Chapter 18 #2
“And we’ve worked out the birthing plan too,” I said as he set up his portable ultrasound machine.
“Here of course with you on standby. I’ll probably be in wolf form but want to leave myself enough wiggle room so that I can change my mind on that one.
Of course, I’ll be in human form if they decide to s-h-i-f-t into their h-u-m-a-n form.
” I said being careful not to say certain words aloud.
If they were old enough to hear music through my belly, I figured they might learn words through my belly too.
“No pain meds planned unless it goes over twelve hours and with multiples, I know it might. I want Bennie focused on me and Grandpa Clyde too if he shows up. So, I’d like you there for labor intervention if needed.
Though, if I need a c-section, I’d like Grandpa Clyde to do it, because he’s done them in a field in the middle of a battle and I think that would make my wolf less likely to freak out and that would be important during an emergency c-section if there isn’t time to put him under.
Plus, I know a lot of the newer lit suggests not putting the animal under for short things like c-sections.
It’s been debated for decades now, but I think having my wolf asleep while I’m awake would freak me out.
Oh and I want delayed cord cutting if possible and I want my ‘golden hour’ with the babies.
Like vax them and do anything that needs to be done immediately but otherwise, I don’t want them shuffled around or want them dragged off.
Me, Bennie, and the babies. I’ve already sent a copy of the outline to Grandpa Clyde too and he’ll help enforce most of the stuff that’s just boundaries, but no one bothers us during golden hour unless it’s life or death.
No one picks up any of them without permission if they weren’t there when they were made. ”
“Can you email me that outline too?” Midwife Wane asked. His eyes were saucers.
“I know it’s a lot but I’ve seen a lot of babies be born and I’ve seen a lot of people do things that would’ve annoyed me if I was the carrier involved,” I said.
“I don’t want to be pushed around during labor to do things I’ve already decided I don’t want to do.
Not that you’d do that, but if I don’t tell you now you won’t know and then it’s a whole thing.
But yeah, I’ll email it to you too. Oh, and if there’s a threat, Raziel is in charge of eating them. ”
“That’s actually in the plan,” Bennie chuckled. “He was here the night we were typing up the list.”
“My wolf won’t have to worry as much if we’re being guarded by you, Grandpa, and a dragon.
Like if a threat gets through that, we were just meant to die,” I shrugged.
“So, I’ve been feeling around my belly because I know getting sexes on furry feline babies can be difficult, but I think I know where they are.
So, Big Boy, is here. I don’t know that he’s a boy, but he has huge feet.
” I pointed at a spot on my stomach lowest toward my crotch.
“I think the two smaller ones pushed him down there to get him out of their way. Then Bunny Feet is here,” I said, pointing at spot on my stomach under my heart.
“This one likes to kick with their back feet like a fighting bunny. Then,” I pointed to the side of my stomach opposite Bunny Feet, “Thump is here. It feels like they’re always just thumping me with one paw.
” I pointed out the direction it felt like each kitten was lying in this morning.
Midwife Wane nodded and thought about it for a second.
I wondered if he was about to tell me that I couldn’t possibly know all of that but instead he just measured my belly as if he’d forgotten to do it earlier.
He hadn’t done it yet, so maybe he had forgotten about it.
Of course, Big Boy whomped him one with all four paws for daring to be near his part of my belly.
The midwife and Bennie chuckled, but I winced.
“That’s going to make it hard to see what we want, huh?” I laughed, rubbing the spot. A little paw pressed against my belly like my baby wanted to touch me.
“Actually,” Midwife Wane bit his lip and Bennie pulled his phone out intent on my calling my grandfather. While I sanctioned Bennie to be my emotional support, Grandpa Clyde had done a few ultrasounds along the way.
“He’s about a week short of three months in,” Bennie said as if he heard something I didn’t.
“I know that,” Midwife Wane said slowly. “But…”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, sliding my hand from baby to baby to ensure they all pressed back or moved around. They all did.
“Big Boy is really low,” Midwife Wane said.
“Is that bad?” I asked.
“No, he thinks you’re closer to labor than we predicted you would be by this point.”
“Tigers take longer than wolves!” I said, holding my belly like Midwife Wane planned to snatch my babies out whether they were ready or not.
“Yes and multiples can come a bit earlier in general,” Bennie said.
My wolf growled and I was glad that Bennie was the one who said it.
“Let’s just do the ultrasound and see what’s going on,” Raziel said, walking in still in his butchering gloves with a chunk of raw meat on a plate for me. “No need to get everyone worked up.”
“Don’t you eat him!” I shook a playful finger at Raziel, but I meant what I said.
“He’s right,” Midwife Wane said. “Let’s see what’s going on before we jump to any conclusions.”
“I got you a snack for afterwards,” Raziel said, setting the plate down on the coffee table and perching just over the midwife’s shoulder.
If it bothered Wane, he didn’t mention it.
So I left Raziel be. Bennie was more relaxed with him around and guys like Raziel needed someone to protect.
It was almost like he needed to do something he considered honorable all the time like he was making up for some secret past sin.
“You said the pain was achy in your back and hips?” Midwife Wane asked, pressing the wand of the machine to my belly.
Big Boy kicked hard with all four paws like he was pouncing while he was upside down.
One landed on my bladder and for a single mortifying second, I thought I was going to piss my pants.
I knocked the wand away and grabbed Bennie’s arm.
He helped me upright. Thankfully, our mating link meant he knew what was going on as I ‘hopped’ off the couch and waddled to the bathroom as fast as I could to pee.
Fortunately, I was the only one who laughed at myself.
When I was back, I laid down and we tried it again. Big Boy did kick at the wand again, but thankfully he missed my bladder this time. It took us a bit, and we didn’t see their bottoms because they were moving too much.
“He caught your bladder because he’s head down,” Bennie announced before the midwife had a chance to.
“Are we ready for babies, though?” I asked, gripping Bennie’s arm as my wolf’s claws started to morph out of my fingernails.
“Yes,” he said without missing a beat. “We’ve been ready. The nursery. The diapers and stuff.”
Raziel crossed his arms and leaned over the midwife for a better view of the monitor.
“They have wings,” he announced and I grabbed the screen for a better look, muttering an apology to the midwife.
“Feathers?” I blinked. “Are those… Feathers?” The dream I had of flying on the back of the giant crow who told me my kids would fly flashed through my mind.”
“Well, if we’re counting birds into the equation,” Bennie said, tapping the fingers of his free hand against the sofa as he did math. “They’re probably coming soon.”
“How soon?” I ask.
“Within the week, I’d say, if I had to guess,” Midwife Wane said.
The back door swung open and Bennie and Raziel almost headed that way until Grandpa Clyde’s scent hit our noses. Bennie hadn’t called him, but it was hard to keep big news away from Grandpa on the family link. He was a nosy old wolf, but at that moment he was a welcome sight.
“I’ve been waiting out there for about ten minutes.
It just felt like the sort of days unborn babies want to surprise everyone on,” he said.
“I was walking up as you came inside,” Grandpa added to Raziel.
He took the monitor in his hands and stared at it for a long time.
A smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
“Those are feathered wings. We’ve seen a lot of babies with them back home. ”
“They all look and sound healthy,” Midwife Wane said. “Just bigger and more developed than we expected at this point of gestation.”
“Yeah, I say today,” he nods. “Big Boy is really low.”
“Do you think his claws will break my water?” I cringed.
“No,” Grandpa shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Raziel and me will clear out so that Wane can see if you’re dilated at all yet.”
“When can I eat my flesh?” I asked, eyeing the table.
“As soon as we find out, kiddo,” Grandpa Clyde said. “You want anything to go with it? A dessert maybe? Something with sugar to keep your energy up?”
“Can I have a decaf frappe?” I asked hopefully.
“Extra chocolate and extra whip cream,” he nodded. “We’ll run out and get it. Come on, Raz.”