The mate of his nanny

Chapter 71: End of the Line

Moana

The gap that existed between Edrick and I could never be bridged; I knew that now.
Our ride home was silent. The steak that I could still taste on my tongue now tasted foul. To think that I had spent the entire day feeling as though we could have some semblance of normalcy; even if we never became romantically involved, why couldn't we still be proud of what we had created between us?

Why did he always have to hide me and Ella? Would the new baby also face the same struggle of having a father who didn't want anyone to know about his or her existence?

We went home that night, still without a word spoken between us. I took Ella to bed with only a brief word of thanks for everything he did that day, but after that, I didn't look at him again.

...

On Monday morning, I awoke to the sound of someone knocking on my door.
"Come in," I called, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. The door cracked open and Selina poked her head in.

Your first appointment is in a couple of hours," she said. "I've already made breakfast for you. Come and eat before you get dressed."

I sighed, having completely forgotten about my appointment that day, and climbed out of bed. As I followed Selina to the dining room in my robe, I noticed that Edrick was nowhere to be found.
"Is Edrick coming to the appointment?" I asked as I sat down at the table and began to spread butter on my toast.

Selina shook her head while she poured some hot coffee into my cup. "He has something to deal with at work, but he may come later."

I frowned, feeling my shoulders droop a little. It was my first prenatal appointment; I was hoping Edrick would be there to see the first ultrasound, seeing as how he was the father, after all.

"I guess I'll go alone, then," I said, taking a bite of toast.

"Nonsense," Selina said. "I'll be going with you."

At the very least, hearing that Selina would be there with me was a bit of a comfort. "Thank you," I replied with a smile. "That would be nice."

After I ate, I hurried back to my room to shower and get ready for the day. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, put on a loose-fitting dress and comfortable shoes, then met Selina out in the foyer. As we took the elevator down, I realized that this was only the second time that I'd ever seen her going out into public, with the first time being my first day of employment. She had changed out of her housekeeper uniform and was wearing a crisp linen dress and held her purse stiffly in front of her.

"Do you ever go out?" I asked as we walked across the lobby.

"Rarely," she said. "Only if I have to."

"You never want to go out with friends for a meal or anything like that?"

Selina simply shrugged. "No one ever invites me."
As she said that, I felt my heart ache a little for her. I decided, then and there, that I would start inviting Selina out more - even if just on my morning walks with Ella.

We got into the car and drove away. On the way to the hospital, Selina explained that the hospital we would be going to was a special werewolf hospital that was actually owned by the Morgan family, so I would get the best treatment; not that I couldn't have gathered that myself, just from the enormous modern building with the Morgan family logo on the sign. When we walked into the hospital, I was even more taken aback by how sleek and clean the hospital was. The hospital I went to for the abortion was nice, but this one was even better - and when we took the elevator up to the obstetrics and gynecology department, I was floored.

Not only was the department spacious, clean, and modern, but there were also several other well-to-do werewolf couples in the waiting room. I even recognized a few of them as well-known celebrities. Of course, they all looked up at Selina and I when we entered and gave me a dirty look.

"Don't stare," Selina whispered to me as we approached the counter. I quickly averted my gaze, feeling embarrassed as I realized that I probably looked like a deer in headlights.

"Hello, the receptionist said. "Name?"

"Moana Fowler," I replied.

The receptionist looked me up and down for a moment before clicking around on her computer. Just then, another couple came in behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to see that they were also a well-known werewolf couple that I'd seen in various television shows. I felt my face go red as they looked at me, and I quickly looked back at the receptionist.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the way so I can assist our werewolf clients first," the receptionist suddenly said, shooting me a dirty glare.

My jaw dropped. "I was here first," I said. "And I have an appointment-"

"Yes, but this is a werewolf hospital, and our policy is to always serve werewolves first."

Suddenly, Selina stepped in. "I'm a werewolf," she said proudly. "A gamma. And I'm escorting this young woman."

The receptionist only stared blankly at Selina for a moment before rolling her eyes and waving the other couple forward. Selina grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the side, fuming. "If only they knew..." she growled under her breath, shooting the receptionist an angry look. "The father of your baby pays her salary!"

"It's okay," I said. I'd been dealing with treatment like this as a human for my entire life; it was nothing new to me.

"It is not alright," Selina said. Just then, she stormed back over to the desk and slammed her hands on the counter. "I'm demanding that you treat this young lady with respect!" she said. "You're being terribly rude."

The receptionist narrowed her eyes. I tried to step in to calm Selina down, but it was no use. The receptionist then picked up her phone and dialed a number.

"Hi- Yes- We have a human here who wants to be seen. Mhm. Yes, she has a werewolf escort, but they're being incredibly disruptive to the other patients. Okay. Thank you."

The receptionist hung up. "I've just called security," she said to Selina. "If you don't want to be escorted out, then I suggest you leave."

Selina's frown deepened. Meanwhile, the werewolf couple at the desk, as well as all of the others in the waiting room, were staring at us with a combination of incredulity and mockingness on their faces.

"You can't seriously tell me that you're turning away an expecting mother," she said. "This is ludicrous!"

The receptionist shrugged. "I don't make the rules. If you had just let me serve the polite werewolf customers ahead of you, then you could be checked in by now. But you're just causing a scene."

"It's really okay, Selina," I said, touching her arm. "I can find another doctor."

Just then, the doors swung open. In walked a man in a black suit and tie, who had the look of the hospital director.

And beside him, in walked Edrick.