Baby Makes Three Collection

by D. M. Turner

  The door closed.

  More waiting. Yay.

  The wait wasn’t long. A tap on the door preceded it opening. Jeremy came into the room with a smile. “Thank you for coming.”

  Tanya shrugged. “I had nothing else going on today.” She certainly hadn’t gotten any writing done. “This is probably pointless though.”

  He dropped the file on the counter then quirked a brow at her in clear surprise. “What makes you say that?”

  “Donna’s pregnant.”

  “And that means what?”

  “What are the chances that both of us got pregnant during our first heat? I figure it’s pretty unlikely, given the fertility issues we’re supposed to have.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, since we don’t have any real statistics to work with, but we won’t know until we take a look at your ultrasound.” He pointed to the exam table. “If you’ll undo your jeans and lie on the table, we’ll see what that shows us.”

  “What about the other test?”

  “That was for my information only. I don’t know yet if they’re even accurate for werewolves. That’s part of what I’m checking.”

  “Did you get the results of mine yet?” She laid on the table.

  “Yes.” He waved a hand, pulled a rolling stool over to drop onto it, and rolled a machine over. “Those results don’t matter.”

  “What did it say?”

  Jeremy glanced at her then sighed. “Negative.” He reached for a bottle sitting in a cup on the machine.

  “Oh.” Her heart sank.

  “This stuff’ll be chilly.” He lifted the bottle to indicate what he meant then squirted it on her abdomen.

  She flinched but managed to bite back a yelp.

  “Like I said, I have no idea if human pregnancy tests even work for us. For all I know, females of our species don’t even produce HCG, which is what the tests look for.” He grabbed the probe attached to the machine. “So I wouldn’t put much stock in standard blood and urine tests.”

  “Okay.”

  “Now, let’s see what the ultrasound shows.”

  Tanya lay quiet and still. Seconds ticked by, each one creeping.

  “Ah, just as I suspected.” The pleased tone of Jeremy’s voice pulled her gaze from staring at the ceiling tiles. He smiled and pointed to the screen. “Do you see that?”

  She inclined her head to look at the monitor and caught her breath. “Is that…?” The image on the screen was more than she expected.

  “That would be your baby.” He grinned. “I had a 3-D ultrasound machine delivered late this morning. Ian helped me pay for it as a donation to the clinic. It gives much better images than the old 2-D we’ve been using.”

  Tears filled her eyes. Tiny hands and feet kicked and waved. Though she didn’t feel it, the image on the screen revealed it. “Can I get a photograph of that? To show Colin?”

  “Absolutely.” He shifted the probe. “Let’s get as clear an image as we can.” After a few moments, he punched a button on the machine. Then he removed the probe and handed her a wad of tissues. “You can wipe that goop off.” He pushed the machine against the wall and pulled a thick piece of paper off of it.

  Tanya zipped and buttoned her jeans then sat up and slipped off the table to her feet. She accepted the page he offered and studied it with a smile. A tear slipped free. “I thought it would take years.”

  Jeremy shrugged. “Maybe the fact you and Donna are new Turns has something to do with it. I don’t know. Regardless of hows and whys, you’re pregnant. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. For everything.” She tucked the photo into her purse. “I need to find Colin. Tell him the news.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.” A faint, brief look of sorrow flashed through his eyes then vanished.

  “Have you ever been mated?”

  “No.” He half-smiled and shook his head. “I was Turned a decade ago while I was in med school. I had a girlfriend at the time, but my weird behavior after I realized what had happened to me sent her running. Not that I blame her. Our lives… are not cut out for humans. If I ever marry, she must be a wolf. I don’t want to face what Isaac went through, losing his human wife to something as everyday as cancer. I’m not sure I’d take the loss any better than he did. Given how rare she-wolves are, I don’t expect to ever find one.”

  Tanya smiled. “I’ll bet Colin, Graham, and Brett thought the same thing once upon a time.”

  “True.”

  “Don’t give up. You never know what God has lurking around a corner for you.”

  He chuckled. “Can we use a word besides ‘lurking’? It has rather ominous connotations.”

  She laughed. “How about ‘waiting’?”

  “That works.” He nodded then opened the door. “Don’t worry about the bill for today’s visit. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks.”

  He led her back to the front office. “See you later.”

  Tanya nodded and left. Now, to track down Colin.

  * * *

  “Everything’s been quiet. I found a couple of downed trees near the southern boundary. They’re blocking the emergency access road.” Colin lowered himself into the chair beside his dad’s desk. “It looks like they may have been taken down by that bad storm we had last month.”

  “Do you need help removing them?” Dad frowned.

  “Probably. One or two extra pair of hands should take care of it without me having to be at it all day.”

  “You and I could manage it.”

  “Yeah.” Colin smiled. He didn’t get to work hands-on very often with his father, so a chance for the two of them to spend that kind of time together would be great.

  The phone laying on the desk rang. Dad picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Ian.” Tanya’s voice made Colin sit up straighter in his seat. “Have you seen Colin?”

  “Yeah, he’s sitting right here.”

  “Good. Please, keep him there, if you can. I’ll be there in about half an hour or so. I’m coming from town.”

  Town? Why had she gone to town? Had she said something about a trip that morning and he’d forgotten? Not likely.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Nope.” A soft laugh followed right before she hung up.

  Dad raised a brow and dropped the phone on the desk. “What in the world is that about?”

  Colin shrugged. “Not the faintest clue.”

  They chatted while they waited.

  Dad caught the sound of the approaching car engine before Colin, cocking his head then smiling. “That would be Tanya. Why don’t you see what she’s up to? I’ll wait here until I know the coast is clear.”

  Eyes rolling, Colin chuckled, got to his feet, and left the room. He entered the living room just as the front door opened.

  Tanya’s already bright smile brightened further when she met his gaze. She shut the front door and ran across the room to throw her arms around his neck. He barely kept them upright, caught off-guard by her jubilant greeting.

  “Whoa! I’m happy to see you, too, but….” He eased away from her and studied her gleeful face. “What’s going on?”

  She grinned and dug in her purse instead of answering him. She pulled out a piece of thick paper and offered it to him.

  He accepted it, giving it a glance. Then a second one. His heart beat faltered. “Is that what I think it is?”

  “Our baby.”

  “Our…?” Colin whooped and pulled her back into his arms. Then he set her a few inches away. “How…?”

  “You better not ask how it happened.” She laughed softly.

  He chuckled. “No. Definitely not the question I planned. How did you find out? I mean, I didn’t realize you even suspected it. You haven’t said anything.”

  “Jeremy called this morning, asked me to come in.” She shrugged. “I think my dissatisfaction with the lack of information available has rubbed off on him. He wants to start putting together information on wer
ewolf reproduction.”

  “I see.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure Dad will approve of that, but I’ll let you and Jeremy sort it out with him. You talked him into letting you write stories about us, so if anyone can talk him into going along with this, it’d be you.”

  “I’m not sure about that. I didn’t talk anyone into anything.”

  Colin cupped her face with both hands. “Beautiful, you’ve talked him into more than you realize. I can’t blame him. It’s hard to say no to you. I certainly can’t.” He grinned and kissed her.

  “Mm.” She drew back slightly. “I like that.”

  Desire shot through him, igniting a fire in his blood.

  Mischief flashed in her eyes. “What woman doesn’t like a man who can’t say no to her?”

  Disappointment flared for a moment, then he chuckled. He advanced on her, backing her up to the wall behind her, careful not to crush the photo he still held in one hand. “I should get even for that one.”

  Tanya grinned. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

  He groaned. “If we weren’t standing in my father’s living room….”

  “We don’t need to be.” Her hands linked behind his head.

  Colin leaned down to capture her smirking mouth.

  “Is it safe to come out?” Dad’s amused voice echoed down the hall.

  Tanya and Colin panted as they parted. He grinned at her then hollered over his shoulder, “Come on out, Dad.”

  The older wolf exited the hallway then halted with a half-grin and held a hand over his eyes. “Whoa! I don’t need to see that!”

  Colin chuckled. “It’s alright, Dad. We’re done.” He sent Tanya a smoldering look. “For the moment.”

  “Are you sure?” He made a show of peeking between his fingers.

  Tanya laughed. “Yes.”

  “Phew.” He lowered his hand to his side. “So, what’s the answer to the mystery?”

  “This.” Colin offered the photo to his father. “Congratulations, grandpa.”

  One of Dad’s brows lifted as he studied the photo. Then he smiled, his gray eyes glinting. “That’s wonderful news, you two. So, what are you going to do to celebrate?”

  “Well….” Tanya snickered.

  Dad chuckled. “Besides that, I mean.”

  “Actually, I was thinking I’d take my beautiful wife out to dinner.”

  “Very good.” He nodded and smiled. Then he pulled Tanya into his arms. “I knew you’d be good for him. I’m very proud to have you as a daughter.”

  Tears glistened in Tanya’s eyes when they separated, and she offered Colin a bright smile.

  “Now.” Dad stepped back, handed the photo to Tanya, and waved them away. “Scoot.”

  Colin gripped her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Do you mind if we leave her car here and pick it up another day?”

  “Not at all. I doubt someone will steal it.” Dad chuckled.

  The door shut with emphasis behind them.

  “After dinner, can we stop and see my parents? I’d like to share our news with them.”

  Colin resisted the urge to groan. All he wanted to do after that heated exchange minutes before was skip dinner and go home so he could drag his mate into bed, or onto the nearest rug. He didn’t care which. He forced back frustration. “Yeah, sure.”

  A faint snicker from his side made him glance over. Tanya grinned. “You can’t blame me this time. You started it.”

  “And I’d very much like to finish it.” He growled softly, opening the car door for her.

  “Well….” She laid a hand over his braced on top of the car door and gave him a suggestive smile. “Home isn’t all that far out of the way into town.” She dropped into the seat.

  He grinned, slammed the door after making sure she was safe inside, and ran around the car. No way he was taking any chances she’d change her mind.

  Chapter 7

  Residence of Ian Campbell, Pack Alpha

  Sunday, March 12, 2017

  TANYA lay on the bed in Ian’s guestroom. Evening approached. With it would come the full moon. Her due date lingered more than two weeks away, but she couldn’t get her mind off the loss Donna and Graham had suffered the month before.

  Jeremy had explained, with Graham’s permission, that the unborn infant’s death had nothing to do with the full moon, and Tanya believed him. But what if a hidden defect lurked in her and Colin’s baby, yet to be discovered in the sudden death of a seemingly healthy unborn. Donna and Graham’s daughter had appeared perfectly healthy, right up until she’d died in the womb. The only warning they’d had was the baby’s sudden stillness about twenty-four hours before Donna had gone into labor.

  She stared at the windows, the drapes drawn back to reveal light from the still-shining sun. The sun would set soon. The full moon would rise. What if the previous month’s full moon had triggered the death of Donna and Graham’s little one? Sure, she’d had a rare medical condition, but what if the pressure from the full moon had exacerbated it. Jeremy had expressed doubt about that possibility when Tanya asked, but he’d had to admit too much was unknown for him to offer anything absolute.

  A hand on the mound of her belly, Tanya closed her eyes and waited. No movement. Not even a twitch. Tears threatened.

  The bed dipped behind her. “Hey, beautiful, dinner’s ready.” A gentle hand touched her shoulder.

  “I’m not sure I can eat.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  She hesitated then muttered, “I haven’t felt the baby move in a while.”

  “That’s not unusual.” He leaned to rest his chin on her shoulder, covering the hand on her belly with one of his. “Give it a little while. That little one won’t stay quiet for long. He never does.”

  She smiled despite worry. “You sound very sure it’s a boy.”

  “Of course. As active as that kid’s been, it must be a male.”

  “It could be a tomboy, you know.” She turned her head to grin at him.

  “Nah.” Colin grinned and kissed the side of her head. “If it was a girl, she’d be a quiet, gentle-natured scholar like her beautiful mother.”

  “If it’s a girl who gives you a run for your money, I’m going to remind you that you said that.” A soft flutter of movement across her abdomen made her gasp. A tiny foot lodged against the bottom of one of her lungs. She laughed and placed a hand over the movement. “There you are.”

  “Now, can we go eat? I’m famished, and all we’ll have to hunt out there tonight is rabbits and squirrels. A wolf can’t fill up on those.”

  “Alright.” Tanya sat up. Colin helped her to her feet and followed her waddling self to the dining room, where some of the pack had already taken seats. Brett, Kelly, Graham, and Donna had yet to arrive. Ian had begun eating. Everyone else waited until Colin and Tanya were seated and eating.

  * * *

  Tanya made the Shift before the full moon could pull it over her then padded on four paws from the guestroom back to the living room. She lay on the thick rug in front of the fireplace. The weight of her belly made her grateful to get off of her feet. She sprawled on her side and heaved a deep sigh.

  Colin wandered in from outside, his gaze perusing the room until it fell on her. Then he trotted over and nuzzled her, whining softly.

  She made no move to rise but smacked him playfully across the neck with one paw to let him know she was alright. She’d stay at the house that night.

  He licked her nose then glanced up when the front door opened.

  Graham, still in human form, appeared in the foyer. His mate Donna was close to his side in wolf form. Head and tail down, she looked to have lost a lot of weight. Ribs showed through a lackluster coat. Tanya’s heart ached for her.

  Donna’s kid brother, Tommy, already in wolf form, darted past them and bounced straight for the back door, all youthful exuberance. His teenage gangliness was amusing to behold, and a relief. He was no longer the sickly little boy Tanya and Colin had found hiding in bushes at
the university.

  Unbuttoning his shirt, Graham headed for the back door. He stopped and dropped his clothes inside the door then glanced around at Donna, who had caught sight of Tanya lying on the rug and hopped up on the couch and curled up. He frowned, sighed, and then made the Shift. Trotting to the couch, he nuzzled his mate before heading out the back door.

  Colin gently nosed Tanya one more time then followed the other wolf.

  Donna closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.

  Taking the other she-wolf’s cue, Tanya closed her eyes and let sleep come. She ignored the faint pain that flitted through her body. Jeremy had warned her about those. They weren’t cause for alarm. Only her body’s way of preparing for the labor to come in a couple of weeks.

  Chapter 8

  Monday, March 13, 2017

  TANYA had alternated between resting and pacing for hours. Pain had started in earnest shortly before midnight, growing more insistent and increasingly frequent with each hour that passed.

  Sunlight danced across the ground behind the house, easily visible through the wall of windows that stretched the width of the living and dining rooms. The moon headed for the horizon, but its pull was still strong. The rest of the pack wouldn’t return to the house until the moon had set.

  Another contraction hit, stronger this time, and nearly took her feet out from under her. She returned to the rug in front of the fireplace and stretched out, grunting and panting with the combination of exertion and pain.

  Fear tightened already-rigid muscles. It was too soon. The baby shouldn’t come for two more weeks.

  She needed Colin.

  Donna watched her from the couch, head cocked but still.

  The moment the pull of the moon waned, Tanya returned to human form and curled up on her side, a hand over her belly. She bit back a whimper as another hard contraction hit. As it passed, she glanced at Donna. “Please, get Colin.”

  The she-wolf hopped over the back of the couch and ran out the open back door.

  A shiver raced over Tanya’s skin. Protected by a thick double coat, the wolf hadn’t noticed the cold. The human sure did though. She grabbed the far edge of the rug and rolled it over the top of her. That would help temporarily. She should’ve thought to move to the guestroom earlier, when she could still walk.