Tymber Dalton - Triple Dog Dare

A week later, Micah and Jim had taken a day trip to the east coast with Brodey to pick up a trailer of new stock they’d purchased from a rancher in Homestead. Mai felt her heart jump in her throat when her cell phone rang, the ID displaying Dr. Alberto’s private number.

“Mai? It’s Dr. Alberto.”

Her hands trembled. “Yes?”

“Can you please come to my office today? I received your test results back and I’d like to talk to you about them…”

Mai didn’t hear the rest because she let out a sob. Lina, who’d been watching TV on the sofa, threw herself out of her seat and waddled over to Mai. She grabbed the phone from her. “Hello? Who is this?”

Mai’s entire body felt cold as she watched Lina.

“Dr. Alberto, hi. It’s Lina Alexandr…” She watched as Lina’s face suddenly turned into an inscrutable mask. “Okay. Her guys aren’t here, but we’ll bring her up right now. We’ll be there in about an hour. Thanks.” She hung up.

Mai burst into tears.

Lina was comforting her when Elain walked in from the backyard a few minutes later. “What’s wrong?’

“Can you come with us?” Lina asked her.

“Where are we going?”

“The doctor wants to see Mai.”

“Let me grab Mom.” Ten minutes later, the women were in Elain’s car and speeding down the highway toward the interstate. Carla was put in charge of calling all the men and giving them updates as to where they were heading.

When they reached the office, they were immediately escorted back to the doctor’s private office. She didn’t keep them waiting.

“What’s wrong?” Mai asked. “Please, don’t keep me in suspense.”

The doctor handed her a box of tissues. “I received your amnio test results back,” she said, her voice low and her face a mask of concern. “The results indicate your baby has Down’s syndrome.”

The room went quiet. Mai tried to absorb that information. “What…what is that? I’ve heard of it, but what is it? Is she going to be okay?”

The doctor clasped her hands in front of her on her desk and Mai only absorbed half of the information. She was vaguely aware of Carla keeping a firm arm around her shoulders and handing her fresh tissues, while Lina and Elain took over asking the doctor questions.

“What are you trying to tell me?” Mai finally asked. “Are you trying to tell me I should abort my baby?”

Dr. Alberto vigorously shook her head. “No, that’s absolutely not what I’m saying at all. That is a personal decision. If it’s a choice you want more information on, I’ll get that for you, too. I am simply laying out all of your options. Down’s syndrome is a common birth defect, unfortunately. I’ve dealt with it many times in my practice. However, while I have seen occasional birth defects in shifter babies, usually they’re very minor ones and involve parents who are weak shifters without the ability to shift. I’ve never experienced a shifter baby with Down’s syndrome. I’ve never even heard of it happening. I called around and no one else has, either. Those of us who are doctors and who are shifters, or at least who are shifter-friendly, we’re a pretty tight-knit bunch. We keep each other up to date on things in case we need treatment advice.” She sighed. “No one could give me any advice other than proceeding as if she’s a normal human baby.”

Mai caressed her stomach again. The baby kicked.

Mai burst into tears. “I want my baby,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to get rid of her.”

The doctor stood and rounded her desk. She knelt before Mai and grasped her hands in hers. “Then I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to help you and your baby get through this safely. All right?”

“So will we,” Lina said. “You’re not alone.”

“The guys are going to hate me,” Mai whispered.

“No, they won’t,” Elain insisted. “They love you, and they love that baby. Look at all the ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ onesies they bought last week.”

That got a tiny smile out of Mai. “You think so?”

Carla hugged her tightly. “I’m sure of it. It’s okay. You’re not alone. We promise you.”

Elain and Carla left the room with Dr. Alberto to go call Micah and Jim to break the news to them. Mai leaned against Lina. “Just once, I wanted something to go right in my life,” Mai whispered.

“Hey,” Lina said, “look at it this way. You’ll love your baby no matter what, right?”

“Of course!”

“Do you honestly think those Abernathy asshats would have let her live more than a few minutes after being born?”

Mai felt a protective growl start deep in her throat. She cut it off. “No,” she admitted. “They already wanted me to have an abortion.”

“Okay then. Things were meant to be this way.”

“Can you see my baby?” she asked hopefully. “In any of your visions?”

Lina sadly smiled. “All I’ve seen is her being born and letting out a healthy scream. And Micah and Jim standing by your side when she’s born.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Mai closed her eyes and leaned into Lina’s embrace. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t tell you more. I wish I could see more. If I do, I’ll let you know.”

Mai took a deep, relieved breath. “That’s enough for me. That they’re there with me.” In her dreams, Jim and Micah were never there, even after they marked her. But she trusted Lina’s visions far more than she trusted her own dreams.

Micah called her once they were all back in the car. “Honey, are you all right?”

She burst into tears. “I’m sorry!”

“Why are you apologizing? We love you.”

Mai tried to speak, but she was overcome by emotion. Carla took the phone from her.

“Micah? It’s Carla. Yes, she’s pretty upset. We’ll see you when you get home. Drive safely and don’t rush.”

They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Brodey, Micah, and Jim hadn’t returned yet, but Ain, Cail, and Liam all offered Mai comforting hugs. Lina and Carla took Mai into the living room while Cail helped Elain start dinner. The others wouldn’t let Mai retreat to her room. They wanted to keep her with them, to offer her comfort.

“We’re here for you,” Ain told her. “All of us.”

“How am I going to take care of a baby with special needs?” she whispered. She looked at Carla. “I don’t know anything about this.”

Carla held her hand. “Honey, I didn’t know squat about babies when Elain was born. It’s all on-the-job training. But Ain’s right. We’ll all be here for you. I’m sure there is a ton of information out there we can look up and study so we’re prepared when she’s born.”

Lina laughed. “Just think, we can all come to one really big-ass Lamaze class. Have the whole room to ourselves for all the aunts and uncles.”

Mai smiled. “How did I get so lucky to find all of you?”

Lina grinned. “Fate might be a fickle bitch sometimes, but she usually knows what’s best for us.”

Lina was going to add something, but her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen, frowned, and answered. “Hi, Lacey.”

“I need to talk to you, dear. Alone.”

“Just a minute.” She walked down to her room and shut the door. “What’s up?”

“I need to tell you something, but you cannot say anything to anyone about it yet.”

An odd, creeping sensation slithered up Lina’s spine. “Oookay.”

“It’s about Mai’s baby.”

Lina blanched and lowered her voice, even though she knew the other shifters couldn’t hear her at the far end of the house. “We just got back from the doctor! She’s got—”