Surrogate : Complications (18+) BOOK 2 (*ON HOLD *)

| 1 | Right On Track ||

Penelope winced when the doctor pressed the cold instrument against her protruding belly. It was slight, but seemed to cause all sorts of issues with her pants. Despite Frida buying her maternity pants and dresses, shirts and the works, Penelope refused to give up her jeans. She was currently holding them together with a rubber band. She smiled at that feeling proud of her ingenuity.

Well, together was a generous word.

"Alright Mr. and Mrs. Rogan. Do you hear that strong heart beat?"

Both the Rogans nodded at the doctor. Penelope's gaze shifted from the couple to the screen.

Weird. There was a pulsing there she could hear, but a heart? That was up for debate.

"When will we know if it's a boy or girl?" Frida blurted out sitting on the edge of her seat impatiently.

"That's not until week twenty. We're about fourteen weeks now." The Doctor switched to a new device after squeezing on coll liquid that made Penelope shiver. "A few visits yet before you should be able to find out, but keep in mind, depending on how the baby is positioned we might or might not be able to see anything. There the little one is."

The doctor pointed to some white blobs on the screen that Penelope struggled to tell what was what until she saw it. Like a Rorschach test she saw the bulbous head and little arms.

How strange. It looked like an alien life. What the hell was growing inside of her? She giggled in her head for the frantic thoughts. That little ball of cells was her and Liam. She glanced over at Liam who was smiling at his wife. The woman was wiping a tear off her cheek. It didn't seem to matter that she wasn't supposed to, but every time she looked at Liam her insides betrayed her. She blamed the little life growing inside her. Yeah, that's what it was. She'd always been a level headed person, emotionally mature from a young age she'd been told by many adults. Lately she didn't know who she was at all.

Penelope looked back at the monitor with a deep breath.

Holy shit.

How weird.

After receiving a strong bill of health, Penelope was strolling out the hospital with the Rogans walking a few steps ahead of her. She let her head tilt slightly watching the couple. She couldn't hear what Mrs. Rogan was saying but she was talking excitedly to her husband who seemed to be listening attentively. They were hand in hand and Frida was clinging to Liam's arm, her head resting periodically on his shoulder.

Penelope wiped an unexpected tear.

Damn it! She thought. She caught herself, for no reason and without warning, just leaking tears. That was her reality now, for no goddamn reason just feeling shit real deep.

It was so cute though. She glanced back at them. She wanted that, someday. A loving partnership, someone to talk to, be there for you, a true partner in this world that could at times feel very lonely.

She halted realizing that Liam and Frida did the same a couple steps before she did, almost causing Penelope to plow them over.

"Lunch?!" Frida trilled beaming from ear to ear looking at Liam then back at Penelope.

"I have to catch a flight." The man said without hesitation or emotion in his the cadence of his voice. He was dressed handsome that day, as was per usual. Nice suit that fit his trim physique rather well. Dress shoes to match, and hair styled like a super model in one of those high-end magazines. His crystal blue eyes caught the light in a way that made Penelope's mind recall their warmth when he gazed into her eyes right before they made love.

Frida's grumble shook Penelope from the unsolicited thought. "It's no matter. I'll be in New York for a few days. I have to put in some orders for the announcement party. Where are you off to this time? Miami? New York?"