“And did you have unprotected sex during the period of heat?”
Tears started to gather between his fingers. “Y-Yes.” Then it was all just white noise as he stared up at the brightly coloured bottles. He was vaguely aware that the doctor was still talking, but the words were all jumbled together in some strange alien language.
“Mr Reed?” The doctor said, snapping his mind back to the present.
“S-Sorry,” he said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“I said, I’d advise you to take a pregnancy test. And if the result is positive, I’ll book you in for a scan.”
Ifthe result was positive.If. That was a big fuckingif. It could be wrong. It could just be the lingering effects of the heat playing havoc with his hormones. Lord knew what his body was up to these days.Something about that revelation brought a sense of relief washing over him.
“Okay,” he said, staring blankly at the bar. But then a thought struck him, and not a welcome one. “D-Doctor?”
“Yes, Mr Reed?”
“Can you see all my medical records?”
“Yes.”
“Could you… could you go back to July 2017?”
The doctor hummed, then the tapping of a keyboard in the background. “Certainly, just give me a moment.” There was apause, then, “Ah. I see. This is your second pregnancy. The first one… oh. It was a blighted ovum, is that right?”
His hands were shaking when he finally said, “Y-Yes.”
The doctor cleared her throat, her voice softening just a fraction. “I see. Well, looking at your notes, it appears there was no embryo present in the gestational sac. Your body had already reabsorbed it prior to your illness.”
Oliver held his head in his hands as the turmoil and confusion of that day came flooding back. “So, was I pregnant or not?”
“Yes, in a sense. Your HCG levels were high because of the fertilised egg, but there was no embryo at the time of your miscarriage. As I’m sure you know, it’s unfortunately extremely common in sigmas.”
Coughing away the thickness in his throat, Oliver began to wonder just how many sigma couples received a positive pregnancy test, only to have their hopes shattered a few weeks later. It was fucking cruel. So fucking cruel. He couldn’t do that to Lucas—couldn’t get his hopes up every time, only to have them ripped away. He’d been stupid—they’d bothbeen stupid. They should have used protection, he shouldn’t have assumedanything.He was an idiot, a selfish twat that got caught up in the moment.
He held his head in his hand as the other gripped the phone. “Is that… is that… is that happening this time?” He stuttered, unable to keep the words steady.
The doctor must have sensed his distress as she let out a breath. “Sweetheart, I’m afraid I don’t know. I’d usually schedule your first scan at twelve weeks, but if you like, I can try to book you one sooner for some peace of mind? Where’s your local hospital?”
Oliver’s lip quivered as he struggled to remember where he was. “I…I…It’s High Enfield. But I’m in London, High Garden until Monday morning.”
“I see—” There was a pause, then, “Well, High Garden has a private clinic with early scan appointments available tomorrow, but it’ll cost?—”
“Yes. Yes, just book the private one. Please. Please, I can’t sit around not knowing.”
“I understand. But please take a pregnancy test, Mr Reed. Just to be sure.”
He let out a long breath. “I will… I will. What if it’s negative?”
“Then just call me straight back and I’ll cancel the appointment.”
By the time the call ended, Oliver’s hands were shaking so badly he was struggling to keep hold of the phone. Sitting on the edge of the upturned barrel, he pressed his palms against his face in an effort to relieve the throbbing behind his eyes.
“Filho?” a soft voice called from the door.
Oliver’s head jerked up as he came face to face with Davi’s hazel eyes looking concernedly back at him. He crumpled, then. Unable to hold back the tears, the pain. Everything. Davi wrapped his arms around him, his comforting maternal scent like a balm to Oliver’s fractured nerves.
“Filho, what’s happened? Something’s happened, yes?”
“Y-Yes,” Oliver said, the word muffled by the soft material of Davi’s sweater. He told him everything the doctor said, through tear-stained eyes. “Please, Davi. Please don’t tell Lucas. I can’t—I can’t get his hopes up like that. Please, I’m begging you.”
