Semua Bab Touched by the Billionaire, Owned by the Devil: Bab 151 - Bab 157

The midwife stayed longer than usual that morning. She took my blood pressure twice, then a third time after I sat up. She measured the bump with the tape and wrote the number down. Then she unpacked the doppler and pressed the wand against my stomach, moving it slowly until she found the heartbeat. The sound filled the room, fast and steady, and Liora kicked against the pressure. The midwife smiled and wrote something else in the folder."Could be any day now." She closed the folder and tucked it under her arm. "Keep the bag by the door. If anything changes, call."I nodded. Elias walked her out. Their voices carried up the stairs, low and practical, and then the front door clicked shut.He came back and stood in the doorway."Any day.""I heard her." I shifted higher against the pillows.He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed."How are you feeling?""Heavy." I put a hand under the bump and moved it. "Ready. A bit tired but ready."He reached over and took the folder off

The midwife came and went, checked the readout, wrote in the folder, and told me I was progressing. Between the check and the next wave there was never enough time to decide whether I believed her.My back ached from the top of my hips to my shoulder blades. My legs had gone heavy. Shifting the pillows had become a task I had to plan for.Elias had not left the room. He helped me turn when lying on my back stopped working and moved the pillows when I wanted my side. He steadied me when I got onto my hands and knees. He learned the small shift of my weight before I asked for anything, and by the time I found the words he was already moving."Turn me again."He cleared the pillows and helped me onto my side. I drew my knees up and the pressure in my back eased for a minute. Then the next one started.I caught his forearm and pressed my face into the pillow. The pain tightened until I lost track of the room. I tried to breathe through it and got halfway before a groan turned into a cry a

The nurse wheeled me into the ward and went over what to expect during the next few hours. She explained the call button, the checks they would be doing, and when I should ask for help getting out of bed.I tried to pay attention. By the time she finished, I could barely remember half of it."Is there anything you need before I leave you?"I shook my head, then hesitated. "If she needs feeding, will someone come and help me?""Press the call button and we'll come."She pointed it out once more before leaving.Liora slept in the cot beside the bed. I closed my eyes, opened them, and looked over. He sat back in the chair. His attention went straight back to the cot.A nurse came in to check my blood pressure and ask about the pain. She reminded me not to get out of bed without calling if I felt dizzy. I said I would, and she left.Liora started fussing. Her head moved side to side and her mouth opened against the blanket.I looked at Elias. "Is that what she does when she's hungry?""I

The knock came while Liora was screaming and I had one hand under her and one on the kettle.I didn't answer it. I took the kettle off the base and put Liora against my shoulder and stood in the middle of the kitchen with her crying into my ear.The knock came again. Elias came down the stairs and got the door."It's the midwife."I had forgotten she was coming. Someone had said something at the hospital about a follow-up and I had nodded and lost it."Give me a minute."Elias looked at Liora, then at me."Bring her out."I came out with her still crying.The midwife set her bag down in the hall."Let me have her."I handed her over. She laid Liora along her forearm with the head in her palm and turned her once and Liora stopped crying."Wind. It's sitting low.""I've been burping her.""You have. This is lower down." She took my hand and put two fingers against Liora's back near the base of the spine. "Firm. Small circles."I did it. Liora made a sound and then a bigger one and went