Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Talon rolled over to reach for Mercury, the early morning light just beginning to show through the blinds that covered the windows. He frowned, because all he encountered was cool, empty sheets.
Where was his mate?
He rolled to the edge of the bed to sit up, stretching. Then he rose, padding toward the door leading to the hall.
That was when he heard Mercury in the bathroom, he thought. Making horrible noises. So he hurried his steps, going to see what was wrong.
He found his mate bent over the toilet, tossing his cookies.
“Mate, are you well?”
Mercury gave him a side-eye, and he realized what a stupid question that was.
“Sorry, sorry, shall I call a doctor?”
“If I keep barfing, yes, but right now I’m sure it was just something I ate. I bet something had fish in it, so I don’t need a doctor. We didn’t even know it, but they snuck fish into some of the food.”
“I don’t think that they snuck fish into the lasagna, hailee.”
“Don’t talk about lasagna.” That set Mercury off, and Talon was going to die.
“Let me get you some Sprite, or something.”
He ran away to the kitchen, feeling like a big coward, and he reached out to his best friend. Kami! Kami, are you awake?
I am now. What’s wrong?
He shook his head, swallowing hard. Mercury’s sick, and he’s barfing. I don’t know what to do.
You’ve never dealt with anybody who barfed?
He could see Kami’s arched eyebrow in his mind’s eye. I’ve never dealt with my own hailee who barfed.
Okay. Kami’s amusement bubbled across their bond. You can try rice, toast, crackers. Bubbly lemon-lime soda, ginger ale—any of those things. Do you have any of those things?
I have crackers and Sprite.
Start with that. Wash your hands a lot. There was a pause, then. Is he pregnant?
What?
No, he didn’t think so. Mercury didn’t smell pregnant.
Pregnancy doesn’t smell, Kami told him.
Babies smell.
Maybe. But pregnant people don’t smell.
I—What is he supposed to say to that? He didn’t remember Kami smelling particularly different. And Kami was the only pregnant person that he had known very well for any length of time.
Should I ask him if he’s pregnant?
You can, or you can just wonder for weeks and weeks, and when he starts to swell up like a giant balloon, you’ll know.
He rolled his eyes. I really don’t like you very much.
I know, I love you too. If there’s a reason for a celebration, holler. Don’t forget, the midwife is very nice. Rowan is his name.
Thanks. I think. Talon found a sleeve of saltines and a Sprite before returning to the bathroom, where Mercury seemed to be dozing, leaning against the sink counter.
“Hailee?” He didn’t want to just lift Mercury in case it made him sick again.
Mercury blinked up at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I just woke up and I felt so queasy.” He rolled his eyes. “I brushed my teeth, so I’m not gross. Is that something cold and bubbly? I could totally use something a little cold and bubbly.”
He handed the drink over, and Mercury took a few sips and then stood, took his hand and led him from the bathroom. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I didn’t mean to. It was very sudden.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” He looked at Mercury, trying to decide if he was going to ask the question that Kami had brought up. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I feel better now. Obviously, I got whatever out of my system.”
“Are you sure that’s it? Are you sure that’s all?”
Mercury frowned at him. “What are you talking about?”
Talon hemmed and hawed and finally just asked. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”
Mercury’s eyes went wide, so wide he could see himself reflected in their mirror depths. And those lips dropped open wide, Mercury staring at him like he’d lost his mind. Then he took in a deep breath. “Do you think I might be?”
“Well, when I was panicking on the way to the kitchen because you were throwing up, I did ask Kami what could possibly be wrong with you, and he told me to ask you if you were pregnant.” He didn’t think Mercury would be upset at the idea that he’d asked Kami for some advice.
“Huh.” Mercury tilted his head. “Is there a test I can take? Do tests work for us?”
“If I remember correctly, from Kami and a couple of the other guys who’ve gotten pregnant since we’ve been here. It’s more of a magical thing. Why don’t I get a hold of Rowan, who’s the midwife, and see if he can come examine you?”
“Can I have my crackers and fizzy drink first?” Mercury crawled back into the bed and sipped his drink again, humming at the taste.
Talon opened the sleeve of crackers to hand a couple of them over, watching carefully as Mercury ate them, making sure they didn’t seem to cause any kind of distress.
“Oh, it’s not fair how good those taste. Because usually I think they taste like cardboard with salt on it.” Mercury’s lips curved in a wry smile. “I think you should definitely call the midwife.”
“You got it, baby.” That was something he could do that was concrete, actiony, and alpha-like. He left Mercury with his crackers and Sprite and headed out to the front room to use the house phone to call Rowan because otherwise he wasn’t sure how to get a hold of the man.
It was Rowan’s assistant who answered, and he couldn’t remember her name to save his life. But when she asked what he needed, he identified himself and said his mate needed to have an exam. His heart was just pounding with the very idea, and he kind of heard a ringing in his ears for a minute.
She made an appointment for later in the day, and he took a deep breath and let it out after he hung up.
They went back to the bedroom; Mercury was clutching his can of Sprite and still had crackers in the other hand, and he was sound asleep.
Talon smiled and took the can and crackers gently from Mercury’s hands, setting them on the bedside table.
Then he gently covered up his mate with a light blanket, not wanting him to get too hot and get sick again.
He could rest, and then when the midwife came, they could sit through the exam together.
In fact, he loved the idea of going through this entire pregnancy together, so he was going to have to talk to Cain about not disappearing on a lot of jobs with Kami while this was going on.
After all, he really didn’t want to do anything dangerous with their baby on the way. He hoped it was real because Mercury seemed so excited—not that he wasn’t, of course he was—but this was something Mercury needed desperately, that he wanted so badly.
So, is he pregnant? Kami’s mental touch made him jump.
Hush, aren’t you supposed to be asleep?
Are you kidding? I have a child. I never get to sleep. Sleep is for the weak. Kami’s chuckle floated into his brain, warming him. Besides, you’re the one who woke me up. It’s only fair.
Rowan’s coming this afternoon. Talon wasn’t sure he’d survive until this afternoon. In fact, he wanted to insist this was an emergency. That they needed to know whether they were expecting a little dragon right this second. Mercury really, really wants this.
If it doesn’t happen this time, it will happen. Kami seemed so sure.
I hope so. I think I would make a fine soffar, don’t you?
Oh, my friend. A rush of pure love hit him, and he gasped softly. I think that you’ll be amazing, one of the best. I don’t know why you’re so worried all the time.
Well, it wasn’t as if life had been easy. Between the rescues, losing his stone, almost losing his brother and his best friend, regaining them both, finding his hailee—the whole last decade or more had been utterly stressful.
It wasn’t reasonable.
It’s a hobby.
It’s a habit, Kami shot back. We’re going to be okay. Cerran and Jack are handling it.
He knew that, but wasn’t it his and Kami’s job, really? To handle things?
Nope. We find stones. Hell, with Mercury we can find the right stone anywhere.
You’re obsessed, and we’re not using my possibly pregnant omega as a handy-dandy transporter device.
“Braaken, tell him to come over. You’re so loud.”
He glanced at his hailee, snorting. “Sorry, love. I didn’t mean to be.”
“I know, but you both want to talk. He can bring the baby and all.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him.” Talon was so tickled his mate was so kind. He says you can come over if you want to. I’ll make breakfast. He wasn’t the greatest cook on earth, but breakfast food he could handle.
I am on my way. I would like my omelet to have peppers, mushrooms, and onions with bacon, please.
Okay, but we’ll have to see how bacon makes Mercury feel when it cooks.
Talon smiled at his hailee. “What would you like for breakfast, my love? Up to it at all?”
“I would love to have some French toast. Do you think you could do that for me, Talon?”
“I absolutely can. Kami would like an omelet with some bacon in it. Do you think that’s gonna make your stomach rebel?” He didn’t want to cause Mercury more distress.
“If it gets too much for me, I’ll come back in here and sit in the bedroom. Don’t worry about me, I have my fizzy drink.” Mercury gave him a melting sort of smile.
“Why don’t you go back to sleep for a little while, while I go make breakfast?” The need to spoil his hailee was strong.
“I think I will.” Mercury closed his eyes, his cheeks a little too pale, but that had to do with the stomach sickness he was sure. If he thought for a minute that Mercury wasn’t strong enough to do this pregnancy, well, he didn’t know what he would do. Put him on bed rest, he supposed.
He would figure that part out when the midwife got in to see Mercury. Until then, he was going to deal with Kami.
Kami was there in seconds, just swooping in the door and little Miranda in tow. She was still mostly asleep and immediately went to curl up on the sofa with her blanket that lived on the back for when she visited.
Kami turned on the television for her and then came to sit at one of the barstools at the pass-through and watch him cook. “So, pregnant, huh?”
“I think so.” He wasn’t a hundred percent sure, of course. “I hope so.”
“Well, Rowan will know. He’s kind of witchy that way.” Kami winked at him. “Did you know he was Elowyn’s brother?”
“Yeah, I did. I just haven’t really hadn’t much opportunity to hang out with him.”
“No, me either. He’s very busy, but I have to say, he was always incredibly kind to me.” Kami shot him a look. “He’ll be really gentle with Mercury.”
That made him smile because it was important to him that everyone was gentle with Mercury. He’d been through so much, Talon saw absolutely no reason that Mercury should have to do anything terrible now.
Kami tilted his head. “Is he okay? If the smell of cooking bacon is too much, you don’t have to make it.”
That was an excellent idea. “I think I’m going to order bacon, and that way he doesn’t have to smell it cooking. He looks a little peaked, but he asked for French toast.”
“Well, toast is good, we like French toast. Why don’t we just do French toast? We can have French toast and bacon.” That was his best friend—demanding, but honestly, reasonable, usually, mostly, sometimes.
“That sounds like a fine idea. Also, we can sit and I can cuddle my sweet girl until the food arrives.”
“Sounds great, hon.” He adored Kami so much. To hell with cooking. He would just order all the breakfast from the kitchens. He was a lazy butthead…
He grabbed the house phone again and called it in, adding fresh fruit, juice, and an omelet for him to have more protein while he was at it.
Kami sang a little to his baby girl, just a sweet, nonsensical tune that had him grinning and humming along. He could hear Mercury in his head, humming along in his sleep, and he could picture his mate, butt up, head down, on his belly and sleeping hard.
His sweet hailee.
The knock at the door came just about the time he was ready to get up and grab a banana or something, and his belly rumbled. Hard.
Talon answered the door, standing back to let the server in. She happened to be a gorgeous cheetah shifter with the best freckles on her deep golden-brown skin. “Thanks, Renee. Can you put it on the table while I go wake up Mercury?”
“Of course, Talon. Hey, Kami.” She bustled around, and he knew Kami would deal with it, so he went back to the bedroom to put a hand on Mercury’s back.
“Love? The French toast is here.”
Mercury stretched, then sat up. “You ordered?”
“I did. Kami changed his mind and wanted it too.”
“Yum.” Mercury grabbed his Sprite before gingerly climbing out of bed. Talon helped him put on his robe, and they moved slowly to the front room so Mercury didn’t get sick.
He seemed to do really well, actually. Talon had high hopes for breakfast staying down.
“I got fruit too, love. That always worked with Kami.”
Mercury gave his friend a bright smile. “Hello, Kami. How is the wee one?”
“Just sleeping away. How are you?”
“Better. That extra sleep and the crackers did wonders.” Mercury held up his Sprite. “There’s also fizzy.”
Kami nodded seriously. “Fizzy is the best. I hope it’s okay with bacon and coffee.”
“I suppose we’ll find out.” Mercury wrinkled his nose. “I feel like my weakness is going to be F-I-S-H.”
Kami wrinkled his nose. “My weakness is always F-I-S-H, because ugh.”
“You two are just insane, but whatever. We are not going to argue about it because French toast, and I’m starving!”
They sat together. It felt amazing, having Mercury dig into the French toast. That’s what he needed to see—his hailee feeding their baby.
We don’t know yet. Mercury reminded him.
Mercury was so worried he would be disappointed.
But he knew, and that was enough. Talon winked at him. Eat your French toast.