Chapter Fourteen
Isaac
“How is he, doctor?” I saw my mate lying in bed unconscious and had to hold back my bear who just wanted to wrap our mate up in his arms and protect him from danger.
“He’ll be fine. We’ll be keeping him overnight for observation, but I don’t see any irregularities in his bloodwork or other tests.” Doctor Phillips checked Thomas’s chart as he spoke. “His lungs look clear and his head injury was minor.”
“Then why isn’t he waking up yet?” I couldn’t take my eyes off my sleeping mate. He looked so pale and vulnerable. “Shouldn’t he be up?”
“I think his dragon is keeping him asleep in order to keep the baby calm.” The doctor nodded.
“I know that sometimes our animals will force us to rest after a major event so that our body heals. He probably needs to restore his energy. But you need to discuss with your mate the repercussions of not telling his station he was pregnant. I know that Chief Jason wouldn’t allow a pregnant omega to go into a fire scene if he knew Thomas was expecting. ”
“I’m sorry, Doctor, did you just say baby?” I blinked a few times, something I tended to do when I heard something unbelievable. “My mate is pregnant?”
“Oh.” The doctor nodded as if he figured out an answer to a question he had. “So, you didn’t know? I apologize for breaking the news that way. I just get upset if I see a patient endangering their unborn baby. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“No worries.” I waved off the apology. “I’m confident my mate is also unaware of the pregnancy. When he wakes up, I’ll let him know.”
The doctor’s pager went off and he checked it. “I need to go check on another patient. Are there any other questions before I leave?”
“Not that I can think off.” I sat next to the hospital bed and took Thomas’s hand in mine. “Thanks, Doctor.”
Once Doctor Phillips left, I got lost in thought.
Thomas was pregnant. I was going to be a father.
How did I feel about this news?
An image of Thomas and I at a park with a brown-haired little boy with bright blue eyes and freckles sent a wave of excitement through me. My bear roared a bit before I reminded him we were in a hospital and I couldn’t let him out in here.
“You look happy.” A drowsy-voiced Thomas broke into my daydreaming.
“I am.” I placed a kiss on my mate’s lips. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Thomas stopped and scrunched his face. Over the last several weeks, I’d learned this was his thinking face. “What happened?”
“You got hit by a wooden beam in the fire. But Trevor was able to carry you out right away. The doctor said everything looks good though and you should be able to leave in the morning.” I fingered the piece of hair that always liked to fall across Thomas’s forehead. “You sure you feel okay, though?”
“Positive.” Thomas tried to sit up in bed. I helped him adjust his position so he was more comfortable. “So why were you so happy? I mean, I get that all tests looked okay, but you seemed almost like ‘a kid getting a Christmas gift’ kind of happy.”
“The doctor did give me some news I need to share with you.” I placed a hand on my mate’s belly. “We’re gonna have a baby.”
“Seriously?” Thomas sat up straighter, his own hand flying to his stomach. “I’m pregnant?”
“Apparently.” I nodded. “He said that was why you were unconscious for so long. You’re your dragon was protecting the baby and letting you build up your strength after all the stress of the fire and the injury. But everything looked good so far.”
“And that’s what made you so smiley?” Thomas traced the uplift of my mouth. “You excited to meet our baby?”
“Extremely.” I leaned in and rested my forehead on his. “I can’t wait to meet a mini-Thomas.”
“It could be a mini-Isaac. Or even a Victoria.”
“Is that the name you would use for a girl?” I chuckled. “No matter their name or gender, I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Me too.” Thomas hummed. “I’m glad they are okay. I guess I’ll need to let Jason and the crew know. I don’t think they will be letting me fight anymore fires for a while.”
“No. They better not.” I sat back in my chair.
“Did you want me to bring Jason in? He’s out in the waiting room with the rest of the guys.
They all showed up once the shifts changed over.
Jamie and Charlie have been out there since the ambulance brought you in.
I was at their place when Jason called me.
The nurses didn’t let them back while you were out but now that you are up, I’m sure some of the crew would love to see you. ”
“Please.” Thomas checked his hospital gown and made sure everything was covered. “Can you have them come in? I’ll keep it short, but I need to make sure everyone else on the team is safe too.”
“I understand.” I got up and headed to the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Over the next hour or so, the whole crew was able to check in with my mate. Jason was worried when we shared the news about the baby. Not because it meant one less member of the crew to go out on calls but because he had unintentionally put our child at risk.
“It’s no one’s fault. No one knew. Including us,” Thomas reassured his fire chief. “But the doctor assured us everything is okay and the pregnancy is still relatively early.”
“You do know that you will be going on administrative work from now on until you come back from paternity leave. Right?” Jason pulled out his phone and sent a text.
“I just messaged myself a reminder to make the notes in the schedule to bring in one of the floaters if needed. You take a couple extra days off to rest, okay? And when you come back on shift, we will keep you busy with safer duties than going out on the calls. Our little mini-Thomas needs to be kept safe.”
“Told ya, it’s mini-Thomas.” I poked my mate’s arm.
“Shush.” Thomas laughed and then focused back on Jason. “I don’t need any extra days—”
“Please don’t argue with me over this.” Jason sighed.
“Me and the other guys were afraid we lost you, and now I am kicking myself over putting your unborn child at risk. Take a couple days’ rest to ease my concerns.
You get paid leave and I get to make sure you are truly okay before coming back to work. ”
“Fine.” Thomas grabbed his phone and made a note in the calendar app. “I’ll take the paid leave and spend it binge-watching Omega Beach since you are forcing me to.”
“That’s the spirit. Binge the shows, catch the z’s, and come back refreshed and ready to turn all our analogue files into digital ones. Deal?”
“I knew there was going to be a catch. The idea of taking a paid break was too sweet. Now I know why? I get the job no one else wants.”
“We can throw in extra treats throughout the day to keep the deal worth it.”
“You better.” Thomas scoffed. “I request brownies for the first day. And Trevor’s meat loaf for dinner.”
“Whatever you say.” Jason walked toward the door, ushering the rest of the crew with him. “Well, see you next week. Rest up.”
Once everyone left, I got my mate some water and sat on the bed next to him. “Why don’t you drink this then get some more rest. It seems you have a big day of streaming waiting for you tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Thomas finished the glass and handed it back to me. “Care to join me in my Omega Beach marathon?”
“Sounds like my type of day.”