Chapter 276

Chapter 276
I bit my lip hard, desperately trying to keep myself from breaking down.

"Hey, what's wrong..." He trailed off.

"I think something might be wrong," I whispered, struggling to control the tremor in my voice.

"I'll call the pack doctor."

"No," I grabbed him. "I want to go to the hospital. A real hospital."

My mind was filled with assumptions; only confirming the baby was okay would give me peace.

"Then we'll go to the hospital."

My head swirled with terrifying possibilities. Was I losing our baby? Had I done something wrong? These questions spun in my mind as nausea rolled through my stomach. I didn't notice when Dominic left the bathroom.

I sat on the edge of the bed, tears silently streaming down my face. I tried to think positive thoughts, to believe everything would be okay, but my mind kept circling back to the worst-case scenario.

Dominic returned with clean pajamas, helping me change. He carried me to the car.

The entire drive to the hospital was silent. I stared out the window at the dark streets, my hand protectively resting on my stomach. I didn't know what to say.

As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, my heart began to race. The hospital building loomed before us. I was terrified, afraid of the bad news the doctor might tell me.

I couldn't figure out what was happening to me. I didn't know why I was bleeding. Was this normal?

I unbuckled my seatbelt and took a deep breath before getting out of the car.

Inside the hospital, Dominic arranged everything. I wasn't sure I could speak normally anymore.

We didn't wait long before the doctor came to get us. She led us to a side room, planning to do an ultrasound.

"How far along are you?"

"I'm not really sure," I answered, my voice small.

Tears welled up in my eyes again.

"Is this your first pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"Alright, Riley, lie down and pull your pants down below your stomach."

I lay on the examination table, Dominic immediately moving to stand beside me. He took my hand, bringing it to his lips, continuously kissing my knuckles gently.

The doctor spread cold gel across my abdomen, and I held my breath as she pressed the ultrasound wand against my skin.

"Look at this," she smiled as she turned the screen toward us. "Everything looks normal. Your baby is developing beautifully. I estimate you're about ten weeks along."

A sob of relief escaped me before I could stop it. The baby was okay. Our baby was still there, still growing.

"The heartbeat is strong," the doctor continued, pointing to the rapid fluttering on the screen. "Very healthy indeed."

Dominic tightened his grip on my hand. I could feel his relief.

"I'll schedule you for a follow-up in two weeks, and in the meantime, I recommend plenty of rest. Can you do that?"

"What about the bleeding?" I nodded. "Is that normal?"

"Some bleeding in early pregnancy is quite common, though I'm glad you came in to check. Pregnancy bleeding can sometimes indicate miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy."

"So my baby is okay?" I asked.

"Yes, they're fine," she smiled. "But you must get plenty of rest."

She handed me a tissue to wipe my stomach.

"Thank you, doctor."

---

By the time we got home, it was nearly three in the morning. I felt suffocated by Dominic's attention. Since leaving the hospital, he hadn't let me out of his sight for a second. Even when I went to the bathroom, he insisted on accompanying me. I truly loved him, but he was testing my patience now.

I knew I wasn't in mortal danger. The baby was safe. We didn't need this level of caution.

I chose to rest on the couch rather than return to bed, still experiencing some cramping, though not as severe as before. The bleeding continued.

"Baby, you should try to sleep," he said.

"I know, we both should."

"Do you want me to carry you upstairs to the bedroom?"

"I can walk myself."

"Riley."

"Fine," I sighed. I understood he was just taking care of me, as he always did.

Once in bed, I expected him to join me, but he remained standing, looking torn.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" I asked, pulling the covers up to my chin.

"It's almost dawn, and I need to meet with my father," he explained. "About Estelle."

I didn't bother asking now, and I honestly didn't care. Before long, my eyes grew heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke to find Dominic snoring softly beside me. I couldn't help but smile. I reached for my phone, checking the time. We'd only slept for a few hours, but I felt surprisingly rested.

"Baby, how are you feeling?" He rolled toward me. His nose twitched slightly as he scented me, checking for any changes in my condition.

"The cramping's better," I said, shifting slightly to test the pain level. "But still bleeding."

"Should I call the doctor?" he said, already reaching for his phone.

"No," I shook my head. "I'm fine."

It didn't feel like a big problem, and we'd already been to the hospital for a check-up where everything was normal, and bleeding was a common occurrence.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

The mention of food triggered an unexpected craving. "I want ribs with sticky barbecue sauce. And jalapeños."

"Jalapeños? You hate spicy food."

"I know," I shrugged. "But I just can't stop thinking about it."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, his palm resting gently on my stomach. "Last night really scared me."

"I'm fine," I assured him, placing my hand over his.

A thought occurred to me then. "We should invite your parents over for dinner tonight. To tell them about the baby."

This had been dragged out too long, and we needed to tell them the good news about our growing family.

Dominic raised an eyebrow. "Tonight? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, tonight." I glanced at the time on my phone. "They can come over at six."

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

"We can just order takeout, right?" I grinned.

"I mean, after what happened before, you scared me enough, Riley."