Fifteen days had passed since the blue lines on that plastic stick changed the trajectory of our lives again. Fifteen days of me hovering, of Aries obsessing over lunar cycles, and of Section E turning the Black Box into a fortress. But today was the day the abstractions became reality. Today was the first official checkup.
I had chosen Peralta Hospital because it was the only facility that met my standards for both medical excellence and security. But as I sat in the driver's seat of the armored SUV, my knuckles white against the leather steering wheel, I felt a familiar, cold dread clawing at my chest.
POV: Keifer (Mark Keifer Watson)
I glanced to my right. Jay—my wifey—was looking out the window, a small, serene smile playing on her lips. She looked beautiful, even with the slight paleness that the morning sickness had gifted her. She was a surgeon; she lived in hospitals. To her, this was a routine procedure. To me, hospitals were places where things were taken away.
"Hubby, you're breathing like you're about to go into a board meeting with a hostile takeover on the line," Jay said softly, reaching over to place her hand on mine. "Relax. It's just an ultrasound."
"I am relaxed, wifey," I lied, my voice sounding like gravel.
"Your jaw is so tight I can hear your teeth grinding," she teased.
I didn't answer. I just pulled into the private bay of the hospital where Ci n and a team of guards were already waiting.
The Consultation
The checkup was a blur of sterile smells and technical jargon. Ci n was in full doctor mode, his usual chaotic energy replaced by a sharp, clinical focus. He performed the ultrasound with a steady hand while I stood by the head of the bed, gripping Jay's hand so tight I was afraid I'd bruise her.
Then, we saw it. A tiny, flickering pulse on the monitor.
"There it is," Ci n whispered, a genuine smile breaking through his professional mask. "The heartbeat. Strong and steady
I felt the air leave my lungs. For a moment, the fear vanished, replaced by an overwhelming wave of protectiveness. I looked at Jay, and her eyes were wet. We had done this before with Alexander, but after the coma, after the war with the Hanamitchis, this felt like a miracle we didn't deserve but were determined to keep.
We finished the consultation, and Ci n handed us a thick folder of initial bloodwork and scans. "Everything looks good for now, Ate Jay. Go home, rest. I'll send the digital copies to the Black Box tonight."
The Forgotten File
We walked out to the parking lot, my arm firmly around Jay's waist. The heat of the Philippine sun hit us, but the armored SUV was already running, the interior cooled to exactly 22°C.
I opened the door, helping her into the passenger seat with the care I'd give a piece of ancient porcelain. "Stay here. Lock the doors. I'll be back in two minutes—I left the physical copies of the internal scans on the desk."
"Keif, it's fine, Ci n said he'd send them digitally," Jay said, leaning her head back against the seat.
"I want the physicals, Jay. I'm not leaving our medical data in a public bin," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. I closed her door, watched the locks click, and signaled the perimeter guards to tighten the circle.
I sprinted back into the hospital, my boots echoing in the private corridor. I reached the consultation room and pushed the door open without knocking.
Ci n was still there. But he wasn't filing papers. He was staring at a secondary monitor, his brow furrowed, his face pale in the blue light of the screen. He didn't hear me come in at first.
"Ci n," I said.
He jumped, nearly knocking over his chair. He looked at me, and the expression in his eyes made my blood turn to liquid nitrogen. It was the look a soldier gives when he knows the reinforcements aren't coming.
"Keifer," he breathed. "I thought you left."
"I forgot the reports," I said, stepping closer, my eyes locking onto the screen. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? The heartbeat was strong. You said everything was good."
Ci n looked at the door, making sure it was shut, then looked back at me. He looked older than his years in that moment. "I told her everything was good 'for now,' Keifer. Because I didn't want her to panic. Not yet."
"Talk to me," I growled, the 'Monster' inside me waking up, my hands curling into fists. "What did you see?"
Ci n sighed, rubbing his face. "The scans... they show a level of uterine scarring from the last emergency delivery and the subsequent trauma she went through. It's deeper than we thought. And her blood markers... her iron and her heart's compensatory rhythm..."
He paused, looking me dead in the eye
"Keifer, listen to me very carefully. Rather than last time, this time on delivery, Jay's condition will be more critical. It will be more critical than anything we faced with Alexander."
The world felt like it was tilting. I grabbed the edge of the desk to steady myself. "How much more critical?"
"I can't even give you a percentage yet," Ci n said, his voice trembling slightly. "Because the way the placenta is attaching near that old scar tissue... it's getting complicated. I can't say anything definitive about the delivery yet, but it's going to be a high-risk battle. I'm telling you this now because you need to take care of her like never before. No stress. No surgeries. No 'Section E' drama. If she strains herself, we might not have a choice to make later."
"You're saying she could..." I couldn't finish the sentence. The thought of a world without Jay was a void I couldn't look into.
"I'm saying we have to be perfect," Ci n said, handing me the folder. "Take her home. Don't tell her the full extent yet—not until I run the secondary markers. Just... take care of her, Keifer. I'm scared for her this time."
The Return to the Car
I walked back to the car in a trance. The sunlight felt mocking. The noise of the city felt like nails on a chalkboard. I reached the SUV and saw Jay through the glass. She was smiling at a video of Alexander on her phone, looking so vibrant, so alive.
I opened the driver's door and sat down. I placed the folder in the back seat, my hands shaking.
"Got them?" she asked, turning to me, her eyes bright. "Keif? You okay? You look like you just walked through a blizzard."
I forced my face to settle. I forced the 'Monster' to retreat behind a mask of calm, though my heart was screaming. I reached over, taking her face in my hands, kissing her with a desperation that startled her.
"I've got them, wifey," I whispered against her lips, my voice thick. "I've got you. I'm never letting anything happen to you. Do you hear me?"
"I hear you, hubby," she laughed softly, confused but leaning into my touch. "It was a good checkup. Why are you being so intense?"
"Because I love you," I said, starting the engine. "And from now on, you don't even lift a glass of water without me. We're going home."
As I drove out of the hospital gates, I looked in the rearview mirror at the building where Ci n was still sitting, staring at those scans. I had billions of dollars, an army of elite men, and the power to move nations. But as I gripped the steering wheel, I realized none of it mattered if I couldn't save the woman beside me from her own body.
The war wasn't on a battlefield this time. It was inside the person I loved most. And I was going to win. I had to.
The drive back to the Black Box felt like navigating a minefield. Every bump in the road, every sudden brake from a distracted driver in Manila traffic, made my heart lurch into my throat. I kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other firmly gripped onto Jay's hand, my thumb obsessively stroking her knuckles.
"Keif, you're going thirty kilometers an hour," Jay remarked, looking out at the motorcycles zooming past our armored SUV. "At this rate, Alexander will be starting high school by the time we get home."
"Safety first, wifey," I muttered, my eyes darting to the side mirrors. I wasn't just looking for threats from the outside anymore. I was looking for any sign of discomfort on her face. I was looking for the invisible "complications" Ci n had just warned me about.
How could something so small—a flickering pulse on a screen—carry so much weight? And how could it be so dangerous to the woman who was my entire world?
The Arrival at the Fortress
When we pulled into the driveway of the mansion, the "Garrison" was already lined up. They saw my face through the windshield, and the atmosphere shifted instantly. They knew that look. It was the look I wore when I was ready to burn an empire to the ground.
Keigan and Keiran stepped forward as I helped Jay out of the car. I didn't just open the door; I practically lifted her out, my arm a permanent brace around her waist.
"Ate! How was it?" Keiran asked, his face lighting up. "Did you see the baby? Is it a boy? Can I start buying the mini-motorbikes?"
"It's a tiny bean, Keiran," Jay laughed, though I could see the fatigue starting to pull at the corners of her eyes. "And no motorbikes."
"Kuya, why do you look like you're about to declare war on the hospital?" Keigan asked, his sharp Watson eyes narrowing as he looked at me.
"Inside. Now," I commanded, my voice cold.
The Lockdown
I escorted Jay to the master suite, ignoring her protests that she wanted to go to the kitchen to see what Aries was cooking. I didn't stop until she was sitting on the edge of our bed.
"Keifer, what is going on?" she asked, her voice losing its playfulness. "You've been acting strange since you came back with those reports. Did Ci n say something else?"
I knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands in mine. I had to be careful. If I told her everything, her blood pressure would spike. If I told her nothing, she'd continue to push herself at the hospital.
"He just emphasized how much rest you need, Jay," I said, my voice softening as I looked into her eyes. "The last delivery... the trauma... your body hasn't fully forgotten it. I need you to promise me, right now. No more surgeries. No more long shifts. You are the Queen of this house, but for the next few months, you are my patient."
"Keifer—"
"Promise me," I growled softly, my forehead resting against hers. "I can't lose you, Jay. Everything I built... it means nothing if you aren't standing there to share it."
She sighed, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I promise, hubby. I'll be good."
The Silent War Room
Once she was settled and I was sure she was resting, I stepped out onto the landing. Keigan, Keiran, Percy, and the Section E brothers were waiting in the hallway. They looked like a council of war.
"Talk," Kuya Angelo said, walking up the stairs with Lia. He had seen the way I pulled the car in. He knew the difference between 'good news' and 'survival mode.'
I led the men into the study, locking the heavy mahogany doors. I threw the physical report folder onto the desk.
"Ci n ran the deep scans," I began, my voice trembling with a rage I couldn't contain. "The scarring from the last emergency... the way the placenta is attaching... it's high-risk. More critical than last time. He told me he can't even guarantee the delivery outcome yet."
The silence in the room was absolute. Percy's usual smirk vanished. Keiran looked like he had been punched in the gut.
"Is she in danger now?" Keigan asked, his voice tight.
"She's stable for now. But the moment she exerts herself, the moment her heart rate stays too high... it gets complicated," I said, looking at Erdix and David. "I want the medical wing in this house fully operational by Monday. I want a surgical team on 24/7 standby in the guest quarters. And I want the security perimeter tightened. No one—no one—disturbs her with work, family drama, or stress."
"What about her hospital?" David asked.
"Close the private wing to the public," I ordered. "She's officially on leave. If she tries to go in, you call me immediately."
"And the family?" Angelo asked, his eyes dark with concern for his cousin. "Gemma and Jeena are going to want to celebrate."
"Tell them... tell them she's just tired," I said, rubbing my temples. "I don't want the mothers panicking. It will only make Jay worry more."
The Weight of the Secret
Late that night, I went back to the bedroom. Jay was fast asleep, her breathing shallow and even. I sat in the chair by the window, watching the moonlight hit the scar on her shoulder—a reminder of everything she had already survived for this family.
I thought about Ci n's face. I'm scared for her this time.
I reached out, hovering my hand over her stomach. There was a life in there—a new Watson, a new Mariano. A sibling for Alexander. But as I sat there in the dark, the 'Monster' in me made a silent, terrifying vow.
I would protect this child with everything I had. But if the world forced me to choose... if the complication became a catastrophe... I would choose her. Every single time.
I wouldn't tell her that. Not yet. But as the shadows of the Black Box lengthened, I realized the first checkup wasn't a celebration. It was the first day of the hardest war I would ever fight.
"You're going to be okay, wifey," I whispered into the silence. "I'll make sure of it. Even if I have to stop the world from turning."
I didn't sleep that night. I just watched her breathe, counting every second, guarding the starlight that I refused to let fade.