Chapter 75
Julian
“AGHHHH!!!” I scream as I dig my claws into the car’s leather seats.
“We’re almost there!” Aiden shouts, his unblinking eyes glued to the windshield as he drives us down the pack roads to the Healers’ Chambers. “Just hold on!”
“Tell that to the baby!” I shout before I’m screaming again. “Where are the contractions even coming from?!”
“L-Levi, take him through the breathing exercises just like we practised,” Aiden says, and I glance across at Levi.
My pup looks at me with nervous eyes, but he keeps his panicking internal, while Aiden lets it all out. Breathing in deeply, Levi tries to get me to follow along before he lets it out. For his sake, I try to keep up with him, but the pain is blinding and—
I shriek as my eyes threaten to explode along with my entire body as the baby makes it known that he wants out. I just wish it got the memo that while I might have a womb, there is no natural out.
“AIDEN!”
“We’re here! We’re here!” he shouts, parking horribly outside of the ward where healers are at the ready to help me out of the car. “Levi, get the bag!”
While Aiden and everyone with hands on me help me inside, Levi rushes after us with Aiden’s precious hospital bag trailing behind him. Aiden takes it from him while they settle me in a wheelchair to rush me deeper inside.
“One, two. One, two.” Levi says, looking at me as he runs beside us.
“Three, four. Three, four.” I say panting as he tries to distract me from the pain with the game I created to help him with his numbers. By the time we’re at twelve, we finally make it to a room already crawling with more pack healers.
“Have you eaten in the past six to eight hours?” one questions me as they help me up and start undressing me.
“No,” I grind out as my body drenches itself in sweat.
“Have you taken any medication in the past eight hours?” another asks.
“No.”
“Have you drunk any liquids in the past two hours?” someone else asks while a gown is tugged overhead.
“It’s three o’clock in the fucking morning, what do you think?!” I growl, feeling my eyes glow as they back away a little.
“Hey, they’re just trying to help,” Aiden says, pulling my chin to look at him. “Breathe, baby. Breathe.”
“What do you think I’m doing?!” I growl at him and Aiden squeaks. I glance at Levi, and it takes only one look at those frightened eyes for me to curb the panic. “I’m fine, so perfectly fine.”
I keep repeating the lie until I’m settled onto a bed and rolled back out into the halls. I spot Isabel, Kat, Emitt, and Beckett, all running in from the other direction and thank the heavens for them.
“Levi,” I call, and he’s at my side in a second. “I want you to do something that will help me so so much.”
“Anything,” he whispers, eager to help.
“I need you to stay with them while we get your baby brother, okay? That way, I’ll know you’re okay and won’t worry.”
Levi’s face crumples, but he forces himself to nod as he wipes away his disappointment and replaces it with determination. “Okay.”
“Good boy,” I say with a wavy smile before I turn the other way to let out a scream.
“Okay, we need to get you on the table now,” someone shouts before we’re rolling ahead.
I spot Aiden tugging on a surgical suit and Levi running towards Emitt and Beckett before I’m rolled into the operation room, and holy fuck … I’m about to have a baby
“Can you make sure he gets an innie?” Aiden asks, disturbing the perfect quiet. “I struggle through life with an outie, and I wouldn’t want anyone to live that way.”
“Aiden,” I grind out while I look at him. “Shut up.”
“No, talking is good,” the healer at my side says. “It makes the experience more positive.”
“Him talking about our child’s belly button isn’t really making this more positive for me,” I reply tightly, and Aiden’s eyebrows almost touch his surgical cap.
“You’re doing great,” he says, switching gears as he comes closer so he’s all I can see, rather than the people operating on me and opening me up.
“I’m not doing anything,” I reply a little hazily. “I’m just lying here while they get the baby.”
“And you’re doing great,” Aiden says, nodding to himself as his eyes wander down. They barely settle before he frowns.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my insides cramping with fear.
“Nothing. Nothing,” he soothes as he brings his eyes back to me. “I just thought I saw a bee.”
“A bee?” I squeak.
“No bee. We are almost …” a healer says, and I hold my breath before he finally says, “there.”
The sound of a baby crying fills the air, allowing my first real breath since we rushed out of our place this evening while my heart races a mile a minute. My fingers itch, desperate to touch, to hold, to see.
“Here’s your baby boy.” They hand the swaddled baby to Aiden, and my heart aches and fills all at once as I watch tears spill from his eyes.
Our pup cries in his arms, and I make a desperate sound. Aiden quickly lowers himself, leaning down so that I can see him. I spot a leg, a hand, and my tears spill long before I lay eyes on my son as he squirms in Aiden’s arms.
His tiny face is scrunched tight, and he won’t stop screaming, but that’s a good sign. He’s here, whole and healthy.
“He’s so beautiful,” I cry as a wobbly smile pulls my lips apart.
“He’s so big,” Aiden says, making me laugh a little as he holds him like the precious jewel he is.
I stare at him, blinking quickly so my vision doesn’t blur to take it away. I could stare at him forever.
I try to, but they have to clean him up and finish the surgery before I can hold him. So I try to pull myself together, but I fail miserably as tears of pure joy still stream down my face.
Cradled in my arms, my pup sleeps soundly, no longer screaming.
Aiden was right when he said he was big. My arms ache a little holding him so long, but I love it because it reminds me of what I have here. A little piece of me and Aiden—something we made on our own, and he’s perfect.
The door creeks open, and I look up as Aiden slips in with Levi at his side. They’re dark eyes match as they walk in hand in hand, but Levi’s are filled with a panic that doesn’t leave until they land on me.
Relief crashes through him and he quickly steps forward. Aiden lets Levi lead the way, following as he shyly crosses the room until he’s right at my bedside, his big eyes lifting curiously to the babe in my arms.
“Are you ready to meet your brother?” I ask and Levi nods vigorously. I grin as I make room. “Come up here.”
Letting Aiden go, Levi carefully climbs onto the bed, before he slides into the space beside me. Levi’s eyes widen, curious and amazed as he stares down at the sleeping boy.
“Levi, meet Damon,” I say, smiling as Aiden circles the bed to join me on the opposite side. “Your baby brother.”
Damon mewls as he stirs, waking with his family all around him.
His little arms escape their binds, reaching up as he shifts about.
Levi gasps a little before he hesitantly reaches out.
He stops, looking at me, but when I nod, he continues, stretching his finger out to Damon, who immediately wraps his tiny hand around his finger.
Levi smiles and giggles, joy wafting into our family body from all sides, including Damon’s, as small as it is. We stay there for Goddess knows how long, my amazing mate on one side, my handsome boy on the other, and my beautiful Damon in my arms.