Baseline

“I’m fine,” Maeve said for the third time. “Really.”

Garrick didn’t answer. He paced in front of the exam bed like a caged animal, jaw tight, hands clasped and unclasped. The private clinic room smelled faintly of antiseptic. A portable monitor hummed. The doctor had already checked Maeve’s vitals twice, run a fetal doppler, and pressed gently along the seatbelt bruise across her chest and shoulde