Chapter 44 Devin
Devin
“So, what do you think?” I asked Coach as he watched us on the ice. He’d been watching us play with a shrewd eye. He hadn't liked the idea of letting Percy go but understood that it was for the best. Still, he was showing his annoyance by putting us through drills.
“I’ll admit you guys are playing pretty well together, even though you're missing a player. I think we could make this work.”
I nodded enthusiastically, clapping him on the shoulder. “We will. We’ll do whatever it takes. After our family, the team is our priority.”
The coach bobbed his head in a steady nod. “As they should be. I know I wasn't the happiest when you asked about Percy leaving, but at the end of the day, the fact that all of you guys would be willing to walk in order to protect your omega and be there for her is something to be admired.”
I paused, watching this man I’d come to know so well. He was in his early fifties and had a lot more life experience than me. I had been terrified when I approached him about Percy leaving, but when he had pushed back, I had made it clear that our entire pack was behind the decision.
If it meant the end of our NHL careers, then so be it. Growing up, we'd all heard the stories about kids with famous dads who were hockey players, and never had any time for them. I refused to be like that. I was going to be there for my child—and for their mother.
“Thank you, honestly.”
“We are a family team. Now that you guys are having a kid, I think every single team player has a child! You guys were supposed to be our young, dumb players to attract the ladies, but now you've turned into respectable family men.” He shook his head playfully. “What am I going to do with you?”
I snorted, rolling my eyes. “We both know that having a child isn't going to do anything to stop Saint’s fangirls.”
“True, I don't think anything short of a nuclear apocalypse would stop those girls. Next time you bring your girl to a game, make sure you put her in one of the boxes, not out and about where she can see them. I assume you'll be making an honest woman out of her soon enough.”
“As soon as she's healthy enough after the baby. That’s the plan.” I beamed. The thought of bonding with my Mable was electrifying. We’d all been talking about it, and there were few things in this world that all of us had been as excited about.
“Well, get back to it for now. I’m going to push you hard while I have you.” Coach grinned, patting me on the shoulder. I could see the pride in his eyes, and it felt good to know that I’d made the right decision. I was doing the right thing.
Going back on the ice with the team, we ran through drills and got a feel for what it would be like without Percy. We were good players, so adaptability was our strong suit. And hell, I guess my pack and I were pretty damn good at it off the ice, too.
I’d just finished a lap when the coach yelled across the ice to us, waving his hand frantically so that we’d see him.
“Garnett! Get your ass here!” His voice held the tone of urgency, so I booked it over to him. He was standing in the box with Doc Jensen next to him.
“Hey,” I panted, having darted across the ice in record time.
“Go get changed,” Coach instructed, and my stomach dropped, my pulse skyrocketing.
“Why?” I frowned. Everything had seemed fairly normal, so why was he kicking me out of practice early?
Jensen laughed, shaking his head. “You’re about to have a baby, numbnuts—you’re needed elsewhere.”
My jaw dropped as my eyes bugged out of my head. “Wait, she’s not due for—”
“Baby is coming a little early, but nothing to worry about. You need to go and hold your omega’s hand. Get your pack. Now!” Jensen shoved me back toward the ice, shooing me away as I fumbled in shock. Saint and Jasper were taking shots on goal, jumping around like over-exuberant puppies.
“We’re having a baby!” I shouted excitedly across the ice, making everyone pause. All our team members turned to look at me, varying levels of confusion on their faces. And then Saint and Jasper pieced together what I’d said.
Jasper let out a whoop of joy, dropping his stick and skating at a breakneck speed toward me, followed shortly by Saint, who looked so shaken, a soft breeze could have knocked him over.
“We’re—But she’s not due yet?” Saint was so confused, so totally taken aback, and I knew exactly how he felt.
“I seem to recall those things being estimates,” Jasper said. “Hell, Mable’s probably thrilled she’s not late.”
I shook my head. “None of that matters. She’s in labor, and we need to go!”
Saint and Jasper nodded, pulling their shit together in seconds. We smiled at each other, all of us in awe, waves of excitement and nervousness rushing over us.
Jasper grabbed my shoulder, squeezing. “Let’s go meet our baby.”
***
We made it to the hospital in record time. I probably broke a few traffic laws getting there, but I didn’t care. Getting to Mable as soon as possible was more important.
Not for the first time, I was so immensely thankful that Percy had made the decision to step away from the Chargers. What would have happened if we had all been at practice when Mable went into labor? She would have been on her own. That thought made me shudder.
“Hi! Our omega is in labor!” Jasper announced as we barreled into the hospital. We were rushing past people, and we got more than our fair share of stink eye from the nurses, but the one at the desk merely smiled at us. She was probably used to overexuberant alphas.
“And what is your omega’s name?” She looked up at us, this air of relaxed ease that helped to calm my racing heart, if only a little.
“Mable Presley,” I rushed to say.
The nurse cocked her head to the side. “And you are?” she asked, her voice becoming more serious.
“Devin Garnett.”
All the concern lifted from her features as realization dawned on her, and she nodded her head. “Ah, we have a Mable Garnett here. She’s in room four with your pack mate.”
She had used a pack name when registering at the hospital. It was a small gesture, but it filled me with unspeakable joy. You won’t cry, asshole. Pull it together.
“We will need to make this name change official at some point,” Saint said as we hurried toward the delivery room.
“As soon as she's healthy, recovered, and wants to,” I agreed.
Mable was sitting up in her hospital bed, Percy sitting behind her, rubbing her lower back. Her face was scrunched up in discomfort, but her expression melted into a smile when she saw us.
“You came!” she exclaimed.
“Like I would be anywhere else.” I laughed as we all surrounded her bed.
“How are you feeling?” Jasper asked, brushing hair away from her face. A fine layer of sweat covered her, and just looking at Mable, you could tell that she was doing all this work.
“It's not exactly a pleasurable experience, but it's not terrible. Not yet, anyway. The pain comes and goes in waves with the contractions.”
“The nurse said they're getting quite close together, and she's progressing nicely,” Percy said from behind her. “She’s been a rock star,” he praised, kissing the top of her head. Mable leaned into the touch, a smile gracing her face.
“Can we get you anything?” I asked, rubbing my hand up and down her arm.
Mable nodded at the ice chips in a cup on the rolling table that had been pushed to the side. “I’m hot. And thirsty.”
Saint was closest to the table and snagged the cup, handing it to Mable.
She plopped a few of the broken ice chunks into her mouth and sighed happily.
But the noise was cut off as another contraction took over.
She gripped my hand instinctively, her eyes squeezing shut as she worked to breathe through it.
“Okay…I lied…It’s…” Mable paused, trying to get through the contraction. I watched the monitor to my side, this line thing going up and then holding steady before it went down again. “Oof. Yeah, those are…fuck.”
The guys laughed. Mable didn’t swear much at all, of course, so if she was now, this was pretty damn serious. I hated not being able to do anything more for her.
Time blurred on as we all stood next to her. I wasn’t sure how long had passed. We all took turns holding Mable’s hands as she squeezed, helping her to walk around the room when she could, and the nurse had even come in and made us get her on the toilet.
Apparently, it was a great place to progress. Whatever that meant. I just did as I was told.
The contractions got closer and closer together and lasted for longer and longer.
The nurse checked on Mable’s dilation frequently, and at her last update, Mable was at seven centimeters.
Something called transition had started, and the nurse ensured us—mostly us alphas who were all nervous wrecks—that this was the big wave before showtime.
“Is everything ready?” She raised her head, looking between us as this last contraction stopped.
I nodded. “Yeah, we asked Spencer to drop off the car with the car seat in it, so it’ll be here ready and waiting. And paternity leave begins immediately. Thank God for that.”
The car seat had been a particular thorn in our side.
I’d spent a good few hours trying to figure out how to install it and got so frustrated that I was tempted to chuck the thing out a window.
The guys had tried, too, but the damn thing had been designed by Satan or something because none of us had any luck.
We had walked away thinking we would come back and figure it out later, maybe go to a firehouse and ask a fireman to show us how to install it.
Only, when we came back an hour later, the thing was perfectly installed.
Apparently, our security team also knew how to install car seats. They definitely deserved a raise.
We really didn't pay them enough.
“Good, I know—ugh!” Mable hissed, bending over slightly and leaning over the bed.
“Another contraction?” Saint was at Mable’s other side, taking her hand just as I did.
Mable nodded, biting her lip and gesturing at Percy who stood behind her. “Percy…the hip thing…”
“Of course, babe.” He grabbed her hips real low and squeezed, pushing inward. “The nurse said this can help.”
Seeing her face contorted in pain made my stomach turn sour. I wanted to take the pain away. She was our omega. She shouldn't ever suffer. We were the ones who were supposed to take the pain for her. Only, in this instance, there was no way we could do that.
As she breathed through it, rocking and spreading her legs wider, I couldn’t help but be in awe. Mable was a rock star. She was rising to this occasion and pushing through it. I watched the monitor again. The last contraction had been less than a minute ago. We were close. We had to be.
The nurse appeared in the doorway and crossed the room quickly to Mable. She watched the fetal heart monitor and took a few more of her measurements or assessments or whatever. When the contraction passed, she smiled gently at Mable.
“All right, hun. I need you to get into bed so I can check your dilation again, okay? These look like they’re coming hard and fast, so I think I might have some good news for you.”
It took work to get Mable into the bed, and she had a contraction halfway through the movement, leaning on the nurse and whimpering as she forced herself to breathe. My heart and stomach were in knots.
When she was there, the nurse got Mable to lean back on Percy, keeping her butt close to the edge of the bed. She did her thing to check Mable’s dilation, which my omega did not seem to like, but a huge smile broke out over the nurse’s face.
“You, missy, are fully dilated, and I can feel baby hair.”
“What?” the entire room asked, and my eyes blurred with tears. “Hair? The baby’s?”
“That’s right. When you feel like you need to push, we can work on getting this baby out here.” The nurse stepped to the door and called out for the doctor.
She appeared quickly and went right to Mable. “How are you—”
“I want to push. Ugh!” She gripped my hand and Saint’s so fucking tight.
“Yes, you do. Great job, Mable. Just like that.” Without batting an eye, the doctor got Mable’s feet in the stirrups and called out directions for the nurses—there were two of them now—and then went back to Mable.
“Perfect. Good job. Everything looks perfect. Okay, with your next contraction, I want you to push really hard, but listen and when I ask you to blow, you need to blow not push, we’re going to get this baby’s head out, and then her shoulders. ”
The doctor looked up at us alphas, and I was a damn wreck. “Okay, everyone, get ready to meet your baby.”