Thankfully, in all the pandemonium that ensued with four pregnant omegas and their partners arriving at the exact same time, I was able to completely avoid getting lectured or yelled at. But I did get one of my dad’s patented laser beams stares. I was in such a state of panic by that point that it had no effect on me at all, though. Nothing like contractions to deflect the bad vibes someone is sending you.
As I made my way to the clinic entrance I was convinced that Bradly was coming at any second, and even though I was somehow able to maintain a cool exterior, I couldn’t think straight. I don’t know how many bodies I bounced off of trying to get through that damned door.
First it was Holden, who ricocheted off my belly and almost landed in the bushes, then it was one of the other pregnant omegas, who I heard someone call Jeremy. He was actually filming the whole thing on his phone so he wasn’t even watching where he was going. Then, once I got inside the waiting room, I watched everything that was happening around me like it was a movie.
I love Holden so much, but I swear his brain fell out of his head the moment my contractions started. He couldn’t even remember his own name when we got up to the reception desk. Then when he started knocking things over I had to close my eyes and just hope for the craziness to end. And in all that time, from the minute I stepped out of the cop car, I kept wondering when the hell we were going to be taken back to our delivery rooms.
The way I’d pictured this day in my head, it was me and Holden in a nice, private room, maybe even one that was filled with roses and soothing music and some fluffy blankets and pillows. I’d pictured Bradly sliding out the moment my contractions started, and Holden and I smiling while his family surrounded my bed, all of us gazing down at our little boy. But I think I’d been watching too many movies, because that’s not the way any of it happened.
The way everything played out, the entire scene seemed like something that could’ve been in a movie. An over-the-top, madcap comedy, with every character running around in multiple directions. But it would have been a movie where everyone was laughing except the people who were involved. The whole thing is hilarious when I think back on it now, but in that moment, I wasn’t finding anything funny.
I remember everything happening in slow motion, almost like I had tunnel vision. I glanced over at Holden, who looked horrified and yelled something completely incoherent after he’d knocked over a bunch of coffee cups. Then somehow he managed to fall into a nurse who was carrying a tray of medical instruments.
I remember more tunnel-vision and more yelling when one of the other omegas in our group almost fell flat on his ass in the pool of coffee on the floor that Holden had created. When one of the nurses threw a pile of towels down on the coffee it helped calm things down a little, but I remember wondering who the hell was supervising the whole event, because it felt like utter chaos.
Then, right in the middle of the waiting room, while the instruments were scattering across the linoleum floor and one of Holden’s alpha friends, Brian, staggered down the hallway carrying his pregnant mate, my water broke. I held my belly and looked wildly around the room to see if anyone could come over and help me.
Holden was busy picking up some of the instruments he’d knocked over, and he couldn’t hear me calling him. That’s when my eyes locked with my dad’s. He was smiling and had tears in his eyes, and in that moment my heart melted. My dad saw the panic in my face and ran to my side, and when he grabbed me around the waist and started walking me down the hall I knew that I had been wrong to keep all of this from him.
I guess I’d known it all along, that he really did love me and care about me. I just didn’t understand the way he showed it. But I could see it now, in his eyes and in the way he wanted to take care of me.
“I’m so sorry, Dad. I should’ve told you what was going on,” I said to him as one of the nurses led us down a hallway to the delivery room.
Out of the corner of my eye I could see him wiping tears away. “I don’t want to talk about what either of us should have done,” he said. “I just want you to know how happy I am to be here right now.”
We were in the middle of the hall, but my dad stopped walking and turned to me. “Do you want me to stay in the waiting room?”
I shook my head. “No, I want you to come to the delivery room with me and Holden. Wait, where is he?” I turned around and watched as Holden ran to catch up with us.
“Are you ready? Are we going in? I don’t even know what happened. One minute I was standing next to you, then the next everything was all over the floor, and you were gone.” Holden was talking so fast I could barely understand what he was saying.
“Yeah, we’re going back to the delivery room now. All of us.” I looked at my dad. “You remember Holden, right?”
“Of course,” my dad said. “You’re the small business owner. It’s a restaurant on a yacht, if I remember correctly.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I have the business,” Holden said to my dad, but then gave me a funny look, like he wasn’t sure what to say.
“It’s not a yacht, or a restaurant,” I said to my dad. “Holden owns that little snack boat. It’s called The Treat Boat. It might look a little run down, but it does a great job.”
“I’m sure it does,” my dad said to Holden, and somehow, I think he really meant it. “Okay, let’s get you back to the delivery room.”
My dad took one of my hands and Holden took the other and the three of us walked the rest of the way down the hall, and right back into the eye of the storm.
“It’s coming right now! I can feel it! The head is coming out now!”
Jeremy, Alex’s partner, was yelling at one of the nurses.
“Hon, nothing’s coming out. You haven’t even dilated two centimeters yet.”
“Are you sure?” Jeremy asked. “Are you telling me the truth?”
I watched as Alex walked around the bed, then grabbed Jeremy’s hand. “I’m telling you the truth. The baby isn’t coming out yet.”
“You’ll let me know when it’s coming, won’t you?” Jeremy asked with a whimper, and the entire room went into hysterics.
“Sure, but I think you’ll be the first to know,” Alex said with a big grin.
“Let’s get you up into bed,” one of the nurses said to me. There were at least six people in scrubs in the room tending to all four of us. A couple nurses were checking dilation on Jeremy and Nate, a medical student was walking Shane to the bathroom, and two more nurses were answering the obsessive questions that were spewing out of both Holden and Brian.
“Are they all giving birth in this room?” Brian asked.
“No, sir. We’ll be taking them to a private delivery room one at a time.”
“Who’s going in first?” Holden asked.
“Whoever goes into labor first.”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied. “But what if they all go into labor at the same time?”
“That’s highly unlikely, but if that happens we will take care of all four of them.”
“How? How many people are there on staff here today?” Brian asked.
I was relieved that Holden hadn’t asked that question because I was starting to get a little embarrassed about the interrogation they were putting the nurses through.
“We are a fully staffed birth clinic, Mr. Anderson. We regularly have multiple omegas giving birth within the same time period. I’m sure will be able to handle anything these four omegas can throw at us.”
“Just relax, Holden,” I said. “Everything is going to be okay.”
I couldn’t believe how calm I sounded. I still was pretty freaked out. My water had broken a few hours earlier, and I was sure that meant Bradly would be coming really soon, but when I asked one of the nurses about that, I was told I could still be in labor for a long time. I guess water breaking isn’t a guarantee that the baby will be coming anytime soon.
But even though I was worried and anxious, somehow I was able to maintain a super calm exterior. Even the
next morning when my dad started having a conniption fit and ordering people around. But I guess it was understandable. We had been at the clinic for twelve grueling hours. Nate and Shane had already delivered, and everyone was tired and crabby. Especially Jeremy, who was in the bed right next to me.
When a big contraction hit me a nurse yelled out to the doctor that Jeremy and I were both crowning at the same time.
“Which one is going first?!” Alex yelled.
Of course, my dad pulled the governor card. “I want a private room for my son, now!” He was yelling at no one in particular, though, because all of the nurses and assistants and doctors were running around, focused on their jobs.
“Dad,” I said between my deep breathing exercises. “It’s okay. I can just give birth here.”
“Oh no you can’t! I want you in a private room! There’s too many people here. This isn’t the way the birth of my grandson is happening!”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you don’t lower your voice,” one of the nurses said to my dad.
“You can’t make me leave! I’m the governor of this state, for crying out loud! And I want my son in a private room, or you’ll hear from my lawyers!”
“Sir, the only private room we have at the moment is the supply closet, and your son’s baby is coming out right now. He can give birth here in this room, in the hallway, or in the supply closet. The choice is yours. And while that’s happening you will be out in the waiting room, because you’re being too disruptive.”
“I’m being disruptive?!”
I could see the look in his eyes and I knew what was coming next. My dad was about to have a full-blown, grand-floral meltdown. “Dad, it’s okay. Really. I don’t mind this at all. It’s actually kind of nice having everyone around. Please, just relax and enjoy the birth of your grandson. I want you here when Bradly comes out.”
I could see tears well up in my dad’s eyes.
“Bradly?” he asked. Then he gripped my hand. “That’s beautiful. You’re naming him after your older brother. I have no words,” he said, wiping the tears away. “I’m so sorry, son. I just want everything to be perfect for you. You’re all I have. You and my grandson. Bradly. I love it! And I love you, Brent. I’ve always just wanted the best for you. You know that, don’t you?”
“I told you!” Holden yelled. “I knew he wanted the best for you! I tried to tell him, sir! I really did, but he wouldn’t listen. Nooooo. Not to me. But I knew it from the start!”
Both my dad and I looked at Holden, who was standing in between my legs. He looked at both of us with wild, bloodshot eyes, and he was panting like he’d just run a marathon. After that bizarre outburst, I thought my dad was going to throw something at him, but instead he started laughing, and as soon as I realized how ridiculous this whole situation was, I started laughing too.
“He’s telling the truth,” I said to my dad. “He tried to get me to call you about a million times while I was pregnant.”
“Well, I’m just glad I’m here now. I hope you can forgive me for everything, and that we can maybe even start over.”
“I’d love that,” I said as I squeezed my dad’s hand. But once I started squeezing I couldn’t stop. It felt like the biggest contraction ever was blasting right through my abdomen, and I could tell by the look on his face that my dad was in pain too.
“Oh, my God, is the baby coming?” Holden asked.
“Yes!” Jeremy yelled from the next bed. “The baby is coming!”
“Not your baby!” Holden yelled as he ran to my side. “Our baby! Bradly! Is Bradly coming?” Holden asked as he gripped my other hand.
“Yes, Mr. Graham, Bradly is here.”
The nurse held my son up for a moment before taking him to the washing table. I heard shouting and laughter in the room, and even the sound of a grown adult sobbing. Then, when I heard the sounds of two tiny babies crying and I knew that Jeremy and I had given birth at the same time.
I glanced over at him, this random hillbilly dude who I barely knew, and he looked at me at the same time. We didn’t know each other, but as far as I was concerned we were birth brothers. We’d spent the entire night in labor, then pushed our babies out at the exact same time.
Jeremy smiled at me, then closed his eyes. He looked exhausted, but also like he’d never been so happy in his life. I was pretty sure I had the same look on my face too, because that’s exactly how I felt. Like this was the best day of my entire life. Especially when one of the nurses put Bradly in my arms, and my dad and Holden huddled around.
“He’s the most beautiful baby in the world,” Holden said. “He looks like you.”
“Really?” I asked, turning him in my arms so I could see his eyes. “You know who he actually looks like to me?”
“Who?” Holden asked.
I looked at my dad and he smiled. “He looks just like your brother,” he said as he took Bradly’s tiny hand in his.
Chapter 16 - Epilogue
Holden
“Yeah, we saw my family a few times this week, and we went over to the governor’s mansion last night to see Brent’s dad.”
“Dang, that must’ve been awesome.”
“Yeah, they really had the place decorated like crazy. Huge silver garlands and white lights around every doorway. I think there was a full-sized Christmas tree in every room too. Even the bathroom.”
“No kidding! That’s insane! I’d love to see it. Actually, I was thinking we really need to get together for a little party or something. What do you think?”
Brent set a cup of coffee down on the table next to me, and I looked up and threw him a kiss. I’d been faced-timing with our friends for the last hour, and at the moment was talking to Alex. He was sitting right next to the little tree he and Jeremy had up in their trailer and it looked so sweet and cozy.
It was the afternoon of Christmas Day and Brent and I had already unwrapped all of our presents. We didn’t get each other much, mostly just candy canes and mandarin oranges and things like that, since we were starting to get serious about not accumulating too much stuff. Brent had been carrying Bradly around with him all day, even while he was making coffee, which I told him I would do. But he said he couldn’t sit still.
“We’d really like to have everyone over here, but we just don’t have the room.”
“We sure as hell don’t have room here,” Alex said. “I mean, we’re still in the single wide. There’s barely room for the two of us to stand in the kitchen at the same time.”
“Yeah, I hear you, man.” I watched for a moment as Alex took Felicia into his arms. She looked up at him and giggled, which caught Brent’s attention.
“What’s happening? What’s she doing?” he asked as he sat down next to me on the couch.
I didn’t even have to say a word. A smile spread across Brent’s face as he watched Alex and Felicia on the iPad screen.
“You know what?” I said. “We should do it.”
“Do what?” Alex asked.
“Have a big-ass party!”
“You mean here? For my dad and your family?” Brent asked. “We’d probably have to get some folding chairs or something.”
“I mean for all of our families.”
Alex laughed. “Dude, you can’t be serious. That would be four couples, their kids, and all their families. That’s insane. How could you possibly bring that many people together in one house?”
“Well, it wouldn’t actually be eight,” I said. “Nate doesn’t have a family, remember?”
“Yeah,” Brent said. “That’s true.”
“He can have some of Jeremy’s family,” Alex said with a laugh. Then I saw a fist suddenly appear from one side of the screen and punch him in the arm. “I’m kidding, babe!”
“I actually think that’s a pretty good idea,” Jeremy said, peeking in from the side of the screen where his fist had appeared. “All of us getting together, I mean. Doesn’t Shane’s partner have a big house?”
�
�Yeah, Professor Dylan lives right off Highway 30. It’s not too far away from here,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket. “Let me text him.”
It turned out that Austin’s house was full. Both his family and Shane’s family were visiting through the new year, so that idea was out. But Brent had the brilliant idea of asking his dad.
“I think there’s just one of us whose family lives out of town,” he said into his phone. Then he looked at me and rolled his eyes. “Dad, I don’t know if that’s necessary.” There was a long pause while Brent listened. “Even us?” Another pause. “Okay, okay, if that’s the way you want to do it. Okay, I love you too. See you tomorrow.”
“What was that about?” I asked.
Brent took a deep breath. “My dad is flying everyone in. I’m pretty sure Brian is the only one of us who has family out of town, but I’ll have to check. Anyway, my dad wants to give everyone, all of us and our families, a police escort to the governor’s mansion tomorrow. He thinks it would be fun,” Brent said, rolling his eyes again.
I scrunched up my eyebrows, then laughed. “Your dad has a pretty interesting idea of fun. But yeah, that does sound kind of exciting, in a weird, holiday-action-movie kind of way.”
“Exactly,” Brent said, then he turned his attention to Bradly, who was in his lap. “You wouldn’t believe how crazy your grandpa is if I told you, but you’ll sure find out.”
The next day, true to his word, Governor Evans sent a cop car to our house and had us brought to The Bitar Mansion. It was a wild ride, going down Highway 30, which was finally clear, then through downtown Portville. The decorations on the street lights and across all of the intersections were beautiful, and reminded me of why I loved this town so much. It was a big city, but with the heart of a small town.
When we walked in the front door there were already at least twenty people inside, some I didn’t even recognize. Alex immediately found me and took me aside. “That was wild, man. I’m glad you gave me a heads up, because if you hadn’t I totally would’ve thought I was going to jail when the cop car pulled up this morning. Even then, I wasn’t entirely convinced.”
Portville Summer Series: The Complete Collection Books 1-4: (MM Nonshifter Omegaverse) Page 37
