A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Twenty

The baby in my arms lets out a small cry, sniffing at my chest. When he doesn't find what he wants, he starts to wail louder, and with a fond smile, I hand him over to his mother, who had just given birth to him late last night.

She confidently takes him into her arms, snuggling him up to her chest, and he quickly quiets down. Scent is a powerful thing, especially for babies, so their mother's scent tends to calm them down immensely.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I ask her, reaching down to pick up her file from the holder at the foot of her bed. "Lightheaded, nauseous, anything we would be concerned about?"

The mother looks over at me, a tired smile on her face. "I'm alright for now, just sore. Very sore, actually, but nothing else besides that."

Nodding my head, I jot down what she said onto her chart before pushing the button for one of the nurses.

"Alright, well a nurse will be in here shortly to give you something for the pain. When you are ready for a nap, just push the call button and someone will come to pick the little guy up. We're here to help you, so don't feel like you can't use us."

As I am setting the chart back down into the holder, the mother looks me over, her eyes stopping on my small bump. "How far along are you?" she asks me with a knowing smile.

"A little over sixteen weeks," I answer, my hand settling below my bump.

"I remember the first time being pregnant," she says, looking back down at her baby. "It is a whole different experience. A little terrifying, but that is heavily outweighed with excitement."

"Sounds about right," I say with a chuckle. Someone calling my name from the lobby has me turning my head before looking back over at the tired mother. "Looks like someone needs me. Remember to call for someone if you need for anything."

"Thank you, I will," she says, "and good luck."

With that, I leave her and her new baby to have some bonding time. She came in here last night with her mate, who was more nervous than the woman in labor. It is only their second child, but it had been about five years since the first one was born. So, suffice to say, it was just as nerve wracking as the first time for the parents.

"Henley, there you are," Dr. Greene says, looking up at me from where she is signing a patient form. "Are you ready for your checkup?"

Nodding my head, I go to stand next to her. "I'm just waiting for my mate to get here. He'll be so upset if he misses one of my appointments."

Dr. Greene smiles at me before looking down at her watch. "Well, why don't you give him a call and see how close he is, and I will get the ultrasound set up."

"Thanks, Dr. Greene," I say, watching as she walks into one of the empty patient rooms.

One of the nurses must have heard us talking because she hands me the phone without me even having to ask for it. I give her a nod of thanks while typing in Braeden's number and bringing the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" he answers, sounding somewhat breathless.

"Hey, Brae, it's me," I say, looking down at where my hand is resting on my bump. "My appointment is in five minutes. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way," he says. "Someone scheduled an appointment last minute, and I had to finish it before I left. I'll be there in like two minutes, I can see the clinic now."

"Alright, I'll see you soon," I say before hanging up the phone.

Honestly, going to work has been a relief over the past few weeks. Braeden has been so overprotective, hovering over me whenever we are together. And even though I love him dearly- which I really need to actually say to him sometime soon- he is driving me crazy.