Next Day:
Alex woke before dawn, his body already protesting the day ahead. His lower back throbbed with the particular ache that had become his constant companion over the past weeks, and his breasts were tender enough that even the soft linen of his sleeping shirt felt abrasive. The swell of his belly had grown noticeably even since yesterday—or maybe that was his imagination, the way pregnancy made every change seem sudden and dramatic.
He lay still for a moment, cataloging the small lives inside him. Three distinct heartbeats, maybe four. They were quiet now, still sleeping, their gentle flutters a soft counterpoint to the ache in his joints.
