Thank you Kiwi for Betaring.
Hot Sweet Heat Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
Alec snapped awake, the scent of the hospital and the feeling of dread that it evoked hit him simultaneous, quickly behind that came the realization that it was only the residue scent of the ordinary doctors he could smell. His arms
tightened around Max lying spread eagled across him. Rolling her gently off him, he curved her into his side and buried his nose in her neck, filling his senses with her familiar scent.
"Hey," she murmured, sleepily nuzzling his chest. "Did you sleep well?" she
yawned.
"Yeah, and I know you did, you were snoring all night," he teased.
"I was not, I don't snore."
"Yeah, you do, like a hog, Max." He laughed into her ear.
"Well at least I don't smell like one, unlike some people," she huffed back, her smile belying her words.
"What, do I smell?" he asked, sniffing his armpit enthusiastically."
"That is so gross Alec, I hate it when you do that."
Laughing he twitched his nose in her direction. "Well you don't exactly smell like a flower yourself. I was going to ask you to share my bath. But I'm not now, you've hurt my feelings," he huffed in pouting imitation of Max.
A pretty good imitation too she thought struggling to keep a straight face.
"There's no bath, only a shower," she giggled. "Anyway I like your hog like smell its sort of earthy, and familiar." As she said it she realized how true it was, she always liked his scent and it was kind of sexy overlaid with testosterone and adrenalin, no doubt remnants from the battle in the car park.
"Well I don't like yours," he laughed, rolling off the bed and onto his feet. Bending down he picked her up and carried her giggling and struggling into the bathroom. Dropping her on her feet he anchored her wriggling body with a hand around her waist and reached in and turned the water on.
Laughing she resisted his efforts to get her into the shower. Finally he solved the problem by backing in, and his arm around her waist pulling her in after him. Anchoring her in front of him his hand on her abdomen he pulled her back into the cradle of his hips and angled the water on them.
She sighed voluptuously settling back against his chest as the hot water streamed over her face and shoulders. He reached over her and tilted the nozzle so it was hitting him in the face.
"Hey," she complained crossly.
Laughing he grabbed the nozzle and held it in place as she tried to redirect it downwards.
"Oh yeah, is that right," she challenged turning in his arms and pressing her slick body against his. Rubbing her breasts against his chest she reached down between them and closed her hand around him.
He responded with a sharp intake of breath and she smiled smugly up at him "Hmmm, not quite there yet, but definitely interested," she purred squeezing his rapidly hardening erection. Stroking along his warm pulsing length she smiled when he sighed and leant his head back against the shower wall, closing his eyes in hedonistic pleasure as the hot water streamed over his face.
"Hmm, Alec, it's much nicer doing this if the waters on me, it's warmer."
She smiled complacently when the water immediately hit the side of her face. Compromises are good she decided smugly, leaning her shoulder against his chest and stroking him lazily as the water cascaded over her.
"I like it on my face, Aleeec," she whined crossly, when the flow of the water left her face and hit her hip.
"Yeah, I know Max," he agreed his voice rough.
Her eyes flew to his and his expression made her giggle. Sinking to her knees she was still smiling as she took him in her mouth. His hands cradling her head he thoughtfully moved them both sideways so the water was hitting the side of her face again.
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"Tyler, have you seen Alec lately?"
"Yeah, Tav and him are doing some recon in one of the little birds. He should be back in a couple of hours."
Irritably she went in search of Cass. This was the third time she'd tried to find him this morning. They'd only talked about the ultra sound last night, how the hell could he have forgotten about it in that short space of time.
"Are you ready yet?" Cass asked, her smile fading when she encountered Max's glowering expression.
"No, I still can't find, Alec."
'Fine by me.' Cass thought. His scowling, aggressive distrust wasn't something she was looking forward to negotiating anyway.
"We could do it without him?" she suggested.
"No, I'll wait for him." Max tried not to snap at her, it wasn't her fault Alec had forgotten about it.
"He's really busy today," she added defensively, "we'll just have to wait until he's back."
Wistfully she looked around the waiting room at the scattering of ordinary pregnant women, most of who had partners with them. Obviously their mates hadn't forgotten about them she thought dejectedly.
Cass's eyes followed hers around the room. "They really need to be able to go home today its stressful for them being kept here like this. We had a similar situation a month ago when the police and army sealed off the hospital for
forty-eight hours. We had one woman miscarry because the stress of worrying
about the children she had at home on their own, was just too much for her.
She'd been thinking about this, nobody outside of the ER knew that there was anything different about this occupation than the many others they'd been witness too. Only a few of the medical staff in the ER knew they were transgenics, everybody else assumed they were regular army, and that yesterdays fighting was just more police and army action against black marketers.
She believed that it was in their interests to preserve this illusion for as long as they could, and this was another reason she needed to see Alec. If people thought they were ordinary soldiers with a right to be here, the smart way to proceed seemed to be to preserve that illusion for as long as they could. She wanted his agreement to lifting the hospital blockade, and the sooner the better, before people started to perceive that maybe there was something different about this military action.
"We're letting them go this morning," she decided decisively.
If Alec wasn't available then she'd decide on her own. It was a civilian matter after all she assured herself, angrily pushing aside the thought that it was also a military decision, and one that had he been here she wouldn't have made without Alec's input.
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"I've had no word on that Max," Tyler replied doubtfully.
"Look Tyler, this is a civilian matter and I am telling you to lift the civilian blockade and let them in and out of here," she insisted angrily.
"It may be a civilian matter but moving my soldiers is a military matter and that has gotta come to me via military command," he insisted once again, his eyes fixed stoically in front of him.
"Alec left Todd in charge he'll be here in a minute. Then he can decide." Let her own pack sort her out, what a handful.
Impatiently her eyes flicked over their soldiers in the car park. There seemed to be more today than yesterday, speculatively she perused the males congregating around the helicopters now parked neatly in a corner of the car park. There seemed to be an awful lot of CO's.
"What's up Tyler?"
"Dunno, Steve started calling them in this morning." He gestured with his head towards the car park. "We're being briefed this afternoon when Alec and Tav get back."
Well that explained why Max had watched an angry, muttering Kat flounce out
early this morning and remove a comms unit from the head of one of their startled techies, before stomping away again without further explanation. Steve was already back in action and obviously not with her approval.
They both watched Todd as he headed for them. In heart-felt understanding Tyler watched his smile fade as Max's angry eyes pinned him.
"You wanted me Tyler?" he asked his wary eyes on Max.
"Yeah, problem here. Let me know what you decide."
"I want the civilian blockade lifted Todd," she demanded without preamble.
Turning abruptly away Tyler grinned in the face of Todd's glare.
"Okay Max," he agreed.
Suspiciously she peered at him. "Well good then," she said in surprise, thinking that was easier than she'd thought it would be.
"I'll send my females around the departments telling them the blockade has been lifted. Oh, and that means that the civilians are to be allowed into the building from now on as well."
"Yes Max," he agreed blandly.
"Do you think that you could hold off on that for a couple of hours Max," he gestured expansively at the car park. "What with all that's going on here it will probably take Tyler a couple of hours to organise it? As soon as he's ready, I'll have him send word to you.
"Two hours," she echoed suspiciously. "Oh alright if that's as soon as he can do it. Grudgingly she turned away and headed back into the building.
"Two hours," Tyler snorted in disbelief.
"Yeah well, Alec will be back by then and it won't be my headache." Todd replied smugly.
Turning his back on Tyler's sardonic amusement, he chose to ignore his opinion as to how whipped the alpha unit was.
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Alec glanced impatiently at his watch again, "Can't you move it along a little faster Tav?"
"No, I'm going as fast as this crate will go. It's only got a little motor. What's the hurry anyway it's all gonna still be there when we get back."
"Yeah, well Max is having an ultra sound of the baby today, and it was supposed to be this morning. I had to postpone it because we had to do this but I left a message that we'd be back by two, and if you don't get a move on I 'm going to be late."
"I'm going as fast as I fucking can?"
"I though you didn't have one of them until you really looked pregnant."
Alec looked at him curiously.
"I went as guard for Rain when she went for one a few months ago. She was a
hellva lot bigger than Max."
"Yeah well I though it was a bit early too, but Dex has told her its okay and she wants to do it now."
"She's worried something might happen to it." Alec said into the silence.
Tav glanced sideways at him. "Are you?"
"No. Sometimes. Maybe," he admitted. "It's like Max wants to cram as much in as fast as possible so that she won't miss anything," he said his eyes on the city spread below them.
"We can protect it this time, Alec. We aren't kids anymore, and nor are we in Manticore now."
"Yeah," Alec agreed.
"Do you remember when we were young, what we said we'd do once we were free?" Tav asked.
"Yeah," Alec sighed, looking out the window as they flew over Seattle. "Not much chance of that now." He paused before continuing. "But you could still do it, you could take the Unit and go after all this is over."
"Nah, I'll stick with you big bro."
Alec glanced at him. Manticore had never chosen to reveal their connection, and if Alec hadn't discovered it in their medical records, neither he nor Tav would have been any the wiser. They hardly ever referred to their relationship, and they only did if they were alone. It had always been safer that way. Having an acknowledged connection would have exposed both of them to even more danger from those wanting to manipulate them, so keeping it private had always been the
safest plan.
"We won't have to keep the fact that we're brothers secret anymore once all of this is over." Tav said glancing sideways.
Alec smiled, sometimes Tav had the really uncanny ability of tapping into his thoughts. "No." he agreed.
"I've always hated that."
"Yeah."
"So we move on the base tonight?"
"Yeah, we should be ready to go early hours of the morning."
"What about Howl? It looks like his guys are deployed there?"
"Howl knows how we work, if he fires on us he'll be prepared to take the consequences."
Tav grunted in agreement as he bought the bird down in the car park.
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"Its been nearly three hours Tyler surely you're ready by now..." Sensing Alec before she saw him Max turned angrily around.
"Hey Max, I'm sorry I'm late..." Alec trailed off, his frown moving between an angry uptight Max and a stoic faced, long-suffering Tyler.
"What's going on?"
"I ordered the blockade of the hospital taken off over two hours ago and Tyler doesn't appear to be any closer to accomplishing it than he was then." Gesturing disparagingly at the even more congested car park she met Alec's eyes defiantly.
"This is the afternoon, Alec, and you're past late. The scan was supposed to be in the morning. I've waited all day for this and you forgot about it." Angrily she turned away.
Grabbing her arm he turned her around. "Slow down, Max. "I didn't forget and I'm only ten minutes late and Tyler can't act on your order, it has to come down the chain of military command.
"It did," she snapped, "Todd ordered him to dismantle the blockade and said it would take him two hours. That was nearly three hours ago."
"Yeah, and I've been trying to get that prick back down here for the last half an hour." Tyler contributed sullenly.
"Two hours," Alec repeated in bewilderment knowing the job would take Tyler five minutes if he went slow.
"Tyler," he said decisively. "The checkpoints stay up but let business proceed as usual. Don't stop any incoming or outgoing but check everyone and everything
thoroughly. Briefing will be at 8pm tonight."
"Yes, Sir."
"Todd." He barked into his mouthpiece.
"Roger, alpha one."
"Find us a somewhere large enough and private enough for the briefing tonight, over."
"Tav have you done it yet?"
"Yeah, its done we're waiting for you."
She'd given up trying to pull her hand out of his and was standing angrily at his side. "How long before these people can go home, Alec?" she demanded.
"It's happening now Max," he told her quietly, gesturing to the people streaming eagerly out the main doors.
It had taken him less than five minutes to make it happen, but she had waited three hours and would probably have had to wait all night. Disheartened her
anger gone she suddenly felt like weeping.
"Let me go Alec," she jerked her hand determinedly out of his.
She had difficulty swallowing past the lump in her throat. He'd forgotten about her, and Todd and Tyler thought she was of so little consequence that they hadn't even bothered to honestly tell her they were waiting for Alec, but instead had strung her along like she was an idiot.
"I didn't forget Max, I had something really important I needed to do. I left a message with Mezo that I'd be back at two o'clock."
"I didn't get any message, but it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided to wait to have the ultra scan until I'm four months anyway. So it doesn't matter."
He could tell she wasn't angry anymore her voice was low and subdued and all her energy seemed to have drained away.
"It does matter Max you can have it now. Tav has sorted out the doctor and
she's shown Dex how to do it."
"I don't want Dex to do it. Cass is a specialist baby doctor and Dex is a combat medic. It doesn't matter anyway cause I'm waiting to have it now. So its no big deal."
The tremble in her voice told him it was.
"I've got a lot of things to do Alec and I'm sure you have to, so I'll see you later."
"Leave me Alec," she snapped, batting his hand away when he went to grab her hand again.
She turned and headed for the lifts impatiently scrubbing the beginnings of
tears from her eyes. She pushed the button for the fourth floor intending to go back to work. When the lift stopped on the fourth floor, hugging herself she watched the doors close again, before she pushed the button for the top floor. There was nothing she was doing that Kat or any of her other females couldn't do, she'd been kidding herself if she thought otherwise. Openly sobbing now she fumbled with the door of the little apartment.
Alec watched the lift doors close on her. Even if she hadn't got his message, her level of distress seemed to be out of all proportion to him being late for the scan. He knew going after her wasn't an option, she'd made it plain she wanted to be on her own
"Alec, will you talk to Steve, he thinks he's getting out of bed for the briefing tonight and Dex has told him he isn't well enough." Kat's annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Alec," she snapped crossly when he ignored her and continued to gaze in preoccupation at the lifts.
"Yeah, sure Kat I'll talk to him," he said, tearing his eyes off the lift.
"Um, I've just really upset Max, and she won't talk to me. Will you see she's okay for me, please."
"What did you do?" Kat asked impatiently.
"I was late for the scan...and now she says she wants to wait...but she's really upset."
"Where did she go?"
"Back to work she said."
"I'll go and find her, but talk to Steve now, or the next thing you know he'll be kitted out in his body armour wanting to go on the raid." She snapped crossly.
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It had taken her a while to find Max, but Alec had been right she was really upset. Opening the door of the bedroom Kat went in and lay down beside her.
"Alec said he upset you," she ventured a long time later when Max's sobbing had subsided.
"He forgot about my ultra sound."
"Nah, he didn't I ran into Mezo when I was looking for you, and he asked me to tell you that Alec would be back at 2 o'clock, Alec didn't forget about you Max. Mezo just forgot to deliver the message.
"This morning they decided to put this lull in hostilities to good use and they're going to hit the army base outside the city. Because it's such a strategic make or break strike, Alec and Tav did the recon themselves, that's why he wasn't here Max. I don't know much about the plan yet but there's a briefing at 8 o'clock and we'll need to be there for it.
"I don't need to be there, Kat, they're never going to accept me. I think most of them think I'm a joke anyway."
"Most of who? You're the female alpha who the hell thinks that?" she asked indignantly.
"Those chicken shits," Kat said, when Max had finished telling her what had
happened.
"They were never going to end the blockade without Alec's say so, Max," she
explained. "The chain of command is really important in the military and its especially important to male transgencics because of the whole alpha dominance thing.
If you had just been telling them to move civilians they would have done it without question, because they know it's your domain. However you were countermanding a military decision made by their alpha. They were never going to do it, but they should have had the gumption to be honest with you instead of treating you like a fool."
"Yeah, I know I'm over reacting Kat, but everything just seemed to go so wrong. Alec wasn't there to get his agreement to letting the civilians go home, and I couldn't wait to have the scan and I couldn't believe he could just forget about it," she snuffled miserably.
"Why did you tell him you don't want it now, then?"
"Because I realized he was only ever humoring me and I just didn't want it like that."
"But it will tell you if the baby is all right."
"Yeah," she whispered. "But it will also tell me it isn't and I've been thinking about that all day. Do you know why I wanted the scan in the first place Kat?"
"Yeah, I know Max, she said quietly. "To convince yourself that you really are pregnant, because it's still hard for you to believe you are, because we're not
supposed to get pregnant and have babies and normal lives. Because you think that if you do everything right, like getting scans, eating the right things and getting plenty of rest, the fates will overlook you and let you keep Alec and your baby. You think that by some miracle you just might be left alone to live the life you've dreamed about, from the first moment you realized there was
another way to live other than what we were born into."
Their eyes held in painful empathy.
"Yeah, I know why. I tried to eat right and get plenty of sleep and exercise too." Kat ended bitterly.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you Kat." Max said quietly putting her hand over Kat's were it rested between them.
"I killed my baby, I don't deserve sympathy."
"No you didn't Kat, you chose the lives of the people you loved over the life you couldn't protect. You did what you had to do. You have no reason to punish yourself."
"Then why am I being punished, why can't I get pregnant again. I've been trying since Manticore burned, that's four heats and nothing. I know there's nothing wrong with Steve because he got me pregnant once so it's got to be me. Doesn't it?" she asked.
"No," Max said emphatically, "and even if there is some reason you can't get pregnant, Kat, its not a punishment, because you haven't done anything wrong. Have you ever had a doctor examine you to see if there is a fertility problem?"
"No. Steve and Alec took me to one a few months ago when I was really depressed. He did a blood test but when I told him about my heats he told me I'd be better off to see a vet."
"Yeah, well they aren't all like that. The doctor who was going to do my scan is okay, and she's a gynaecologist why don't you talk to her about it?"
"No, ordinaries don't understand Max, I don't want to go through that again and anyway Dex said that once things settle down then he'll do some reading and up skilling."
"Do you want to wait for that Kat?" Max asked quietly.
"No more than you want to wait for the scan, Max." The eyes met in shared understanding.
"Alec's not comfortable with the ordinary doctor doing the scan so he arranged for Dex to do it, but Dex has never done it before, and I want Cass. I want my baby to have the same expert treatment that ordinary women get."
"So, what are you going to do then Max?"
"I'll wait until I'm four months and if Alec still hasn't got used to the idea of Cass doing it by then, I'll get it done without him. I mean it's not the end of the world if he's not there." But I want him there.
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When she found him he was standing by the window in the ER watching the activity in the car park and listening to the radio that was always buzzing perpetually in his ear now.
"Hey." Putting her arm around his waist she turned into his chest as his arms went around her.
"Hey Maxi," he whispered. "I'm sorry I fucked up the scan for you."
"You didn't really Alec, I 'd been worrying all day about it maybe showing something wrong with the baby and I think my hormones just made me over react."
"There's going to be nothing wrong with the baby Max, your DNA is perfect and mine is as close to perfect as its possible to be, without being you. What could possibly be wrong with it?"
His deadly serious expression made her laugh. 'Yeah what indeed?" she echoed laughing, immediately feeling better.
He grinned down at her.
"We can do it now if you want. Dex said the ordinary doctor will still be here for a couple more hours," he murmured, kissing her soft and sweetly.
Her eyes flew to his.
"It's your scan Max, and you can have it done by whomever you want to do it, I shouldn't have interfered."
Her heart-stopping smile went a long way to assuaging his aversion to having the ordinary medic do the scan, and anyway as Dex had impolitely informed him, an ultra sound was hardly a lethal weapon. If as Dex said she needed to do it for her peace of mind, and the ordinary medic was necessary for that, then so be it.
"It's our scan Alec. Yours and mine and we get to see our baby, Cass will just be running the machine, Don't let that spoil it for you."
"Yeah," he agreed softly. She was right. This scan obviously meant a lot to her and letting the presence of a female medic spoil it was just plain stupid.
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Cass glanced warily at him hovering over the bed Max was propped up on. His suspicious hostile eyes following her every move.
"Stop fidgeting Alec, get a chair and sit down so you can see it when it's on the screen." Max said, patting the bed beside her.
Cass could hear the affectionate exasperation in her voice, and watched him
slide his arm under her and take her proffered hand as he sat down beside her, lacing his fingers with Max's, he leaned over and nuzzled her ear.
When he raised his head his eyes pinned Cass's and she recoiled involuntarily, her eyes darting quickly away from the antipathy in his. Consciously willing her gaze back she met his eyes steadily. Whatever issues he has with non- transgenic doctors aren't my fault.
"Alec?" Feel his tension her hand on the side of his face she turned him away from Cass, shocked at the hostility she caught in his eyes before he masked it and they focused on her.
Gazing down at her he could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Alec?" she repeated, hesitantly stroking the side of his face. She'd never seen him look at anyone like that before.
"Yeah Max," he said gently, he could feel the female medic moving but Max's eyes stayed locked with his and her hand on the side of his face prevented him from turning. When the ordinary medic started to talk she moved her hand to the other side of his face and he turned to the screen. His eyes going quickly back the Max to find her still staring at him.
He smiled reassuringly and his eyes followed hers back to the screen.
Cass watched their rapt fixation as both sets of eyes followed her hand as she pointed out where the baby lay, and explained that all was well, and it was
actually a very big baby for only twelve weeks gestation.
His eyes weren't hostile now, his thumb unconsciously stoking Max's temple as he gazed in fascination at the image on the screen. In fact he seemed to have
forgotten she was there, his total focus on Max and the screen. Just like the many other expectant fathers she'd had in here before him, totally rapt up in the first tangible evidence of their child.
It was different for the mothers, the baby was a reality in their bodies from the moment of conception, but for the fathers the initial scan was often the first physical evidence of their child that they experienced.
Tearing his eyes away from the screen he watched Max as she gazed at their baby, all her feelings in her face as she followed its movements in rapt fascination. Looking between her and the screen he though how lucky he was to have the both of them. His eyes went back to the screen, and followed the pulsing movements of the baby he could clearly see and he vowed silently again, that he would keep them both safe.
"When we do the scan at twenty weeks you'll be able to see it even clearer," Cass said into the silence.
Max's eyes went in anxiety to Alec's. He could smell her fear again and this time it was in her eyes, naked and unmasked as their eyes caught.
"In seven weeks time we'll be here to have that scan." he assured her emphatically, his voice low and his eyes locked with hers. "Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby," Compellingly he held her gaze.
She let his confidence and certainty wash over her. "You being safe too, has to be part of that, Alec," she said softly, her hand back on the side of his face.
"I'm awfully hard to kill Max," he promised smiling and turning his lips into her palm.
Feeling like an intruder Cass busied herself printing out pictures of the baby. Young expectant mothers were often worried about their baby, but this was the first time she'd ever had a mother as worried about the father's chances of
survival. It made Cass harshly aware of just how precarious their lives were.
These two young people weren't the same as the other couples she saw, they were being hunted and exterminated because of who they were. Much like her and Brian before they'd fled to America to make a new life.
Cass looked at the little baby on the screen. According to government and the media, this little one not only didn't have the right to exist it also didn't have any human rights. Well not in her book, this child and its parents had the same right to life as any of the other couples she had through her clinic.
"Shall I ask my nurse to make that appointment then?" she asked decisively,
handing the pictures to Max.
"Yes." Alec growled curtly once more aware of her.
"Show me Max," he asked eagerly, once his eyes had seen Cass out of the room.
"I don't care what she says, it looks like a boy to me." He pointed to the area of the picture Cass had already explained was the umbilical cord."
"Do you really want to know what the sex is now?"
"Not especially, either one is okay, but it looks like he's a boy to me." He peered more closely at the picture, "I'll have this one," he said pocketing the picture."
"I'm putting mine in a book that Cindy gave me to make for the baby. It's got spaces for baby pictures and birth weight and stuff like that. Her mother made one for her and it records all the milestones of her life, its really cool."
"I really want our baby to have the same things, certificates and stuff, and milestones, all the things that ordinary babies have. I don't want it to be
ordinary, but I want it to be happy and safe like they are and you need that sort of stuff for that..." she trailed off her eyes falling away before returning to his.
He didn't know what to say to her.
"Yeah, I know Max I want the same for him," he said finely, rubbing her lower lip with the pad of his finger. "There's nothing wrong with that," he added
thickly, thinking how much he loved her.
"You can have mine back for the book too, once I've shown Tav and Steve?"
Do you think you should show it to Steve?" she asked frowning.
"Are you going to show it to Kat?"
"Yeah."
"So I'll show Steve," he answered, his eyes serious as he quirked his lip.
"Here it is your appointment card for your twenty week scan."
Alec had to suppress his smile at the astonished expression on Max's face when the ordinary doctor held out the card.
"Um thanks, Cass," she said staring at the card in bemusement.
"Well you wanted ordinary Max," he said, when they were out in the hall. "Nothing more ordinary than a card with an appointment seven weeks into the
future," he smirked.
"I don't care Alec," she retorted tartly. "It just makes it all the more real."
Taking her hand he smiled sideways at her as they walked in companionable silence down the hospital hall.
TBC
Please review it encourages me to post.
Hot Sweet Heat Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
Alec snapped awake, the scent of the hospital and the feeling of dread that it evoked hit him simultaneous, quickly behind that came the realization that it was only the residue scent of the ordinary doctors he could smell. His arms
tightened around Max lying spread eagled across him. Rolling her gently off him, he curved her into his side and buried his nose in her neck, filling his senses with her familiar scent.
"Hey," she murmured, sleepily nuzzling his chest. "Did you sleep well?" she
yawned.
"Yeah, and I know you did, you were snoring all night," he teased.
"I was not, I don't snore."
"Yeah, you do, like a hog, Max." He laughed into her ear.
"Well at least I don't smell like one, unlike some people," she huffed back, her smile belying her words.
"What, do I smell?" he asked, sniffing his armpit enthusiastically."
"That is so gross Alec, I hate it when you do that."
Laughing he twitched his nose in her direction. "Well you don't exactly smell like a flower yourself. I was going to ask you to share my bath. But I'm not now, you've hurt my feelings," he huffed in pouting imitation of Max.
A pretty good imitation too she thought struggling to keep a straight face.
"There's no bath, only a shower," she giggled. "Anyway I like your hog like smell its sort of earthy, and familiar." As she said it she realized how true it was, she always liked his scent and it was kind of sexy overlaid with testosterone and adrenalin, no doubt remnants from the battle in the car park.
"Well I don't like yours," he laughed, rolling off the bed and onto his feet. Bending down he picked her up and carried her giggling and struggling into the bathroom. Dropping her on her feet he anchored her wriggling body with a hand around her waist and reached in and turned the water on.
Laughing she resisted his efforts to get her into the shower. Finally he solved the problem by backing in, and his arm around her waist pulling her in after him. Anchoring her in front of him his hand on her abdomen he pulled her back into the cradle of his hips and angled the water on them.
She sighed voluptuously settling back against his chest as the hot water streamed over her face and shoulders. He reached over her and tilted the nozzle so it was hitting him in the face.
"Hey," she complained crossly.
Laughing he grabbed the nozzle and held it in place as she tried to redirect it downwards.
"Oh yeah, is that right," she challenged turning in his arms and pressing her slick body against his. Rubbing her breasts against his chest she reached down between them and closed her hand around him.
He responded with a sharp intake of breath and she smiled smugly up at him "Hmmm, not quite there yet, but definitely interested," she purred squeezing his rapidly hardening erection. Stroking along his warm pulsing length she smiled when he sighed and leant his head back against the shower wall, closing his eyes in hedonistic pleasure as the hot water streamed over his face.
"Hmm, Alec, it's much nicer doing this if the waters on me, it's warmer."
She smiled complacently when the water immediately hit the side of her face. Compromises are good she decided smugly, leaning her shoulder against his chest and stroking him lazily as the water cascaded over her.
"I like it on my face, Aleeec," she whined crossly, when the flow of the water left her face and hit her hip.
"Yeah, I know Max," he agreed his voice rough.
Her eyes flew to his and his expression made her giggle. Sinking to her knees she was still smiling as she took him in her mouth. His hands cradling her head he thoughtfully moved them both sideways so the water was hitting the side of her face again.
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"Tyler, have you seen Alec lately?"
"Yeah, Tav and him are doing some recon in one of the little birds. He should be back in a couple of hours."
Irritably she went in search of Cass. This was the third time she'd tried to find him this morning. They'd only talked about the ultra sound last night, how the hell could he have forgotten about it in that short space of time.
"Are you ready yet?" Cass asked, her smile fading when she encountered Max's glowering expression.
"No, I still can't find, Alec."
'Fine by me.' Cass thought. His scowling, aggressive distrust wasn't something she was looking forward to negotiating anyway.
"We could do it without him?" she suggested.
"No, I'll wait for him." Max tried not to snap at her, it wasn't her fault Alec had forgotten about it.
"He's really busy today," she added defensively, "we'll just have to wait until he's back."
Wistfully she looked around the waiting room at the scattering of ordinary pregnant women, most of who had partners with them. Obviously their mates hadn't forgotten about them she thought dejectedly.
Cass's eyes followed hers around the room. "They really need to be able to go home today its stressful for them being kept here like this. We had a similar situation a month ago when the police and army sealed off the hospital for
forty-eight hours. We had one woman miscarry because the stress of worrying
about the children she had at home on their own, was just too much for her.
She'd been thinking about this, nobody outside of the ER knew that there was anything different about this occupation than the many others they'd been witness too. Only a few of the medical staff in the ER knew they were transgenics, everybody else assumed they were regular army, and that yesterdays fighting was just more police and army action against black marketers.
She believed that it was in their interests to preserve this illusion for as long as they could, and this was another reason she needed to see Alec. If people thought they were ordinary soldiers with a right to be here, the smart way to proceed seemed to be to preserve that illusion for as long as they could. She wanted his agreement to lifting the hospital blockade, and the sooner the better, before people started to perceive that maybe there was something different about this military action.
"We're letting them go this morning," she decided decisively.
If Alec wasn't available then she'd decide on her own. It was a civilian matter after all she assured herself, angrily pushing aside the thought that it was also a military decision, and one that had he been here she wouldn't have made without Alec's input.
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"I've had no word on that Max," Tyler replied doubtfully.
"Look Tyler, this is a civilian matter and I am telling you to lift the civilian blockade and let them in and out of here," she insisted angrily.
"It may be a civilian matter but moving my soldiers is a military matter and that has gotta come to me via military command," he insisted once again, his eyes fixed stoically in front of him.
"Alec left Todd in charge he'll be here in a minute. Then he can decide." Let her own pack sort her out, what a handful.
Impatiently her eyes flicked over their soldiers in the car park. There seemed to be more today than yesterday, speculatively she perused the males congregating around the helicopters now parked neatly in a corner of the car park. There seemed to be an awful lot of CO's.
"What's up Tyler?"
"Dunno, Steve started calling them in this morning." He gestured with his head towards the car park. "We're being briefed this afternoon when Alec and Tav get back."
Well that explained why Max had watched an angry, muttering Kat flounce out
early this morning and remove a comms unit from the head of one of their startled techies, before stomping away again without further explanation. Steve was already back in action and obviously not with her approval.
They both watched Todd as he headed for them. In heart-felt understanding Tyler watched his smile fade as Max's angry eyes pinned him.
"You wanted me Tyler?" he asked his wary eyes on Max.
"Yeah, problem here. Let me know what you decide."
"I want the civilian blockade lifted Todd," she demanded without preamble.
Turning abruptly away Tyler grinned in the face of Todd's glare.
"Okay Max," he agreed.
Suspiciously she peered at him. "Well good then," she said in surprise, thinking that was easier than she'd thought it would be.
"I'll send my females around the departments telling them the blockade has been lifted. Oh, and that means that the civilians are to be allowed into the building from now on as well."
"Yes Max," he agreed blandly.
"Do you think that you could hold off on that for a couple of hours Max," he gestured expansively at the car park. "What with all that's going on here it will probably take Tyler a couple of hours to organise it? As soon as he's ready, I'll have him send word to you.
"Two hours," she echoed suspiciously. "Oh alright if that's as soon as he can do it. Grudgingly she turned away and headed back into the building.
"Two hours," Tyler snorted in disbelief.
"Yeah well, Alec will be back by then and it won't be my headache." Todd replied smugly.
Turning his back on Tyler's sardonic amusement, he chose to ignore his opinion as to how whipped the alpha unit was.
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Alec glanced impatiently at his watch again, "Can't you move it along a little faster Tav?"
"No, I'm going as fast as this crate will go. It's only got a little motor. What's the hurry anyway it's all gonna still be there when we get back."
"Yeah, well Max is having an ultra sound of the baby today, and it was supposed to be this morning. I had to postpone it because we had to do this but I left a message that we'd be back by two, and if you don't get a move on I 'm going to be late."
"I'm going as fast as I fucking can?"
"I though you didn't have one of them until you really looked pregnant."
Alec looked at him curiously.
"I went as guard for Rain when she went for one a few months ago. She was a
hellva lot bigger than Max."
"Yeah well I though it was a bit early too, but Dex has told her its okay and she wants to do it now."
"She's worried something might happen to it." Alec said into the silence.
Tav glanced sideways at him. "Are you?"
"No. Sometimes. Maybe," he admitted. "It's like Max wants to cram as much in as fast as possible so that she won't miss anything," he said his eyes on the city spread below them.
"We can protect it this time, Alec. We aren't kids anymore, and nor are we in Manticore now."
"Yeah," Alec agreed.
"Do you remember when we were young, what we said we'd do once we were free?" Tav asked.
"Yeah," Alec sighed, looking out the window as they flew over Seattle. "Not much chance of that now." He paused before continuing. "But you could still do it, you could take the Unit and go after all this is over."
"Nah, I'll stick with you big bro."
Alec glanced at him. Manticore had never chosen to reveal their connection, and if Alec hadn't discovered it in their medical records, neither he nor Tav would have been any the wiser. They hardly ever referred to their relationship, and they only did if they were alone. It had always been safer that way. Having an acknowledged connection would have exposed both of them to even more danger from those wanting to manipulate them, so keeping it private had always been the
safest plan.
"We won't have to keep the fact that we're brothers secret anymore once all of this is over." Tav said glancing sideways.
Alec smiled, sometimes Tav had the really uncanny ability of tapping into his thoughts. "No." he agreed.
"I've always hated that."
"Yeah."
"So we move on the base tonight?"
"Yeah, we should be ready to go early hours of the morning."
"What about Howl? It looks like his guys are deployed there?"
"Howl knows how we work, if he fires on us he'll be prepared to take the consequences."
Tav grunted in agreement as he bought the bird down in the car park.
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"Its been nearly three hours Tyler surely you're ready by now..." Sensing Alec before she saw him Max turned angrily around.
"Hey Max, I'm sorry I'm late..." Alec trailed off, his frown moving between an angry uptight Max and a stoic faced, long-suffering Tyler.
"What's going on?"
"I ordered the blockade of the hospital taken off over two hours ago and Tyler doesn't appear to be any closer to accomplishing it than he was then." Gesturing disparagingly at the even more congested car park she met Alec's eyes defiantly.
"This is the afternoon, Alec, and you're past late. The scan was supposed to be in the morning. I've waited all day for this and you forgot about it." Angrily she turned away.
Grabbing her arm he turned her around. "Slow down, Max. "I didn't forget and I'm only ten minutes late and Tyler can't act on your order, it has to come down the chain of military command.
"It did," she snapped, "Todd ordered him to dismantle the blockade and said it would take him two hours. That was nearly three hours ago."
"Yeah, and I've been trying to get that prick back down here for the last half an hour." Tyler contributed sullenly.
"Two hours," Alec repeated in bewilderment knowing the job would take Tyler five minutes if he went slow.
"Tyler," he said decisively. "The checkpoints stay up but let business proceed as usual. Don't stop any incoming or outgoing but check everyone and everything
thoroughly. Briefing will be at 8pm tonight."
"Yes, Sir."
"Todd." He barked into his mouthpiece.
"Roger, alpha one."
"Find us a somewhere large enough and private enough for the briefing tonight, over."
"Tav have you done it yet?"
"Yeah, its done we're waiting for you."
She'd given up trying to pull her hand out of his and was standing angrily at his side. "How long before these people can go home, Alec?" she demanded.
"It's happening now Max," he told her quietly, gesturing to the people streaming eagerly out the main doors.
It had taken him less than five minutes to make it happen, but she had waited three hours and would probably have had to wait all night. Disheartened her
anger gone she suddenly felt like weeping.
"Let me go Alec," she jerked her hand determinedly out of his.
She had difficulty swallowing past the lump in her throat. He'd forgotten about her, and Todd and Tyler thought she was of so little consequence that they hadn't even bothered to honestly tell her they were waiting for Alec, but instead had strung her along like she was an idiot.
"I didn't forget Max, I had something really important I needed to do. I left a message with Mezo that I'd be back at two o'clock."
"I didn't get any message, but it doesn't matter anyway. I've decided to wait to have the ultra scan until I'm four months anyway. So it doesn't matter."
He could tell she wasn't angry anymore her voice was low and subdued and all her energy seemed to have drained away.
"It does matter Max you can have it now. Tav has sorted out the doctor and
she's shown Dex how to do it."
"I don't want Dex to do it. Cass is a specialist baby doctor and Dex is a combat medic. It doesn't matter anyway cause I'm waiting to have it now. So its no big deal."
The tremble in her voice told him it was.
"I've got a lot of things to do Alec and I'm sure you have to, so I'll see you later."
"Leave me Alec," she snapped, batting his hand away when he went to grab her hand again.
She turned and headed for the lifts impatiently scrubbing the beginnings of
tears from her eyes. She pushed the button for the fourth floor intending to go back to work. When the lift stopped on the fourth floor, hugging herself she watched the doors close again, before she pushed the button for the top floor. There was nothing she was doing that Kat or any of her other females couldn't do, she'd been kidding herself if she thought otherwise. Openly sobbing now she fumbled with the door of the little apartment.
Alec watched the lift doors close on her. Even if she hadn't got his message, her level of distress seemed to be out of all proportion to him being late for the scan. He knew going after her wasn't an option, she'd made it plain she wanted to be on her own
"Alec, will you talk to Steve, he thinks he's getting out of bed for the briefing tonight and Dex has told him he isn't well enough." Kat's annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Alec," she snapped crossly when he ignored her and continued to gaze in preoccupation at the lifts.
"Yeah, sure Kat I'll talk to him," he said, tearing his eyes off the lift.
"Um, I've just really upset Max, and she won't talk to me. Will you see she's okay for me, please."
"What did you do?" Kat asked impatiently.
"I was late for the scan...and now she says she wants to wait...but she's really upset."
"Where did she go?"
"Back to work she said."
"I'll go and find her, but talk to Steve now, or the next thing you know he'll be kitted out in his body armour wanting to go on the raid." She snapped crossly.
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It had taken her a while to find Max, but Alec had been right she was really upset. Opening the door of the bedroom Kat went in and lay down beside her.
"Alec said he upset you," she ventured a long time later when Max's sobbing had subsided.
"He forgot about my ultra sound."
"Nah, he didn't I ran into Mezo when I was looking for you, and he asked me to tell you that Alec would be back at 2 o'clock, Alec didn't forget about you Max. Mezo just forgot to deliver the message.
"This morning they decided to put this lull in hostilities to good use and they're going to hit the army base outside the city. Because it's such a strategic make or break strike, Alec and Tav did the recon themselves, that's why he wasn't here Max. I don't know much about the plan yet but there's a briefing at 8 o'clock and we'll need to be there for it.
"I don't need to be there, Kat, they're never going to accept me. I think most of them think I'm a joke anyway."
"Most of who? You're the female alpha who the hell thinks that?" she asked indignantly.
"Those chicken shits," Kat said, when Max had finished telling her what had
happened.
"They were never going to end the blockade without Alec's say so, Max," she
explained. "The chain of command is really important in the military and its especially important to male transgencics because of the whole alpha dominance thing.
If you had just been telling them to move civilians they would have done it without question, because they know it's your domain. However you were countermanding a military decision made by their alpha. They were never going to do it, but they should have had the gumption to be honest with you instead of treating you like a fool."
"Yeah, I know I'm over reacting Kat, but everything just seemed to go so wrong. Alec wasn't there to get his agreement to letting the civilians go home, and I couldn't wait to have the scan and I couldn't believe he could just forget about it," she snuffled miserably.
"Why did you tell him you don't want it now, then?"
"Because I realized he was only ever humoring me and I just didn't want it like that."
"But it will tell you if the baby is all right."
"Yeah," she whispered. "But it will also tell me it isn't and I've been thinking about that all day. Do you know why I wanted the scan in the first place Kat?"
"Yeah, I know Max, she said quietly. "To convince yourself that you really are pregnant, because it's still hard for you to believe you are, because we're not
supposed to get pregnant and have babies and normal lives. Because you think that if you do everything right, like getting scans, eating the right things and getting plenty of rest, the fates will overlook you and let you keep Alec and your baby. You think that by some miracle you just might be left alone to live the life you've dreamed about, from the first moment you realized there was
another way to live other than what we were born into."
Their eyes held in painful empathy.
"Yeah, I know why. I tried to eat right and get plenty of sleep and exercise too." Kat ended bitterly.
"I'm sorry for what happened to you Kat." Max said quietly putting her hand over Kat's were it rested between them.
"I killed my baby, I don't deserve sympathy."
"No you didn't Kat, you chose the lives of the people you loved over the life you couldn't protect. You did what you had to do. You have no reason to punish yourself."
"Then why am I being punished, why can't I get pregnant again. I've been trying since Manticore burned, that's four heats and nothing. I know there's nothing wrong with Steve because he got me pregnant once so it's got to be me. Doesn't it?" she asked.
"No," Max said emphatically, "and even if there is some reason you can't get pregnant, Kat, its not a punishment, because you haven't done anything wrong. Have you ever had a doctor examine you to see if there is a fertility problem?"
"No. Steve and Alec took me to one a few months ago when I was really depressed. He did a blood test but when I told him about my heats he told me I'd be better off to see a vet."
"Yeah, well they aren't all like that. The doctor who was going to do my scan is okay, and she's a gynaecologist why don't you talk to her about it?"
"No, ordinaries don't understand Max, I don't want to go through that again and anyway Dex said that once things settle down then he'll do some reading and up skilling."
"Do you want to wait for that Kat?" Max asked quietly.
"No more than you want to wait for the scan, Max." The eyes met in shared understanding.
"Alec's not comfortable with the ordinary doctor doing the scan so he arranged for Dex to do it, but Dex has never done it before, and I want Cass. I want my baby to have the same expert treatment that ordinary women get."
"So, what are you going to do then Max?"
"I'll wait until I'm four months and if Alec still hasn't got used to the idea of Cass doing it by then, I'll get it done without him. I mean it's not the end of the world if he's not there." But I want him there.
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When she found him he was standing by the window in the ER watching the activity in the car park and listening to the radio that was always buzzing perpetually in his ear now.
"Hey." Putting her arm around his waist she turned into his chest as his arms went around her.
"Hey Maxi," he whispered. "I'm sorry I fucked up the scan for you."
"You didn't really Alec, I 'd been worrying all day about it maybe showing something wrong with the baby and I think my hormones just made me over react."
"There's going to be nothing wrong with the baby Max, your DNA is perfect and mine is as close to perfect as its possible to be, without being you. What could possibly be wrong with it?"
His deadly serious expression made her laugh. 'Yeah what indeed?" she echoed laughing, immediately feeling better.
He grinned down at her.
"We can do it now if you want. Dex said the ordinary doctor will still be here for a couple more hours," he murmured, kissing her soft and sweetly.
Her eyes flew to his.
"It's your scan Max, and you can have it done by whomever you want to do it, I shouldn't have interfered."
Her heart-stopping smile went a long way to assuaging his aversion to having the ordinary medic do the scan, and anyway as Dex had impolitely informed him, an ultra sound was hardly a lethal weapon. If as Dex said she needed to do it for her peace of mind, and the ordinary medic was necessary for that, then so be it.
"It's our scan Alec. Yours and mine and we get to see our baby, Cass will just be running the machine, Don't let that spoil it for you."
"Yeah," he agreed softly. She was right. This scan obviously meant a lot to her and letting the presence of a female medic spoil it was just plain stupid.
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Cass glanced warily at him hovering over the bed Max was propped up on. His suspicious hostile eyes following her every move.
"Stop fidgeting Alec, get a chair and sit down so you can see it when it's on the screen." Max said, patting the bed beside her.
Cass could hear the affectionate exasperation in her voice, and watched him
slide his arm under her and take her proffered hand as he sat down beside her, lacing his fingers with Max's, he leaned over and nuzzled her ear.
When he raised his head his eyes pinned Cass's and she recoiled involuntarily, her eyes darting quickly away from the antipathy in his. Consciously willing her gaze back she met his eyes steadily. Whatever issues he has with non- transgenic doctors aren't my fault.
"Alec?" Feel his tension her hand on the side of his face she turned him away from Cass, shocked at the hostility she caught in his eyes before he masked it and they focused on her.
Gazing down at her he could see the uncertainty in her eyes as she stared at him.
"Alec?" she repeated, hesitantly stroking the side of his face. She'd never seen him look at anyone like that before.
"Yeah Max," he said gently, he could feel the female medic moving but Max's eyes stayed locked with his and her hand on the side of his face prevented him from turning. When the ordinary medic started to talk she moved her hand to the other side of his face and he turned to the screen. His eyes going quickly back the Max to find her still staring at him.
He smiled reassuringly and his eyes followed hers back to the screen.
Cass watched their rapt fixation as both sets of eyes followed her hand as she pointed out where the baby lay, and explained that all was well, and it was
actually a very big baby for only twelve weeks gestation.
His eyes weren't hostile now, his thumb unconsciously stoking Max's temple as he gazed in fascination at the image on the screen. In fact he seemed to have
forgotten she was there, his total focus on Max and the screen. Just like the many other expectant fathers she'd had in here before him, totally rapt up in the first tangible evidence of their child.
It was different for the mothers, the baby was a reality in their bodies from the moment of conception, but for the fathers the initial scan was often the first physical evidence of their child that they experienced.
Tearing his eyes away from the screen he watched Max as she gazed at their baby, all her feelings in her face as she followed its movements in rapt fascination. Looking between her and the screen he though how lucky he was to have the both of them. His eyes went back to the screen, and followed the pulsing movements of the baby he could clearly see and he vowed silently again, that he would keep them both safe.
"When we do the scan at twenty weeks you'll be able to see it even clearer," Cass said into the silence.
Max's eyes went in anxiety to Alec's. He could smell her fear again and this time it was in her eyes, naked and unmasked as their eyes caught.
"In seven weeks time we'll be here to have that scan." he assured her emphatically, his voice low and his eyes locked with hers. "Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby," Compellingly he held her gaze.
She let his confidence and certainty wash over her. "You being safe too, has to be part of that, Alec," she said softly, her hand back on the side of his face.
"I'm awfully hard to kill Max," he promised smiling and turning his lips into her palm.
Feeling like an intruder Cass busied herself printing out pictures of the baby. Young expectant mothers were often worried about their baby, but this was the first time she'd ever had a mother as worried about the father's chances of
survival. It made Cass harshly aware of just how precarious their lives were.
These two young people weren't the same as the other couples she saw, they were being hunted and exterminated because of who they were. Much like her and Brian before they'd fled to America to make a new life.
Cass looked at the little baby on the screen. According to government and the media, this little one not only didn't have the right to exist it also didn't have any human rights. Well not in her book, this child and its parents had the same right to life as any of the other couples she had through her clinic.
"Shall I ask my nurse to make that appointment then?" she asked decisively,
handing the pictures to Max.
"Yes." Alec growled curtly once more aware of her.
"Show me Max," he asked eagerly, once his eyes had seen Cass out of the room.
"I don't care what she says, it looks like a boy to me." He pointed to the area of the picture Cass had already explained was the umbilical cord."
"Do you really want to know what the sex is now?"
"Not especially, either one is okay, but it looks like he's a boy to me." He peered more closely at the picture, "I'll have this one," he said pocketing the picture."
"I'm putting mine in a book that Cindy gave me to make for the baby. It's got spaces for baby pictures and birth weight and stuff like that. Her mother made one for her and it records all the milestones of her life, its really cool."
"I really want our baby to have the same things, certificates and stuff, and milestones, all the things that ordinary babies have. I don't want it to be
ordinary, but I want it to be happy and safe like they are and you need that sort of stuff for that..." she trailed off her eyes falling away before returning to his.
He didn't know what to say to her.
"Yeah, I know Max I want the same for him," he said finely, rubbing her lower lip with the pad of his finger. "There's nothing wrong with that," he added
thickly, thinking how much he loved her.
"You can have mine back for the book too, once I've shown Tav and Steve?"
Do you think you should show it to Steve?" she asked frowning.
"Are you going to show it to Kat?"
"Yeah."
"So I'll show Steve," he answered, his eyes serious as he quirked his lip.
"Here it is your appointment card for your twenty week scan."
Alec had to suppress his smile at the astonished expression on Max's face when the ordinary doctor held out the card.
"Um thanks, Cass," she said staring at the card in bemusement.
"Well you wanted ordinary Max," he said, when they were out in the hall. "Nothing more ordinary than a card with an appointment seven weeks into the
future," he smirked.
"I don't care Alec," she retorted tartly. "It just makes it all the more real."
Taking her hand he smiled sideways at her as they walked in companionable silence down the hospital hall.
TBC
Please review it encourages me to post.