Breeding Clinic (Heatverse)

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

LIAM

I smell her before I see her. Dirty, sexy Christmas cookies. The cutout kind that’s covered in a pretty smear of colored icing and sugar sprinkles. Her scent is thicker. I don’t know how to describe it, but she smells pregnant.

My groin tightens as the door opens and the cloud of her thick pheromones punches me in the sinuses. Nervous, I stand up out of habit. My dad always taught me to stand when your date appears, even though this isn’t technically a date.

She glances my way and appears startled, her eyes widening.

Shit, should I have stayed seated? Man, this is awkward.

Unsure of what to do, I sit back down. “Hi.” It’s a lame greeting after six long weeks of not being told anything except that her blood work was good.

“Have a seat on the exam table,” the ultrasound tech says. She grabs a patient gown and paper blanket from a basket on a shelf. “I’ll give you a few minutes to change. Everything from the waist down comes off.”

“Umm…” Kat takes them.

The ultrasound tech leaves, shutting the door behind her.

I didn’t realize she’d have to get naked for this. Don’t they put the goop and stuff on the belly? I stand and wipe my palms on my jeans.

Kat hesitates. Like I haven’t seen every inch of her already. Licked every inch with my tongue.

“I won’t watch,” I tell her. Turning around, I stare at the medical poster on the wall.

“Thanks.”

After a brief hesitation, I hear the rustling of clothing, then the creak of the exam table. I wait until she tells me it’s okay to look. She’s cuter than I remembered. Expressive hazel eyes and brown hair. I wonder if our kid’s gonna have her eyes. That thought makes me smile.

“How have you been?” I ask to break the ice.

“Good.” she says, raking her hair out of her face. “Puking every morning and afternoon, but… That’s a good sign. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be here for this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, puzzled. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. My kid’s first ultrasound. I hope they give me a print out so I can put it on the fridge for Gabriel and Matthew. The clinic wouldn’t let them come.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the ultrasound tech’s arrival interrupts her. The tech pulls her machine over and sits, explaining everything that’s about to happen. I watch her put a condom on the ultrasound’s dildo-shaped attachment. She lubes it up and puts it under Kat’s paper blanket.

Oh. So that’s why they had her change.

All three of us focus on the tech’s screen. It looks like TV static to me, but the tech spends a lot of time taking snapshots and marking measurements with digital calipers.

“Is everything good?” I ask.

“I’m taking measurements for the doctor,” the tech says. “He’ll go over the results with you. ”

“Oh, okay.” I deflate in my seat. I thought I’d see a tiny baby, but I guess it’s still really early. All I can make out among the static is a blob and a smaller blob.

The tech hits a button on the machine, and then a rapid fluttering whooshing fills the room. Kat and I both perk up at the sound. “Is that?—”

“That’s a good heartbeat,” Kat interrupts. “It’s fast.”

Fast is… good?

The tech takes a recording, then says she’s done. She pulls the ultrasound probe out and disposes of the condom, then hands Kat a stack of napkins. “You can get dressed. The doctor will be in shortly.”

At the door, the tech pauses and looks back over her shoulder. She smiles at me. “Good job, Daddy.”

Kat sits up and pulls her heels out of the exam table’s stirrups. “Oh, he’s not the dad, he’s the sperm donor.”

My smile drops off my face, and the ultrasound tech freezes. “What?” I ask her. “I’m the father.”

She better not tell my kid that I’m their sperm donor. I’m going to be there. For every baseball game and school dance. Each scraped knee and scribbled drawing.

Kat looks at me like I’ve grown a second head and sits up, her knees pressed together. “You’re a sperm donor. I picked your profile out of a donation book.”

Alarmed, I glance at the ultrasound tech for help. “No. I signed up for co-parenting. My pack doesn’t have a breeding partner.”

“Your pack,” Kat says, her eyes getting bigger by the second. “No. What? You’re mistaken. I came here for a sperm donor.”

We both stare at the ultrasound tech. “I’m gonna go get the doctor. Wait here,” she says, then dips out.

Kat jumps off the exam table and scoops the gel from between her legs, then chucks the napkins in the trash. This time I don’t bother to turn my back while she changes. She pulls on her panties, shorts, and sandals. Then she takes the patient gown off and throws it into the wicker basket in the corner.

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

“I didn’t sign up for sperm donation,” I tell her. “That baby’s half mine.”

“No. Oh, God, no. What the fuck? This is not happening.” She drags her hands through her hair, pushing it away from her face. The color drains from her, and she wobbles where she stands.

“Sit down before you pass out.” I put a hand on her arm so I can grab her and keep her from hitting her head if she faints. I put a little alpha command in it so she knows I’m serious. This woman has my baby in her belly. Her wellbeing is my highest concern.

Kat plops her ass into the chair next to me. I try to talk to her, but nothing I say to her stirs her out of her shock. It’s like she doesn’t hear me.

A while later, the door opens and an older, balding man with glasses appears. “Please follow me. We’ll talk in my office.”

We follow him into his office where he shuts the door then motions for us to sit. He takes up his padded leather chair behind the desk. “I’m Dr. Fugo, and I’m sorry to have to explain that there’s been a clerical error with your paperwork.”

A lump forms in my throat and I swallow past it. “What exactly does that mean?”

“Ms. Daniels came here for sperm donation as a single parent. She matched with you, a co-parent seeker, by accident. We’re investigating this to find out what happened. Our computer system is designed to prevent this type of error. All of our donors are codified by donation type. Co-parents go through a rigorous meet and greet before their match is verified. Ms. Daniels, can you tell me about your initial visit here? Is Mr. O’Donnell the donor you picked?”

“Yes.” Her voice is faint, like she’s barely aware of what’s happening. “The binders…”

Dr. Fugo pulls two files from a cabinet behind his computer. “I found your paperwork from the day you came in for treatment. The consent forms you signed are for co-parenting.”

Kat frowns and leans forward. “No. I… I was in heat. Whatever she gave me, I signed.”

A sick knot of dread builds in my stomach. They can’t. They can’t take my baby from me. It’s half mine. I didn’t sign up to be some anonymous sperm donor. I point at her still flat stomach and stare the doctor down. “That baby is mine.”

She looks at me, her expression turning murderous. “You can’t have my baby. You have no idea what I’ve gone through to have it.”

“Legally speaking,” Dr. Fugo interrupts us, “the baby is both of yours. Because you opted for natural insemination and… I’ll be frank, you had intercourse. The law is very clear. Anonymous sperm donation can only be done through artificial means. Our co-parents have a lengthy matching process. Monitored natural insemination is done for legal purposes.”

“What does that mean for me?” Kat asks him.

“Legally, this baby belongs to both of you,” Dr. Fugo says. “I know this is a shock. This isn’t what anyone planned. And we’ll be investigating our computer system and talking to the staff who were here that day. To make sure this never happens again. For now, why don’t you go home? Your baby is healthy and developing perfectly. We’ll see you back again for blood work, Ms. Daniels. The girls up front will call you to set up the appointment. Here’s the packet I give to all new parents. Read it. Sleep on it. And most importantly, talk to each other. ”

We’re shown the door. Once we’re outside and standing on the sidewalk, I study her. She’s small. The top of her head comes to my chest. She’s petite but curvy with nice, wide hips. Good babymaking hips.

She glances at me with a mutinous expression like I planned this or tricked her. If anything, I’m the one who feels tricked. She’s carrying my baby and there’s nothing I can do about it. I feel powerless. What am I supposed to do? Watch her leave with my kid? A child she didn’t mean to share with me?

What if she decides she doesn’t want to be tied to me and my pack?

“Please don’t do anything to hurt my baby,” I beg her.

She makes a disgusted face. “God, I would never.”

“Good.” Relief washes over me, easing the knot in my stomach. “Because I’m Catholic.”

“Oh, fuck my life,” Kat says, running her hands through her hair again. “This is a fucking disaster. I have to go.”

When am I gonna see her again? “Give me your number so we can talk about this.” The clinic wouldn’t give it to me. It’s been driving me up the wall.

She hesitates before she gives in. We add each other’s numbers in our phones.

“We should sit down and talk,” I say.

“Not today.” She rubs at her head like she has a headache. “I need to go home and vomit.”

Right. She did say that she’d been puking a lot. That’s normal. I think. “Okay. You’ll tell me if you need anything? I don’t care what it is or what time of day it is. If you and the baby need anything, I want to know. You’re eating healthy, right? I think there’s stuff on that list you can’t eat.”

“I know.” She sighs and fishes her keys out of her purse. “We’ll talk… later. Right now I just can’t.”

I watch her walk off with that promise and hope that I won’t regret letting her go. But I can’t do anything about it. It’s not like alphas kidnap omega brides from rival tribes anymore. Once her car, a nice and safe sedan, leaves the parking lot, I head to my truck.

How the hell am I going to explain this clusterfuck to my pack?