Chapter 275-Home, Finally
E
“All right,” the doctor says, sweeping into the room where Sinir and I are resting together on my
hospital bed, my head on my mate’s shoulder as we watch some daytime soap opera I perk up at the
doctor’s entrance, eager to hear what he has to say. Sinir gives a little groan as he sits up and puts
his feet on the ground, standing next to the bed to hear the news. I know that he’s not
tired – instead, I think it’s the opposite. All of these days and hours cooped up here in this little room
have made him terribly restless. I reach out and take Sinir’s hand, thanking him, silently,
for all he’s done for me.
“Well?” Sinir asks, tucking his other hand to his pocket. He looks levelly at the doctor, who has given
me perhaps a hundred tests since I woke up a few days ago. Everything from blood work, CT scans,
ultrasounds. I’ve been poked and measured and observed so much I feel like a science
experiment.
The doctor pauses before me, flipping through the pages on his clipboard, double- and triple- checking
everything. I smile as I watch him do it. For all his cold bedside manner, he really has shown himself to
be diligent and dedicated.
“You’ll be happy” the doctor says, letting the pages drop and tucking the clipboard away under his arm.
“Everything hase back stable.” He looks seriously at me then before he continues. You’re well
enough to go home, E, but I want to emphasize to you that you are by no means a healthy woman at
this point in time. And your pregnancy is still extremely high risk. I want you‘ at home. In bed. Rxing,
until this baby is born. Is that clear?”
I nod eagerly, my heart beating faster with joy Home. Home. God, I can’t wait to be home…
“Good,” he says, nodding and shifting his gaze now to Sinir. “Your home was it damaged during
“No,” Sinir says, a statement that also gives me a little thrill of joy, despite the fact that I know it
already. Sinir has been receiving steady reports from Roger and others on his team which have set
our new post–war world in a very different light. “By some miracle, my personal residence went
rtively untouched during the attacks on the city. The neighborhood isrgely abandoned but,” he
shrugs as he looks down at me. “We don’t needpany.”
I squeeze his hand, smiling up at him. We talked about potentially moving into the pce to confirm to
the people that Sinir does intend to take the throne, but we decided against it until after the baby is
born. And even then, I imagine I’ll dy as long as we can. I like Sinir’s house – I have lots of good
memories there. It would take a lot to persuade me to move away from it.
“No,” the doctor considers, pursing his lips. “No, I don’t imagine you do needpany, newly mated as
you are.” He takes a deep breath then and levels a re between us. “I know that it’s awkward, but I
want to be very clear about this – when I say that E needs to be rxing…it’s very important that the
activities that promote that rxation are entirely nons*xual.”
I blink in surprise at the blunt statement and feel Sinir go still beside me. I try not to show my
disappointment – honestly, if there’s one good thing about bedrest, it’s the fact that you’re in bed the
whole time. And putting aside the fact that there’s not much else to do in bed, Sinir and I…
well, we’ve never been very good at keeping our hands off each other, have we?
“It’s very important that you practice restraint,” the doctor warns, his brows drawn down. “You’ve had
surgery on your uterus, Evelyn – it’s very delicate. Even,” he sighs, putting a hand to his forehead and
pausing, figuring out how to word this I smile to see how awkward he feels delivering the news “Any
disturbance to your uterine or vaginal tissues Just.” He sighs and drops his hand, shaking his head.
“Just don’t do it Okay?”
I nod, smiling warmly to let him know that I understand. “Babyes first, doc,” I say. Sinir says
nothing, but nods his agreement.
“Great,” the doctor says, giving us a little half smile and heading for the door. “In that case, best of luck!
Check in with your OBGYN and regr doctor for continued care. I’ve sent them my notes.” He starts
to head out into the hall and Sinir surprises me by striding after him. I cock my head, curious. What
on earth is he doing?
“Doctor.” Sinir’s voice is quiet, almost muffled with the distance, and I lean forward to hear better.
“How much do you get paid here?”
The doctor scoffs and tells Sinir that, quite frankly, it’s none of his business
“It is now,” Sinir replies. “Because whatever it is, I’ll pay you double to be E’s personal physician
for the remainder of her pregnancy. And our children’s physician, beyond.”
When I hear the sound of hands pping together in a handshake, I smile and lean back against my
pillows, pleased at this development. With this doctor and Cora on my side, I feel quite confident about
my chances in this pregnancy. That is, if Sinir and I can keep our hands off each other for the next
three months…
A few hourster, Sinir carries me over the threshold of our home, my arms wrapped around his
neck. I grin up at him, pleased at the gesture. “Is this a tradition in werewolf mating ceremonies? The
carrying of the bride over the threshold?”
Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
“Totally human, I’m afraid,” Sinir replies, twisting his mouth in chagrin. “If this were a traditional wolf
homing, I’d be chasing you down in the moonlight, nipping at your heels…. He snaps his teeth at
me, making meugh.
“Well let’s be human then, for today,” I say, putting a hand over my stomach as he takes a few steps
inside and kicks the door shut behind him. “Safer for the baby.”
Sinir heads right for the steps, carrying me upwards towards the bedroom. “How’s he doing in
there,” he asks quietly, ncing down at me. “Angry at being jostled around?”
“He’s good,” I say, sending a little question down the bond to my pup and receiving a little ping of
happiness and contentment back. “He just says he’s angry to be missing our soaps. Wants to know
what’s going on with Tatianna locked in that cell in Leonardo’s basement.”
Sinir chuckles, carrying me easily down the hallway, as if I’m no more than a feather duvet in his
arms. “Tell him we’ll get a TV brought in the room, with all the channels. He’ll have weeks and weeks to
catch up.” He carries me through the open door to our room and I smile to see that he’s had someone
arrange the pillows and nkets just as I like them.
“Nest!” I cry, throwing out a hand dramatically towards the bed. “How I’ve missed you, nest! My
one and only love!”
Sinir grins as he settles me down amongst the nkets. “Be careful,” he warns “Or I’ll be jealous ”
“Of darling nest?” I gasp, burying my face in the pillows and clutching the nkets close to me. Then, I
peek up at him. “Actually, maybe you should be. I’m going to be doing a lot more snuggling with the
nest for the next few weeks than I am with you.”
Sinir res at the mess of nkets yfully, pretending a jealous rage he doesn’t feel. “Watch out,
nest,” he murmurs. “She’s mine. And I can take you.”
I pull the nkets close to my chest,ughing and ying along. “How dare you threaten the nest!
Brute!” I raise a hand to yfully smack him but he catches my wrist, pulling it to his mouth andying
a gentle kiss there.
“You keep your nest,” he murmurs, making my stomach tingle. “Whatever makes you happy.” I smile at
him and rx my head against a pillow.
“Thank you,” I murmur, turning my wrist in his hand so I can grasp his palm. I smile at him with all the
love in my heart in on my face. “For being good to me. For pulling me through all of this.”
“Only a little further to go,” he says, leaning forward to nt a chaste kiss on my forehead. “But when
this is all over?” He pauses and I look up into his face, curious. He gives me a stone–cold, serious look.
“I’m going to f*ck you for a week straight.”
I can’t help theugh that bursts from my lips, quickly silenced by the press of his own against my
mouth.