I Am Not Your Master; I'm Your Partner Book Three

The Willow Bends But Does Not Break

"Dr. Brown? Is everything okay?" Dan propped himself forward on his right elbow. Somehow, he knew that it was, but he still felt compelled to ask. He felt Phil stiffen beside him.

She turned a quarter turn so that she could meet their eyes, wearing a look of utter astonishment on her face. She smiled with her hand still frozen in place.

"Yes, this baby is wonderful," she gushed all at once. "And I have some incredible news for you, if you want to hear it." The woman looked as if she could hardly keep the news to herself if she were asked. Dan sat up, so that he was almost at a 90-degree angle and immediately turned to Phil, who had a fantastic, puzzled look on his face.

"Yes," Dan said as Phil nodded stupidly. "What is it, please?"

"This baby, this perfect Neko baby, is female."

* * *

"A girl? A little girl?" Phil shrieked with excitement, his eyes wide with disbelief. Dan felt his husband's hand squeeze more tightly around his own.

"A female," Dr. Brown confirmed. She turned back to the screen to enlarge the image. "The first." Her hand trembled, and the image reflected it. It shifted and them refocused, revealing the baby Neko's female sex.

"Oh my God," Dan cried. He couldn't believe his eyes. How could he not have known? Perhaps, he decided, he wasn't meant to know everything. Sometimes, he reasoned, the Universe enjoyed surprising him. "Phil, our baby's a girl. She's the first." He reached over himself to hold his husband's head against his chest. When he did, he felt the hot wetness of Phil's cheek through his shirt. Dan wondered if Phil could hear his racing heart.

"We're having a girl, Baby! A little girl!" Phil was far too shocked to be embarrassed by his emotional reaction. Their miracle baby continued to surprise them; she was determined, on this particular day, to give her parents another reason to be in awe of her existence.

"And a perfectly healthy, perfectly formed baby girl at that," Dr. Brown didn't even try to hide the way she used her sleeve to wipe away the tears that fell from the corners of her eyes.

* * *

"You're in optimal health, Dan," Dr. Brown said as she returned the last of her equipment inside her case. She smiled brightly and turned the case upright so that she could access the handle. "Truly, keep on with the rest and the fluids. You're doing beautifully. Please don't hesitate to call my personal number if you have any questions or concerns. And Phil," she turned her attention to Phil, whose eyes had become wet and pink, "please continue to care for Dan exactly as you have. It's my professional and personal opinion that this pregnancy is as healthy as it is because of your love and care." She nodded and stood to leave. Phil felt something move like a butterfly inside of him.

"Wow, thank you," he said. "I'll always take care of Dan." He slipped his arm around his husband's lower back and let his hand settle lovingly on his hip. He pressed into him softly but firmly, indicating that there was no greater priority.

Dan hadn't the time or the opportunity to process the incredible information. He felt grounded by his husband's voice and his touch, but he still felt as if he were inside a dream. It would have been unsettling if not for the scent of Phil.

Phil always made sense, even when nothing else did. He connected him to the present moment in the most extraordinary moments and in the bleak. He brought him to a safe space when his mind wandered and his past enveloped him, threatening to cast him far away from reality.

Dan heard the door close, and he even felt Phil return to his side. He could see the way his husband's eyes sparkled like wet diamonds, and he could taste salt on his own lips. His legs wobbled a bit, and he had to lean into Phil's form. He heard him sigh sweetly and felt warm breath across his cheek.