate?”

“You sure can. I had the ultrasound ready in the next room, all set up, just in case. We’ll sit down afterward to talk about your care, what to expect, and set up regular appointments.”

*

Lash scooped Mary into his arms and followed the blonde human doctor into another room. He lay Mary flat on another exam bed, as instructed, and kept close to her.

He was having a cub with his mate. It was a dream come true. He wanted to roar his joy and go tell everyone.

“I’m going to pull up your shirt and put on this gel, Mary. It’s a little cold but it will warm up fast,” the doctor warned, saying something else, but Lash ignored her.

He gazed down at his smiling mate.

He remembered when he’d heard the vent creaking from above, and he’d hidden, thinking humans were about to attack him in his domain. Then some of the joints holding part of the vent had popped free, dropping Mary onto the mats.

That moment had changed his life for the better.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, distracting her from whatever her and the doctor were talking about. Mary met his gaze and smiled.

“I love you, mate.”

“I love you too, Lash.”

“Ready to see your baby?” The doctor reminded them that they weren’t alone.

Lash kept close to Mary’s face and lifted his gaze to where the doctor was pointing at the screen. She had put on a glove and ran some strange object over his mate’s bared stomach. None of it made sense to him. The screen didn’t show a baby, but shadows instead.

“Okay,” Doc Alli said quietly. “I’m going to press a bit here to get a better look.” She paused moving the hand that gripped the device. “There we go. I can see him. He looks perfect. I’m guessing you’re about four weeks along.”

Lash couldn’t see his cub. The screen was still confusing him. He glanced at Mary to find her smiling big, tears in her eyes.

“Do you see our cub?”

The doctor spoke instead of Mary. “Hang on. I’m going to take a still shot. Some people have a hard time making these out.” Doc Alli removed the device seconds later and pulled the machine forward to face them more.

Then she pointed to the screen. “This right here is his head.”

She outlined the shape of his cub’s body with her finger, and Lash felt overwhelming joy. “I see it now.”