Blair rolled her eyes. “Are you a doctor now too?”
“No, I am about to become a father, and I have a responsibility to ensure that my son or daughter is well.”
“Honestly, you’re overreacting. I’m only twelve weeks pregnant, I’ve been keeping excellent health, aside from a little tiredness, which,” she held up a hand as he started to speak “is perfectly normal at this stage of a healthy pregnancy.”
“Ms. Carson? The doctor will see you now,” the receptionist summoned them, bringing to a halt any further discussion between her and Draco.
The instant Draco sat down in the doctor’s office Blair felt as if she was invisible, as he launched into a series of questions about both her health and the baby’s.
“So you can assure me that there are no underlying concerns about Blair’s health that could put her or the child at risk?” he asked.
“Certainly nothing we’ve come across, Mr. Sandrelli. Blair’s most recent physical showed her to be in excellent health, with blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars—basically everything—within normal ranges. There’s no cause for concern that this pregnancy will be anything but smooth sailing.”
Blair seriously doubted her blood pressure was within normal ranges at present. Draco’s interest in her physical condition bordered on obsessional. Not a side of him she’d ever seen before, and she didn’t feel comfortable with it. It was almost as if he’d reduced her to an object, rather than a woman.
“See, I told you everything is fine.”
Draco shot a look so bleak that it made her heart skitter in her chest. “Forgive me my concern, cara mia, but I wish to be certain that you and our baby will be safe through this pregnancy.”
Blair bristled at his obvious use of endearment to keep the doctor on his side.
“Commendable, Mr. Sandrelli, but let me assure you that I expect no complications for Blair, and I’m sure that while you’re back home in Italy you will be able to arrange excellent care for her. In the meantime, here is some literature that may give you some idea of what Blair should be eating, and avoiding—I always think it’s kinder on our mothers-to-be if the whole family avoid the foods she has to. Blair is already on folate, calcium and iron supplements, and she has all this information, so I’m sure you can trust her to look after herself equally as well as you.” The doctor gave Blair a reassuring smile, clearly well used to dealing with anxious first-time fathers.
“Thank you, doctor. I am much assured.”
“Good. Now I’m sure Blair is becoming quite uncomfortable waiting for her scan, so let’s take her through to our radiology rooms.”
Blair could have hugged the doctor. Let Draco try and sit still with a straining bladder while someone asked inane questions. As they walked through to the radiology rooms, which formed part of the medical center, the doctor continued to talk to Draco.
“I’ll receive the scan report and can either have a copy ready for you before you leave for Italy or, alternatively, I can forward a copy to your doctor over there, once you have chosen someone.”
“We’d like to take it with us,” Draco said before Blair could utter a word. He flipped out a business card. “Please send it through to this address. We leave at the end of the week, I trust that will provide you with sufficient time to get the report to me?”
“Yes, definitely.”
The doctor introduced Blair and Draco to the radiographer conducting the scan. Draco sat to one side, now uncharacteristically silent as the radiographer prepared her for the scan by squeezing some gel onto her stomach. The woman described each step in the process of what she was doing as she did it, for which Blair was grateful. This was terrifying territory. Only two weeks ago she hadn’t even considered pregnancy, in fact, had purposely avoided any thought of the possibility, now it was very much a reality. Even more so as the grainy image appeared on the screen.
“Here we are,” the radiographer said with a smile. “It’s time to meet your baby.”
Blair’s eyes fixed on the screen as the radiographer pointed out the baby’s—her baby’s—legs and arms and its head and body. It was hard to believe this tiny human being was growing and moving within her body, when externally, there was little sign of its existence.
“Oh boy, it’s busy, isn’t—” Blair turned her head to Draco but never got to finish her sentence as she was suddenly struck by the look on his face.
There was wonder there in his eyes, but at the same time an expression of raw grief that took her breath away. Their current animosity temporarily forgotten, she reached out her hand to him, needing to connect with him, to rid him of the anguish he’d exposed.