Cassidy
The clinic smelled like pine disinfectant and steel.
I sat on the edge of the exam table, legs swinging slightly, arms crossed over my chest so tightly my muscles ached. I hated this feeling—being still while everything inside me twisted with tension. I hated how quiet the room was.
Celeste stood by the window, arms crossed, her jaw tense. Damon sat in the corner chair, elbows on his knees, bouncing one leg like he was ready to throw something—or someone—across the room.
Roshelle, the camp's lead healer, moved with practiced ease, her voice soft but firm. "I'm going to check the fetal heartbeat now. Just breathe, Luna."
I flinched a little at the title. I wasn't used to it yet. I didn't think I ever would be.
She rubbed something cold on my lower abdomen and placed the Doppler. My hands clenched the sides of the table. A long, silent moment passed.
Then—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Soft. Rhythmic. There.
My eyes stung.
