Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
LEDGER
“Have fun and take lots of photos.”
Theron and I waved to the kids as Jess drove down the driveway. It was the Dragon School Family Fun Day, and I’d so wanted to go too. I’d long gotten over any uneasiness about being surrounded by so many dragon shifters, and also there were strict rules about fires on campus.
I’d had mild contractions the last few days and had had little to no sleep. I was exhausted, and my mate suggested I stay home.
“You go with the kids and tell me all about it when you get home.” I’d been in the cinema room when I said that, lying flat on my back with a bowl of popcorn balanced on my belly.
“Nope. I’m staying with you. The children will understand.”
They had been disappointed, but when I told them Jess would take them to the Fun Day, they forgot about that and called him. The children had met Jess numerous times, and he enjoyed their dragon antics when they were allowed to remove their bracelets.
Fraser said he had to join him in the Hottest Chili Contest, while Rory was going to participate in the Flaming Ring Toss.
“I want to win the Hot Egg and Spoon Race.” Skye had put her face close to the phone.
“Do you want to nap?” My mate was making me peppermint tea because my tummy had been jumpy since I woke up.
“Too tired.” I headed back to the cinema room, thankful for the L-shaped sectional sofa in there. It was big enough I could almost live my entire life on it.
I had my eyes closed and was breathing deep breaths when Theron told me my tea was beside me. Though being pregnant had increased my internal temperature, having what was probably a shifter inside me didn’t improve my hearing. Theron had crept over the thick carpet without me being aware.
“Mmmm.” I scrunched up my face and hugged a cushion to my belly. “Can’t talk.” I was talking, but I had a dragon baby in my belly, so I had an excuse. “Tummy hurting.”
“Ledger.”
He didn’t speak, and I opened my eyes after the pain subsided. My mate returned with two fans. I closed one eye, trying to figure out why. I hadn’t needed them since I became pregnant.
Theron turned them on full blast and almost blew me away. But the breeze they created felt so good. I yanked off my oversized tee and embraced the cool air on my chest and belly.
“That’s nice. Thanks, sweetie.” I placed a hand on my bump.
“I think you’re in labor, treasure.”
My eyes snapped open. “Shouldn’t I be the one to tell you that when it’s time?”
“I recognize the signs. You’re overheating.”
“Owww, owww, owww.” The cool air was no longer soothing me, and my body was racked with pain. What felt like a band around my belly was squeezing me hard, until it wasn’t, the tightening eased, and I exhaled.
My mate was beside me on the couch and put an ear to my bump.
“Is the baby talking to you?” He’d never mentioned it during the nine months I’d been carrying our little one.
“My dragon can sense that the little one wants to come out.”
Despite my discomfort and anxiety that I had to push a baby out of me, I giggled, and my mate gave me a look, and the furrows between his brows formed an 11.
“You made it sound as though the baby wished to go to the Fun Day or wanted to chill with me on the sofa.”
Another contraction took hold, and Theron increased the speed of the fans. At this rate, I’d been the one flying, with that hurricane-level wind.
“Your temperature will increase even more during contractions.” He explained dragon omegas didn’t mind the increased heat, but as a human, I might experience more discomfort.
More? How much more would there be?
The contractions were closer together now. They were eight minutes and then seven, and Theron helped me get up. I needed to walk.
We padded around the cinema room. It was a beautiful day outside, but I was so hot and there was no breeze, so we paced over the carpet, and I gripped it with my toes when my body cramped.
We did this for an hour. Sometimes I'd stop and grab his arm and breathe through the cramping, and he'd put his other hand on my back and breathe with me.
“Would you like a cold shower?”
That went against everything I knew about labor. Human omegas enjoyed warm baths, but anything to cool my body sounded good. We used the bathroom off the cinema room, and my mate must have removed my clothes because I was naked and cold water was streaming over me.
When I got out of the shower, the baby decided they were going all in, and the contractions ramped up.
“It hurts.” I grunted and rested my head on my mate’s chest. “What’s your dragon saying? Shouldn’t he be providing commentary?”
“He just says the baby’s on the way.”
“Great.” That wasn’t helpful, but the only thing that would help was getting the baby out. The pain was excruciating, and I sagged against Theron, wondering if I’d still be conscious when it came time to push.
My mate messaged Jess, saying I was in labor and the kids could go on every ride, play all the games, and eat as much as they wanted. I rolled my eyes, thinking how hyped up they’d be, but I didn’t want them here, listening to me cry and moan.
“Will your dragon be able to communicate with the baby dragon after the birth?” Why had I never asked that question until now? I put it down to baby brain.
“No. He’ll sense our child’s beast but nothing more.”
“Another one.” I held onto him, and when the contraction gripped me, I squeezed him. He didn’t wince or cry out, because even in the throes of pain, I couldn’t crush his arm enough to hurt.
I'd read books about labor and I thought I'd been ready. The contractions amassed, like a damned army in formation, waiting for battle. The breaks between them got shorter, and at some point, I was on the sectional on my hands and knees with Theron behind me rubbing my back.
The books said I’d know when to push. I didn’t, until oh gods, yes, there it was. I had to bear down.
“You’re doing great, treasure.”
I loved that pet name, but right now, I didn’t. I wanted to toss it off along with the pain.
“Don’t call me that. I’ll give you permission later.”
“Okay.” He pressed his lips to my head.
“I’m not good at this.” Was any omega? If they were, why hadn’t they shared hints with me?
“Your body knows what to do.”
“Are you sure my body hasn’t suffered memory loss?”
But perhaps he was right. I was breathing and pushing during contractions, but my body was telling me when and how to proceed.
Theron's voice was steady as he kneeled behind me. His voice and his hand on my hip reassured and grounded me. I welcomed his smoky scent that surrounded me like the throw on the back of the sofa.
“I see the baby’s head.”
My brain told me we weren’t progressing, but Theron could see our little one, so I was doing it right. I pushed some more. There were contractions, pushes, pain, and my mate’s voice. I was being split in two, until the pressure released, and there was an angry cry.
“We have another daughter.”
A little girl, a sister for Rory, Fraser, and Skye.
Theron was making weird sounds, a sort of combination between a laugh and a sob, but he helped me onto my back and placed the squirming bundle on my chest.
“I’d be annoyed too if I was safe and warm and got expelled from my sleeping place.”
I kissed her damp head, and our daughter opened her eyes. They were so dark, like my mate’s, and I imagined I was staring into centuries of dragon history. She was smaller than I expected, considering I’d carried her for nine months and she’d felt so enormous.
“She’s ours, just as her older siblings are.” I smothered her head with more kisses, feeling as though my heart would burst and overflow with happiness.
My mate kissed our daughter, then me, and our daughter again. I was overcome with awe and love, one so strong there was nothing that could sever it.
Theron turned off the fans. I expected my body to return to normal human temperature as it had been before I got pregnant. But Theron told me our daughter may have given me something.
“She’s left you some dragon DNA, and now you’re the same temperature as the rest of the family.”
“That rules out ever going to a human doctor.” And how would I explain this to my parents?
We texted Jess, and he brought the kids back. I’d showered and was in my bathrobe when they stormed in. Jess congratulated us and left as our three older children crowded around me. Skye and Fraser got on the sofa and peered at the baby.
“Is this our sister?”
“She’s so small.”
“Where’s her fire?”
They peppered me with questions. We hadn’t chosen a name, but that could wait until the morning.
Though the kids had been excited about the baby, I’d wondered how they’d accept a new tiny person in our lives. But my heart swelled with even more love and pride at how their horizons expanded to include their baby sister.
“I’m so proud of our kids, all four of them.” My mate was cuddled into me, and our three older children were curled around us. The baby was in her crib at my side, and I reached out, making sure she was still there.
“Me too, but it’s you who deserves a medal. You carried and birthed a dragon today.”
“You make it sound as though the baby had scales, spikes, and fire.” That sounded owie.