Sofia

I'm sitting in the waiting room, ready for the nurse to finally call me in and get this over with. I've already finished all the check-in activities so I'm set to go. Adrian is sitting to my left and Nico is to my right. Both of them are completely silent and the tension rolling off of them is making me stir crazy.

Nico keeps looking at the hospital ID bracelet around my wrist and frowning, even though the only information on there is my name, age, and a bar code. Just goes to show how we're all just a set of numbers in the end. Or maybe I'm just being morbid.

Adrian keeps tapping his foot on the floor and fidgeting with his hands over his lap. Every now and then he'll start to reach over to grab my hand, but then remembers himself and brings it back. He ends up shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket and sighing deeply. I think he's having an especially hard time containing his actions in front of Nico today.

"Can both of you calm down? I'm not getting triple bypass here," I finally say.

Nico scoffs and Adrian mumbles something inaudible under his breath. I get that it's not even 7:45am yet, but damn are they grumpy.

"Why don't you guys just go get some breakfast? I'll be done by the time you're finished," I suggest. Hopefully some food should put them in a better mood. I should've known this would happen when they decided not to eat anything this morning out of solidarity.

"We're not leaving, Sofia," Nico says sternly.

I look towards Adrian and he shakes his head firmly. I don't think he's said more than two words today and I'm starting to realize he's a lot more nervous about this than I am.

"Sofia Durant?" a nurse finally calls.

Nico and Adrian are out of their seats before I even sit up. Nico gives me his hand to stand up and envelops me in a big hug.

"Love you, sis," he says all emotional.

Wow, what is going on? "Love you, too," I respond.

I turn towards Adrian and his face has gone completely pale. His eyes look anguished and he's carrying an expression I've never seen before. He leans in to hug me and wraps his arms around me so tightly I can barely breathe.

When we separate, he looks like he wants to tell me something, but no words come out of his mouth. His vision lowers to my throat and I can tell he's thinking about the procedure they're about to do on me.

I reach for my necklace and take it off, remembering the nurse told me to remove all my jewelry before going in. I place it in his hand. "Hold this for me?"

He nods and I don't think I've ever seen him look so sad. I have to leave before he makes me regret signing up for this whole thing.

"Hey, why does Adrian get to keep it? I gave it to you," Nico complains behind me.

"Because you'll lose it, Nico," I tell him rolling my eyes. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?"

I walk towards the nurse, not wanting to keep her waiting any longer. I turn around and wave towards them before I turn the corner, and follow the nurse down a hallway until she leads me into a private waiting room.

"Wow, those boys really didn't want to let you go," she tells me.

"Yeah, I don't know what got into them. They're just overreacting or something."

"Are they your family?" she asks me curiously.

"Yeah, well my brother and my ... friend," I end up saying.

"That's so sweet. You obviously mean a lot to both of them."

"Hopefully they won't cause too much trouble in the waiting room," I tell her grimacing.

"Honestly, this is going to be really quick, so they won't have to worry about you too much. You won't even need to change your clothes or take your shoes off so you'll be able to walk right out of here afterwards. I only need to administer a pregnancy test and then I'll send the anesthesiologist in."

God, what is it with the whole pregnancy thing? "Okay, but I'm not sexually active," I inform her. I feel like I should just write it across my forehead at this point.

"In that case, you'll just need to sign a waiver. I'll be right back."

After signing the waiver and answering a few other questions, the anesthesiologist comes in and explains how the sedation is going to work. He tells me it will be a very low dosage that will last approximately 20 minutes and asks me a few simple questions about my weight and allergies before he takes off.

Before I know it, the nurse comes back and tells me they're now ready for me in the operating room.

I follow her to an area down another hallway and she ushers me into a room. The first thing I notice is that they're playing heavy rock music, and I recognize it's a song from Metallica. There are a few other nurses shuffling around the room and I spot the anesthesiologist from earlier as well.

Suddenly Dr. Kim walks speedily into the room, and he smiles at me reassuringly. He has a lot of energy and swag and looks even younger than I remember from last time.

"Hi, Sofia. Ready for the procedure?" he asks, signaling for me to lie down on the bed.

"Yes," I tell him. For some reason, I'm not nervous at all. I don't know if it's the rock music, Dr. Kim, or everything moving at lightning speed, but I feel completely at ease.

"I won't take too long, I promise. I'm just going to be checking for a few things in your stomach so it'll be like you just took a quick nap. Okay?" he tells me.

I nod at him. "Sounds good."

"Let me just take these off of you and we'll get started," he says removing my eyeglasses. Right, I almost forgot about them. "If you can also position yourself on your side, facing me, as if you were sleeping," he instructs.

I turn over, straightening my body as much as possible. I fix my braid behind me so that it doesn't get in the way and rest my head on the pillow.

"Perfect," Dr. Kim says.

The anesthesiologist approaches me and starts checking on my arm. I keep my vision fixed straight ahead, not wanting to see any needles whatsoever or what he's doing. I feel a slight pinch and my eyes get heavy.

I wake up to the sound of a man groaning. I can hear him complaining to someone that he's in pain.

I open my eyes and realize I'm in a recovery room. Holy shit, that was fast! My head feels groggy, but I'm completely aware of my surroundings.

A nurse approaches me but she looks fuzzy. "Hi, sweetie. Do you want water or apple juice?"

"Um ... apple juice?"

"Sure. I'll be right back, okay?"

I nod and sit up a bit more on the bed. I notice my stomach feels crampy and I feel cold, but other than that, I feel completely fine. My glasses are neatly placed on a tray next to the bed, so I grab them and put them back on.

The nurse comes back with a cup and hands it to me. This time I can see her more clearly. "Dr. Kim will be right over, okay? Do you want me to call your brother in?"

"No, thank you. I'll just meet him outside."

"Okay, I'll just tell them you'll be out soon. They're very anxious to see you," she chuckles.

"Okay, thanks," I respond, internally groaning. I hope they haven't done anything too embarrassing.

Dr. Kim suddenly appears all cheery in my room. I swear I have never met a doctor as easygoing as him.

"Hey, Sofia. How are you feeling?" he says sitting casually on my bed, right in front of me. He was carrying a clipboard but puts it behind him and out of sight. It shocks me at first that he would get so close to me instead of pulling up a chair or something, but I soon realize it makes me feel like I'm having a regular conversation with a friend instead of a doctor.

"Good, just a bit of cramping but nothing too bad," I tell him.

"Okay, that's probably the biopsy you're feeling. I took a small tissue sample just in case, but everything checked out. We can immediately discard both Celiac and Crohn's disease. I took the biopsy just to double check for any possible bacterial infections but everything appeared normal so it should come back clean. Have you been under a lot of stress recently?"

"Um, yeah," I tell him, not sure if I need to elaborate.

"Okay, well stress can cause a lot of the symptoms you've been having. I can prescribe an antidepressant for you if you want. It's a very low dose that will essentially help you relax. If not, you could also take probiotics, which help regulate your digestive system. Those are over the counter so I can write down a few names for you. Other than that, exercise and eating healthy are the best things you can do."

"Okay, yeah the probiotics sound great to start," I tell him. Last thing I want is to take an antidepressant that will mess with my system or cause side effects, even if it is a low dose.

Dr. Kim brings the clipboard in front of him and turns a page over to write them down. When he's done, he unclips some papers and hands them to me. "These are your discharge papers. It basically explains today's procedure, recovery instructions, and what to do for any possible side effects and things like that. Any questions?"

I take a look at the papers and I see there are even a few pictures they've taken of my stomach, including the biopsy. At the back are the names of the probiotics he's recommended. It all looks really thorough and professional.

My brain still feels a bit foggy so it makes it kind of hard to think straight. "I don't think so."

He chuckles. "Okay, well I explained the basics earlier to your brother and his friend, so they're aware of the situation, too. Normally I would have waited to tell you first, but they were both about to have kittens. Hope that's okay."

My mouth drops open. "I hope they weren't too much trouble," I tell him apologetically.

"Not at all, they're good kids, those two. They definitely livened up the place and had all the nurses swooning. I don't think I've seen that in years," he laughs.

I manage to smile at him. "Thank you, Dr. Kim."

"Take care, Sofia. You're really young, you have your whole life ahead of you. Hopefully, you won't have to see me again anytime soon. You should be covered for at least the next ten years," he tells me.

I grin as I see him take off again. The same nurse from earlier comes to get me and takes me back outside to the waiting room.

I immediately spot Nico and Adrian. They no longer have their worried expressions from earlier and I'm instantly relieved. It's not hard to miss them as they're standing near the reception and Nico is carrying a blue balloon that says It's a Boy! in big bold letters.

I laugh as Nico hugs me and hands me the balloon. "Sorry, they ran out of Get Well Soon at the gift shop," he tells me.

"I guess it's the thought that counts," I respond still laughing.

I turn towards Adrian and he looks so ridiculously handsome. I know my head is still fuzzy, but I can still say it with absolute certainty. Most importantly, he no longer looks sad and that in turn makes me happy. He signals towards something in his arms, and I realize he's holding a teddy bear. "For you," he says smiling.

"Aww, he's so cute," I say immediately bringing it to my chest and hugging it. "Thank you."

"So the stuffed animal gets a hug and I don't?" Adrian grins at me.

"Oh sorry!" I say, leaning up to hug him. "Well, I have to say Teddy here is a lot fluffier."

"Dammit, I can't compete with that," he responds, faking hurt. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. I would tell you guys all about it, but apparently you forced Dr. Kim to give you the rundown."

"Dr. Kim is awesome. I want to go grab some beers with him," Nico says.

"Yeah, he's really cool. They were playing Metallica in the surgery room," I say.

"Definitely grabbing some beers with him," he jokes.

"Okay, well I have his number so you can call him up later. Can we get the hell out of here now?" I complain.

They both laugh and we start making our way towards the elevator. Adrian grabs my discharge papers and the balloon for me, but I hang on to my new favorite bear. "Can you walk okay?" he asks me.

"Yeah, I'm completely fine."

He nods but still walks carefully behind me, as if he expects me to fall over any second.

"Bye, Nancy!" I hear Nico say to the receptionist as we leave. I feel sorry for the poor woman, they must have driven her crazy.

Once we reach the floor for the parking lot, Nico tells us to stay near the elevator bank while he go gets the car. As soon as he's out of sight, Adrian carefully leans in to hug me.

He kisses my forehead and runs his hand down my braid. "Are you sure you're okay? I was so fucking worried," he says softly.

"Yeah, just a little cramping but that's it," I tell him.

"What about your throat? Does it hurt?"

"Not at all. I guess the scope is really thin or something."

He looks at me and grimaces and pulls me in for another hug.

"Stop worrying, Adrian. I swear I'm fine."

"I know. I just haven't been able to hold you properly since last night. I'm in withdrawal," he whispers in my ear.

"Congratulations!" I suddenly hear an older woman say as she walks by us.

"Thank you," Adrian responds smiling.

I look at him confused. "What is she talking about?"

He laughs and points towards the balloon. "Looks like we just had a bouncing baby ... bear."

"Oh my god, she thought I was carrying a baby?"

"Apparently," he chuckles, patting Teddy on the head. "I gotta say he kinda looks like you."

I swat him in the shoulder as Nico pulls up in front of us in the jeep.

"Well, c'mon mama bear. Let's get you home. You must be tired after all those intense hours of labor," he jokes, guiding me towards the car.

Before I can come up with a good response, he opens the passenger door and helps me into the seat up front. He grabs the seat belt to buckle me in but abruptly stops. "Is it gonna hurt your stomach?"

"No, it's fine," I tell him.

"Wait, your stomach hurts?" Nico asks.

"No, it's just a bit of cramping. It's nothing really."

"Maybe we should get you a pillow," he says. "Adrian, can you go get her one? They had some at the gift shop."

"I don't need a freaking pillow," I tell them. Adrian is still looking at me hesitantly, so I grab the seat belt from him and buckle myself in with Teddy in front of me. "There, can we go now? I don't want you guys to be late for school."

When we get home, they both keep fussing over me as they take me to my room. Even worse is Carmen who keeps looking at me like I'm actually going to die any second.

"Qué quieres de desayuno, niña?" she asks me.

"Sólo pan tostado," I respond. I know I should probably eat more, but I don't think my stomach can handle it yet.

She gives me a look that tells me she's gonna make a hell lot more than toast before heading off to the kitchen.

"Do you want the blinds open or closed?" Nico asks me as I go sit on my bed.

"You can just leave them open."

"What about a movie? Here, I'll set it up for you," he says heading towards the TV.

I start to take my sneakers off and Adrian is immediately at my side, not letting me do it.

"Do you want to change into pajamas?" he asks me.

"No, I'll just stay in my sweatpants. I'm still a bit cold from the hospital."

"You're cold? Do you want the heat on?" he asks as he pulls up the covers over me.

"No, thank you."

"Okay princess, I put that Hunger Games movie on. You wanted to watch it, right?" Nico asks me.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Do you need anything else?" Adrian asks me.

"No, you guys should really get going. It's after 9am," I say, looking at my phone on the night table.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Nico asks.

"Positive. I'm just going to eat something and then go to sleep. Plus, you have your soccer game later today."

"Oh, shit. I haven't packed my bag yet. Let me get it and we'll go?" Nico tells Adrian.

"Yeah, I'll see you in the car," Adrian responds.

Nico comes over and kisses me on the head. "Bye, sis. Call me if you need anything."

Once he leaves, Adrian sits down on the bed next to me and kisses me tenderly on the lips. "I really don't want to leave you," he whispers.

"I'll be fine, honestly. If you stay you'll literally watch me sleeping so that can't be fun."

He shakes his head at me. "Promise me you'll rest. Your discharge papers said not to do any strenuous activity or make any important or legal decisions."

"I promise. I won't go get a tattoo on my butt if that's what you're thinking."

"Only if it's my name," he laughs.

"Deal."

He leans down to kiss my forehead, but still hesitates to leave.

"You're not gonna say bye to your son?" I decide to tease him, holding up Teddy.

"Oh right. Sorry. Bye, Teddy," he grins.

"He needs a kiss too, you know," I say laughing.

He looks at me like I'm crazy and I almost think he's not going to do it when he leans down to kiss my stuffed animal square on the head.

"Take care of your momma for me, alright? You know how special she is to me," he tells Teddy and I feel my heart literally melt. "Just don't tell her about our surprise, okay? Remember it's a secret for later," he whispers in his ear.

"What surprise?" I ask, full on grinning.

"That's between me and my son," he says winking at me.

"Oh, that's how it's gonna be?"

"Yeah," he smiles and kisses me again. "Bye, darling. I'll text you in case you're sleeping, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, papa bear."

He laughs as he exits my room and closes the door.

An hour later, I'm snuggled up with Teddy and watching my movie when the door opens again, startling me.

"Sorry, baby. I really tried but I couldn't," Adrian says, closing the door behind him.

"Adrian, you should be in school," I complain, pausing the movie and taking off my glasses.

"I know, but I was no use there. I couldn't even concentrate knowing I had you and Teddy to come home to."

God, even if it's a joke, when he says stuff like that, I simply have no arguments for him.

He comes to my bed and after settling his backpack on the floor, lies down carefully next to me over the covers. "So I have something for you and then I have a really important question to ask you. That's why it was essential for me to come back, you see."

"Okay, but you're not missing the game, Adrian," I tell him sternly.

"I won't. I already set an alarm on my phone for when I need to go back," he says. "How's your stomach?"

"Still a bit crampy."

"Well, I got you a heat pad. It's supposed to help," he says, taking a package out of his backpack. "It's electric so it just needs to be plugged in," he explains.

I watch him set it up for me in silence, unbelieving that he actually thought about this. He places it over my stomach and it's surprisingly soft as it has a cover on it. Within minutes my stomach feels incredibly warm and the cramping subsides.

"Wow, Adrian. Thank you," I tell him.

"Better?"

"Yeah, a lot better." My entire body feels warm, and it starts to make me sleepy.

"I also forgot to give you this back," he says, taking my necklace out of his pocket and wrapping it around my neck again.

"Thanks for taking care of it for me," I say resting my head down on my pillow.

"You're welcome, darling." He looks at me for a moment before asking, "Is it okay if I get in with you?"

I love how he always asks my permission for things, even when it's something innocent. Then again, he's asking to get inside my bed and I realize it's something we've surprisingly never done before as we always sleep on the couch downstairs. Either way, he makes me feel like I'm in control, that the decision is always mine. For that alone, I trust him more than anything.

"Sure," I answer.

Adrian swiftly kicks off his shoes and gets under the covers with me. He wraps his arm cautiously around my waist, but still leaves space in between us for Teddy. He finally rests his head down on the pillow next to me.

"You're going to make your wife really happy one day," I tell him. I don't know why I just thought of that, but seeing him like this it's so easy to imagine.

He smiles at me and his brown eyes are filled with so much affection. "So hopefully that will mean you'll be really happy," he says, tracing my features.

I feel my heart leap in my chest. "You're gonna kill me with all this sweet talk of yours."

"That actually brings me to my really important question," he says, slightly gulping. "Seeing that we've unexpectedly started a family with a little baby bear and all, I was wondering if you would make an honest man out of me and be my girlfriend?"

I'm too shocked to answer and stare at him stupidly.

"I know you may think it's a rash decision, but these type of things happen all the time, and I want to do good by you," he jokes. He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles, turning serious. "In all honesty Sofia, I've wanted you to be my girlfriend ever since I met you and I couldn't let another day go by without asking you officially to be mine."

I bring his hand to my lips and kiss his palm. He's so crazy that he thinks he even needs to justify his asking me. But I decide to have some fun with him first. "I thought you said I shouldn't make any important decisions today."

"Dammit, I was hoping you wouldn't remember that."

"You can always ask me again tomorrow," I suggest.

"Okay, yeah you're right," he says giving me his trademark sad puppy face.

I laugh because he's just too damn adorable sometimes. "Well, to give you a heads up, the answer tomorrow will be yes."

"Really?" his eyes light up.

"Yeah. And for the record, the answer for today is also yes."

He leans in to kiss me and it's the sweetest sensation and best thing I've ever felt in all my life. I never knew I could feel this blissfully happy, and it's all because of him. We spend the rest of the morning immersed in pillow talk and smiling at each other until we fall asleep.