Chapter 25Gavin
CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE
GAVIN
Today is a good day, despite finding out my sixteen-year-old son is mated to his best friend and has been for about three months—maybe. Because Callum can’t remember when the bite happened exactly. It didn’t happen the first time he and Silo... did the deed, and it didn’t happen when Silo was in heat. They haven’t been that stupid—yet.
No wonder the poor idiot struggled so much when Silo was in heat. Every one of Callum’s instincts would have been screaming at him to help his mate through what’s supposed to be the one time an omega needs an alpha the most.
I’m doing my best not to think about any of it in great detail. They are mated, and there is no undoing it. Eventually, I’ll have to talk to Thane. Not today. Not tomorrow. Probably not within the next three months because talking to Thane about what our sons have done isn’t going to change the outcome. Just add to his stress, and put more on my plate.
Right now, the only thing I want to focus on is Jules, and our baby.
His hand is damp in mine as his leg bounces up and down while we wait for our name to be called. A nurse already had Jules pee in a cup but she seemed to think it was more a formality than anything. She sees dozens of pregnant omegas in a day and can sniff out which ones are and aren’t pregnant like a trained bloodhound.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper in Jules’ ear, letting his hand go so I can tuck him against my side. He picks at his cuticles. One begins to bleed so I lay my hand over his. “They’re just going to confirm the pregnancy. It’ll be a few weeks before any serious appointments.”
“I know. It’s just—” He pauses and chews his bottom lip. I want to free it from the abuse he’s currently inflicting but I’m not going to release him to do it. “Doctors aren’t my thing.”
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. If you don’t like this doctor we can find one you do like, or we don’t have to use a doctor at all.” Lots of omegas do, but plenty more don’t. They let nature do as nature intends, and Jules can go that route if he prefers. There are options and we can explore all of them until he feels comfortable.
“I don’t want to be a bother. I’m sure they’re fine.”
I release his hand, have no choice but to do so now, and turn his head towards me with a finger under his chin. His eyes are wide and slightly panicked. I wish I had a way to reassure him everything’s going to be okay but I don’t. “You’re never a bother—certainly not now—but if there is ever a time when you’re entitled to be one, this is that time.”
“I... Yeah. You’re right.” He takes a deep breath and exhales as he rubs his hands on his thighs. “In the future, do you mind if we skip the clinics?”
“We don’t have to be here, Jules.” If he doesn’t want to be here, if he’s that scared of the doctor’s office, it’s better to leave now. Undue stress isn’t good for him or the baby, and I don’t need a test to tell me he’s pregnant. My former wife gave birth to three healthy boys. I knew what’s up by his scent alone. “We can buy an at-home test and do this off the books. Say the word and we can leave.”
“No.” He runs his hands through his hair before clasping them in his lap. “We’re here. We should at least go through the first visit.”
“Mr. Strange?” a woman in blue scrubs with bright pink hair calls as she holds open a door. I grasp one of his hands and pull him to his feet. It trembles in mine but he squares his shoulders and crosses towards the nurse with a weak smile. Hers is bright and cheery in comparison. “Your room is down here.”
We follow her down a hallway with six doors on each side—most of them closed for privacy—and she motions us into the fourth room on the right. Inside is an exam table, two chairs, a sink, and all the standard supplies. It doesn’t look any different from exam rooms sixteen years ago. Almost seventeen now.
“Doctor Dulany will be with you shortly. Please make yourself comfortable.” She pulls the door shut behind her and I ease Jules down into a chair. Unless the doctor says otherwise, there is no reason to put him on the exam table.
“Doctor Dulany is nice.” I squat beside him and rub his arms. He’s pale and looks to be on the verge of throwing up. That isn’t unusual for first time parents. I’m sure I looked the same when I first learned about Baz. “She was Iolani’s doctor for Callum.”
He swallows several times. “That’s a little comforting.”
I press a soft, chaste kiss to his mouth. “I love you.” It came out of left field and happened fast. Happened in a matter of weeks. It started before his heat, over the meals and conversations we had when he knocked on Strange Brew’s back door. The night I bit him just solidified everything. “And I’m going to be here every step of the way. You’re going to be just fine, Jules.”
He cups the side of my neck and presses his mouth against mine, a little harder than I kissed him, before he wraps his arms around my shoulders and tucks his face into my throat. Each inhale, and exhale of his breath on my collarbone is unsteady. I circle my arms around him and stand before sitting down with him in my lap.
“I love you too.” His voice is wet and choked. “Thanks for loving me back.”
I shake my head. He never has to thank me for that.
“You’re easy to love.” I bury my nose in his hair and breathe him in as the silence wraps around us. A few minutes later there’s a soft knock on the door before it cracks open.
“Ready for me, Mr. Strange?” Doctor Dulany asks.
“We’re ready,” I call. An older woman pushes the door the rest of the way open. She’s short, a little round around the middle, but her energy is strong—an alpha, and a predator. It’s a good combination for an OBGYN; it means she’s fiercely protective of her patients and their children.
“I thought I recognized the name.” She extends her hand after she shuts the door and I accept it. “I admit I didn’t expect to see you again, Gavin.”
Old age has been kind to her. Not that she is all that old at sixty-two. There’s more gray in her hair now, and wrinkles around her mouth, but she looks as strong as ever. I know for a fact she’s kind and that’s important where Jules is concerned.
“You must be Jules.” She offers him her hand too. “It’s nice to meet you. Gavin has probably already told you I’m Doctor Dulany. I saw Ben during his pregnancy with Callum.”
“She goes by Iolani now.” It’s an honest mistake.
Doctor Dulany doesn’t even pause or bat an eyelash. “You’ll have to tell her I said hello. Do you mind hopping onto the exam table, Jules? I just want to see if we can detect a heartbeat.”
“Oh...” His throat clicks as he swallows. “Okay. Sure. I can.”
He stands on unsteady feet and when he turns to get on the exam table, I give him a hand up before helping him lay down. Doctor Dulany comes to his side as I lace my fingers with his and comb my free hand through his hair.
“This is your first pregnancy, is that right Jules?” She pushes his shirt up before reaching for a bottle and giving it a shake.
“Yes.” His hand, sweaty and shaky, tightens around mine.
“The first time—sorry, spot of cold—” She squeezes the bottle on his belly and a clear liquid plops out. Jules jerks but Doctor Dulany uses a wand to smear the gel as she keeps talking. “—is always the scariest, but you’re going to be just fine. Pikas are some of my best patients. Incredibly easy pregnancy and birth. I never worry about them.”
“You have other pikas you treat?” he asks, a catch in his voice.
The wand she’s using is attached to a small handheld speaker with no picture.
“A dozen or so. There’s a small colony here in the city. I specialize in small prey and predator pregnancy.” A soft thump echoes around the room. A heartbeat. My eyes are suddenly hot and I blink several times. “There’s one.” She tips her head and listens. Jules’ eyes are damp with tears as he squeezes my hand. “Strong. Steady. Good. Now, let’s see—” She moves the wand across Jules’ stomach. There’s static before another beat fills the room. “And two! Just as good.”
I suck in a sharp breath. Did she just say...
She continues to shift the wand around as if she didn’t just drop a bomb in our laps.
“Wait.” Jules pushes himself upright and I catch his shoulder to ease him back down as I stare at Doctor Dulany. “Two? You said... two. That can’t be right.” His gaze flickers between her and me. I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting two either.
Doctor Dulany smiles. “Pikas most commonly have twins—sometimes triplets.”
His nails bite into the back of my hand. “I wasn’t a twin.”
“It’s rare, but it happens,” she reassures him, still moving the wand. Probably looking for another heartbeat, if twins are common and triplets within the realm of possibility.
I exhale when she pulls the wand away and turns it off.
Twins. Two babies. It’s unexpected, but not unpleasant or unwanted. I can’t imagine if there were three though.
He rubs his eyes. “I was freaking out over one and we’re having two.”
Doctor Dulany wipes his stomach off and turns away to give us a moment.
I comb my fingers through his hair again and brush a kiss over his forehead. “You’re going to get through this just fine, Jules. One more than we expected isn’t a bad thing. And I’m not going anywhere. You’re not alone in this. I promise.”
I’ve been here before, and have all the experience to get us both through this smoothly.