Scoffing, Leah gave the probe a dismissive wave. “Maybe we’re both doctors,” she suggested. “Sneaking away for a little alone time in the supply closet.” Enough people did that as it was, but it was still an amusing scenario to imagine. They didn’t really have the time to be that creative, though. Part of Leah worried about the lastingness of their relationship because of that; how quickly they’d gone from boyfriend and girlfriend to mother and father. Rushed relationships like that had a greater chance of imploding. She wasn’t willing to give him up, though. Not now.
“The punishments always lead to good rewards, Frenchie, so stop complaining.” She poked her tongue out at him. “And you’re just as capable of doing the same to me.”
When Evan confessed that he had, indeed, been concerned about her holding resentment, Leah’s expression softened. “The first couple days weren’t my best, no, but hating you takes a lot more effort than it used to. You were as careful as I could’ve expected you to be, and that responsibility wasn’t all on you, anyway.” She shrugged. “We got carried away. It happens. At least we already know we’ll make great parents.”
Giving up nicotine had been something Leah had struggled with for a long time. She’d considered it back when Marigold was on the way, but once her daughter was taken away, there didn’t seem much point. Now… “I’ve already had to go cold turkey and give it up for the next several months. I don’t suppose it’d be that hard to give it up completely.” Unless stressful things started cropping up again. She nudged him lightly with her leg. “Lucky you, being able to wean yourself away from it more slowly.”
That question made her snort softly. “Anything you put in or on your body should be checked for an expiration date, Frenchie. And yes, it does expire.”
Leah studied his expression for several moments before turning her eyes back to the screen. One fetus, not too active but showing enough movement that Leah didn’t start to panic. Not twins. It was a beautiful sight. Leah blinked away some of the wetness from her eyes and glanced back at Evan. “A little surreal, isn’t it?” She asked softly. “Almost a year ago today we were talking about nicknames for the kids we’d never have, and now look where we are.”
She smiled. “So what’s the diagnosis, Papa? Does it look healthy?”