~ Chapter Twenty-One - Part 1 ~

The next day, Katalina woke up a bit earlier than usual. Her eyes went wide as she felt nausea hit her hard. She held a hand over her mouth as she rushed to the bathroom. She knelt on the floor before the toilet and emptied her stomach. She groaned as she flushed the toilet and stood up. After brushing her teeth, she did her usual morning routine, being as quiet as possible so she wouldn’t wake up Damien.
Once Katalina was done, she threw on some workout clothes and headed to their gym. It was three hours later when Damien finally found her in the gym. Katalina was panting as she hopped off of the treadmill. “How long have you been down here, dove?” Damien questioned as he pulled her into his arms.
Katalina frowned as she glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Three hours.”
Damien frowned as he studied her. “Are you alright, dove?” He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Katalina released a shaky breath as she laid her forehead against his chest. “I wasn’t able to sleep that much,” she whispered. “I was so exhausted that I couldn’t help but fall asleep right after Ben and Axel left, but that damn nightmare,” she exhaled as she looked up at him. “I tried to sleep some more, but the nightmares kept returning. So I finally gave up and decided to come down here.”
Damien held her close and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m so sorry, my little dove. I wish there were some way that I could help you,” he said softly.
Katalina smiled and let out a small laugh as she hugged him tightly. “You are helping me, my beloved.”
Damien held her a bit tighter and rested his head against hers. “So, what are your plans for the day?” He looked around as he pulled away from her. “Besides burning yourself out in the gym,” he said with a small smile.
Katalina shrugged as she grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge they kept in the gym. “I’ll probably head to the mall. Pick up a few things. My pencils for my sketchbooks are starting to run low,” she took a long sip of water. “Mm. I might take a walk through the forest to find the final pieces I need for my project for Mason.”
Damien kissed her lips softly. “Sounds like a fun day. Just be careful, and please take a couple of people with you.”
Katalina giggled as she kissed him again. “Of course I will, my beloved. I will also text you the entire time that I’m gone.”
Damien chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, my little dove,” he said softly against her lips.
Katalina smiled that breathtaking smile that always made his heart race. “I love you too,” she whispered.
Damien pressed a final kiss to her lips before they went their separate ways.
Katalina sighed as Autumn knocked on the door. Katalina opened the door with a wide smile. “Hi, Autumn,” she said happily. “As happy as I am to see you, I’m heading out.”
Autumn threw her head back and laughed. “That’s why I’m here.”
Katalina frowned. “What do you mean?” She questioned as she grabbed her purse.
“Graham told me he was going to the mall with you as a bodyguard,” Autumn gently grabbed Katalina’s arms and shook her. “Why didn’t you call me first?” She demanded playfully.
Katalina laughed and rolled her eyes. “I thought you might be busy. I’m only going to grab a couple of things.”
Autumn scoffed. “I’m never too busy for the mall.”
Katalina shook her head with a smile. “Okay then. Let me say goodbye to Damien, and then we’ll head out. Are Graham and Liam ready?” She questioned as she looked over her shoulder.
Autumn nodded. “Yeah. They’re both outside waiting in an SUV.”
Katalina nodded with a smile. “Okay. I’ll be right out.”
Katalina went to Damien’s office and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I’m heading out, beloved,” she whispered. “Your mom will be with me. Along with Liam and Graham.”
Damien chuckled. “I’ll see you whenever my mother lets you come back.”
Katalina giggled. “Yeah, I noticed that last time I went to the mall with her.”
Damien turned his head and kissed her lips. “I love you, dove.”
“I love you too, beloved,” Katalina kissed his cheek before walking to the door. “Do you want me to grab you anything?” She asked as she stopped in the doorway.
Damien shook his head. “Just enjoy yourself and be careful, my dove.”
Katalina blew him a kiss before leaving for the mall.
They drove to the mall and walked through each store that caught Autumn’s attention. After an hour of them walking around, nausea hit Katalina again. She looked around in a panic and sighed in relief when she found a trash can. Katalina rushed to it and emptied the contents of her stomach into it. Autumn held her hair back and rubbed her back until there was nothing in her stomach. “Let’s find you a restroom and get you cleaned up,” Autumn said softly.
Katalina groaned as she nodded and held a hand to her stomach. They quickly found a restroom, and Katalina rinsed her mouth out as best as possible. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Autumn asked in concern.
Katalina shook her head with a frown. “I don’t know. I’ve been feeling off the last couple of days, but I just figured it was because of all the stress or something.”
“Have you been to see a doctor?” Autumn asked as she gently stroked Katalina’s hair.
Katalina shook her head. “No. I didn’t think anything of it, but now I think I should go see a doctor.”
Autumn sighed. “Let’s get you to a doctor then.”
They left the mall and went to a nearby doctor’s office. Katalina didn’t want anyone else to worry about anything. So they sat in the waiting room until the doctor was ready to see her. Katalina gave Autumn a reassuring smile and followed the doctor into a room. “So, what seems to be the problem?” The doctor asked after the usual round of questions.
Katalina sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. I’ve been feeling off, and I’ve been vomiting all morning.”
The doctor gave her a bright smile. “It sounds like it could be pregnancy,” she said.
Katalina’s eyes went wide. “What?” She asked in shock.
The doctor nodded as she stood up and walked to a cabinet. “I’m going to have you give us a sample of your urine, and we’ll confirm it. Should only take a few minutes.”
Katalina nodded as she took the cup from the doctor and stood up. She followed the doctor to a restroom and stepped inside. She did her business and washed her hands before opening the door. She handed the cup to the doctor. “We’re just going to have you wait in the room for a few minutes while we test this.”
Katalina nodded and went back to the room. She sat on the bed and took several deep breaths as she waited.
The doctor walked back in and gave her a bright smile. “Congratulations,” she said happily. “You are pregnant,” she looked down at the chart in her hands. “Do you remember when your last menstrual cycle was?” She questioned as she looked back at Katalina.
Katalina shook her head in shock. “No. I, um, I don’t remember,” she said quietly.
“Well, if you’d like, we could do an ultrasound to learn how far along you are,” she suggested.
Katalina nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good,” she cleared her throat. “Would it be alright if I grabbed my mother-in-law?” She asked as she stood up.
The doctor smiled. “We’ll have you follow me, and I’ll have someone grab your mother-in-law for you. What’s her name?”
“Autumn Williams.”
The doctor nodded and pulled a nurse aside before heading to an ultrasound room. Katalina lay down on the table and smiled at Autumn when a nurse led her into the room. “What’s going on, Katalina?” She asked in concern as she looked around the room.
The doctor put a bit of gel on Katalina’s belly and started moving the wand over her belly. “Look,” Katalina whispered as she turned her head to the screen.
Autumn gasped as she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. “Am I seeing that right?” She asked in a whisper as she glanced at the doctor.
The doctor nodded. “Yes, ma’am. There is a healthy baby.”
Autumn moved closer to the screen and stared in awe. “I can’t believe this,” she turned to Katalina with a wide smile. “You’re pregnant!” She squealed in joy.
Katalina let out a tearful laugh as she looked at the screen again. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “We’ve been trying, but…” she trailed off as she stared at the screen in adoration.
Autumn squealed again and hugged Katalina tightly. “Oh, this is so exciting.”
Katalina took a few deep breaths. “I don’t want anyone to know yet,” she said as she looked at Autumn. “I want to surprise Damien. He has to be the first to know.”
Autumn nodded. “We can return to the mall and get something special to surprise him. Maybe even a cake.”
Katalina waved her off. “I can make the cake. I have everything for his favorite.”
Autumn giggled as she helped Katalina clean her stomach. “Let’s go then.”
Katalina turned to the doctor. “Thank you so much,” she bit her lip. “Could I get a picture, please?” She asked softly.
“Of course.” The doctor said and handed her a picture. “I recommend scheduling regular appointments with your usual doctor, and you start taking prenatal vitamins.”
“Thank you, doctor.”