Elias was going to be a dad.
Even sitting in the hospital waiting room, even with the sterile scent of antiseptic in his lungs and a plastic hospital band circling his wrist, the words refused to fully settle.
Pregnant.
He pressed both hands flat against his stomach again, fingers splayed as if he might feel something immediate to confirm. His belly was still flat. And yet.
Ashley sat beside him, knee bouncing in restless excitement. Kenzie was flipping through a pamphlet about omega prenatal health like she was studying for an exam. Clio sat ramrod straight, eyes darting everywhere with open fascination, as though she had broken into a sacred archive.
"I still can't believe this," Clio whispered.
"Lower your voice," Elias muttered weakly.
Ashley leaned in. "You're anxious."
"I'm fine," he corrected.
Kenzie snapped the pamphlet shut and looked at him seriously. "At least, you're no longer spiraling."
"That's because I hadn't processed it yet."
