MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

After finishing the call with Victor and Macey, Damon made his way back to the room. He slipped inside quietly, finding Svetlana more awake now, her color returning little by little.

She gave him a small smile as he approached, and he returned it with one of his own, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the forehead before settling back into the chair beside her.

He told her everything was fine.

Her parents were calm now, and Victor had canceled his flight.

They were relieved, happy even, once they heard about the proposal. Damon left out the details about how long it took to convince them.

The nurse came back not long after he returned. She ran a series of tests, double-checking her vitals, asking a few questions, and making sure Svetlana was feeling stable.

Everything came back normal. Her blood pressure was better, her sugar levels were steady, and there were no signs of anything serious.

The nurse reminded them that fainting like this wasn't unusual in early pregnancy, especially with travel, stress, and fatigue. She reassured them both that Svetlana was in good health but needed rest.

They gave her a list of recommendations, stay hydrated, eat more frequently, avoid long stretches without rest.

The nurse even mentioned a few light exercises she could do once she was feeling up to it, but only after a few days of taking it easy.

Damon listened closely to everything, nodding along, taking mental notes even when Svetlana seemed to already know most of it. He wasn't taking chances.

Before the nurse left, she asked the question neither of them had really expected so soon.

If they wanted to know the gender.

Damon almost said yes. The answer was right there on the tip of his tongue. But then he glanced at Svetlana.

She shook her head slightly, her hand resting over her stomach. There was a small smile on her face, one that told him she wanted to wait. She wanted the surprise.

Damon held back his answer, simply nodding in agreement with her choice.

The nurse smiled at their decision, made a note in the chart, and then told them they could leave later that day if Svetlana continued to do well.

And that's exactly how it went.

When Svetlana was discharged later that day, they didn't make a big event out of it. Damon kept things simple and easy, walking with her slowly back to their suite at the hotel.

They didn't talk much on the way, there wasn't a need. She was tired, and he understood that all too well.

Once they got back to the room, Damon helped her settle in, making sure she had everything she needed before he took care of packing their bags.

There wasn't any rush. They planned to rest for the day, giving her time to sleep and recover fully before heading out.

The next few days passed quietly.

They stayed out of the spotlight, avoided any extra travel or stress.

Damon kept a close eye on her, whether she needed it or not. Svetlana didn't argue about it, probably because she knew he wasn't going to let up. He wasn't overbearing.

But as the days ticked by and their trip came to an end, there was an unspoken understanding between them.

As much as they'd enjoyed this time together, everything had changed.

Not in a bad way.

Just different.

The kind of change you couldn't ignore, no matter how beautiful the views were or how perfect the dinners felt.

They had fun. They had their moments.

But there were conversations they needed to have.

Real ones.

About the baby. About what came next. About what kind of life they were going to build now.

And they both knew the first step was telling their families.

Better to do it sooner rather than later.

It wasn't something they wanted to drag out.

And once they were home, there wouldn't be anywhere left to hide from it.

Once everything was wrapped up, they boarded the plane. Damon had handled it all, closing out their stay, settling the hotel bill without blinking, making sure everything was squared away. No loose ends. Nothing left undone.

It wasn't a commercial flight either.

This was a private plane, the kind reserved for people who didn't need to check schedules or stand in lines. It was quiet, spacious, with room to stretch out and relax.

They sat together on the long leather seat near the window. Svetlana had leaned her head back not long after takeoff, resting with her eyes closed, a soft blanket draped over her.

Damon stared out the window at first.

Clouds rolling by.

The hum of the engines steady in the background.

But his mind wasn't in the sky.

It was somewhere else entirely.

He found himself thinking about things he'd never really let himself consider before.

Starting a family.

Not just the fact that they were having a baby now, but the bigger picture.

Where they'd live.

What kind of life they'd build.

He never cared about that before. His focus had always been on the next fight, the next challenge, the next step in his career.

But now?

Everything felt different.

There was something more to plan for. Something bigger than just himself.

He thought about what Svetlana had told him when they started dating, he had always wanted to make her dream true.

She wanted to live on a farm one day.

Away from the noise.

Fresh air. Open space.

Somewhere peaceful where they could have their life without all the distractions.

A place to raise their family.

He closed his eyes and let himself picture it.

Just a quiet morning.

Somewhere far from the noise.

A house set back on open land, maybe hills in the distance, trees along a fence line.

Svetlana out on the porch with a cup of coffee, maybe watching their kid run around, laughing about something simple.

Something real.

The earlier fear he'd felt, the weight of not knowing how to be a father, was still there, but smaller now.