Checking and Planning

The morning after breakfast, I found myself leading Shay by the hand towards the medical wing of the palace. As we navigated the final hallway, she halted abruptly, her attention caught by a picture hanging on the wall.

I followed her gaze and groaned inwardly. It was the one photograph I wished my parents would remove. In it, I was a six-year-old kid, grinning like a fool with both my front teeth missing.

Shay chuckled, stepping closer to the picture and pointing at my younger self.

“This is adorable. How did you manage to lose both your front teeth at the same time?” she asked, tracing the gap in my smile.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a bit sheepish. “I’d just gotten a dirt bike for my birthday a few weeks before. I wasn’t quite sure how to use the front brakes and...well, I crashed into a fence.

“Knocked both teeth out at once. I thought it was the coolest thing at the time, but now I wish my parents would take down this giant reminder.

“I mean, an eight by ten photo, sure. But this one’s thirty by twenty. It’s impossible to miss how ridiculous I looked.”

She glanced from the picture to me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “I don’t think it’s ridiculous. It’s just a snapshot of your childhood. I love the joy on your face, and the missing teeth just add to the charm.”

I tugged gently on her arm. “Well, I’m not a fan. I’ve asked them to take it down countless times, but they won’t. Once we move in here, it’s going straight to storage and we’ll replace it with a picture from our wedding day.”

As we resumed our walk, Shay brought up a question that had been on her mind. “Speaking of which, when do you want to get married? Before or after the baby is born? Either way, the baby will have your last name.”

The thought of our child carrying our shared last name filled me with a profound sense of joy.

“That’s entirely up to you, love. If you want to get married before the baby arrives, we can plan for the next few months. If you’d rather wait until after, that’s fine with me too.”

“Let’s see what the doctor says first. Then we can look at the calendar and start planning. I’m probably around three months along, maybe a bit more. We can decide from there, if that’s okay with you.”

Shay seemed a bit shy about making this decision, her gaze dropping to the floor.

I stopped and pulled her into a comforting hug. “This is your call, love. I’m game for whatever you decide.

“And you do realize we have an unlimited budget, right? If you want to spend two hundred thousand on our wedding, then that’s what we’ll do.

“My mother will be over the moon to help and will likely insist on footing the bill. Between her bank account and mine, you could spend over a million and it wouldn’t even make a dent.”

Shay looked at me, her eyes wide with shock. “I’m not going to spend that much. That’s outrageous!”

I chuckled as we continued down the hall. “Then you don’t know my family very well. They’ll want nothing but the best for us.

“I’m the eldest and next in line for this lifestyle. There’s no telling how many people will be invited, especially with my mom in charge of the guest list.”

We finally reached the medical room where the doctor was waiting for us. He greeted us with a warm smile. “Zane, good to see you. I see you’ve brought Shay for the checkup you requested.”

“I’m good, Davis. Yes, this is my fiancée, Shay. We know she’s pregnant, but we need a thorough checkup. And she needs to start on whatever is necessary to keep her and the baby healthy.”

He nodded, then gestured towards the bed next to him. I helped Shay onto it, and then he turned to me with a stern expression.

“Zane, I need you to understand that I’ll be touching her during the examination. I don’t want any misunderstandings. If you think you can’t handle it, you should leave the room.”

I chuckled lightly. “I get it, Davis. You’re just doing your job. I think I can handle it. If not, I’ll step out until you’re done.”

“Zane, you’d knock the doctor out for touching me?” Shay looked at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Not intentionally. But you’re my queen, and if he did something to upset me, there’s a slight chance it could happen.” I took a seat and held her hand.

Davis turned to Shay.

“I need you to undress for the examination. You can put your clothes on that table.

“This small paper sheet will cover your chest, and this larger one will cover your stomach and legs. After the exam, we’ll do an ultrasound to check on the baby.”

The doctor left the room, and Shay did as instructed, lying back down on the table. He returned after a few minutes and began the examination.

Shay gripped my hand tightly, her eyes locked on mine throughout the process. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with everything he was doing, but I managed to distract myself by either looking out the window or focusing on her.

Finally, he finished. He wheeled over a machine and retrieved a cup of warmed gel.

“I’m going to apply this to your stomach, and then we’ll be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat. After that, you’ll both get a chance to see your little one.”

He moved a wand over her stomach, adjusting it until a strong, rapid heartbeat filled the room. He continued to maneuver the wand until a small figure appeared on the screen, pointing it out to us.

“That’s your baby right there,” he announced. “You’re about twelve weeks along. The baby has a strong heartbeat and is a good size.

“Everything looks healthy so far. You’re likely to have a Christmas or New Year’s baby. It’s too early to determine the sex, but we can do a gender test if you’re interested.”

I stared at the screen, my heart swelling with joy. I couldn’t believe I was looking at my own child. My smile stretched from ear to ear. “Do you want to find out early or wait, sweetheart?”

“I know you’re eager to find out, so if you’re okay with him running the test, we can get the results.”

I was still floating on cloud nine from everything that had happened in the past week. Knowing the gender now would be the cherry on top. I turned to the doctor and nodded. “Let’s do it. I can’t wait to find out.”

Davis gathered the necessary equipment and ran the test. Once he was finished, Shay got dressed and we all stepped out into the hallway.

“I’ll expedite this, so you should know by tomorrow, or the next morning at the latest,” Davis assured us. “The lab will start working on it right away.”

Shay and I began the long walk back to the other side of the castle. I couldn’t help but stop, pull her into my arms, and kiss her passionately.

“I’m over the moon right now. I can’t wait until we’re holding our little one, married and embarking on our new life together.”

Suddenly, Conner came sprinting down the hall. “Boss, I’ve been searching everywhere for you. There’s urgent news that needs your attention.”

“Shay, head back to our room. I’ll have lunch sent up, and if you’d like to eat with my mom, feel free. I need to see what this is about.”

She nodded and made her way towards our room. Still grinning, I followed Conner into my office.