screen, Dimitri discreetly tucked his phone back into his pocket. The four books he had ordered would keep him busy for the next few weeks.
"You're wasting your money."
Benny's softly spoken words interrupted his troubled thoughts. He glanced at her and caught that mischievous smile of hers that he loved so much. Obviously he hadn't been very good at hiding his book browsing. When she clasped his hand and gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze, he was reminded of how incredibly lucky he was that she had agreed to marry him. Her support and unconditional love meant the world to him.
The tips of his ears grew hot with embarrassment. "It can't hurt to expose myself to new ideas and information."
"You don't need those books, Dimitri. You have good instincts. You're going to be great at this."
Her unshakeable belief in him bolstered his confidence. He dipped his head until their noses were almost touching before whispering, "Have I told you how much I love you today?"
The blush coloring her cheeks betrayed her memories of their early morning tryst. "I think you may have said something about that earlier but I was a bit preoccupied at the time. I don't think I heard exactly how much you love me."
He claimed her mouth with a chaste kiss. "I'll have to remind you when we get home."
"Miss Burkhart?
His gaze jumped to the nurse guarding the doorway to the exam area. In a few short weeks, Benny would be Miss Burkhart no more and they would finally share a last name.
When Benny stood, Dimitri swiped her purse and water bottle from the floor because her hands were full with the paperwork and clipboard. She smiled up at him with a bemused glint to her dark eyes but didn't try to stop him from coddling her. In the three weeks since realizing they were pregnant, she had learned to accept his overprotective gestures without argument. With all of the work stress Benny faced, he was determined to coddle her as much as possible when she was within arm's reach.
He placed his hand against the small of her back and guided her toward the nurse wearing bubblegum pink scrubs. They followed the nurse into the triage area. Like the lobby, this back area of the practice was nicely decorated and presented a warm, welcoming feel.
As Benny chatted with the nurse, Dimitri scanned the posters promoting breastfeeding and car seat safety. He realized he didn't know the first thing about nursing or how to install a car seat. The list of things he needed to learn before the baby's arrival seemed to be growing non-stop.
After Benny was weighed and had her blood pressure and temperature taken, they were taken to a spacious room. He marveled at the coziness of the exam room compared to the ones at his doctor's practice. The potted plants and the screen for undressing were a nice touch. Snapshots of a beach fixed to the ceiling over the exam table confounded him at first. Then it occurred to him that patients might like something pleasant to focus on while a doctor examined such intimate parts.
They took their seats and the nurse glanced over Benny's paperwork before asking more detailed questions about her medical history. When the nurse finished with Benny, she turned toward him and started lobbing pointed questions his way. At first, the answers came easily but as the nurse began asking about his family history, Dimitri recognized that he was at a significant disadvantage.
"I have no idea about my mother or father's medical histories." That old sensation of abandonment crept into his chest. Only the feel of Benny's small hand gripping his kept Dimitri from becoming instantly defensive as he normally did when his childhood was a subject of discussion. "My father was in the military so I assume he was relatively healthy but he eventually drank himself to death. My mother was young when she died. Only twenty-three," he added, thinking to himself that Benny was so close to that age.
"Do you know the cause of her death?"
"She had complications from
"You're wasting your money."
Benny's softly spoken words interrupted his troubled thoughts. He glanced at her and caught that mischievous smile of hers that he loved so much. Obviously he hadn't been very good at hiding his book browsing. When she clasped his hand and gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze, he was reminded of how incredibly lucky he was that she had agreed to marry him. Her support and unconditional love meant the world to him.
The tips of his ears grew hot with embarrassment. "It can't hurt to expose myself to new ideas and information."
"You don't need those books, Dimitri. You have good instincts. You're going to be great at this."
Her unshakeable belief in him bolstered his confidence. He dipped his head until their noses were almost touching before whispering, "Have I told you how much I love you today?"
The blush coloring her cheeks betrayed her memories of their early morning tryst. "I think you may have said something about that earlier but I was a bit preoccupied at the time. I don't think I heard exactly how much you love me."
He claimed her mouth with a chaste kiss. "I'll have to remind you when we get home."
"Miss Burkhart?
His gaze jumped to the nurse guarding the doorway to the exam area. In a few short weeks, Benny would be Miss Burkhart no more and they would finally share a last name.
When Benny stood, Dimitri swiped her purse and water bottle from the floor because her hands were full with the paperwork and clipboard. She smiled up at him with a bemused glint to her dark eyes but didn't try to stop him from coddling her. In the three weeks since realizing they were pregnant, she had learned to accept his overprotective gestures without argument. With all of the work stress Benny faced, he was determined to coddle her as much as possible when she was within arm's reach.
He placed his hand against the small of her back and guided her toward the nurse wearing bubblegum pink scrubs. They followed the nurse into the triage area. Like the lobby, this back area of the practice was nicely decorated and presented a warm, welcoming feel.
As Benny chatted with the nurse, Dimitri scanned the posters promoting breastfeeding and car seat safety. He realized he didn't know the first thing about nursing or how to install a car seat. The list of things he needed to learn before the baby's arrival seemed to be growing non-stop.
After Benny was weighed and had her blood pressure and temperature taken, they were taken to a spacious room. He marveled at the coziness of the exam room compared to the ones at his doctor's practice. The potted plants and the screen for undressing were a nice touch. Snapshots of a beach fixed to the ceiling over the exam table confounded him at first. Then it occurred to him that patients might like something pleasant to focus on while a doctor examined such intimate parts.
They took their seats and the nurse glanced over Benny's paperwork before asking more detailed questions about her medical history. When the nurse finished with Benny, she turned toward him and started lobbing pointed questions his way. At first, the answers came easily but as the nurse began asking about his family history, Dimitri recognized that he was at a significant disadvantage.
"I have no idea about my mother or father's medical histories." That old sensation of abandonment crept into his chest. Only the feel of Benny's small hand gripping his kept Dimitri from becoming instantly defensive as he normally did when his childhood was a subject of discussion. "My father was in the military so I assume he was relatively healthy but he eventually drank himself to death. My mother was young when she died. Only twenty-three," he added, thinking to himself that Benny was so close to that age.
"Do you know the cause of her death?"
"She had complications from
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