Morgan held the edge of the toilet as her stomach swam with nausea and she cursed her roommate’s cooking choice for breakfast. The smell had filled the entire apartment, and she was growing more nauseous by the second. She fought and failed to keep her stomach calm and threw up into the porcelain bowl. She held her hair back with one hand and wiped her mouth with the other before throwing up again. 

She sat back on the floor after she finished holding a wet washcloth to her mouth as she struggled to keep her stomach calm. The smell was still driving her crazy, but her empty stomach was having trouble being nauseous with nothing inside it anymore. 

“Would it help if I say I’m sorry again?” Casey asked cautiously from the doorway as she looked in. Morgan glared at her and shook her head, too exhausted to even be mad. “Can I say something and you won’t get mad?”

“What?” Morgan asked, her voice hoarse and broken. 

“This is like the fourth time this week you’ve thrown up when I’m cooking breakfast,” she hesitated when Morgan glared at her. “But I’m not cooking anything I haven’t a dozen times before,” she whispered. “Morgan, my heart, when was the last time you had your period?”

“What? You know my period is crazy irregular; I don’t bother to keep track of it. Why would you ask?”

“I’m just saying, you’ve been getting sick in the morning. And your breasts are sensitive. You’ve been running hot all week.”

“You think I caught the flu?” Morgan asked, looking at her confused. 

"No," Casey sighed and knelt down next to Morgan, reaching out to hold her hands. “Morgan, I think you might be pregnant.” 

Morgan’s eyes grew wide, and she stared in shock at Casey. 

“No, it’s not possible,” she whispered. 

“It kind of is,” Casey said, holding her tightly. “You’ve been sleeping with Rabbit for weeks now.”

“I went on birth control,” Morgan said quickly. 

“Yes, but it can take a bit to work, and you weren’t on it the first few times,” Casey said, keeping her voice calm. “And even then it’s not 100% guaranteed.” 

“I can’t…” Morgan said as tears started to stream down her cheeks and Casey pulled her into a hug.

“We can handle whatever it is,” Casey said firmly. “Let’s start with getting a test. I’ll run to the drugstore real quick; you wait, okay?"

Morgan nodded as she tried to hold back sobs as the weight of what might be happening came crashing down on her. She watched as Casey left the room, and she leaned back against the sink and let the tears flow until she was sobbing on the bathroom floor. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and held herself tightly as the sobs rocked her body. 

What would she do? How could she keep going to school? Could she keep working? Her part-time work didn’t even offer health insurance. How could she afford to have a baby? She sobbed harder and rocked herself on the floor. And Rabbit, he’d be so mad. So disappointed in her. She’d promised she was safe. If she were pregnant, she couldn’t tell him; it would destroy his whole career. 

No. Everything was going to be broken. Everything she ever dreamed of—was she going to be like her mom? Would she have to abandon this baby? Or… and her sobs racked her harder…abort it. She couldn’t; pain wracked through her. She couldn’t do that. 

She didn’t know how long she lay on the floor until she grew cold and her body ached. She lay there, her thoughts spiraling until she couldn’t even breathe without forcing herself to go through the action. Her chest ached, and her arms grew stiff, holding her stomach as though she could stop everything just by not moving. 

“Morgan? Oh, sweetie, come on; let’s get off the floor.” Casey came into the room and tossed a bag into the sink casually as she reached down and wrapped her warm arms around her chilled body. Casey held her and moved her like she was a pliant puppet until she was sitting on the toilet seat and her body was held by Casey. "Don't go darkside on me yet, sweetie; let’s do the test first. Come on, Morgan, give me that tough orphan girl I know is hiding in there. Let’s get this answered before we panic.”

Casey moved her and helped her when she couldn’t do it herself; she peed on the stick, and Casey helped her get cleaned up and brush her teeth. She helped her get into her bed and wrapped her in her softest blanket. Feeling like she’d never run out, tears flowed down her cheeks, and she reached out and held one of her stuffed animals tight against her chest. Soft sobs continued, and she couldn’t stop herself from shaking as though she were lost in a blizzard. 

Casey held her and talked to her about going to the store and buying the test and the girl behind the counter who wasn’t sure whether to wish her luck or not. Casey's voice held a hint of pain as she tried to reach her friend who was burying herself deep into her despair. Morgan was beyond responding, though, lost in thought, trying desperately to find her way out of her situation. 

Casey left the room and went into the bathroom, and she came out holding the test in her hand. Morgan focused long enough to see the look on Casey’s face, and she knew. Positive. She was pregnant. 

A whine escaped her lips, and she buried herself under the covers, and she wept. Casey stared at her friend, and she felt her hand shaking. Then she determinedly clenched her fist and left the room quickly. She grabbed her phone, and before she could regret her actions, she sent a message to a number saved under her account. Green Flag Jock. 

“911, Morgan needs you NOW. Please come to the apartment as fast as you can! - Casey”

She returned to her friend's side and curled up on the bed and held her through the blankets as her friend’s world collapsed around her. She didn’t bother talking or doing anything other than just holding her. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes when a loud knocking echoed through the apartment. 

Casey moved quickly and ran to the door and opened it to find a panicked Rabbit standing at the door, his hand still holding his phone, which she could see was packed with messages sent to Morgan. 

“She’s in her room,” Casey started to explain, but Rabbit was past her and into Morgan’s room before she could finish her sentence. “I guess she can explain everything,” she whispered, closing the door. She sat on the sofa and pulled her phone out. She slowly opened Google and typed in, what to do in early stages of pregnancy? Then she started reading. 

Rabbit burst into the room and then closed the door behind him firmly. Hearing her heart-wrenching sobs, his own chest tightened up. He moved to her quickly and gathered her into his arms, and he held her tightly. She didn’t seem to notice his presence and continued sobbing; he slowly maneuvered so her head was out of the blanket and she was embraced in his lap. He held her and softly rubbed her back while he let her cry. At a certain point she seemed to realize it was him, and her arms wrapped around him, and she held him tightly as she sobbed into his chest. 

He didn’t ask questions or demand answers. He just held her and let her cry. After a time, her tears seemed to run out, and her exhaustion made it so she couldn’t even sob any longer. He waited as she lay quietly in his arms and then spoke barely above a whisper. 

“Do you want to tell me?” 

She trembled in his arms and held him tightly as though she’d fall if she let go. She opened her mouth. Then closed it. Thought again and opened her mouth. She let out a soft whine, and he kissed her forehead quietly and waited. His hands continued to rub her back soothingly. 

“There’s no hurry; I’ll always be here for you.”

His soft words seemed to break something inside her, and she cried out and grabbed him, her body shaking in agony as she knew he’d toss her aside the moment she spoke. He was in the prime of his life and career. He was going to be huge, and this couldn’t be a part of that life. No matter how sweet he was, she knew it the same way she knew her mother hadn’t wanted her. 

“I’m so sorry,” she finally said, her voice cracking.

“Kitten, you never have to be sorry to me.”

Morgan closed her eyes and let go of him. She forced herself to sit up in his lap and look into his eyes. Deep brown eyes filled with concern met her red, tear-streaked eyes, and her lips trembled. 

“I’m pregnant.”

There was a moment, just a moment of absolute silence and stillness after she spoke the words. And she waited for the rage, the anger, and the despair to be reflected in the young man's face. But what she saw made her own eyes widen in confusion. Rabbit’s eyes went wide and a smile the size of the planet spread across his face. She trembled as she felt his arms tighten around her. 

“You’re having my baby?” 

The sheer joy in his voice rocked her world, and she couldn’t help the small nod that came. And he stood up, holding her tight, and spun her around the room, his laughter filling the space. 

“We’re having a baby!” His voice roared, and he kissed her amid his confusion, and Casey stared from the doorway after hearing him shout. He noticed her, and his voice rocked the room. “Casey, ‘we’re having a baby!” 

Rabbit spun her again and kissed her over and over again, not seeming to even notice that her own reaction had been despair while his was absolute joy. He was so excited; he finally put her down on the bed and knelt before her, his hands wrapped around her stomach, and he whispered to her belly. 

“Hello baby, I’m your daddy.” 

Casey felt her tears run down her cheeks as she watched, and she looked at Morgan, who finally looked like she was coming out of confusion and staring at her boyfriend. 

“You’re not mad?” She asked quietly.

“Mad? Why would I be mad? Wait, are you mad?” Rabbit asked in confusion and looked up and seemed to remember the state she was in. “I’m sorry, Kitten. Did you not want the baby?” 

The pain in his voice seemed to rock her out of her despair. 

“It’s not that, just school and your career and everything. A baby…” her voice trailed off as his concern shifted back to a smile. 

“Kitten, all that is just logistics. Nothing we can’t work through one step at a time.”

“I can’t afford it," she whispered. 

“We can," he interrupted. 

“School and work.”

“You’ll probably have to stop working, but you can still go to classes, and we’ll work with the school for a leave when you can’t attend anymore. Then you can finish classes after the baby is born if you still want to." Rabbit said his logic easily worked through her concerns. 

“I don’t have insurance,” she started to say.

“I do.” Rabbit said firmly, and he held her hands in his. “It’s earlier than I planned, but say you’ll marry me, Kitten. Everything of mine is yours.”

“You can’t marry me because I’m pregnant,” she argued with an annoyed look on her face. 

“I’m marrying you because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. The baby is just a bonus gift you’re bringing into my life.” 

“Oh so sweet,” Casey said from the door as she watched the two of them. 

“You’re not supposed to be watching this,” Morgan said with a disgruntled look at her best friend. 

“She’s my witness,” Rabbit teased and kissed her. “Say yes, baby girl. Marry me, please.” 

“Say yes,” Casey cheered from the side, giving a little jump and clap of encouragement. 

“Yes.” Morgan managed to say as Rabbit swept her into the air again and danced around the room with her. Casey cheered and bounced around the apartment. Of course, she loved him; she’d known it for weeks now. In fact, she probably knew it from the moment he slept with her the first time and cared more about her feelings than his own pleasure. She’d sunk deeper and deeper into his caring affection that she never wanted to be without him. 

“She said yes!” Rabbit said with a cheer as he pulled her into his embrace and buried his face into her neck. 

For the first time, the despair that had been drowning her seemed to drift away as she felt her love for him and his for her breaking down all of her concerns. His joy and affection seemed to infect her, and she felt a bit excited thinking about their future together. 

"Mm, I guess we’ll have to change your nickname.” Rabbit said when he calmed down and settled them both on the bed, his fingers holding her stomach as though he could feel the baby already. 

“Why?”

“Of course rabbits have baby kittens,” he said with a straight face. “You can’t both have the same nickname.” 

“You’re such an idiot,” she said, scoffing and pushing against his chest. 

“Happily your idiot, mm, maybe Tiger, you’d be a good Tiger mama,” he said, continuing his train of thought as she shook her head. 

“Stop being stupid; we need to figure this out.”

“Okay, first you marry me. Then you have a baby. Then we’re a family, and we make more babies.” Rabbit said happily as he rubbed her stomach. 

“Real plans.” 

"Okay," he said, restraining his giddy smile. “First you need to see a doctor for an official test and not just pee on the stick. Do you have a doctor, or should I get a recommendation from the team doctors?” 

"Recommendations would be good; I’ve only ever gone to the college clinic, not a real doctor.” 

“Okay, I’ll ask at practice today.” Rabbit said, and he kissed her softly. “See? Making plans.” 

“Yes, good boy," she muttered. 

“I am,” he said with a smile, and then he wrapped his arms around her. “You looked pretty scared when I got here; do you want to talk about it?”

“I couldn’t see the path,” she said softly as she wrapped her arms around him. “All I could see was the bad, everything falling apart.”

“Hm, you thought I’d react badly?”

“You told me to make sure I got on birth control,” she said quietly with a hint of fear in her voice.

“I did,” he confirmed. “You were a bit hungover at the time, but do you remember the conversation we had about your plan to lose your virginity?” 

“Some of it,” she answered with a hint of confusion. 

“I was mad because you could have gotten pregnant by some random sex offender, and you told me babies were nice,” his voice growled at her, and she winced slightly. “I told you then and I’ll tell you now, babies are nice when you want to have them, not when you get drunk and don’t make good decisions. That is why we had the birth control conversation, sweetheart. Not that I don’t love the idea of you having my baby, but I wanted it to be after we knew each other better.”

“I was on birth control,” she said quietly. 

“I know. And I know it’s not 100%, and I could have done more on my part to make sure. I just enjoyed filling you up with my cum,” he purred and teased her. She rolled her eyes and pushed at his chest, making him laugh deeply. “So no, sweetheart. I’m not going to blame you for getting pregnant or be upset you did. The idea of you having my baby fills me with unbearable happiness. I can’t wait to call my parents and let them know.”

She froze in his arms and looked at him in shock. 

“Your parents?” She squeaked out. 

“Of course, they’re going to be thrilled. My mom already can’t wait to meet you; now she’s going to be a grandma. She’s going to be thrilled.” 

“She knows about me? Wants to meet me?” She couldn’t seem to focus, and Rabbit looked at her and held her in his arms and soothingly rubbed her arms and back. 

“Of course, my whole family knows about you. I told them about probably around the time we started meeting up for coffee. I knew by then this was going to be a serious relationship.” 

“My head hurts,” she said quietly, and he laid her back on the bed and rubbed her head softly. 

“I know this is all new to you, sweetheart. That’s why I didn’t say anything about it before. But I’ve been planning for weeks already on how to get you deeper into my life,” he said soothingly. “I was going to arrange for you to meet my family at one of my games where everyone could be casual.” 

“Really?” She turned to look at him, and he smiled deeply and pressed his forehead to hers. 

“Really, really,” he teased. 

Rabbit slowly kissed her, and she felt her heart beating in her chest as he softly and lovingly pressed his lips to hers. This wasn’t like their normal kisses, full of passion and lust. It was like he was telling her through this kiss just how much he loved her. She could vaguely sense Casey leaving the room, laughing at them both, but her focus was on the man holding her. 

The kiss seemed to last for hours; they held each other and kissed, expressing their love and excitement. A part of her felt like the tiny child inside her could feel their love, and her stomach felt like it was warming up from the inside. The fear and despair that had wrapped her so firmly in its grasp were melting away under his soft lips. 

Rabbit softly kissed along her jaw and then peppered kisses on her neck and down her collarbone. She felt herself melting into his touch and just held him as he pressed his lips on her body. She felt him hum softly as he kissed her stomach, and his hands tightened slightly on her waist. 

She grew warm in his grip, and he slowly stripped her clothes off and continued to kiss every spot on her body. She lay beneath him, her body relaxed and slowly lighting embers inside her. He teased her skin with his lips and made small, tender bites to the more sensitive areas until she moaned in response.  

They made love in what she felt was slow motion, without any of their normal rough passion and frantic lust. Just smooth touches and soft kisses. He pressed his cock inside her with a motion that made her breath catch. He rolled his hips and moved inside her with a calm rhythm. She drowned in the feeling of his love and care for her. Her body responded with a slow fire until she crested into her climax and felt him filling her body with his seed. He hummed contentedly and kissed her lips as his body rested still inside her. 

He held her close and nuzzled his nose into her neck as he slowly pressed his cock deeper inside her and her hips arched to accommodate him. He bit her neck, and she trembled and whimpered, feeling him growing hard inside her again. As though their first session was just the opening act, he began to work her body again. This time his passion was harder, and he teased and played with her body. He carefully caught her cries with his kisses and held her as she quivered under his thrusts. 

Her body burned, and she wanted to scream as her body climaxed again, sending tension through her flesh. Her toes arched and tightened, and her whole body grew rigid as he pushed deep inside her. His mouth covered hers, and he muffled her cries as his tongue plunged into her mouth as her body worked through her orgasm. 

“The noises you make will be the death of me,” he murmured. 

She was just starting to come back to her senses when she felt his fingers teasing her sensitive clit, and she was pushed back over the edge again. 

His mouth devoured her cries, and he moaned deeply as he came, his cum filling her body to the point it overflowed, and she trembled, feeling the warm slick covering her thighs. 

She lay unmoving on the bed, her body giving small, shivering trembles as she came down from the pleasure he’d inflicted upon her body. She watched through half-lidded eyes as he pulled out of her and looked down at her ravaged body in pleasure. He kissed her lips softly and nibbled on her lower lip until she whined softly. 

He got off of her and the bed with a soft chuckle and walked into the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later with a wet washcloth and took his time cleaning her up. She couldn’t hold back the moan as he carefully cleaned her, and he smiled down at her fondly. 

“Shh, sweet girl, let me take care of you,” he murmured as he stroked and cleansed her body. His hands lightly teased her breasts as he washed the sweat and other fluids from her skin. His lips descended more than necessary to taste and tease her flesh, and she felt like she was going to climax again when he slid his fingers between her thighs and stroked her. 

“Such a needy kitten,” Rabbit whispered as his fingers teased her, letting their combined fluids coat his fingers as she spread her legs for him eagerly. She moaned and twitched under his touch, and she whimpered when he stopped stroking her. 

“Making me want to take you all over again,” he moaned, and she cried out as his mouth wrapped around her clit, and he sucked and teased it with his mouth and tongue. Her body bucked under his mouth, and she couldn’t help her body's reaction as the pleasure flooded her. She was so sensitive her hands sought his thick hair, and she grabbed his head in her hands. But whether she was trying to stop him or encourage him was a moot point as he continued his attention to eating her pussy. 

The pleasure crested throughout her body, and she felt herself lost in a haze of darkness as her body fell into the sensation so fully she lost all sense of her body. She could vaguely hear his moans as he licked her, and she knew he was loving her climax on his tongue. 

She slowly came out from the darkness and felt his hand softly stroking her hair as he held her. She looked up at him, and he smiled down and kissed her mouth softly. 

“Welcome back, sweetheart.” 

“What happened?” she murmured in confusion, feeling the stiffness and soreness growing between her legs. 

“Well, partly we had amazing sex that made you orgasm so much you blacked out,” Rabbit said teasingly. “But mostly I’m a fool who should have known you haven’t been eating or drinking very much lately with the morning sickness, and I pushed you past your limits.”

“Mm, worth it.” Morgan said as she felt her clit pulsing quietly between her legs in pleasure. Her fingers reached down and carefully touched it, sending spirals of pleasure through her body. 

“Hey now, no more of that.” Rabbit said with a soft laugh as he caught her fingers in his hand. “Be a good girl and try to eat some breakfast and drink some water before any more games.”

“But I want to be bad,” she murmured, looking up at him with flirty blinks of her eyes. 

A warm chuckle filled his chest, and he wrapped his hand around her neck and pressed her to the bed before forcibly kissing her. His tongue invaded her mouth, and she moaned as he explored her mouth and tormented her. She was panting uncontrollably when he broke the kiss and met her lust-filled gaze with a dark smirk.

He stood up, his naked body on full display for her, and she unconsciously spread her legs as though encouraging him to mount her. He slowly ran his hand down her body and then shook his head. 

“Only good girls get rewarded,” he said firmly, and he disappeared into the bathroom. 

She lay on the bed trembling as she listened to him turning on the shower and knew he was serious. She rolled over and grabbed a shirt from the floor and pulled it on along with a pair of sweatpants. She stumbled to the bedroom door and walked out to the kitchen. 

She froze in embarrassment as she saw Casey sitting on the sofa looking at her. Her face grew bright red when she recalled everything she’d done in the other room. And she knew just how lacking in soundproofing the rooms were. 

“Relax, I put in my earbuds and listened to loud music the whole time,” Casey said with a smirk. “Really loud music.” 

Morgan felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole, and she ducked her head and dashed into the kitchen. 

“According to this website, the best things for a newly pregnant woman for breakfast with morning sickness are things like dry toast, crackers, bananas, yogurt, smoothies, and oatmeal. Of which we have toast and a cup of yogurt.” Casey’s voice followed her into the small space. 

With a sigh, she pushed aside her embarrassment and put two pieces of bread into the toaster. She pulled out the yogurt and was pleased to see it was banana-flavored. So that hit one of the things she could eat, she thought with a smirk. 

She opened it and took a small bite, waiting to see how her stomach reacted. The cold, smooth food seemed to help settle her stomach more than she expected, and she finished the small container in a few bites. When her toast popped up, she thought about adding butter and jam but decided to play it safe, and she walked out of the kitchen munching on the dry toast. 

“So yummy,” she muttered as she sat down on the sofa and then shifted slightly as her sore body protested the position. 

Casey tried to cover her giggle, but it just made it louder until she gave up and flopped back into her chair chortling. 

“So I guess I don’t have to ask if Rabbit made you feel better,” Casey said, still fighting to control her laughter. 

"Yes, thank you,” Morgan muttered, still munching the bread. “No comments from the voyeur in the living room.”

“Pfft, he started when I was in the room; you should be happy I didn’t just stay at the door and watch you two mating like bunnies.”

“I’d like to think I last longer than a bunny,” Rabbit said as he came out of the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Casey stared at his bare chest until Morgan smacked her and glared at him. 

“Clothes?”

“Yeah, so about that.” Rabbit said with a smirk as he reached over her and tugged the shirt she was wearing. “Somehow my clothes appear to have disappeared.”

Morgan looked down and realized that instinctively she’d grabbed his clothes and put them on rather than her own. She was wrapped in his smell, and it made her feel safe and held even when he wasn’t there. He seemed to notice her confusion and dismay before she could say anything. He reached out and petted her hair softly before leaning down and kissing her quietly on the forehead. 

“I think you still have one of my jerseys in your closet; I’ll grab that to wear. You stay here and eat the rest of your toast.”

She nodded, fighting a bit of embarrassment as he disappeared back into the bedroom. 

“I have decided Rabbit needs to introduce me to a football player,” Casey said, pretending to wipe the drool from her face. Morgan started to giggle, and the other girl held her close and teased her. 

“I’ll check after practice to see who's still single,” Rabbit said with a teasing smirk as he left the bedroom. He wrapped his arms around Morgan and pushed Casey to the side teasingly. 

“I have to go to practice, you okay now, Kitten?”

“Yeah, go practice. Don’t forget to ask your team doctor for me.” 

“Couldn’t possibly forget,” Rabbit said, kissing her forehead again before he started to head to the door. “Should I keep it a secret or can I tell everyone now?” He asked, pausing by the door. 

Morgan froze slightly, and Casey spoke up for her. 

“Some people don’t recommend telling anyone until after the third month when the baby is stabilized.” Casey didn’t say just in case they lost the baby, but it was implied and gave Morgan breathing room to get used to things. 

“Okay, then I’ll just tell them I’m so happy because I got great sex.” Rabbit said, laughing as he taunted her as he was leaving the apartment. 

After the door closed and the apartment seemed smaller without him in it, Morgan wrapped herself deeper into his shirt. 

"Are you really okay?” Casey asked quietly as she took in her friend’s posture.

“Yeah, it’s all just a lot,” Morgan replied just as quietly, but she smiled. “Not bad, though, just a lot.” 

“You’ve got yourself a great guy,” Casey said with a smile. “I’m glad we had that stupid idea about getting rid of your virginity.” 

Morgan chuckled softly and smacked her friend’s shoulder. 

“Such a stupid plan; I can’t believe it didn’t end terribly.”

*****

Morgan sat next to Rabbit in the quiet lobby of the medical clinic. Rabbit was filling out a paperwork form that asked about his family history of medical issues. Morgan held a similar form in her own hands, but hers was basically empty. She’d noted that she was an orphan and had no knowledge of any of her family health issues. 

The rest of the forms were about how she was currently feeling, the status of her last period, and other random medical bits of information she was sure were all outdated or guesswork on her part. Her feet beat a nervous pattern on the carpet, and the receptionist met her uneasy gaze with a soft smile. 

There were two other parties in the room, one a heavily pregnant older woman who looked exhausted just sitting in her chair. Morgan kept feeling her gaze drift over and wondered if that's what she would look like in a few months. Her heart kept beating faster until she was finding it hard to breathe. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, and a soft, soothing voice filled her ears. 

"Easy, Kitten, slow, even breaths. Like we practiced, remember?” Rabbit held her, and she focused on him and the rising and falling of his chest until her own body slowly relaxed. It had taken them a while to get in to see Dr. Harper, and she’d had several panic attacks during that time. Each time Rabbit had been there, a calm, steady rock to her anxiety. Teaching her ways to calm down, to focus on the now, and to not imagine scenarios that may never happen. 

Once she had control again, she nodded at Rabbit and tried a smile, and he kissed her softly and turned back to his paperwork. She was amused to see that the page was full of notes and documentation, and he was even checking his phone to update information from it. 

Calming down, she looked at the other person waiting in the room, who was calmly reading a magazine as though being here were a completely normal thing to be here. Which she guessed it was; the medical clinic dealt with more than just pregnancy, after all. She could be here to get a pap smear for all she knew, Morgan thought with an inner smirk. 

In this light, comforting room with baby books and parenting guides everywhere, the only one who really didn’t seem to fit in was the large football player sitting beside her quietly filling out the paperwork he’d been given. She could see the other women occasionally glancing over at him. And at first she was worried he shouldn’t have been there, but their soft smiles made her feel warm inside. She wasn’t alone in this. 

“Morgan?”

A voice called out, and Morgan turned to see a nurse standing at the door looking at her. 

“That’s me,” she said, rising to her feet. Rabbit was instantly beside her, his hand resting lightly on her elbow as she got up. Sometimes she grew lightheaded standing, and since she’d mentioned it, there wasn’t a single moment Rabbit hadn’t been there to offer his support. They started to walk back together when the nurse stopped them. 

“For now, just you, Morgan; your husband can wait out in the lobby for you.”

Morgan flinched, and her hands grabbed at Rabbit's, and the nurse looked concerned. 

“Can I go along with her? I’ll wait quietly by the side.” Rabbit said as he soothingly rubbed her hands in his. 

“Sure, no problem. This first part is just a bunch of medical tests, measuring your height, weight, and that kind of thing. Nothing scary,” the nurse said calmingly. 

“Sorry, I’m just—this is a lot.” Morgan finally stammered out, and Rabbit gave her a simple hug and held her. 

“If you want me to come so I can tell everyone how much you weigh, I will happily come along,” he teased quietly. 

Morgan laughed and smacked his chest. 

“I’m okay.” 

“Good girl,” he said, kissing her forehead. “Go get measured; you need me at any point. You stop everything and tell the nurse. I’ll be right here waiting.”

Rabbit moved back to his chair and watched her be led away, and she tried to listen to the nurse as she was led to a small room with a scale and height-measuring device. 

“You’ve got a good husband,” the nurse said with a smile as she helped her take off her shoes and step onto the scale. 

“Fiancé,” she said quietly as she watched the numbers form. 

"Oh, that’s nice too,” the nurse said with a smile as she noted things down in the computer next to the device. 

“Take a seat, and we’ll do your blood pressure and temperature.”

Morgan sat quietly while the nurse placed devices on her arms and ran tests and placed another device by her ear, which gave a low beep. The nurse didn’t tell her any of the numbers, just continued to note everything in her files. 

“After this we’ll have you change into a gown and we’ll do a breast and pelvic exam, okay? Do you want your fiancé in here for this part?” The nurse asked casually as she led Morgan barefoot into another exam room that had the traditional exam table. 

“I think I'll be okay,” Morgan said quietly as she took the gown from the nurse. The nurse left the room and closed the door for privacy while Morgan stripped off her clothes and put on the flimsy gown. She muttered disgruntledly as she tried to tie it closed behind her while her butt was hanging out through the gap. 

The knock on the door distracted her, and another nurse smiled as she opened the door. She wheeled a cart into the room and introduced herself. 

“I’m Ivonna, and you’re Morgan, correct? I’m going to do this physical exam with you today. Another nurse will be in here in just a moment. Can you take a seat on the exam table for me?” 

Morgan nodded and lay back on the exam table and let herself be manipulated and moved around by the nurse. Another nurse came into the room and sat at the desk working on the computer. Morgan tried to relax as the first nurse went through the tests. She was kind and explained each portion of the test and what she was doing to Morgan as she worked. She could see Morgan's obvious anxiety and did her best to keep a calm, professional manner and still gather all the information. 

“Okay, excellent job so far Morgan, this last part we’re going to do a pap smear and a sample for the STD screenings. That’ll be the last part of your time with me today.” Ivonna said with a cute smile. 

Morgan nodded quietly and closed her eyes as the woman probed between her legs, and she wished she was anywhere but here. The exam was over quickly, and Ivonna sealed the samples and labeled everything carefully. 

“Well done. Now Beth is going to come in next, and she’ll take you down to get your blood drawn. For now, stay in the gown, please, but you can put on your pants if you want. No one likes walking down the halls with their butt sticking out.”

“Thank you,” Morgan said as she leaned down and grabbed her pants. The nurse chuckled and then left her in the room. Morgan was taking a few calming breaths when the door was knocked upon and opened, and another nurse stood there. 

“Morgan? I’m Beth; I’m here to take you for your bloodwork. Is that okay?”

“Yes, thank you.” 

*****

Rabbit sat in the lobby holding the empty clipboard in his hands; he was trying to appear calm and relaxed. But his heart was beating a mile a minute, and the nurses had already taken all his information, so he had nothing left to distract him. 

The fear in Morgan’s eyes had devastated him; he thought she had been more relaxed with the idea of being pregnant after this time. But he could see now that she’d been burying a lot of her feelings deep inside. He started to consider signing the two of them up for parental and couples counseling. He knew she had a lot of concerns and fears about their situation, and part of her was certain he would disappear on her. Or was he only marrying her for the baby? But he knew he loved her; in fact, he was pretty certain he knew from the moment he carried her into the frat house he was falling for that stray kitten. Perhaps it was best to bring in a professional to help her understand that he was here for her completely and without any regrets. 

He made a quick note to talk to the therapist at the university that helped him work with game stress. He was sure he could recommend a good doctor for them to talk to. His regular doctor had recommended Dr. Harper to them as an excellent doctor for first-time mothers. He’d been a bit concerned when he’d seen she was so young, but the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. To the point where he’d used his influence at the university to push to get Morgan onto her patient listings. 

“Jack?”

Rabbit’s head snapped to where the nurse was standing at the door looking in his direction, and he was at her side in two steps. Fast enough that she slightly flinched before smiling at his nervousness. 

“The doctor is about to meet Morgan and do the ultrasound, would you like to join them in the room?”

“Yes, please.” 

“Wonderful, she asked you to join her if you wanted to," the nurse said as she led him down the hall and into a quiet room where Morgan was lying back on an exam table. He moved to her side before the nurse could say anything else and took her hands in his. His warm hands covered her cold fingers, and he held her. She smiled, and a small tear escaped, and he pulled her into an embrace. 

“Good job, baby; you did such a good job.” 

She held onto him tightly and shook slightly in his arms, and he just held her quietly, and the nurse quietly shut the door and left them alone to wait for the doctor. Morgan calmed down as Rabbit's warmth and smell surrounded her, and she let him step back after a moment, and she wiped her eyes, embarrassed. 

“It was fine; everyone was really nice.” 

“I’m sure they were,” Rabbit said, holding her hands in his and rubbing them in small circles with his fingertips. “It’s just a lot,” he said, using her favorite phrase. 

‘Yeah.” 

“I see you met a vampire,” he teased as he rubbed the small bandaid on her arm. 

“Yup, she drained me dry. Then I had to pee in a cup for another lady. She wasn’t even a nurse.” Morgan quipped back with a smirk. 

Rabbit laughed and sat down on the edge of the table, and the two quietly chatted until a knock at the door broke their attention. A young doctor entered the room. Her long black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her smile was easygoing and welcoming. 

“Hello. I’m Dr. Emilia Harper. Feel free to call me Em or Dr. Em if you like. You must be Morgan and the infamous Rabbit.” 

Morgan glanced at Rabbit while nodding her head and smiling at the doctor. 

“Infamous is a bit much.” Rabbit said with a relaxed smile on his face. 

“If I recall, my office was 'informed' of my new patient from a notice from the University with no option for refusal, or their best player wouldn’t keep playing,” Dr. Em teased with a shake of her head. “Infamous seems to be stating it lightly.”

“You didn’t?” Morgan said, staring at him with wide eyes. 

“She’s the best," Rabbit stated. “You deserve the best.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Morgan said, burying her face in her hands as her blush spread across her face. 

“I thought it was sweet and romantic,” Dr. Em said without missing a beat. “I told my husband he needed to up his game.”

Rabbit and she both started laughing, and slowly Morgan joined in when it was apparent the doctor wasn’t at all upset about Rabbit’s rude behavior. 

"Okay, so we’ve done all the physical tests, and we’ll get those tests back over the next ten to fifteen days. Some as soon as tomorrow. Consider no news is good news. We’ll schedule an appointment to go over the results unless something comes up that's serious before that; we won’t contact you. Just assume all the tests are fine unless I call you directly.”

“We’ll also place the results as they come in on your patient portal, so make sure to sign up for that after you finish your appointment. That way you can look over the results, and if you have any questions before the appointment, you can contact me or save them for the appointment. The portal has a way to send me messages, so take advantage of that if you’re worried at all.” 

The doctor went over their forms with them and then asked them questions and gave them both answers and information. After a time when everything was reviewed, she had Morgan lie back on the bed and lift her shirt to expose her stomach. She prepped the ultrasound and squeezed a cold, slimy liquid onto Morgan's stomach, who made a face at the sensation. Rabbit chuckled and watched her. The two of them watched the image on the machine while the doctor moved the wand around. It wasn’t like either one of them could see anything other than inky-looking blobs, but they kept looking. 

"Hmm, so looking here it appears you conceived about nine weeks ago, does that sound like what you were expecting?” Dr. Em stated reading the machine in front of her with ease. 

Rabbit tensed and glanced at Morgan, who was staring at him with shock. They’d only been dating nine weeks. Which meant she most likely had gotten pregnant the first time they’d had sex. Rabbit felt a soft chuckle escape his lips, and he told the doctor calmly. 

“We did have unprotected sex nine weeks ago. We just thought we’d conceived later.” 

“Oh, and another surprise for you,” Dr. Em said as she stared at the screen. 

“Is everything okay with the baby?” Morgan asked quickly, her voice unsteady. 

“Babies,” Dr. Em said with a small smile as she pointed at the screen. “One heartbeat, two heartbeats.” 

“Twins,” Rabbit said, his voice so excited it broke, and Morgan stared at the screen as though she could see the babies already. 

“Twins,” the doctor confirmed. “We can’t tell gender yet, of course; little guys are about the size of grapes at this point. But here—she paused and hit a button, and suddenly an odd, whooshing, thump noise filled the room. “Baby’s one." She moved the wand slightly, and the noise dipped slightly and continued. “And baby two.”

“Twins,” Morgan said as though it were the most amazing word in the world. 

“We’re having twins, Kitten.” Rabbit said and reached out to embrace her, ignoring the doctor having to dodge out of the way of his movement. He held her tight and stared at her stomach. He held her and looked into her eyes with pure joy, and she laughed and touched her belly. 

“Twins!” Rabbit shouted in a voice that let the entire clinic know their good news, and the doctor burst into laughter.