45. Hazel
Chapter 45
Hazel
One Week Later
T he gush of wetness between my legs woke me. Sitting up, I blinked in the dim light of my nest as Seb snored slightly next to me. I could sense all of them, and they were all dead to the world. Phillip and Seb were the only ones in the nest with me, since we were alternating. Thanks to my heavily pregnant state, I was taking up a lot of space and kicking alphas out of the nest.
Was I going into heat? Was that a rush of slick?
My face heated. Fuck. Was it pee?
That seemed like the most logical and embarrassing possibility, seeing as I still had five weeks to go until my due date.
I was about to clamber out of the nest and clean myself up, before facing the humiliation of waking my pack mates so I could change the sheets, when a ripple of pain tore through my mid-section.
With a groan, I leaned forward, clutching my stomach.
There’s no way.
Another pain, just as intense, hit, and my eyes watered from it.
Oh, this is real.
Grabbing the first pillow I could reach, I threw it full force at the alpha nearest to me.
Seb.
“What the fuck, Hazelnut?” he groaned, his voice thick with sleep, rolling over as if to drift off again.
“Something’s up with the baby!” I whisper-shouted.
That caught his attention. Sitting up ramrod straight, he gazed at me with wide, panic filled eyes.
“What’s happening?” Phillip asked groggily.
“I-I think my water broke, and now I’m having pains. Maybe—ow!” My words were cut off by yet another wave of pain.
“Oh, shit!” Phillip sat up, just as Seb had done seconds earlier. “Hospital, now,” he instructed. “Seb, wake the others.”
Seb nodded dumbly, falling over the sheets as he got out of the nest.
Seconds later, my nest was full of alphas who were watching me with varying degrees of panic.
“It’s too early!” Cormac cried.
“The doctor said alpha babies can come early, especially if they’re big,” I panted.
“The baby was fully formed at the last appointment, remember?” Phillip turned to look at Cormac as he gently rubbed my back.
“Good golly, this hurts,” I hissed. “Not swearing in front of the baby is going to be impossible,” I grumbled, rubbing my belly. If I couldn’t even stop myself from swearing in front of the baby, I was going to be a terrible mother.
“Maybe we curse now, ask forgiveness later?” Roman interjected helpfully.
“The baby won’t understand what we are saying for months yet, so scream and cuss all you need to,” Phillip reassured me. “Now, let’s get you into some comfortable clothes to go to the hospital, okay?”
I nodded gratefully at him. I hadn’t even been thinking about that.
“I haven’t packed anything!” I whined. “The outfit I wanted to bring Peanut home in is in the top drawer of the nursery dresser. It’s got a matching hat and mittens!”
“I’ll grab them while Phillip helps you get dressed. Is that okay, Duchess?”
I nodded.
“We need to get you to the hospital. Now!” Cormac repeated.
I turned my head to him, a snarl on my face. “Oh, really? I was considering having a cup of tea and relaxing in bed!” I growled.
“Sweetness?”
All my guys appeared shocked, and I took a deep breath. “I can feel all you guys freaking out, and that’s freaking me out! Stop it!” I shouted.
“But you’re having a baby! That’s freak-out worthy,” Seb said.
“No freak-outs!” I growled as I clutched my belly.
“A little freaking out is okay, surely?” Cormac asked.
“I think we all need to stop saying the words freak out ,” Phillip suggested. “They’re starting to lose all meaning.”
“Thank you!” I glanced between the guys. “Listen to the voice of reason. Now, Phillip, please help me get into some comfortable clothes. Seb! Grab the birthing gown I bought. It’s in the closet!”
Phillip helped me dress in a pair of stretchy sweatpants and a matching sweater.
“Do you want a bra?” Phillip asked.
I shook my head. “I’m uncomfortable enough as it is,” I grumbled.
“Well, look on the bright side—this’ll all be over in the next few hours.”
“Which one of you fucking assholes said this would be over in a few hours?” I snarled at my alphas.
It had been twenty-four hours since we left to go to the hospital, and there was no baby yet. Instead, all there had been was pain, discomfort, and a hell of a lot of contractions.
“You’re eight centimeters dilated, so it shouldn’t be too long,” Phillip reassured me, lightly rubbing my back, ignoring my anger.
It had been over an hour since the nurse last checked me. I was sitting on the hospital bed, as I had been for an eternity, waiting for my labor to progress.
“We should talk about something else to distract you. Maybe names?” Cormac asked.
“If you suggest our child should be named Bilbo again, I will throttle you,” I hissed. Cormac had some… unique name ideas.
He winced. “Okay, let’s not talk about names.”
Seb sat on the bed behind me, his hands massaging my lower back. Groaning, I leaned into his touch. His face was drawn, which wasn’t surprising, since they were all feeling my pain somewhat through the bond.
“When is the nurse going to check me again? These are getting worse,” I moaned through another contraction.
“I’ll go get her!” Roman said, jumping out of the chair, happy to have something to do.
The guys had been hovering around me, trying to be useful, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could do until the baby arrived. They had been reduced to giving back rubs and fetching snacks.
“I have ten bucks on him vomiting. We all know Roman can’t handle pain.” Cormac laughed.
Phillip pursed his lips, holding back a laugh. “I’ll take that bet.”
Cormac’s next words were cut off by the nurse and Roman entering the room. “Let’s see how far along you are!” The bubbly blonde nurse took a seat between my legs.
I was flushed, the size of a house, and grunting like a hippo. The nurse had no right to look so stinking pretty in my presence.
“The contractions are a few minutes apart,” I muttered as she did the check.
“That’s good,” she said, nodding, “because you’re at a ten! I’ll go grab the doctor. I think it’s time to have a baby!”
“Oh, thank god!”
“On the next contraction, I want you to push, okay, Miss Giltbrook?” the doctor asked from her seat between my legs.
I had been pushing for over fifteen minutes, and everything hurt. Seb was behind me, cycling between rubbing my back and rubbing my shoulders. Phillip was to my left, holding my hand.
When the doctor had come in, she had instructed Cormac and Roman to help hold my legs open. They had done so without complaint—or in Cormac’s case, not even a dirty joke.
“Baby’s crowning, it won’t be long until you have them in your arms!” the doctor said. “Dads, are you holding it together? This one’s looking a little queasy.” She jerked her head toward Roman, who shook his head.
“I’m fine!” he insisted, but she was right—he wasn’t looking the best.
“My nurses are here to help Mama. They are not here to help you if you pass out. Swap places with one of the others, we need leg support,” she instructed in a no-nonsense tone.
“Swap with me,” Phillip said, leaning down to quickly kiss the top of my head before moving off the bed.
Roman joined me a second later, his hand clammy in mine.
It was almost cute how badly the guys were dealing with the pain. “I thought you guys were meant to be manly athletes who play a game with blades taped to your feet, not babies.” I laughed breathlessly.
“We are.” Roman nodded. “This is some next-level shit.”
“Remember that when you ask for another one.”
The doctor made a noise of surprise, and I glanced away from Roman just as Phillip’s grip on my leg went slack.
And he promptly passed out.
“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?” Phillip asked. He was sitting in an armchair, an ice pack on his forehead, where a rather impressive bruise was already forming.
“No way in hell.” Cormac laughed, his eyes never leaving me.
And our son.
Henry Kingswood was born after twenty minutes of pushing, and only three of his fathers got to witness the birth.
Phillip had been passed out in the corner of the room, completely unable to cope.
“I think we’re one and done.” Seb nodded. “As much as I love this little guy already, I don’t think I can watch you in pain again.”
I snorted lightly. “You’ll survive.”
Our son was perfect. When they placed the squishy, slimy ball of baby on my chest, something deep within me changed.
I was a mother.
And I was going to do everything to ensure my son had the best upbringing, full of love.
It wouldn’t be hard in a pack like mine.
“I still think Frodo could have made a good name,” Cormac said, gazing lovingly at Henry. “But I do like the name we picked.”
“The nurse said we should be okay to go home tomorrow,” I said, looking at Seb. After the birth, he had left just long enough to get me a take-out burger because I had been ravenous after labor.
“It’s insane that we just get to take the baby home, like we’re responsible adults,” Seb mused.
“I think we’ll be okay.” I smiled, kissing the crown of Henry’s head.