Chapter 43
The last couple of days had turned into a whirlwind of activity and Reif still couldn’t believe how everything got done.
It began the morning after he and Nessie visited the house Oracle bought for them, right as they sat down for breakfast. Within minutes of the first bite of Nessie’s scrambled eggs, a knock on the door was followed by Kieran bursting in, pink clipboard in hand, announcing that he had everything under control.
He then told them to finish eating because ‘Reif needs to build up his strength.’ Reif couldn’t keep his eyes off the Shaman, barking orders to the huge wolf shifters.
Soon, the cottage was abuzz with activity as Ian checked over the eggs, readying them for transportation to their new home.
Logan, Slate, Zane and Norm moved the incubators into the truck parked outside.
Dakota and Theo were packing up all the food in the kitchen.
David and Fionn were stripping the sheets off the bed destined for the washing machine.
Reif had never seen anything like it before; everyone did exactly what they were assigned to do.
And through it all, Kieran kept his eye on them all, issuing instructions, reminders and cautions, especially to the shifters moving the eggs.
When Theo scooped up their plates and silverware to wash them in the sink after they’d finished eating, Reif remarked to Nessie, “Kieran must have been a famous general in a former life.”
“Ay, for sure,” Brian sniggered.
The pace only increased as the day wore on.
After stopping at Brian’s boat to pick up their stuff, Reif climbed into Nessie’s car, and they followed the truck carrying their babies out to the new house.
Insisting that Reif and Brian sit down to rest, Kieran assumed command of the unloading of the incubators, making sure they were installed in a small upstairs room off the master bedroom, where Ian examined the eggs and pronounced them ‘fine’.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Luna arrived and was introduced to all.
After reading Ian’s medical notes on the eggs, he performed his own examination, comparing his findings with Ian’s.
Reif was relieved to hear Dr. Luna’s assurance that their babies were developing normally.
Setting up an appointment for the next day, the doctor gave them his cell phone number before departing.
When Reif led Nessie downstairs, they found the large living room awash with pink and blue balloons, streamers, and a mound of wrapped gifts.
A buffet lunch was laid out, with its dessert table featuring a huge cake in the shape of the Loch Ness Monster as its centerpiece.
Turning to Nessie, Reif murmured, “Where is everyone. I don’t think they expected us to be down here this… ”
“SURPRISE!” screamed a chorus of voices as everyone popped up from behind furniture.
“Welcome to your baby Nessies’ baby shower,” Kieran gushed.
“Theo, Norm and Fi planned the whole thing and they did a wonderful job didn’t they?
I know I told you I was going to do it but then I had to go out with Brian on the boat when he planted the green diamond so Theo, Norm and Fi took over and I think it’s just perfecto, don’t you?
I love the Nessie cake, don’t you, but you need to come over here and sit so you can open all of your presents. ”
Glancing at Nessie who seemed to be in a state of shock, Reif grinned as he followed Kieran’s instructions, sitting down with his mate on the large sectional couch facing the huge stacks of presents. “Wow! Just wow!” exclaimed Reif.
David picked up a stack of five boxes, all tied together with wide green ribbon. “Here, these are from Zane and me,” he said, handing them to Brian.
“Thank ye,” Brian said, taking the gifts. Slowly unwrapping them, he chuckled when he opened the first one, finding five, white onesies, all sporting a picture of a sea dragon with the word ‘BELIEVE’ under it. “Where in the world did ye ever find these?”
“Zane found a picture of a sea dragon on the High Council website so he downloaded it and did something to it on his computer so I could have it printed on the onesies,” explained David.
“Each of the boxes contains five onesies with the same picture except in different colors and sizes. Zane told me babies grow fast and I wanted to make sure you had enough for their first year.”
“Thank ye,” Brian said, passing the onesies to Reif who couldn’t stop running his fingers over the words.
“Macushla,” Kieran called to his mate, “let’s have some music!”
“Comin’ up,” replied Logan as he set up two portable speakers and punched in a playlist on his cellphone.
Gift after gift followed, astounding Reif with the efforts his friends had taken to find perfect gifts, from clothing to large, rocking, stuffed sea serpent toys.
Unwrapping the last small gift Zane handed him, Reif wondered what it could be.
Inside he found a phone…wait, my phone! Taking it out of the box, he turned it over in his hands, wondering what Zane was up to.
Then he glanced at Nessie and saw he’d also received a phone.
“Brian, Reif, please turn on your phones,” Zane said, waiting until they had done so before continuing. “Do you see the sea dragon icon? Go ahead and open it.”
Tapping it, Reif’s eyes widened as he saw a live feed of their eggs upstairs. “Holy Fuck! Nessie do you see it too?”
Gripping his phone tightly, Brian’s eyes moistened as he stared at their babies. “Ay!” Finally tearing his glance away from the screen he asked, “How?”
“I wrote a program so you can check in on your babies no matter where you are. Right now, it shows all five of them, but if you tap the button at the bottom of the screen, a close-up of an egg comes into view; to see another, just tap it again and it’ll come up.”
“You did this for us?” asked Reif, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Yeah, it was simple,” Zane said. “The hard part was finding and installing the right camera. Also, when the babies arrive, you can put another camera in the nursery to keep an eye on them, there.”
“I dinna know what to say,” Brian said, staring at the screen again.
“Nessie’s right, ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem to be enough,” Reif murmured.
“Zane,” Kieran said, grinning. “It’s going to make it so much easier for Reif and Brian tonight.”
“Tonight?” Reif asked. “Why?”
“You’ll see. But now I can’t wait to have a bite of the Nessie cake. Isn’t it amazing?” asked Kieran. “C’mon everyone, let’s eat.”
~/~/~/~/~
Walking into their bedroom after everyone had left, Brian found Reif sitting on their bed looking down at the phone he was twirling in his hands. “Is everythin’ all right?” he asked. “Did ye talk to yer parents?”
“Yeah,” answered Reif, “they’re coming here.”
“Guid. When?”
“Four days from now,” Reif replied.
“Were they surprised when ye told them about the eggs?” asked Brian.
“I didn’t tell them,” Reif said, looking at Nessie. “I decided to wait till they get here. Nor did I tell them who was behind our thousand years of misery because I’d rather do that in person.”
“Any reason why?” asked Brian.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it would raise too many questions that I’m not ready to answer yet because I’m still angry. Right now, all they know is that we are finally free…all of us.”
Sitting down beside his mate, Brian murmured, “That’s okay.
It’s what’s most important right now.” Putting his arm over Reif’s shoulders, Brian tugged him close to him.
“Take yer time, mate. What was done to ye was really bad and there’s nae way ye can get over it in a day.
But no matter how long it takes, I will be here for ye. ”
“Thanks,” Reif whispered, leaning against Nessie.
~/~/~/~/~
Reif finally discovered why Zane’s gift would help them when he answered a knock on the door that night.
There, standing on the porch, was Dr. Luna, Oracle, and an older gentleman that was introduced to him as her husband, Maximus.
“Nice to meet you,” Reif said, as the three walked into the house, heading for the living room.
Just as he was about to shut the door, Kieran strode up the front steps and into the house, halting in front of him.
“Are you ready?” he asked, excitement radiating from him.
“Ready for what?” asked Reif, now totally confused.
“Duh, to celebrate your mating with Brian,” Kieran replied. “C’mon, everyone’s waiting outside.”
“We can’t go anywhere,” Reif protested.
“Of course you can. Oracle, Maximus, and Dr. Luna are here to babysit the eggs. Make sure you guys bring your phones because I know you’re nervous about leaving them but don’t be, because, after all, how often does a doctor babysit, right?
Maybe you should change into something sexy for your mate.
Brian, where are you?” called Kieran, walking farther into the house.
“Oh, there you are. C’mon, both of you, upstairs now and change into something to show off all the muscles you have.
Everyone at The Meat Locker will be so jealous seeing two, very hot, silver foxes, thinking there’s fresh meat on the market but won’t they be surprised to learn the opposite. C’mon, Chop! Chop!”
~/~/~/~/~
Turning over, Reif groaned at the pounding in his head, a reminder of too many shots of tequila he consumed as toast after toast was made in his and Nessie’s honor throughout the evening.
Add the loud music, fending off Nessie’s admirers while they were dancing, and a constant hard-on caused by his mate’s roaming hand, and it made for a night he wasn’t too eager to repeat.
Opening one eye, Reif saw Nessie smiling at him.
“How the fuck can you be so cheerful this morning?” he groaned.
“Awww, is my auld mate sore?”
“Sore? Fuck no! Pain? Absolutely! Everything hurts.”
“Well, the guid thing is the Shaman has nothin’ planned for us today; everyone’s packin’. They leave tomorrow morning,” Nessie said.