Sophia glanced at Felix who was exchanging messages with someone on his phone.
"Can that wait?", Sophia whispered impatiently.
Felix looked at Sophia blankly and blinked as he understood that she wants him to stop texting.
"I will be done in a minute.", Felix said and when he saw that Sophia was frowning, he explained further, "It's about drones in Africa. We sent them an upgraded batch, and they need guidance to start them up."
Sophia puffed her cheeks while exhaling. That was not how Stella raised them. When they are sitting at the table, the devices are off, especially when the guests are present! However, this was important, so she responded with a small nod and Felix resumed his texting session. She hoped that he will finish that soon.
Checking the status of others at the table, Sophia glanced at Sarah who was whispering something with Aiden, and based on their goofy expressions, the duo was lovey-dovey, ignoring the company at the table. Nothing new there.
Sophia wanted to reprimand her youngest sister to focus on the guests, but Sarah's eyes were on Aiden, like he is the only man in the world, so Sophia gave up because she didn't want to cause a scene.
Sophia noticed that Mia was silent. Well, Hunter was also silent, but he was looking at Mia, so Sophia concluded that the reason behind their questionable mood is Mia.
"Is the food alright, Mia?", Sophia asked.
Mia responded with a nod and lowered her gaze.
Hunter was observing Mia with great concern. It's not like her not to eat.
He wondered if something happened with Sarah. Mia was fine that morning, and since they met at this restaurant, Mia was not talking or eating much.
Hunter concluded that something happened in the hospital. Did Mia's temper flare and she had an argument with Sarah?
It was important for Mia to leave a good impression and establish collaboration with the Army of Chaos because that would mean that they can achieve more with fewer resources. After all, the influence and network of the Army of Chaos in the United States and in Europe is enviable, and their reputation is stellar. Just by saying that they are working with the Army of Chaos, many doors will be opened for them.
"Love, is everything alright? Do you want us to go for a walk and get some fresh air?", Hunter offered to Mia, assuming that her mood is low because of Sarah. When they get out, they can talk in privacy, and Mia will tell him what happened.
Mia looked at Hunter and her eyes were full of tears while her chin trembled.
"What's going on?", Hunter panicked. Mia was on the verge of crying and Mia never cries. This must be serious.
"I'm pregnant.", Mia said, her voice barely audible.
"Ha… ha… ha…", Hunter laughed in slow motion. "For a moment there, I thought you said that you are…" His face fell and he looked at Mia with eyes open wide. "What did you say? Can you repeat that?"
Before Mia said anything, Hunter bolted on his feet, toppling the chair behind him.
Everyone was silent and looking at Hunter while wondering what's going on.
"You are serious. We are going to have a baby?", Hunter asked Mia.
Mia pressed her lips into a line and nodded as tears streamed down her face.
Hunter had a tornado of emotions swelling inside him. He was not expecting this.
They were not using contraception for months, and a part of him gave up on thoughts of becoming a father because he didn't want Mia to feel the pressure of having a baby because he was perfectly happy with Mia only. Baby would be a bonus.
Considering that for months they were looking at Mia's ovulation cycle without results and that they were now in Los Angeles close to Nyx and Erebus, Hunter completely dismissed the possibility that Mia was pregnant. He thought that Mia offended Sarah somehow and spoiled their chances to work together, or maybe Sarah bullied Mia or… anything other than Mia being pregnant.
Seeing Mia's tear-stricken face and a smile that looked more like a grimace because she was crying, Hunter realized that it's real. It's happening!
Hunter hugged Mia, lifting her up from her seat and he twirled her a few times while laughing loudly.
"Hohoho!", Max laughed heartily as well, sounding like Santa Claus, ready to deliver presents. "I will be an Uncle again!"
"You just found out?", Jeff asked Max.
Max confirmed. "Not only me, but it seems that Hunter just found out as well."
"I told her to do the test while we waited for two MDs to finish work.", Sarah claimed credit shamelessly.
"I'm not sure if Mia is happy about this…", Sophia shared her thoughts with a quiet voice, but Liz heard her.
"Overwhelmed.", Liz explained. "They are trying for nine months."
"Nine months is not a long time.", Sophia said.
Liz agreed. "True. But that couple over there is used to getting things done successfully on their first try. Every month that passed was weighing on them."
Sophia wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth when she felt Felix holding her hand under the table. She looked into his blue eyes full of love and remembered that Felix got her pregnant despite all contraception they used (three times!). Sophia will never understand feelings of couples who want a child and are struggling to get pregnant.
Sophia smiled and leaned on Felix who cradled her in his arms, and they all watched Hunter and Mia hugging and kissing while rejoicing the baby-news.
Liz was first to get up and congratulate, and others followed as well.
Sarah and Aiden ordered extra sweets to celebrate.
The lively mood died down when Liz got an email from her assistants.
Seeing that everyone was eagerly expecting the verdict, Liz spoke.
"My assistants confirmed what I was thinking. There is a procedure that sounds good in theory."
JoAnna frowned, sensing that there is more, and that more was not good. "But?"
"It was never attempted in practice. I will share the data with you and let you decide.", Liz said.
JoAnna nodded and accepted the tablet from Liz with information on the treatment.
Sarah didn't care about the data because she wouldn't understand it. That's JoAnna's part. However, Sarah was interested in one thing… "You are willing to operate on him?"
"If you allow me, I will.", Liz said honestly. "I already checked data Anna sent me last week and I am not aware of any confirmed procedure that will be successful. At most, they will slow down or stop the current deterioration of his condition, but none will fix him. That is why we did extra exams this morning, to see if this is in line with some of the experimental approaches."
"Can you estimate the success rate?", Sophia asked.
Liz didn't want to give them false hopes. "No. Any number I give you will be a wild guess, and not an estimate. However, I can tell you that the patient is not getting better. Your options are to wait until his organs shut down, or let me try this…", Liz gestured toward the tablet that was in JoAnna's hands.
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