Hello everyone!

Guest Review:

"Wow! I was really impressed. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was absolutely amazed by how mature the story was. Absolutely amazing content. May I dare say that you could equal to Kiera Kass herself. Perfection!"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you so much! This comment means so much to me. It really touches my heart.

Virtue01 Review:

"Great chapter I like the link between her nightmares and the fact the she was actually sick. Maxon showed such love and compassion in waking her from her nightmare and looking after her although he did not get much sleep. Thank you for the update."

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you for leaving a review! I really appreciate it.

Rowena Kiara Review:

"Loved the chapter, continue writing

Rowena"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you for the support!

WannaGoMate Review:

"AHAHAHAHAHA! THIS BETTER BE THE PREGNANCY I WANT! Also I like how you gave America a nightmare- I think that was really cool."

WriterQueen123 Response:

We'll see! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

bja133 Review:

"Hard to picture a king just going into a bathroom and getting his wife some medicine when she is sick. I picture something more elaborate."

WriterQueen123 Response:

I think that America and Maxon are still just normal people. They love each other deeply, and that's all they really need. Thank you for leaving a comment!

Guest Review:

"I will say this again I luv how cute u make them!"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you so much for commenting!

Guest23 Review:

"I love this fanfic! Some fanfics have very different styles from the author it hardly feels like the same story! But this is incredible! Enjoying every second reading it!"

WriterQueen123 Response:

I'm so happy that you feel that way! Thank you for sharing.

Hal-love23 Review:

"This is soooo good! Just like Keira Cass! Please continue!"

WriterQueen123 Response:

Thank you for commenting!

Guest Review:

"UPDATE

PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEEE"

WriterQueen123 Response:

I'm sorry for the wait. I'm glad you're excited!

Thank you all so much for your lovely words. I apologize that it's been over two weeks since my last update. School is picking up and I have a lot less time to write, so I'll probably be releasing a chapter every other week now. Thank you for understanding my situation. Enjoy!

"Let's go visit Dr. Ashlar now," Maxon suggested. It was seven o'clock in the morning.

"Maxon, I promise I'm fine," I rasped. My throat felt so sore. Even swallowing was painful.

"We have a doctor here for a reason, you know. I'll call him up."

"Whatever, I'll go down." I sat up in bed, and a wave of nausea instantly passed over me. I gasped as Maxon steadied me.

"Yup, I'm going to call him up," Maxon decided.

"Okay," I said resignedly. It suddenly dawned on me that this could be morning sickness. If it was, this case was harsh. I wanted to surprise Maxon if I found out I was pregnant. But what if I wasn't? Did I want to be pregnant? Was I ready?

I felt anxiety wash over me as I registered the fact that it was possible that I was pregnant. How would Maxon react? We hadn't even been trying. Then again, there was no guarantee that this was even the beginning of a pregnancy.

Maxon used our bedside phone to call Dr. Ashlar. A nurse answered and promised that the doctor would be over in a couple minutes with some equipment.

"Are you good?" Maxon asked, studying me. "Besides the fever, I mean. Are you stressed about anything?"

"Not at all," I said in a small voice. I hated lying when Maxon was being so good to me, but I didn't want to give my secret away. If there even was one.

Maxon raised an eyebrow but left me alone. There was a knock on the door, and Maxon climbed out of bed to get it. He was wearing a white shirt and soft shorts.

Dr. Ashlar stepped into the room with a nurse. The two of them bowed and curtsied. "Good morning, Your Majesties," Dr. Ashlar greeted us. The nurse echoed him.

"Good morning," Maxon said as I smiled.

"How are you feeling, Queen America?" The doctor came by our bed. I lifted off the covers.

"Well, I woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare that I couldn't shake off," I whispered. It hurt too much to talk out loud.

"That's a sign of fever," Dr. Ashlar nodded.

"I finally got back to sleep, but I threw up first thing when I woke up. Now my throat's killing me. I had a 103.2 fever when I first took my temperature."

"Okay. Let's check again." The nurse took out a thermometer from their bag and handed it to Dr. Ashlar.

"I'm sorry; what's your name?" I asked, realizing that the nurse was not familiar.

"Celine," she answered, blushing.

"That's a beautiful name," I smiled. Maxon grinned at me.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Celine said. I placed the thermometer under my tongue and waited.

"You're at 102.4 now," Dr. Ashlar remarked. "You must have gone down after taking medicine, and now you're going up again."

Dr. Ashlar tested my blood pressure, and swiped a rod down my throat to check for strep throat.

"The strep throat test will be done by nighttime, so we'll have to wait until then for those results. I'll leave you with some pills to take every couple of hours. If anything acts up, just call me, okay?" I nodded, listening carefully for any sign that I was pregnant. I was too sick to attempt any tests on my own.

"Queen America, I recommend that you do not take any showers or get in the bath today. Being submerged in water would make your fever go wild. You can walk around if your fever subsides for a while, but just do whatever feels right for you. I suggest that you have some soup, because it will warm your throat up and momentarily take away some of the pain." He hesitated. "King Maxon, do you mind stepping out for a moment? I'd like to discuss something more personal with the queen for a second."

"No problem." Maxon walked into my room, closed the door, and sat down on my bed. Celine also left the suite.

"Your Majesty, I don't know if you've been wondering, but I do not see any signs of a pregnancy." My heart dropped. So I had been kind of hoping to be pregnant. "You aren't swelling anywhere, you aren't constipated, and you aren't actually cramping. I just wanted to let you know."

"Thank you, Dr. Ashlar. I appreciate it."

"Of course. We'll see how the strep test goes." He dipped his head and knocked on the door for Maxon to return. "Take care of her," Dr. Ashlar joked.

"I will, sir," Maxon chuckled.

After the doctor left, Maxon came back in bed with me.

"If you were wondering, I'm not pregnant," I stated.

Maxon bit his lip. "Oh. Is that okay with you?"

"Well, this made me realize that I might sort of want to be pregnant. I know we're not trying right now. I just...don't know. Do you think it's okay?"

"That you're not expecting or that you want to be?"

"Either."

Maxon ran his fingers through my hair, and I shivered. "That feels nice," I smiled.

"I don't know," Maxon said, contemplating a family. "I would certainly be excited if you were having a baby." A smile crossed his face just thinking about it. "But am I ready to be a father? I just don't know."

"I think you'd be the best father ever," I said honestly. "You're so kind and caring, Maxon. You could never go wrong."

"But what about my father? My mother used to love him. He must have changed, so what if I change as well?"

"Maxon." I looked directly at his eyes. "You two are completely different people. I have no doubt that you will be an amazing father. And, you have me on your case if you ever stray," I joked.

"Thanks, Ames. So, I guess I do want to have a kid. It seems like a huge decision, but just thinking about it makes me giddy. Celebrating our birthdays, sharing gifts for Christmas, watching him or her learn and grow...we'd be a family. I'm ready if you're ready."

"I'm ready," I said confidently. "I'm sure that the people of Illéa are expecting an heir soon, anyway. Gosh, I'm already so excited!"

"Hold your horses," Maxon laughed. He leaned in to tickle me, but I started giggling, and pain shot through my throat.

"Oww," I complained. My eyes watered as I massaged my neck.

"I'm so sorry, America," Maxon apologized sincerely. His soft, brown eyes were filled with sympathy. Maxon ran his fingers through his golden hair.

"I just want some soup," I said with a weak smile.

"Roger that," Maxon agreed. "I'll order us some breakfast up here."

"Thanks, Maxon."

"Sure thing." He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. His lips sparked on my skin, and I knew the intensity wasn't caused by my fever.