He smiled against her hair as he pulled her in for a quick kiss on top of her head.
She held out her hand for him to take and they walked into the hallway, following their doctor.
“It’s quite entertaining,” Bree said.
“I hate to say this, but I think I’m suffering from hormones too. Pff I’m even having hot flashes at night.”
The doctor was about to sit down behind her desk but held still mid air. “Oh no, did you really say this to a pregnant woman? Oh, you, sir, have a lot to learn.”
Bree and the doctor shared a simultaneous eye roll and laughed.
“I see. So I’m just here for your entertainment.” Declan sat down in his chair next to Bree and grinned.
“Oh, Bree. This is going to be so much fun!” the doctor said while picking up a pen from her desk to wiggle it around between her fingers.
“I know, Sarah,” Bree said as she slapped Declan’s knee in good spirit.
“Sarah, as in….”
“Sarah Michaels, your partner’s ob-gyn. Nice to meet you,” Dr. Michaels said.
“I’ve changed ob-gyn after the first doctor was no match,” Bree said.
“Okay, nice to meet you too. Shall we get started?” Declan had a feeling he would not like being outnumbered by these two women during their upcoming appointments.
“It’s been a few weeks since we last seen each other. Have you been still experiencing nausea?” Dr. Michaels asked while typing something at her computer.
“Why do people say morning sickness when it’s all day long? It’s been getting better now that I know that it’s best to eat crackers all day. It seems to get worse when my stomach is empty.”
“Hmm, yeah. I get this from a lot of women. Have you tried ginger tea?”
“Yes, Declan came up with the same idea.”
Declan perched up on his seat, ready to join the conversation. But then Dr. Michaels asked her next topic on her list, “Have you been taking your pills?”
“Pills?” Declan said as he turned in his seat. Bree had said nothing about any pills.
Bree smiled. “Yeah. I take them every morning.”
“What pills? Is something wrong?”
“It’s just a precaution, Declan. The folic acid can help prevent birth defects,” Dr. Michaels said.
“I haven’t even thought about this stuff. How are we going to—”
Dr. Michaels waved her pen at him. “After this appointment, I’m giving you enough reading material to make you the next baby expert. I promise. And over four weeks, we’ll see each other again and then you can ask me everythingyou want. We still have months to prepare you both on this baby. I’m certain you’re going to be the best parents to this little bean when the time comes.”
Declan nodded and held his tongue. What else could he do? He didn’t know shit about all this stuff.
“Bree, it’s time to fill in the rest of my questionnaire. I noticed that Dr. Ulkner left out details about the baby’s father and about your father’s side of the family. We need to ask about the medical history of you both, and if possible, about any medical history in the rest of your family that could be of importance.”
Bree shifted in her seat. “I know nothing about my Dad. I mean, I know who he is…” she tried to laugh it off, but her nervous chuckle broke Declan’s heart.
That damn arsehole.
And her mother wasn’t any better.
Declan had always felt protective of Bree, but now that she was pregnant with his baby, it had been multiplied by a gazillion. Bree’s mom was projecting her own feelings on her daughter, filling Bree’s head with all kinds of bullshit. He wouldn’t stand for that. Mom or not.