Three weeks later.

Kyle felt like shit.

No, scratch that--Kyle felt like he was dying.

He'd been unable to keep the contents of his stomach down for the last several days, and he was sick of it. He hated vomiting, and he hated being ill. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck, and he couldn't figure out why.

Maybe it was the flu? It was flu season, after all. He had gotten his flu shot as soon as he was able to, though. Of course, it was just his luck to catch the flu, anyway, despite all of his precautions.

"You okay, babe?" Carson asked quietly. He rubbed Kyle's back as Kyle brushed his teeth over the sink for the second time that morning. "That didn't sound too good." His nose was scrunched, his forehead creased with worry. Carson pressed a kiss on Kyle's shoulder blade, his arms circling around Kyle's waist.

"I'm fine," Kyle mumbled as he spat angrily at the sink. His mouth tasted vile, even with the overly minty taste of their toothpaste.

"You don't look fine. You've been throwing up a lot, Kyle. Something's wrong," Carson said worriedly.

"It's probably just some kind of stomach bug. Or something viral," Kyle said, trying to stay nonchalant. He was worried, too, if he was being honest. He rarely got sick, and when he did, it was usually bad news. "Which probably means you shouldn't be around me right now."

The thought made Kyle sad. It was the last thing he wanted. Carson had been over at his apartment almost every night this week, and they'd started to establish a routine of sorts. It was nice, and Kyle would be lying if he said he didn't love having Carson around all the time.

It felt domestic, like Carson was his and his alone, and it made his heart flutter happily.

"I'm not leaving you if you're sick," Carson replied firmly. "Who's going to take care of you? Besides, I'm like an ox--I never get sick."

Kyle laughed. Carson was the worst patient. He was awful when he got sick. Carson got needy and demanding, and no matter what he said, Carson was a pain in the ass when he didn't feel well.

Splashing some cold water on his face, Kyle blew out a deep breath, willing his stomach to settle. "I can take care of myself fine. Like I said, this is probably just some kind of stomach bug."

Carson's hold around him tightened. "It's been going on for days now, baby. Maybe it's time for you to get it checked out by someone."

Rolling his eyes, Kyle faced Carson, kissing his cheek. "You worry too much. I'm fine, really." Carson didn't look convinced, though, so he continued, "If it makes you feel better, fine, I'll go see if I can grab an appointment with my family doctor today."

Carson nodded. "Good. Let's go call them now. Hopefully they can fit you in today."

"Bad day to skip work, though." Kyle sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He had a lot to do today--when did he not--he didn't have time to make up for the time he'd miss later. "Maybe I can put it off another day. I feel better, really."

He said that too soon, though, because as soon as the words were out of his mouth, his stomach churned terribly. He kneeled in front of the toilet, and heaved, vomiting again. There was a part of him that thought he should maybe kick Carson out of the bathroom, but this was Carson--it wasn't exactly the first time Carson had seen him sick and vomiting.

"Baby, you can't put this off," Carson said, kneeling so they were at eye-level. He handed a wet cloth at Kyle, and Kyle accepted it without complaint. "Go see your doctor this morning. I'll call Nora, and let her know what's going on. She can move your schedule around if she has to."

"Okay," Kyle agreed weakly, once the nausea had subsided a little. Carson was right. It was probably a bad idea to put this off, especially since it was looking like his stomach wasn't going to give him much of a reprieve.

At that moment, he hated his body. He really wanted to spend more time in bed with Carson. There were so many more fun, lovely things they could do in bed. Instead, Kyle was stuck on the floor, his legs cold from the tiles of the bathroom, probably looking like a wreck.

He certainly felt like a wreck.

"You don't have to stick around, you know? I'll call the doctor. You should go to work, you'll be late," Kyle said. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall to steady himself. He felt dizzy, too, just a little, but he didn't want to tell Carson that. Carson would just worry unnecessarily.

Carson sat beside him, rubbing his back in small, circular strokes. "It's fine, the company won't end if I'm a little late," he said, joking. "I'll drop you off at the doctor's office, and then head out."

"Okay, if you're sure." Kyle felt a little guilty for taking up so much of Carson's time, but all of this care and attention from Carson made his chest bloom. Carson really cared about him.

"You'll take a cab back home afterward?"

"I have to go to work," Kyle protested lightly. "I'll take a cab to the office, and take it easy for the rest of the afternoon."

Sighing, Carson pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "Let's start with the doctor's visit. You still feel like you're going to throw up again?"

Kyle shook his head. He wasn't sure if he was out of the woods yet, but for now, he felt okay. "I'm okay for now, I think. Just need to brush my teeth. Again. Ugh."

"Poor baby," Carson said. "I'm gonna go make tea downstairs. Yell if you need me, okay? And make that appointment, please."

He stood up, extending his hand out to help Kyle stand up, too. Kyle felt a little wobbly, but he used the sink to steady him. Carson looked at him hesitantly for a moment, before Kyle pushed him out the door.

"Go, I'm fine," Kyle said, smiling.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Carson stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him to give Kyle some more privacy.

As he brushed his teeth again, Kyle hoped his doctor would be able to see him this morning. He really needed to get to the bottom of what was going on with his body. Being sick sucked, and if he could help it, he never wanted to feel this sick again.

Two days after his doctor's appointment, Kyle still felt awful. He felt nauseous in the mornings, and to make it worse, he hadn't stopped vomiting. Not only that, food that he normally loved suddenly smelled awful to him. He didn't understand what the hell was going on.

He was an otherwise healthy, late twenty-something man. The fact that he was having all of these issues--it was starting to worry him. Was it something serious? What he had some kind of incurable disease?

Either that or he was pregnant, and wasn’t that hilar--

Wait.

Kyle dropped his pen on the desk, his body going rigid against his office chair. He didn't think of that. He'd been running all of these different scenarios and diseases in his head, but he didn't think of pregnancy.

He was on birth control, of course, but birth control wasn't one hundred percent foolproof. Especially since he and Carson didn't use condoms. They'd both been tested, and after Kyle's heat, they never saw the point of going back to condoms.

Fuck.

Suddenly, Kyle's chest tightened, his breathing becoming erratic. He felt like he was going to suffocate, like he wasn't getting in enough air. His grip on his desk was shaky. He felt like he was going to faint any time now.

"Kyle? Are you okay?"

Kyle shot his eyes to the door and looked at Nora. He willed himself to speak. "Yes?" He cleared his throat, his hands still shaking. "I mean, yes, hi. What's up?"

Nora stared at him, worry etched on her face. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? You look as pale as a ghost."

"I'm fine," Kyle said, but even to him, his voice sounded strained. "Everything's fine. What can I help you with?"

He could be pregnant. Of course everything wasn't fine, but he wasn't going to tell his assistant that.

What the fuck was he going to do?

"If you're sure." It was clear Nora didn't believe him. "You have a call from Appleton Medical. I was just wondering if you wanted me to take a message or forward you the call."

That was the office of the doctor he saw two days ago. "Forward me the call, please. Thank you."

Nodding, Nora gave him one last, long look, like she was on to him, before heading out of his office. A moment later, Kyle's phone rang. He picked it up on the second ring, his heart feeling like it was clawing out of his chest.

"This is Kyle Williams speaking."

There was a crackle on the other line. "Hi, Mr. Williams, this is Appleton Medical. We have the results of your blood work, and the doctor would like to discuss them with you. Are you able to set up an appointment with us?"

"Yes, yes, of course. When's the next appointment you have available?"

Kyle set up a time and date with the receptionist--luckily, they had an appointment that afternoon. He wasn't going to put off knowing the results of his blood test, not when there was a possibility that he could be pregnant.

Hanging up the phone, Kyle stared at the ceiling absently. Pregnant. Fuck.

Maybe he was jumping to the wrong conclusions. There was a host of bugs and viral infections he could have. It was likely one of them, and he was just freaking out over nothing.

He couldn't be pregnant.

Right?

Kyle was definitely pregnant.

He was one hundred percent, without a doubt, blood test proven pregnant.

"Congratulations," Dr. Patel said, smiling, as she relayed the news. "I'd say you're about five weeks along. We should start you on a prenatal regimen as soon as possible."

Something on Kyle's face must have concerned the doctor, because she immediately continued, "Nothing serious, don't worry--the rest of your blood work and vitals are perfectly normal. I just meant prenatal vitamins and setting up follow-up appointments."

Kyle swallowed, trying to find the words to speak. He was pregnant. Fuck, he still couldn't believe it. "No, that's, uh, fine. I understand. Sorry, I'm just...I'm just shocked."

The doctor nodded in understanding. "Ah, I see. We have a lot of prenatal preparation classes being run here at the clinic and at our sister clinics," she suggested kindly. "They'll be able to help prepare you for your baby's arrival. Our patients have found that they help a lot with nerves."

"Thank you," Kyle said. "I'll think about it. This is just. It's a lot to take in, you know? I was on birth control. I didn't realize this was even a possibility until very, very recently."

"I'm sure you know birth control doesn't come with a guarantee," the doctor said. She paused, like she was considering her words carefully. "We have options available, if this pregnancy is not something you want."

"No, no, I want it. This. I want the baby," Kyle said, quickly correcting the doctor. He was in shock, yes, but he was going to have this baby. There were no ifs, ands or buts, and no other options in play. "I'm just taking it all in. It's--sudden, you know?"

"Of course," Dr. Patel said, smiling gently at him. "We'll do everything we can to make sure you have a safe, healthy pregnancy. Do you have any questions for me?"

He shook his head. "No, you've been very helpful, thank you. I'm going to check with reception about those classes you mentioned."

"Yes, please do," the doctor said. "I think you'll enjoy them. These classes are available for both parents, so certainly, you're able to sign up your partner as well."

Oh, fuck. His partner.

Carson.

He didn't even think about how Carson would react to the pregnancy. He gulped, suddenly feeling sick. "Thank you." He stood up, shaking the doctor's hand.

He was still reeling when he left the office. Kyle sat on one of the benches right outside the building, taking a deep breath.

What was he going to tell Carson?

He wondered if Carson would be happy about the news. They talked about everything, but they'd never, ever discussed children before. He knew Carson was great with kids. Kyle had seen Carson interact with his baby cousins and children of their clients and coworkers.

Plus, Kyle knew Carson would make an amazing father. Carson was kind, patient, and gentle with the little ones.

He touched his belly gently. His child was in there. It was surreal and strange, but also, Kyle found himself smiling fondly, his body loosening minute by minute as he digested the news.

Carson and he had made a life together. A blinding surge of happiness poured through him. He was going to be a father. A father!

It was then he knew, no matter what happened, no matter how Carson reacted to the news, he was going to love and cherish his baby. His baby was going to be cared for and loved beyond measure.

Resting his hand on his belly, Kyle let all of the tension in his body go. He couldn’t wait to meet his baby.