Chapter 281: A call from Kayden’s past
Kayden
Rhys inhaled sharply beside me. "That..." he stuttered at first, searching for his voice until he was finally able to piece the words together. "That is our baby?"
Dr. Bennett smiled faintly. "Yes."
Nobody spoke for a while after that. Honestly, I don’t think either of us could. Because suddenly, everything became painfully real in a way it never had before. This single moment made it all real, and looking at that tiny shape on the screen, a fierce wave of protectiveness rushed over me.
I wanted to shield this baby from the rest of the world forever.
Rhys slowly lowered his head, pressing a lingering, careful kiss against my forehead while his fingers trembled slightly against mine.
I turned my face away quickly, swallowing hard against the sudden, painful burn in my eyes, but the tears leaked out anyway, streaming down my face before I could stop them.
"I love you so much, baby," Rhys muttered thickly, kissing my forehead again as if trying to ground both of us.
Dr. Bennett quietly continued examining the scan, gracefully giving us a few moments to process the weight of everything.
Then, eventually, her expression shifted. It was a subtle, barely-there twitch of her brow, but it was enough for Leo to notice immediately.
"What is it?" Leo asked quietly from the counter, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to the monitor. "Is there an issue with the gestational sac volume?"
Dr. Bennett sighed softly, setting the transducer down briefly. "The embryo is developing," she explained carefully, her tone turning measured. "But there are still complications we need to monitor very closely."
My stomach tightened instantly at her words. "What kind of complications?"
She turned toward us, pointing directly to the monitor. "Because suppressants were used heavily for years before conception, your hormone regulation is still highly unstable. That creates an elevated risk during the first trimester."
"The prolonged administration of heat suppressants has fundamentally disrupted his hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis," Leo interjected clinically. "Essentially, your body’s natural progesterone synthesis is lagging. Without adequate luteal support, the endometrial lining is volatile, creating an elevated risk of early spontaneous abortion."
A sharp gasp escaped my mouth, while Rhys’s posture stiffened beside me, his entire frame going rigid at the blunt, terrifying words.
"What kind of risk?" Rhys asked, his voice dropping into a low, fiercely protective register.
Dr. Bennett hesitated briefly, shooting Leo a quiet, warning look for being so blunt before she met our eyes with honest empathy. "There is a distinct possibility the pregnancy may not survive these early developmental stages due to the hormonal instability."
The room went completely silent.
I stared blankly at her, the heavy words echoing in the quiet space. Beside me, Rhys’s grip around my hand tightened until it almost hurt.
"But," she added quickly, sensing the heavy drop in the room, "if the embryo continues developing successfully past this early stage of instability, the survival probability improves significantly once the placenta takes over hormone production."
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling incredibly dry. "What do I need to do?"
Dr. Bennett’s expression softened. "First," she began gently, "there should be absolutely no unnecessary stress."
Leo snorted quietly from the background. "That already sounds impossible for these two. Cortisol spikes are the last thing his endocrine system needs right now."
"Oh, shut up, Leo," Rhys snapped back defensively, before immediately turning his full attention back to the doctor. "Anything else?"
"Proper nutrition," she continued, listing the requirements with practiced authority. "A consistent sleep schedule. Limited physical strain. Hydration monitoring. And exogenous progesterone therapy for hormonal stabilization." She glanced directly at me, her eyes locking onto mine. "And absolutely no overexertion."
I immediately looked away, staring at the medical cabinets guiltily. Hockey conditioning was basically my entire personality.
Dr. Bennett caught the reaction instantly. "You are already thinking about training again, aren’t you?"
"No," I lied immediately.
How the hell was she so fast at reading me? I had thought of doing a little pratice.
Dr. Bennett looked entirely unimpressed. "Mr. Vale?"
"Well... maybe a little."
"Do not."
Rhys nodded aggressively beside me before I could even try to argue or negotiate. "See? I like her already."
My eyes met his, and I rolled them with a heavy sigh. "Traitor," I mouthed silently.
"Well," Dr. Bennett continued, carefully wiping the cool gel from my stomach, "I also want regular monitoring appointments, because pregnancies involving long-term suppressant exposure can become unpredictable very quickly." Then, her expression became significantly more serious, her professional warmth hardening into something unyielding. "And one more thing."
The room quieted again immediately. She looked directly at Rhys this time, her gaze sharp enough to show she meant serious business.
"You need to pay close attention to him emotionally. I am serious," she continued calmly but firmly. "Stress hormones affect pregnancy stability more than people realize, especially this early. Which means arguments and media interviews are completely off the table. They should be cancelled immediately. Make sure he is not exposed to any of that pressure, please."
Leo stepped forward, dropping his clinical mask for a moment to offer a reassuring smirk. "And also, I’ll be personally managing your schedule and coordination until the baby is out of danger. I need to ensure my future status as an uncle actually becomes a reality. Amara is the absolute best in this field, so make sure you listen to her."
Rhys looked down at me, and we both nodded in sync at them.
The rest of the appointment went by in a blur of scheduling dates, paperwork, and prescription sheets.
After Dr. Bennett was done cleaning me up and handed us the detailed care plan, she stepped back.
"Take care of yourself, Kayden," she said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "I’ll see you both back here in two weeks for a follow-up scan."
"Thank you, Dr. Bennett," Rhys said sincerely, shaking her hand before turning toward Leo to give him a brief, grateful nod. "Thanks, man. For everything you’ve done for us."
Leo merely adjusted his glasses and smiled smoothly. "I have to ensure you both adhere to the regimen. Besides, I want to be an uncle, so a win is a win."
We all burst into a light laughter at his dry tone, the heavy atmosphere finally lifting.
Once everything was completed, we stepped through the private exit of the medical building. Leo had already introduced Amara to us as a trusted confidante, and she had readily agreed to sign a strict NDA, giving us total peace of mind that our secret was completely safe until we were ready to tell the world.
When we reached the parking lot, two heavily built men were standing beside a massive, blacked-out SUV, their sharp eyes actively scanning the surrounding perimeter.
Rhys, who had never believed in hiring bodyguards or using a professional driver before, had made sure to hire a team immediately after the chaotic ambush we faced at the airport. Together with the new management of the Northern Avalanche, they had stepped up to provide top-tier private security, ensuring we wouldn’t have to deal with aggressive sports journalists or paparazzi trying to block our path.
One of the bodyguards silently opened the rear door for us, stepping back to shield us from any stray cameras. We slid into the plush leather seats, and the moment the heavy door shut, I leaned over and rested my head heavily against Rhys’s shoulder.
"I can’t wait to meet our baby," I whispered softly.
He turned toward me, his chest expanding with a soft sigh as he kissed the crown of my head. "Me too, baby."
The ride started almost immediately, the car slipping smoothly into traffic.
But the peaceful silence didn’t last long. My phone started vibrating violently in my palm, breaking the quiet.
When I flipped the screen over to check it, a string of unknown digits stared back at me.
I was highly skeptical about picking it up at first, wondering if a reporter had somehow gotten my personal line, but curiosity got the better of me. I swiped across the screen and brought the phone to my ear anyway.
I didn’t say a single word, staying completely silent as I waited for the person on the other end to speak first. Then, through the speaker, I heard it.
The cold, grating voice of the man I had despised for as long as I could remember.
"Hello? Is that you, Derek?"
It was Kelvin. My father.