Reasonable Loss - 68

“Please lift your shirt.”

At the doctor’s words, Eunsoo awkwardly lifted his shirt, glad he had worn a hoodie instead of a shirt.

“I’ll apply some gel. It’s cold.”

Before Eunsoo could respond, the doctor applied the gel. Surprised, Eunsoo gasped and grabbed Dokwon’s hand. Dokwon, also startled, gripped his hand back.

Dokwon glared at the doctor with a fierce look.

“It doesn’t hurt at all.”

The doctor ignored Dokwon’s glare with a nonchalant response. Then, he spread the gel with the ultrasound machine, pressing on his belly more than was comfortable.

Shapes that were hard to identify started appearing on the monitor. It was impossible to tell which was flesh, which was the womb, or which was the fetus.

Eunsoo and Dokwon squinted, trying to spot the baby. Then the doctor tapped a small dot on the screen with his finger.

“This is the fetus.”

Eunsoo and Dokwon both tilted their heads in surprise. What the doctor pointed at was just a tiny lump, the size of a thumb. Even if it was a fetus, it should look somewhat human. What was this shrunken sea cucumber-like thing?

The doctor, having seen such reactions countless times, explained in a monotone voice, dividing the “sea cucumber” into head, chest, and legs.

“This round part is the head, next to it is the body. This triangular part sticking out is the legs. The arms are curled up so they’re not visible.”

“Really…”

“Small, right?”

“Yes.”

Eunsoo nodded. The doctor continued his explanation like a robot.

“It’s normal for it to be small. The fetus inside an omega grows slower compared to a regular fetus. It’s evolved this way to safely pass through the high-risk early stages. But once it gets to the stable period, from the fifth month, it starts growing very quickly.”

“…”

“It will put a strain on your body then. Your belly will hurt, muscles will ache, you’ll swell up, and your pheromones will be irregular, among other things. Since the belly grows later but faster for omegas compared to regular pregnant men, there’s no helping it. You’ll have to manage it well.”

Eunsoo made a determined face, as if swearing to remember. Reading about it on the internet was one thing, but hearing it like this felt new. It was more tangible somehow. He felt a sense of mission.

Anyway, it was an interesting feeling.

“Alpha pheromones are also important. As omega pheromones become more erratic, regular physical contact and staying close can help. Alpha pheromones provide stability and help with sudden mood swings. They can also prevent depression.”

The doctor spoke without looking away from the monitor, clearly addressing Dokwon even though not looking at him. Dokwon nodded in understanding.

The doctor didn’t wait for responses or reactions, just said what he had to say. It was fortunate his speech was slow; if it were faster, it would have been hard to understand.

“Now it’s nine weeks, so we can do the anomaly scan. Let’s do it now.”

At that, Eunsoo jumped up in alarm.

“An, anomaly? Why? Is there something wrong with the baby?”

The doctor was startled by his sudden movement, showing the biggest reaction since they met.

“No, no, you can’t get up. It’s something we do routinely. We’re checking if there’s any problem.”