Chapter 33
Gregor
Curled in fur around my beautifully round and super prickly mate, I rubbed noses with him, and rested my head on a mound of blankets so I could watch him rest. He’d been sleeping a lot lately, but everyone insisted that was normal, so when I wasn’t working on projects, I was in the nest with him, napping since Nana suggested I’d want to get plenty of sleep myself, since it seemed like he was gearing up for the delivery. For now I just nuzzled him gently and inhaled the candy scent that always clung to him.
A soft squeak escaped him in his sleep, so I quit nuzzling, in case I was disturbing him, slipped from the nest, shifted, and pulled on the pair of boxer-briefs I’d discarded and nothing else, since I’d be getting back in beside him once I grabbed my sketchbook so I could get a little more done on the sketches for the Halloween ornaments I’d started working on earlier in the week.
Olly had gotten one look at them and immediately dubbed them our Haunted Cove line and started working on advertisements, which just meant I’d have to deliver. The first day of fall was rapidly approaching, not that Mother Nature showed any sign that she knew the weather was supposed to change. Indian Summer was in full force which meant we still had the air on full blast to keep August comfortable.
I slipped back in the nest in my boxers and got comfortable against one of the high sides. It provided all the support I needed as I opened to a fresh page and started mocking up a general outline for the ghost seal I’d planned to have guarding a haunted oyster bed.
As it always did, time melted when I started sketching, the seal coming together fast after all the afternoons I’d spent glimpsing the one that still sunned itself on the boardwalk. Was almost certain he was a shifter, but I’d never seen him in human form, or encountered a newcomer on my morning walks along that stretch of beach.
I started on the ghostly oysters next, on a separate page so I could draw them bigger than I intended to carve them while I worked out all the details. Capturing a raw oyster’s shape was easy, deciding what face to give it, when it was moaning and drifting over the oyster bed, that was another story.
Every now and again there was another squeak, and each time I looked over to see August still sleeping, though this time, I saw him wiggle and flail a tiny foot before settling back down. Reaching over, I tucked the blanket around him that his sleepy wiggles had displaced, another squeak, this one a little higher pitched, making me move slower, to make sure nothing I did drew him from his slumber.
For a moment, I just stared down at him, noting the way his lip had curled back a little as his snout wrinkled, a small flash of those tiny fangs visible before he settled back down again.
Was he uncomfortable? I didn’t want to add another blanket and make him too warm. This thin green one was the only one he’d been able to tolerate having over him for the past few days.
The longer I watched the more unsettled he seemed, so I scooted closer, wondering if it was the distance between us that was causing him not to sleep well. My leg was barely touching his blanket-covered side, but I knew the pressure against the blanket would be enough to let him know that he wasn’t alone.
Another squeak caught my attention and drew it away from the page I’d just made a couple of marks on.
Was he having a nightmare?
Was my drawing causing vibrations that were disturbing the nest?
Now I was torn, especially when another squeak followed. So I set the notebook and pen aside and scooted down, to lightly rub the top of his head.
“August?”
I murmured, keeping my voice low. “Are you having a bad dream, sweetheart?”
N-no.
“I’m sorry if I woke you with my moving around, I won’t sketch in the nest anymore.”
It’s not you. My sides hurt and I’m uncomfortable and ohh…
He squeaked again, this one more high pitched than any of the others.
“Are you in labor?”
How am I supposed to know? I don’t know what labor is supposed to feel like!
“Something tells me it feels exactly like what you’re feeling,”
I replied. “Do you want me to call your mom and Aunty Eunice?”
Oh goddess, yes please.
My phone was never far, encased in the back pocket of the jeans I’d discarded, which were easily reachable from where I sat, still lightly caressing the top of his head. That he nuzzled against my finger when he let out the next squeak left my gut clenching, anxiety washing over me as I wondered how long it would take them to get here, but more so when the hell someone was gonna answer the…
You’ve reached Monica Winterbottom…
I didn’t leave a message. Just punched the red phone icon and hit Aunty Eunice’s number, which in hindsight was probably what I should have done in the first place since she answered on the second ring.
Well, hello, Gregor, what can I do for you this morning?
“August is in labor, or at least, we think he is. He’s making a lot of pained sounds, can’t rest comfortable and says his sides hurt. He is asking for you and his mom. I tried her phone but it went straight to voicemail.”
We’ll be right there, honey, with everything we need. You just stay right there with him. Is that key you showed me still in that planter out front?
“Yes, ma’am.”
Okay, then we’ll be right there and we’ll pause at the fridge for ice chips on our way up. Which form is he in?
“Prickly,”
I muttered as I continued to caress his head.
Good, that’s good, it’s going to be okay, she said. You tell him to stay just like that and not try to shift or do anything at all until we get there, okay?
Her no-nonsense tone was calm, firm, and soothing as hell. Exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.
“Yes, ma’am.”
All right, put that phone down and focus on your mate, and for goddess’ sake, Gregor, remember to breathe, honey, you can pass out later after the hard part is done.
Chuckling, I let the breath I’d been holding whoosh out, my shoulders heaving as air filled my lungs again. I don’t know how she knew I’d been holding it while I’d hung on her every word, maybe that was just what happened when you got old enough to be an elder, all the intuition that had saved you in your youth sort of reformatted in your head to let you know how to save others later on.
“Yes, ma’am,”
I said, focusing on breathing now that I knew help was on the way.
Don’t worry about August’s mama, she just popped through here on her way to the bank. Probably has that damned phone on do not disturb again. Bet she’ll think twice before she puts it on that setting again. Be there directly.
She ended the call then and I dropped the phone back on my jeans so I could turn all my attention back to August.
“They’re on the way.”
Oh good, because this is starting to hurt now.
As if to punctuate his thoughts, he let out two loud, high-pitched squeaks, back-to-back and wiggled, tiny feet waving beneath the blanket until I loosened it some so he could move more freely.
Thank you.
“Of course. If there anything else I can do?”
Our playlist and for you to shift and wrap around me?
That was easy enough to do, but unlike in those hot and heavy days of my rut, I was a lot more mindful of the way I moved and how much wiggling I did getting those briefs off, telling the smart speaker what playlist to play before I shifted and wrapped around him.
More squeaks came before I was fully in place, and I lightly touched my snout to his belly, hoping my caresses would be welcome. One of his feet pressed against my ear like he was holding me there, and Aunty Eunice’s voice echoed through my head with her reminder to breathe. It felt like he was holding his breath with each squeak, so I ran my tongue over his swollen belly and gently spoke in his head.
Inhale, sweetheart.
This squeak sounded half pain and half protest, but he did it, foot pressing tighter to my ear.
That’s it, focus on breathing.
Gonna get to hold them soon.
Yup.
I wish this wasn’t so uncomfortable, he thought. I want to be excited, but this is getting really uncomfortable far faster than I expected it would.
I hadn’t known what to expect, so I stayed silently licking that swollen belly, which seemed to be helping, because I could feel him breathing easier and relaxing more in between the tightening I felt each time a contraction hit. A weird sensation against my tongue and nose, I couldn’t imagine how to felt to him, especially when the next one came and his squeak turned into a drawn out squeal right before he nipped my ear.
Sorry, sorry, he panted, but I could smell that something had changed.
Perfectly okay, but I need to move a little, to check and see what’s going on because I smell blood.
Yeah, yeah okay, just don’t jar me, my hips hurt, he replied before squealing again. They hurt so much.
Bearing that in mind, I moved super slow, inching around his body, knowing my bulk could cause me to be clumsy from time to time, especially when my nerves were on edge. The moment I slipped down where I could see his bottom half, gripping the blanket in my teeth so I could peel it all the way off of him, I saw exactly why his hips were hurting. A small head was already out, and it was definitely larger, wider, and missing all the prickles a hedgehog should have.
Okay, sweetheart, um, one of our whelplets has grown extremely impatient and has already started coming out.
Shit, shit, what do I do? he squealed along with the frantic thoughts he sent.
Snuffling, I growled low, short, rumbly sounds as I attempted to reassure him but also encourage our little whelplet as it slipped out more. Seconds later, my first child slid out of my mate and instinct took over. From the videos we’d watched, I knew I needed to nudge and stimulate the little one to breathe and move, so that was just what I did, using my nose to nuzzle until I got the tiniest rumbling in return as the little one wiggled toward me.
Are they okay?
August’s thoughts were edged with pain and we still had four more to go.
I think so but I will feel so much better when your mom and Aunty Eunice get here.
You and me both, he thought back. At least it doesn’t hurt as bad as it did a minute ago.
That’s good, right?
I sure hope so.
Our little one had wiggled until they were by my cheek, tiny wet body pressed against my fur and trembling. Using nose and claws, I got the blanket wrapped around them and tucked my head close to provide some warmth.
Wolverine or hedgehog? he thought after several seconds of silence.
It was probably good that he was resting before those contractions revved up again, but I really hoped backup arrived before the next one came, because I was seriously out of my element. I could have used my old man or even Uncle Curtis or Uncle Atlas as a lifeline at the moment, but I hadn’t even thought to shoot a text to any of them or Mom to let them know what was going on.
Tiny little wolverine and so fuckin’ adorable.
The sound of feet on the steps was the best sound I’d ever heard in my life. Fuck the waves, fuck the scrape of a chisel on wood, hell, even the sounds my mate made when we were passionately making love was nothing compared to the sound of those footsteps. I raised my head, made eye contact with Aunty Eunice and wasn’t sure how to communicate with her or August’s mom in that form.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to. August’s mom quickly removed her shoes and stepped over the side of the nest to sit beside her son, while Aunty Eunice’s shrewd gaze quickly spotted the whelplet in the blanket and took charge there.
“Someone got impatient,”
she cooed as she reached to cradle and lift the little one, blanket and all, for a quick exam.
I wanted to ask if they were okay, but in this form, all I could do was let out of a few low growls and stare up beseechingly for her to tell me something. With tender care and practiced ease she tended to my new whelplet while August’s mom stroked his head.
“Beautiful job, honey,”
his mother said, running a fingertip over his belly right before I saw it contract again. “Just a few more to go.”
Four was more than a few, after how much pain he’d been in with the first one, but I knew this was the process. Just needed to keep from losing my shit but dammit all, it was hard seeing my mate in pain.
Oh yeah. Breathe. That was the one thing I could do.
“Let’s just set this little girl right over here by me until the rest of her littermates make an appearance,”
Aunty Eunice said. “Good job, Papa, you did everything right. Go ahead and stretch back out by your mate now, talk to him and keep encouraging him. Hopefully, we have a short afternoon ahead rather than a long night, but I won’t lie to either of you, sometimes the last few like to linger like they’re waiting for an eviction notice.”
A grumbled growl burst from me in place of a chuckle, her little joke easing the tension that had left me digging claws into the blankets.
We have a little girl, I conveyed, not certain of how much of the conversation he was tracking.
So cool. Can’t wait to hold her. All of them, if they’d just get the hell out of me.
Ohh, yeah, time for me to stretch out and do what I could to help keep him calm without getting a chunk of my ear bitten off for thinking the wrong thing or chuckling through our mind link at his fervent declaration.
Soon, I thought, hoping that was safe.
Not soon enough.
Licking his belly had helped before, so I tried it again and he sighed, and once again pressed one tiny foot against my ear. As much as it had thrilled me to see my wolverine daughter be born, I really hoped the other four were hedgehogs, because after our daughter’s birth, they were sure to be easier, or at least, I hoped they’d be. Tradition, in both of our families, had always been to have our babies at home. Hell, most of the families in town had the same practice, unless there was some kind of complication expected. Personally, I’d considered five flippin’ babies as a gods be damned complication, but when I’d suggested that two weeks back, during family dinner here, just about everyone around the table, including my mate, had looked at me like I’d just been dropped from an alien spaceship.
I understood why now, as I watched Aunty Eunice help him bring a second whelplet into the world. Smaller than the first, who’d already been tiny, this one was a wolverine, too. No way we were having all wolverines, that just, that hadn’t been in any of the scenarios we’d pondered, let alone planned for.
While I looked from August, with his eyes closes and his tiny feet splayed on both sides of that round belly, I decided there was just no way, no way at all, there were three more babies that size inside of him.
No fuckin’ way.
“You have a boy, dear,”
Aunty Eunice said before she tucked the first whelplet next to the second one, giggling as she tucked the blanket around him. “And he just tried to nip me. Something tells me he’s going to take after both of you in the temper department.”
Don’t have a temper, just hate when stupid shit happens.
I nuzzled him in response, proud of him, and worried.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry long. Less than thirty minutes later, a trio of hedgehogs lay snuggled up in blankets beside their siblings, and August finally looked relaxed and at ease.
He’d done it.
My wonderful, awesome, amazingly persistent prickly had delivered three sons and two daughters…and given me five more people to love.