Chapter Eighteen
Brent
I slid the chair back from my desk and almost toppled over. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Theo wasn’t home yet. He still had a few hours of his forty-eight-hour shift. I had no one to ask about this stuff.
What in the world had I just stumbled onto?
So I did what any expecting shifter would do…
I called the healer. We had only gone to him twice, and each time, he said everything was fine.
We opted out of the ultrasound because of concerns over radioactive waves or something, but now I regretted it.
Theo told me the ultrasound was harmless, but did I listen? No.
What in the fuck did you mean there was a possibility I was going to lay eggs?
Eggs. Dragon eggs.
I picked up the phone and dialed the healer and, when the appointment desk answered, tried not to sound like an absolute lunatic. “I need to come in for an ultrasound,” I said.
They got all my information. “Is there something wrong? Are you bleeding or having cramps?”
I calmed my breathing as best I could. “Um, yes, there might be a problem. Is there any way you can work me in today?”
“Sure. Come on in. It’s a slow day.”
Without telling Theo, I got in the car and forced myself to take the slow route to the clinic for no other reason than I needed a few moments to not freak out.
Eggs. Dragon eggs coming out of my…
Nope. Come on, Brent. Let’s go see before we come unglued.
I walked into the healer’s office and waited only a few minutes before being called back. Shoot. I really should’ve told Theo. Too late now.
“Good morning, Brent. Come on back. We’re ready for you.” I expected an ultrasound tech, but instead, it was Sean, the healer himself. “Tell me what’s going on.” He asked me to sit on the table while he took a seat on the rolling stool.
I felt so silly now but, at the same time, not. “You know my mate is a dragon shifter.”
“I do.”
“And this morning, I was reading something about dragons and dragon babies and…”
“Eggs,” he finished for me.
I nearly whimpered with relief. “Yes.”
“I’m glad you came in. Is your mate coming in as well? Should we wait for him?” Probably. Maybe. “No. I have to know.”
Sean nodded. “Okay. Let’s find out so that you can rest easy, and we’ll talk about what it means if you are carrying eggs.”
Eggs. Like a chicken. Dear goddess.
It wasn’t far into the ultrasound when I saw several oval shapes inside me. I didn’t have to be a healer or a tech to see what that meant. “Eggs,” I said. I was tired of saying that word. It had begun to sound weird.
“Yes. Three of them. Healthy, babies inside as well.”
I was frozen in place. Sean asked me to wipe up the blue gel stuff, but I couldn’t move. Fear was taking over.
“Sit up.” He basically sat me up himself. “Let’s talk about this. But first, I need you to breathe. Your babies need you to breathe.”
“I’m breathing,” I managed to choke out.
“Good. This isn’t unheard of. Dragon mates lay eggs. A dragon’s DNA is so potent and powerful, it almost guarantees this. But I’ve helped quite a few mates lay eggs. It’s not a lot different than giving birth, except you have to wait to see the babies until they break through the shell.”
Dots connected in my mind. “That’s why I’ve been sort of nesting in the nursery. I thought it was my cat readying for the baby, but…oh, man, it even looks like a nest, now that I think about it.”
Sean shrugged it off. “Probably a bit of both. And again, all very normal. I know this is difficult for our human brains to wrap around but, as much as you can, let your animal decide what to do and if they want to nest or clean the house, another form of nesting, or refold blankets…that’s all part of the process.
Try to take a back seat to them mentally when fear starts to trickle in. ”
I took a long, cleansing breath. He was so right. I needed to chill.
“Thank you. I really appreciate this. Three babies, huh?”
The healer chuckled and nodded. “Yes. You two are going to do great. You have some support outside of all of this?”
I did. I had an amazing best friend and his mate. They had their own baby, but I didn’t doubt they would help whenever they could. Theo had Darris and his brothers and Greta.
“Yes. We do.”
“Lean on them when you need to. Community is so important. And one more thing. Call your mate. Share these fears with him. He seemed supportive. Is that true?”
A tear slipped down my face. I should’ve told him. Theo would’ve dropped everything to come with me today. I was so used to carrying and isolating when I was in trouble. I needed to let my mate in. “He is. I’m going to call him right now. Thank you again.”
“No problem. Call me again if you need anything, and I’d like to see you weekly now that we know how well-formed the eggs are. Should be a month before you lay them, but let’s check progress.”
“Okay.”
I called Theo on the way home. He immediately came home, and we sat together and talked through everything. He eased every fear in a way only a mate could.
My alpha was the absolute best.
He asked to see my nest and, at first, I shied away.
“Brent, look at me.” I did. “Nesting is normal and even necessary when it comes to our eggs. I would love to see it.”
I sighed. “It’s in the nursery.”
We walked to the room made for our baby but now had to be modified for babies, plural. In the corner were some comforters from the closet, along with some of Theo’s hoodies and his pillow. All of them for comfort. His scent brought me calm.
Theo circled my waist from behind and leaned his chin on my shoulder. “It’s a beautiful nest, mate. You did so well.”
It was like he spoke directly to my feline. “Really? It’s not weird?”
“Not weird at all. You made a comfortable, safe, and warm nest for our eggs, our babies. What a blessed alpha I am.”
My entire body warmed. His praise meant everything to me.
“We’re having three babies,” I said as he rubbed circles along my belly.
“We can do it. You can do it.”