Chapter 29 - Interviews
Alyssa's POV:
Somehow two weeks had already passed and while we'd had one more ultrasound in that timeframe, we were still hunting for the perfect midwife for us. Wolf pregnancies are half the timeframe of a human pregnancy so we really needed to get this taken care of. Brent was being insanely picky and was having a very hard time wrapping his head around not having the baby in the hospital, but I was insistent. We had compromised that my midwife would do all of the physical checks and Dr. Greer would handle all of my labs and would be on standby if my home birth had to be changed to a hospital delivery. Honestly, it was a fair agreement.
We'd finally narrowed it down to three women and would be doing in person interviews. Our first interview would be in approximately thirty minutes. Brent had us meeting in his office reasoning that "a stranger shouldn't know the layout of our home unless fully vetted." I guess I really couldn't argue with him on that.
I climbed into my car and headed off to the pack house after buckling Tenley in. At first I wasn't keen on getting a car. I knew how to drive, but our previous pack was very small compared to Valley Wolf and the drive took 20 minutes from the pack house to our home, so walking was out of the question, especially now that winter was in full force.
We entered the lobby, pulling off our thick coats and handing them to the Omega waiting for us who also took our drink orders. Tenley wanted a hot chocolate and I went with a warm earl gray since I was still unable to drink my precious iced coffees.
We took the elevator to the ranked offices, waving at his secretary as we entered Brent's office.
He was dressed in a black dress shirt and black slacks, his hair pulled back in a low bun. His tattooed hand gripped the phone as his elbow rested on the desk, causing his shirt to strain against his bicep. I licked my lips at the sight, my mouth going dry from how damn good he looked. My appreciation flowed into the bond, causing him to look up and smirk, shaking his head slowly at me.
"Daddy!" Tenley yelled as she ran into the room. I scolded her immediately, reminding her he was on the phone.
Brent mouthed, "she's fine" as he scooped her into his lap and finished up his call. I would never get enough of watching him be a dad. He was truly the best. I smiled and attempted to sit, but he shook his head and waved me over.
I leaned down and kissed him and he then kissed my increasingly bloated stomach. Not quite a bump, just pretty much looked like I had eaten a little too much, but Brent loved kissing and rubbing it all the same.
He ended the call and looked at his watch, "she should be here any minute. If she's late it's an immediate no." He leveled his eyes at me, but before I could say anything a knock at the door from his secretary alerted us that she had arrived.
I shot a playful smirk at Brent, who I knew was having a tough time with this, but I was hoping these interviews would ease his tension.Brent had me come sit in his lap, an act that kept his wolf calm when he was stressed.
Each of us armed with a print out of her resume as the midwife, whose name was Emily, now sat across from us. She was an older wolf with a kind smile and a cute little bob haircut. She was dressed with a bohemian aesthetic, making me smile because this is exactly what I pictured a holistic midwife to look like once I read through her resume where she had described herself as such.
"I'm just going to cut straight to the point," Brent announced, "I am completely uncomfortable with this situation. I'd much prefer her to deliver in a hospital, but it seems my mate wants a less traditional route and I am doing my best to be accommodating. How well versed are you with Alpha deliveries?"
Without skipping a beat Emily responded, "I completely understand your concerns. Alpha deliveries are quite intense and can be difficult on a Luna, you are not wrong, but I have delivered five other Luna's and each time we have successfully delivered the heir with zero major complications." Brent grunted and I stifled a giggle. We had just had the argument this morning that I had to be the only Luna crazy enough to attempt a delivery of an Alpha heir at home.
"And you do offer water births?" I asked next, causing yet another groan from Brent.
"I do offer water births, yes. I actually have found it takes a lot of stress off of the mother, especially two of the Luna's I have delivered. The other three weren't interested in a water birth no matter how highly I recommended it and I'll be frank, they did have very long and painful deliveries, but did deliver at home."
Brent shifted under me with her honest answer. I knew he was terribly worried about me feeling pain without medications from a hospital.
"It also helps the baby transition easier from the womb to life outside the womb. There are many benefits for both mom and baby for sure," she continued her answer.
I looked at Brent to gauge his reaction and I was pleasantly surprised that he seemed to be processing what she said well.
He was the one to speak this time, "so what you're saying is her pain should be controlled by the water?"
She thought on his answer for a moment before responding, "as you're aware, Alpha deliveries are exponentially harder on the mother. Delivering such a powerful being does not come with an easy delivery, so while I can't say that she won't feel anything, I can say that she will be much more relaxed and will be able to handle the pain better than if she were to not be in the water."
He frowned and looked at me, "then why not just deliver at the hospital where they offer pain meds?"
Emily spoke up before I could answer, "Alpha, I apologize for the interruption, but I can help answer that for you if you wish?" She then bowed in respectful submission.
He nodded for her to continue, "the amount of pain medications she would need would be astronomical. She would be very groggy and may not even remember her first couple of days as a new mom. This is the main reason the Luna's have hired me. Moms want to remember their delivery and I am able to offer that to them."
Hormones getting the better of me I sniffled, the thought of not remembering my child's birth was haunting. Tenley was biologically a Gamma's child, her delivery was not all that bad compared to what I'd heard of Alpha deliveries. Much of what I knew was overhearing how nervous Sheryl was for Beth to deliver, spurring my want for a water birth that much more.
I turned to Brent, "I know you're so worried about this, but I don't want to be in and out for days after our baby is born. I want to be present and I want to remember my recovery, knowing it will be a thousand times better than what happened to me after I had Tenley. Please let me do this...please."
Knowing exactly what I was referring to, his hand came to my cheek, and his thumb swiped the stray tear that had fallen, "okay, my love, okay."
He turned back to Emily, "you are the only one that has been able to reassure me on paper," he said lifting the resume in his hand, "and now meeting you I can't lie and say I am not feeling better about this. You are hired, but understand if anything happens to my mate or child, you will be held responsible." His stare was intense on the older woman.
She nodded reassuringly, "you have my word, Alpha."
"Okay, you've had a chance to read our contract, yes?" He asked.
"I sure have and I am in agreement," she reassured him.
He sighed, "alright then, I would like her first appointment to be later today. She is already six weeks along, and she needs a proper checkup. She hasn't been keen on Dr. Greer doing it, so she hasn't had one," he eyed me and I blushed at being put on the spot.
Looking at Emily I shrugged, "in my defense I have a terrible history with hospitals and strange men."
I scoffed, "Dr. Greer is far from strange. You have met him!"
I waved him off, "oh, hush. "
She nodded knowingly, "I will take great care of both of you, Luna. It will be my honor." She said, bowing her head at me as Brent dismissed her.
She would be moving into one of the open cabins at the edge of the pond, this would bring her closer to our home than having her remain in the pack house. In the agreement we would completely furnish her cabin and she would have a weekly food allowance on top of her monthly pay, which alone was extremely generous. She would be living here for the next five months or so, staying throughout the pregnancy and up to six weeks after I had the baby.
Once she walked out I looked at Brent, "I am so excited that you hired someone, but we still had two to interview?"
He nodded, "yes we sure did, but her resume and references had already set her apart from the others. One of the three had never even delivered an Alpha heir before, and now with her interview and how much my wolf trusted what she was saying, it was an obvious choice. I will have Anne contact the others and tell them not to come tomorrow."
I snuggled into him, kissing his Adam's apple lightly as he wrapped his hands around me. Tenley had fallen asleep in the corner watching Brent's phone, making us both giggle.
"I swear that child could fall asleep anywhere! I just hope her sibling is as good at sleeping as she is." I said as I went over to pick her up so that Brent could get back to work.
"No, my love, let me get her and I'll walk you both out. I'm going to have your appointment set for 4:00 o'clock today, is that okay?" He asked as he stood from picking Tenley up from the floor.
"That sounds wonderful, thank you," I smiled, loving the way he took such good care of me.
We ascended down the elevator when Brent turned to me, clearing his throat, "there's something I need to tell you."
I cocked my head with curiosity, his tone making me slightly anxious, "Caitlin is coming here on Friday." My ears began to ring and I knew I had to have turned pale from this revelation, as he stuck his arm out to pull me to him.
"Hey," he soothed, "it will be okay. I am not picking sides and if I did it would be yours, but she was raped and we have to add that charge to Dalton's case. I am not willing to be away from you to work this case, so she comes here. Besides, she's actually the one who told me about your cold brew and oat milk addiction," he smiled, attempting to offer comfort. "She was beside herself to think she would have hurt you in this way. Maybe you could sit down and talk?"
My hormones raged and no matter how hard I tried to hold it in, I snapped, "no one is going to tell me what I should or shouldn't do regarding an incredibly traumatic event for me, and It’s not about being mad at her, not even close. How could I be?” I shook my head, attempting to clear the overwhelming anxiety. He reached for me, but I pulled my hand back, suddenly feeling suffocated.
“I absolutely hate what she went through, but that was the literal worst day of my life. The blinding pain that very nearly killed me is seared in my mind and will never leave me. I dont think I am ready to relive it all. This is the happiest I’ve been in so, so long... I'll think about it, that’s all I can tell you, but in the meantime do not push me, regardless of if she let you know about my favorite drink or not." I rolled my eyes and stomped off to where the Omega had pulled up my vehicle.
I knew I was being emotional, but how could I not be? Of course she and I would speak eventually, but it was damn well up to me whether I was ready to talk or not. How dare he try and tell me I should try and speak with her. I wasn't sure if I was ready for all of that. Hell, she may not be ready either! Of course we would eventually speak, that was inevitable, but I just couldn't handle anything from my past right now. None of it was her fault, but I just simply didn't know if I was to that level of healing yet.
After putting Tenley in her seat, he grabbed me and pulled me in, "I'm sorry for making the suggestion. You're right, it's completely up to you. I just wanted to prepare you for her arrival and I overstepped." His apology actually made me feel guilty. I hated when I got snippy with him.
I shook my head and huffed, placing my hand on his chest, "no, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve my harsh tone. It's just a terrible reminder and it really hurts to talk or think about it." He nodded with understanding, opening my car door to let me in.
"I love you," he said as he pecked my nose, "I love you too," I warmly smiled before he shut my door and I headed home to join Tenley for the remainder of her nap.
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Brent's POV:
It was 3:00 pm and I could barely focus on the task at hand due to being so excited that I'd be leaving soon to finally get a full checkup on Alyssa and the baby. I had also hoped we might be able to tell gender at this point. Alyssa had mentioned waiting until birth and I was quick to disagree. I didn't care regardless, I just wanted to know.
I was in a meeting with my Beta and Gamma discussing Caitlin's arrival. Ryan was to set up additional surveillance as bringing her here could compromise pack safety if Dalton somehow was able to get someone to help him. Anderson was to be the one to pick her up from the airport and bring her to the pack house.
I was nervous about Dalton somehow gaining entrance, but Ryan had tapped into the camera early on and we hadcontinuous surveillance on Dalton's cell to ease my worries.
We had patrol and cameras all around the entrance to the room Caitlin would be staying in. Aso adding an additional warrior and two more cameras to our home and I upgraded our security panel for good measure. I was doing everything in my power to keep anything from happening.
I was looking over some pack documents when I noticed my Gamma wincing.
"What's wrong, Ryan, you good?" My brow furrowing at his actions.
He shrugged, rubbing his temple, "man, I don't know but I have had a major headache and my wolf has been howling for days. It's gotten so much worse today."
Anderson and I shared a look. Knowing what it probably meant, but stayed quiet because we knew how badly Ryan wanted his mate. It was really starting to gnaw at him, especially with Anderson and I both being mated with children on the way. We didn't want to get him excited for no reason, but it seemed pretty likely and I truly hoped it was his time.
Speaking of time, I looked at my watch again and realized it was time to go and get my girls. I dismissed the meeting and practically ran from the building, hopping into my SUV and flying home. I jogged up the steps and burst through the door like a kid on Christmas morning, hollering excitedly at them to come on. Alyssa laughed at my antics as I began pulling them out the door. I loved when I made her laugh.
I finally got them in the car and off we went.
"Did you nap well?" I asked, looking at my mate.
She nodded and smiled brightly, "we sure did! I think we slept for like three hours or something like that. Eventually I'll be too miserable to sleep well so I'll take what I can get in the meantime."
I frowned at the thought, "well, I sure hope you don't end up miserable." I kissed the back of her hand as I stared at the road, the hospital coming into sight.
I looked into my rear view mirror, "Ten, are you excited to get more pictures of the baby today?"
"I want a baby brudder!" Tenley announced. Her pigtails bouncing as she danced to the music from the radio, her snow boot clad feet kicking to the beat. I loved my girl so much. I'm not sure how I deserved this life, but I wasn't going to question it. They were everything to me.
Alyssa turned around and smiled at our daughter, "oh, you do?"
"YES! He will be sooooooo cute!" She crossed her arms over her chest, giving herself a hug.
Alyssa and I smiled at each other as we parked the car and got out.
"Ready momma?" I asked, extending my free hand to her as the other held Tenley.
"Very," she answered, and off we went.