I looked up when there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Graham? Mr. Davis? May I come in?”

Edison pulled away from me, righting himself in the chair next to the bed. Already my body felt his absence. One of those things you didn’t know how much you needed until it was gone. I pulled the blankets closer around me, but it did nothing to soothe the empty chill in my bones.

“Come in,” I called. Dr. Cromwell stepped in and closed the door behind him.

He pulled up a stool and checked the monitors next to my bed before settling in. “How are you feeling, Beck?” 

I stretched. “Okay, I guess. Sore.” My limbs still ached like the devil but that terrible hunger had gone. Not completely, but it was nothing more than a slight nagging in the back of my mind. It felt like I’d been run over by a truck, or worse, but knowing that Edison was still beside me made things a little better.

And a little worse.

“Your blood tests have stabilized, so that’s a good sign. Turns out you’re one of a few rare cases that can’t tolerate our standard Synth.”

My heart sank. “Great, now I can’t even have fake blood?” No wonder I was so hungry.

“It took some trial and error, but we’ve found a blend that seems to be working. You should start feeling stronger as the day goes on, provided all goes according to plan.”

Good. I was already tired of being in this hospital bed, trapped under cold lights and prying eyes. I wanted to be alone and have some time to think things over. But more than that, I wanted to go home. 

Another image flashed through my mind. My house, the same place I’d lived my whole life, gone up in flames. In ruins. 

I couldn’t go home. Not anymore.

“There’s something else,” Dr. Cromwell continued, drawing me out of my thoughts. What else could there be? Hadn’t I suffered enough? 

“What?” I asked, my voice flat.

“I’m not sure if you were aware, Mr. Davis, but you’re pregnant.”

That couldn’t be right. My mind screeched to a halt, trying to comprehend the words. Vampires couldn’t carry children.

No matter how much I’d always wanted a family, that had all been taken from me the night I was turned. It wasn’t possible...was it?

“...How?” I said finally.

Dr. Cromwell crossed his arms, huffing in amusement. “Why, the usual way I suppose.” He flicked his gaze between Ed and I.

Oh no. He didn’t mean...

Memories of our intense one night stand flashed through my mind. We’d used condoms. I’d made sure of it. Then how...

“Unless you’ve slept with anyone else in the past few months, the answer seems pretty clear. You and Edison are about to be fathers.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, still not daring to believe it was true. 

“Fathers,” I repeated, testing the word on my tongue. It filled me with a calm sort of joy I didn’t know I had. But that joy, I knew, couldn’t last. 

How would a fetus even survive inside me? Would it come out a monster, just like I was? 

“I understand this is a bit sudden for the both of you, but I want you to know that you have our full support here, no matter what you choose to do.”

“I’m keeping it,” I snapped a little more fiercely than I’d intended. My arms braced over my stomach in a protective gesture. Even the thought of losing my baby filled me with dread. I might be a vampire, but having a child was everything I ever wanted. And if there was even a chance that I could have that? I had to try. For the baby.

Edison grabbed my hand and grounded me. 

Fathers. The word ran through my head again. Could that passionate night of sex with Edison really have led to this? And did he even want to stick around to be a father?

I looked over to him, bracing myself for his reaction. I expected fear, shock, or anger. Instead, I got none of those. His features lit up with joy, surprise, and affection.

Maybe he actually meant all those things he said. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the monster everyone else thought I was. And that lit up a tiny spark of hope in my heart, a small ember that burned away and grew the longer I spent time around him. 

I’d vowed not to trust alphas, but for this one? Perhaps I could make an exception.

Dr. Cromwell fished out a packet of papers from his jacket and handed them over to me. “Being that this is somewhat of an unusual pregnancy, we’ll need to keep a closer watch on your vitals to make sure the fetus is healthy. You won’t be in the hospital for the full term, nothing like that, but you will need to come in for regular testing. Is that something you can do?”

As much as I didn’t want to see a hospital bed ever again, if it was going to keep my baby safe? I’d do anything.

“Yeah, whatever you need.” I squeezed Ed’s hand. “Will the baby be okay?”

“You’re in good hands here,” the doctor promised us. “There’s no better place to be, both for male pregnancy and for vampirism. You know we will do everything in our power to make sure you and the little one come out of this safe and sound.”

A warm, soothing rush of gratitude flowed through me for the first time in what felt like forever. Was this what it felt like when people cared about you? Was this what it felt like to be wanted?

“I want this. I do. More than anything.” I wrung my hands and stared into my lap, heart still racing. “But what if I...” 

Couldn’t even form the words. I buried my face and took a long breath. I could maybe get used to this affliction, in time. But to bring a child into it? I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

“May we have a moment?” Edison asked, watching the doctor. I opened my mouth to protest, but he simply waved the doc away. 

“I’ll be right outside if you need anything.” Dr. Cromwell said as he left.

As soon as the door clicked closed, Edison stood up and gestured toward the other side of the bed. “Move over, I’m coming in.”

“What? No, I’ve got all this stuff!” I waved my arm around with the IV attached to it. “There’s not enough room!”

“There will be if you scoot over. You look like you need cuddles, and this stupid bed isn’t gonna stop me.”

“I—whoa!” The bed tilted as Ed crawled over the railing. I scooted over as much as I could, but limbs were everywhere. I tried to roll over and felt an arm (or was that a leg?) underneath my back. 

“Dude. You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” I’d never met someone like him. So determined to make me feel special, whatever it took. Was that it meant when someone actually cared about you?

And if he did, then...what if all the other things he said were true, too?

“You’re not running away,” I said again. I was still waiting to wake up and realize this was all a dream. People didn’t feel this way about me. Never did. I was a loner for a reason. 

“I told you I wasn’t.” He wrapped himself around me and wove an arm over my torso, resting right on my navel. 

Right where our child would grow.

“Even with the kid?” I asked. This couldn’t be real. I knew better than to let myself believe stuff like this, and yet here I was...

“Especially with the kid.” Edison leaned forward and kissed the back of my neck. His hot breath whispered across my sensitive skin and I arched back into him, letting out a sigh.

He was so warm. So close. I never thought simply being next to someone could feel so good. We were both still clothed, but I could feel each curve of his body through the sheets. Could feel his hot breath next to my ear, whispering that everything would be all right.

And maybe, with luck, it would be.