Chapter 16
TERON
H ow could I have missed that she was in labor? She’d come to me yesterday with lower back pain and some irregular contractions, and I’d told her it was Braxton Hicks, which I’d been sure it was. She hadn’t said anything at all today, which should have been my first damn clue.
“Stop freaking out, Teron. I’m fine . These things are slow. You said so yourself.” She was trying to keep me calm?
Huffing out a deep sigh, I gave her a reassuring smile. “I know. Still, I’m going to spank your ass red for hiding this from me all day.”
Stroking my arm, she lay on the chaise lounge in the clean room we were using as a birthing suite. “This dinner was important, and my contractions were so far apart. If I was truly worried, I wouldn’t have hesitated, I promise.”
Honestly, I was kind of glad that Asclepius was here too. The universe had a funny way of providing, especially when it came to Wren. As it was, the Demigod of Medicine was looking over her chart, fiddling with the new-age equipment, genuinely looking like a kid in a candy shop.
Standing over one of the incubators, he shook his head. “Can you imagine if we’d had these back when we walked the earth among the humans? The new lives I could have saved…” It was the lament of medical practitioners everywhere. Especially back in the old days, where sometimes your only cure would’ve been a Demigod like Asclepius.
Wren winced, letting out a small moan of pain. Her contractions were getting closer together. She was dressed in one of Milo’s oversized shirts that hung down to her knees, and a pair of long socks that met the hem.
I patted the mattress of the specialty birthing bed that I’d had shipped in. Honestly, was it necessary? No. But I wasn’t taking any chances, and it doubled as a normal hospital bed anyway. Maybe we’d have an entire maternity hospital dedicated to Wren at the end of this.
“I’ll give you your epidural. It’ll make everything a lot more comfortable.” I’d been practicing epidurals on Demke, but the pressure of doing it on Wren was giving me heart palpitations. If she’d left it any longer, though, she wouldn’t even get this.
I once again second-guessed myself about whether I should attempt a Cesarean section instead. I had all the equipment necessary, and with Asclepius here, another set of competent hands. Almost all triplet pregnancies ended in a C-section, and I was stupid to believe that this would be the better way.
I reminded myself again why this would be okay. The presenting baby was in a good position. Head down, like he knew his job. The babies all had their own amniotic sacs and placentas, which was much safer. Their positions were fine. If it became a problem, we could adjust then.
Demke was here, and he was a God of fertility and rejuvenation. While that didn’t necessarily equate to being helpful during birth, his magic would keep everything calm and help Wren with her exhaustion. And Asclepius could keep everyone stable.
I internally talked myself through the steps of giving an epidural, and when it went smoothly, I breathed a sigh of relief, glad she couldn’t see my indecision on my face. I’d made everyone stay outside the room except Demke, and now Asclepius, because the less desterilization of the room, the better. But I knew they were all outside, relying on me not to fuck this up.
As Demke stroked her hand, I busied myself setting up anything we might need for any eventuality. Surgical equipment. Anesthetic. Humidicribs. Suction bulbs. I’d bought everything, but hoped to only use a fraction of it.
Before I knew it, it was time. I’d never felt so unprepared in my life. The Gryphon was flailing around inside me; he was so close to the surface, I could swear I felt the brush of his feathers beneath my skin. But he knew to stay inside. This was a moment for the man, not for the mate. Still, he spent so much time cooing encouragement to Wren, it was crowding my brain.
I’m going to need you to be silent when it starts. I know it’s hard—for both of us. I just need to concentrate. I don’t want to make any mistakes.
I heard the Gryphon’s huff. You will not make a mistake. I trust you with our mate.
I wasn’t sure if his reassurance made me more scared or less.
Watching the clock on the wall as Wren had a long contraction, Demke stroked her hair where it was sticking to her face. “That one went for a full minute,” he said softly.
I rolled my shoulders and came to stand beside her bed. “It’s time,” I murmured, and the fear in her eyes was like a dagger to my heart. Stroking her face, I leaned down and kissed her softly. “Don’t be scared. You’re a warrior. You’ve overcome everything life has thrown at you; this is just one more tiny hurdle. And then you’ll have three beautiful babies at the end. A family once more.”
She nodded, and I looked over at Asclepius, who stood beside the humidicribs. He would take the babies as they were delivered, and ensure they were all right. If they were too soon, or too… Well, he would step in. But they wouldn’t be. I had been monitoring them almost religiously for weeks. They were healthy and strong.
It would all be okay.
“Do you need the same pep talk?” Demke asked lightly, though he also looked fearful.
Snapping my gloves on, I shook my head. I had this. I did a brief examination, happy with how the first baby was holding its own. A perfect, textbook birth was what we were aiming for, and he was in the right spot to make that happen.
I just had to keep my shit together.
As another contraction swept over her, Wren moaned loudly. After it passed, I prepared myself. “Next contraction, we’re going to push, okay?” I told her softly.
“How are you ever going to look at my vagina the same again?” she whimpered.
A laugh burst out of me. “With reverent awe, sweetheart. In approximately six weeks’ time, I’ll prove just how beautiful every single inch of you is to me. But right now, we have a few babies to deliver. Are you ready?” She shook her head, but still pushed. The baby crowned, and I breathed slowly. “And again, Wren. Baby number one is paving the way for his brothers. I promise it’ll get easier.” It was a soothing white lie; it might be easier, but she’d get more exhausted.
She pushed, and his head popped out. I hissed out my first relieved breath, though I doubted I’d feel anything close to relief for another eighteen minutes… or eighteen years.
“I see his head, and he has your beautiful dark hair. Okay, we need a couple more big pushes to get his shoulders out, then the rest will slip right out.”
She bore down once more, like the goddess she was, and then with little help, baby boy number one was in my arms.
Cutting the cord, I passed him to Asclepius, who suctioned his airways, then he let out a long, beautiful wail. It was the most awe-inspiring sound in the world, and Wren burst into fresh tears. Asclepius brought him over, placing the baby on her chest. I looked up, unable to drag my eyes away from the wonder of life happening in front of me. A tear fell from Demke’s cheek onto the baby’s head, though I didn’t think my oldest friend even knew he was crying.
But there was another impatient baby waiting to be born, already crowning. “Wren, Baby Two obviously inherited your impatience, because he’s ready. Are you ready? Hand the baby back to Clee so he can get him all wrapped up and warm.” Asclepius lifted the baby gently from Wren’s chest, and we went back to work. “Okay, Baby One busted down the doors, and this one is ready to enter the party. Ready? Push, sweetheart. Push!”
She screamed as she pushed, and out came a second tiny miracle. He didn’t even wait for Asclepius to clean out his airways—he came out wailing, and it was the best sound I’d ever heard. I’d worried their lungs wouldn’t be developed enough, but they were proving me wrong. This one went straight onto her chest.
Two out of three. We were over halfway there.
I rolled my tense shoulders and watched a crying, panting Wren clutch the baby on her chest. Despite the odds, despite the dangers, we were almost there. I sent up a small prayer to both my long-gone Goddess and to my own ancestors.
Baby Three seemed to want to give his mom a break, but I knew she was tiring fast. He wasn’t yet in the position needed for her to push, so we waited. Asclepius took the second baby, wrapping him and making him warm, and putting him in the crib beside his brother.
Demke was holding Wren’s hand tightly, and I smiled up at her reassuringly. I could feel Griff sending all sorts of feel-good vibes down their link, but he stayed blessedly silent. “We are almost there. Baby Three is just taking his time moving down, but he’ll be here soon enough. You are doing so well.”
Forty-five excruciating minutes later, Wren was exhausted. As Demke whispered something sweetly in her ear, I could feel his magic in the air. Taste it on the back of my tongue.
Her blood pressure was getting high, and if she didn’t deliver soon, I was going to have to resort to a C-section. But finally, the baby moved down enough that I could feel the top of his head.
“We are almost done, Wren. So, so close. I need a few more big pushes from you, okay?” She didn’t even nod anymore, just breathed and cried. This was so hard, now that she was mine.
A contraction, a push, and then he was crowning. Another push, and his face was out. One more, and he slipped into my hands. He was still, and I quickly cut the cord, passing him off to Asclepius.
Still nothing.
The world seemed to hold its breath as we waited. A soft cry echoed around the room, and I realized I was crying too. He was placed on the chest of his mother, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Baby Three. He’s beautiful,” I whispered, my voice thick.
We weren’t done, and Wren was still in danger. Third stage was coming up, and I knew it was dangerous, especially with multiples. I prayed that I was enough. But when her blood pressure dropped, setting off the alarms, a panic I’d never felt before consumed me.
“She’s hemorrhaging,” Asclepius said softly beside me. “Deliver the placentas now. ”
Fuck. Fuck. Panic zinged along my nervous system, lighting it up, making my brain foggy. I froze, wasting precious seconds.
Our mate is dying. Get your shit together. You know what you need to make her healthy and whole. Move it. The snap of the Gryphon shook me from my stunned stupor, and I went to work. I remembered the medical journals I’d read, the textbooks, hell, even the anecdotes. I knew what to do.
The next twenty minutes were officially the scariest of my life. And without Asclepius there, I wasn’t sure she would have survived.
When I finally looked up after she was stable, I wasn’t surprised to find my brothers all gathered around the edges of the room, pale and shaky. It was a battle none of them could fight, and they all looked as helpless as I’d felt. The steady beep of her monitors was the only thing soothing the anxiety inside me.
She was alive. The babies were alive. We’d all survived. Four hours she’d labored for. Four hours I hadn’t taken a deep breath. But now she would heal, and we could progress to the next part of our lives, with her and the babies.
I rocked back on my heels, slumping onto the floor. Asclepius squatted beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder. “I must go. I’ve used my powers too much, and I don’t want to bring the wrath of Zeus down on your head.” I shuddered at the very thought. “You are a brilliant mind in the medical field, Teron. Trust your instincts. Call me if you need me, and we will come.”
Standing, he looked at the guys. “Congratulations on the birth of your infants and the strength of your lover. They are both untold treasures.” He stroked the sleeping faces of the babies, bowing his head. “By thy guidance, I surrender mine fate,” he murmured, and it was a pledge. An old one, but still one that had power.
Hades and Persephone stood back by the door. They both bowed their heads respectfully. Then they were gone, and I dragged myself to my feet. I would rest later, when I was sure Wren and the babies were safe and well.
Because if anything happened to them, I knew I would never rest again.