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I braced myself for the hard question, but forced myself to spit it out anyway. “Am I going to die if I continue this pregnancy?”
"There is always a risk of death for any woman—abled or disabled—in pregnancy, but let me reassure you we are the best at what we do here, and even with lupus your chances of having a healthy pregnancy, birth, and baby are quite high. We will monitor you closely so that if anything looks to be going wrong, we can prepare and provide you care."
I breathed a sigh of relief. Luana had greatly eased my fears. “What’s the next step?”
“I’m going to do a complete physical exam, including a blood test, which will measure kidney function. You’ll come back for frequent check-ups. Around ten weeks, I’ll order an antibody test that will help assess the risk of complications. If you feel the risk is too high?—”
“No,” I said automatically. I hadn’t even talked to Lucas about this, and he deserved a say, but I’d already made up my mind. “I want to have the baby.”
There was no question. There was a tiny little person growing inside of me. I didn’t know how it happened, but something about it felt like fate. This baby wanted me to be their mother—they chose me. No matter what happened, I had to be the best mother for them for as long as I could be.
“We don’t know what the future holds. No two lupus patients are the same. But if you want to go forward with this, we will do everything in our power to make sure you and baby both make it through this pregnancy. Your pregnancy is high-risk, but we prefer to use the term high-support pregnancy for our patients, because that’s exactly what you’ll receive when in our care.”
Tears sprang to my eyes again, but this time for different reasons. Luana was so caring and empathetic, and I didn’t know what I’d do if Sophia wasn’t here to interpret. It felt like a miracle I’d found these women.
Luana kept her eyes on me as she signed. I didn’t need Sophia to interpret to understand she was asking if she could touch me. I nodded, and Luana placed her hands over my belly. Warm Anichi healing magic filled my body, in stark contrast to Dr. Malach’s invasive exam. A wide smile spread across Luana’s face, and she signed something I could only interpret as good news.
“Congratulations!” Sophia interpreted. “You’re having twins.”
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t believe it. “Are you serious?”
“Identical. Due July twenty-fourth.”
Tears streamed down my face, and my shoulders began to shake. I couldn’t contain the joy I felt knowing Lucas and I were going to be parents—not just to one child, but two. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I couldn’t wait to tell him.
Once I calmed down, Luana performed a full exam using her magic, since it was too early for an ultrasound. She promised the babies and I were all okay, though she’d know more when the blood tests came back. Luana prescribed me the proper meds to take for my lupus while pregnant, as well as prenatal vitamins.
By the end of the exam, I felt so fucking relieved. Dr. Malach had scared the ever-living crap out of me, but according to Luana, my babies and I were going to be fine.
Sophia left the exam room with me, bouncing Ava-Marie on her hip. “Luana is the best Anichi healer in all of Hok’evale. She’s also certified as a midwife and doula. She took care of me when I had Ava-Marie. She’s the best person to have on your birth team.”
“Thank you,” I told her. “For everything.”
Sophia smiled. “Of course. Us moms have to stick together.”
“I never thought much about being a mom, but I like the sound of it,” I admitted.
“You’re going to love it,” Sophia promised.
I couldn’t imagine the opposite, because I was already head over heels for these babies, and I hadn’t even convinced myself yet that this was all real.
It was going to have to sink in pretty quickly, because it was time for me to go home.
Once I got there, I had to find a way to tell Lucas we were having twins.
Chapter Fifteen
LUCAS
Time got away from me while Grant and I were fixing the bathroom drain. I didn’t realize how many hours had passed until we were cleaning up and I got Nadine’s text. I went into the hall and focused on our meeting place. A portal bloomed at my command, and Nadine stepped through.
“Everything okay?” I asked. “You were gone for a while. Everyone else is already back.”
“Everything’s fine,” she said, but there was a hint of something in her tone I couldn’t quite read. “I just had to do some shopping.”
She held several bags in her hand. I recognized one from the pharmacy, but the other was a small gift bag.
A smile touched my lips. “My birthday isn't until the end of the month.”
