The Fall - Book 2

208. ‍ ‍...That's a heartbeat!

APRIL 11, 2020  — NEW YORK — BUCKY

I hold Réa close as she sleeps, too happy and excited to follow her into slumber.

'I can't believe I'm going to be a dad!' I think, my heart swelling within my chest. 'Réa and I are having a baby!'

I brush my thumb against her belly, where my hand is resting over our child.

'When do babies start kicking?' I wonder. 'When is she going to show? Oh god, is the serum going to affect this little one? Is this going to be harder on Réa because of the serum? Or does the whole 'Seraph on steroids' thing mean that the serum won't have any effect? Do Seraph babies gr—wait, no, she told us that the Host are created, not born, except for the Nephilim. And they're all gone except for her, so really, the only reference is her. But there's no way to find that out because her parents are dead....'

I recognize that my thoughts are starting to spiral, and take several deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

'The Divine said she could have children. With me. So that must mean that things are going to be alright. Don't freak out,' I tell myself.

Even though my gut tells me everything will be okay, I can't help worrying. Réa means so much to me, and our child means so much to me, and I just don't want anything to happen to either of them.

Carefully, so I don't wake Réa, I climb out of bed and grab my phone from the pocket of my discarded jeans. I slip back under the covers beside her, and open the Internet browser, going to the Kindle store. I purchase a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting, and begin reading as soon as it's downloaded.

Réa said she's going to be eight weeks along on the twentieth—in nine days—which means she's in the middle of week six. I figure that's a good starting point, so I jump to that section.

"'Fatigue, heartburn, nausea, frequent urination'...Réa hasn't seemed to have any of those yet. 'The pregnancy hormone, hCG, causes increased blood flow to the pelvic area, which can lead to increased sexual pleasure'...well, that definitely is a thing," I murmur as I read.

There's information about what will happen at the first prenatal visit—including a blood draw, a pelvic exam, and a confirmation ultrasound—and about the baby's growth. According to this book, our Little Wolf is anywhere from one-fifth to one-quarter of an inch, or roughly the size of a nail head or a pea.

What really grabs my attention, though, is when I read that it might be possible to hear cardiac activity on an ultrasound from week six onward, and that fetal heart rate at six weeks is usually one hundred and ten beats per minute.

'I wonder....'

I gently maneuver Réa onto her back and place my ear against her lower belly. At first, all I can hear are the sounds of our heartbeats and our breathing, but I'm eventually able to tune those out. I'm not sure how long I lie here...it feels like hours, though I know it's only been a few minutes...but eventually, I pick up a faint, rapid, whooshing sound.

'Oh god, oh god...that's a heartbeat!'

"Réa! Réa, wake up!" I crawl up her body and pepper her face with kisses, unable to contain my excitement.

"Wanna sleep," she mumbles, trying to burrow into the pillow.

"Sleep later! I heard a heartbeat!"

"You have super soldier hearing. You hear my heartbeat all the time."

"No, not yours...the baby's! I heard our baby's heartbeat!"

Her eyes fly open, taking in the wide, brilliant smile on my face. "You what?"