Chapter Nineteen
Brent
Silly me. I thought that the first nest I made was going to be the final one. It was settled and done, with time for the next item on the pre-baby checklist and all that good stuff.
How very wrong I was.
I took that nest apart and rebuilt it every single day. Every single night, I went to sleep thinking I’d finally done it, that I’d finally made the perfect nest. But this morning, just like every other one, I knew it was wrong. Very, very wrong.
After a quick shower, I grabbed the keys off the counter and waddled to my car. Theo was finishing up a 48 and would be home soon enough, but I couldn’t wait that long. I needed supplies.
I called Altan on speakerphone, asking him to meet me at the home goods store. After he made sure I was okay, he agreed, telling me he’d have a playmate in tow. I loved Laney and never minded her coming with us.
They were already there when I pulled into the parking lot. She was on his back in the carrier. She was very mobile now, and keeping her there was the easiest way for him to shop. She didn’t mind it, either. She could look around and wave at all the people, stealing hearts in every aisle.
“So, what do you need?”
“Everything,” I grunted and told him to grab a cart.
This was one of those home stores where you didn’t really know what was going to be there from one trip to the next.
It was not the ideal place for a list, but I had one in my head a mile long.
So, I crossed my fingers and toes that we could make this a one-store day, and we started our shopping adventure, going through every single section.
I grabbed fuzzy blankets, pillows, three different dog beds, towels, and sheets. Absolutely none of those were on my list. The one thing I came into the store as a “must have” was an air mattress, and they didn’t have any. Somehow, in my mind, the dog beds would make up for that.
“Do I want to know how this all goes together?” he asked, plopping a set of throw pillows I’d pointed out into his cart.
“Probably not. But even if you did, I’m not sure I know.” I very much did not.
“I suppose that’s fair,” he said. “Pregnancy is a trip, isn’t it?”
“That it is.”
We left with both carts overflowing, barely getting it all into my car.
“Do you want me to come over and help?” Altan asked.
“Can you bring Bunny Foo-Foo, too?” For some reason, I needed her there.
“Sure. And we spent enough time there, I may be able to leave this one home so she can nap.” She was already halfway there, her head bobbing as she kept catching herself, not wanting to miss anything.
I had my car mostly unloaded when Altan pulled into my driveway.
“Hey, Bunny Foo-Foo,” I said, my face pressed against her the carrier. “I don’t know why you need to be here today, but you do.”
She purred.
With the last of the items inside, I got her settled. All of her cat-sitting items were brought over in the move, making it a pretty quick setup. Then, we went to work.
“Tell me what I can do.”
“Just take the tags off everything.” I’d have given him heavier tasks if I had a plan. I had none.
“Gotcha, boss.”
As he took the tags off, I brought everything into the room and piled it up, making sure the hoodies were on top.
“Do you want to tell me why you have three dog beds?”
They formed a triangle with a hole in the center where they didn’t quite meet, a space where I could sit pretty comfortably but definitely not lie down. Underneath all that were blankets, towels, and other pillows. So many pillows, along with some clothing and stuffed toys.
“I’d love to explain it to you,” I said, “but I don’t know myself.”
I grabbed my side. I’d overdone it. He had offered to help many times, but my stubborn ass didn’t let him do anything but tag removal and chatting.
I pushed myself up off the floor. My center of gravity was off just enough that I nearly fell.
He raced to my side, steadying me. “I’m going to make you tea. Go sit in the living room.”
I wanted to argue and say he was my guest and that it was my turn to make the tea, but I didn’t have the energy. I did as he said, and Bunny Foo-Foo came to sit next to me.
“Thanks for coming, bud. I’m glad you came.”
Pictures of babies filled my head.
“Yeah, only they’re coming out as eggs. Isn’t that weird?”
Again, visions of babies filled my head.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you meet them.”
She went to climb on my lap, but it was mostly missing. Instead, she snuggled in beside me. My back was killing me. When Altan came out with the tea, he set it down and squatted in front of me.
“You’re not okay, are you?”
“No, I think I am. I probably overdid it.”
“I’m calling your mate.”
“He’s finishing up his forty-eight. He should be home…” I looked over at the clock. “Give him ten minutes.” He wasn’t one to dawdle, especially not now that I was so far along in my pregnancy.
I didn’t drink any of the tea, instead getting up and walking around. The back pain moved to my side, then to the front, then to the back again. That was not how back pain was supposed to behave. Altan held his phone up again. “Can I call him?”
The crunch of tires in the driveway saved me.
A worried call from my bestie was averted by Theo’s arrival.
Little did I know that when my mate came in, he was going to help Altan gang up on me.
My bestie couldn’t tell him all about how much I overdid it and how he thought something was wrong, fast enough.
“Let me call the healer,” Theo said.
“I’m fine.” Visions of the babies popped into my head again. “Bunny Foo-Foo thinks this is labor.”
“Is that right, timing-wise? Aren’t you too soon?”
“No, it’s just about time according to my dates, and if that’s what my furry friend thinks is going on, I’m going to believe her.”
“Do you want me to stay or leave?” Altan’s hand was on my shoulder.
“Please stay.”
Both he and Theo kept me company. They brought me drinks, held my hands as I walked, and kept me upright when the pain got bad.
Hours later, despite it feeling like days or maybe weeks, it was time to push.
I rushed into the nursery, asking my mate to help me get undressed.
Altan stood behind me, keeping me steady as Theo removed my pants.
Then I got onto one of the dog beds, squatting.
They were on each side, helping me stay upright.
It hurt. A lot. It was terrifying knowing that I had not one but three beings to push out of me when one felt impossible.
But between the encouragement of my mate, my bestie, and Bunny Foo-Foo, I could do it.
I squeezed and pushed and screamed and cursed.
And then there was one beautiful teal egg sitting on the dog bed.
“Get me to the next one.” I didn’t have time to admire our first egg. My body wanted them all out and now.
They picked me up, not even pretending to help me walk, as I wasn’t sure I could. Another half hour of tears, screams, and pushing before our next egg, a light-pink one, sat on the second bed.
They carried me to the next bed and, once again, I pushed and pushed. This one was the hardest, my energy nearly depleted, but I did it with their help, and we had a light-violet egg on the final bed.
My babies were in there.
I held on to my mate tightly. “They’re so beautiful.”
Altan kneeled in front of the violet one. “They really are.”
“Sorry about the dog beds, Bunny Foo-Foo.” She, too, was enamored with the eggs. “They were the right shape.” We could curl up around each one if we wanted to or possibly sit in the middle.
I waited for a reply from my furry friend, but all she sent back was a feeling of warmth and love.
We have three babies coming. They are almost here.
“Let’s go get you showered and cleaned up,” Theo said.
“I can’t leave.”
“That’s where I come in,” Altan said, sitting on the floor beside the nest. “I’ll guard them with my life. Go get unstinky. Your babies deserve a clean, sweet-smelling start.”
I knew full well he was referring to the time I made him shower after three days of not wanting to leave his baby, even when she was napping. I didn’t regret it, just like he wasn’t going to regret this. That’s what besties do. They look out for each other.