When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark 4)

I give Xander a look. “I have to pee again? Seriously? We’ve already done two of these at home.”

He shrugs. “I guess it’s procedure. How would I know?”

I sigh and head across the hall to pee in the cup. I finish and set the cup where she told me and wash my hands before going back to the exam room.

“How long are we going to have to wait?” I ask with a groan. I’m not the most patient person on a good day, let alone when something like this is happening. “This all seems a bit unnecessary. I told them I took two pregnancy tests, and that they were both positive, and they were basically like, ‘oh yeah, you’re pregnant’. So what’s with all this?” I wave my hands around wildly. “Can’t we just get on with it?”

Xander stands and cups my cheeks. “Breathe, Thea. You’re going to give yourself a panic attack.”

I cover his hands with mine, and breathe out like he says.

“My heart is beating so fast. I feel like it’s going to explode out of my chest. Why are they making us wait so long?”

His lips twitch like he’s fighting not to laugh. “Thea, it’s been like … five minutes since you peed, if that. Give them time.”

He moves one of his hands to the back of my neck and his other rests by my leg.

I breathe in and out slowly, mirroring his breaths, and it seems to help.

After another minute, he sits back in the chair and takes my hand. It helps to touch him in some way. He centers me, like an anchor.

Doctors’ offices are notoriously the worst for making you wait, so it’s no surprise when a good thirty minutes pass before the door finally opens. I’m about to lose my mind, and Xander knows it.

Dr. Hawkins steps inside the room with a big grin lighting his bearded face. “Well, kids, looks like we’re having a baby.”

I was expecting this, and yet the words aren’t any less shocking.

I look at Xander and he’s smiling happily, clearly pleased that everything is as we thought.

I think a part of me was hoping the tests were wrong and we were going to come in here and they’d laugh at us and tell us the tests we used must’ve been broken.

“Why don’t you lie back and we’ll get a look at your baby?”

If I thought my heart was beating fast before, it’s galloping now.

I lie back like he asked and prop my legs up. It’s always unnerving being exposed like this, but at least Xander’s here this time.

“Since you’re probably pretty ea

rly in the pregnancy, according to when you say you missed your period, we’ll have to do a transvaginal sonogram.”

I look from the doctor to Xander and back again. “That sounds painful.”

He chuckles. “Nobody’s ever complained too much. You’ll be just fine.”

He has a penis, so I don’t necessarily believe him.

I lie back, taking a deep breath, and trying not to freak out too much.

He pulls out a wand looking thing and my eyes widen.

“Whoa, no, no, no you’re not coming anywhere near me with that thing.”

He chuckles, amused by me, but I’m not kidding. “You’re going to be fine,” he assures me.

I glance at Xander, begging him with my eyes to help me, but he just blinks back at me.

Husbands are fucking useless.