Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Heartbeat

Marked on the calendar stuck to the fridge was 15th of April; the twelfth week of Denise's pregnancy, as well as their next appointment with their gynecologist. While she usually looked forward to her appointments, she was not looking forward to this one. She had no explanation for the feeling of uneasiness sitting at the back of her throat, she just knew it was affecting her whole being- mind, body, and soul. She struggled to eat, struggled to concentrate on the conversations at her own dinner table, struggled to write, and struggled to display excitement when her brother's 'Save the Date' card finally arrived in their mail. Denise wasn't sure if she was tired, or stressed, or simply displaying symptoms of pregnancy brain. For a few days now, she'd been feeling off, wary, and uncertain. Whatever it was that had rewired her system, she needed it fixed immediately. She wanted that feeling of angst gone before she and Chris headed to the clinic to check on their baby's progress. Seeing their baby and hearing its heartbeat was a moment to be savored, the last thing she wanted was to go into the appointment filled with dread.

Despite calling herself out for her unusual state of mind, Denise failed to snap herself out of it. Even after talking to Chris about it, who assured her whatever she was feeling was a result of stress and fatigue- she could still feel the venomous grip of her angst, clawing at her oesophagus. The day of her appointment, Chris found her standing in front of the mirror in their ensuite. The t-shirt she had on was bunched in her hand, her brows furrowed as she examined her small bump in the reflection. Her head tilted curiously as she smoothed her hand over her abdomen, facials contorted with an unreadable expression.

"It's normal for someone pregnant to not have a flat stomach, Denise." Chris teased, drawing her out of her thoughts. The gaze she had locked on herself fell onto Chris instead. His brows furrowed when she made no response. She lowered her t-shirt and turned around, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Hey," he caught her elbow as she tried to brush past him, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." She forced a smile onto her face. "I'm just..." She trailed off, licking her dry lips as she ran her hand through her hair. "I don't know," she shook her head, chuckling with limited humor. "I don't know what's um- Never mind, it's nothing. It's nothing," she rambled. "I'm just having a weird moment, don't worry about it." She waved him off, pulling her arm out of his gentle grip. "What's um- are we leaving for the appointment?"

"What's going on with you?" He watched her with a worried frown as she stuffed her things into her purse. "Denise," he wrapped his hand around her elbow again, gently tugging at her so she'd turn around to meet his gaze. "Hey," he touched her cheek, brushing her soft skin with the pad of his thumb. "Talk to me, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay, are you coming down with something? You've been acting a little weird these past few days."

"I'm fine," she lied, wishing it was true. "I think I'm just tired, like you said. I feel- fine, I don't- I don't think I'm coming down with anything, I'm just-" She shrugged, feeling her eyes well with tears because she truly didn't know what was wrong with her. "I don't know, Chris. I honestly," she shook her head, "I don't know."

"Hey." He felt his heart ache as he wiped her tears. "It's okay," he enfolded her into a warm, comforting hug, and she quietly breathed him in. "I'm sure you're just tired too, growing a human being is not exactly an easy job. We're going to see Dr. Orwell in a while, I'm sure she can tell us what's going on with you. Don't worry," he whispered into her hair in a soothing tone, calming her slightly. "You're fine, everything's fine."

"Can you get your mom to come over and watch Jack for us?" She asked as she withdrew from Chris' touch. "I rather he not be at the appointment today, I'm just-" she ran both hands through her hair, sighing. "I'm too tired to deal with all his questions today. I just want to go to the appointment, get it over and done with, then come home so I can take a nap. I can feel a headache brewing and- I just want to be asleep before it reaches its peak."