The doors to the maternity ward click shut. I turn and see Shannon. I feel lighter in an instant. I feel a smile begin to form. She has worry lines on her forehead.
“Everything okay?” I ask as I stride towards her. I put my arms around her and pull her close for a short while.
At first, she’s tense, and then I feel her melt into me. “I’m so happy to see you,” she murmurs.
I pull back and look into her gorgeous eyes. “I’m happy to see you, too, beautiful.” I kiss her. “How is Ava?”
“Hey, Shannon,” Tri calls out in greeting.
Her eyes flit behind me, and she smiles. “Hi, Trident.”
He comes over and stands next to us. I let go of Shannon. “How is she?” Trident asks, echoing my question. He finally looks concerned.
Shannon’s eyes widen. “Her labor is intense. Dr. Flanagan – you’ve never met him…” she shakes her head, looking at me, “he said she’s probably been in labor for a while without realizing it. It does happen sometimes. She was probably already a couple of centimeters dilated when her water broke. Her water breaking triggered heavy contractions. It’s moving quickly at this point, which is tough on poor Ava.”
“So, no time to go and get whiskey?” Trident frowns.
“Whiskey?” Shannon frowns.
“Don’t ask.” I have to smile. “How long does he think it’s going to take?”
“They didn’t say. Everything is looking good, though.” She winces. “All of this standing…” she sighs. “My back is killing me.” She presses the heel of her hand to her lower back.
“Let’s go sit. Sorry,” I put my arm around her, “it’s been quite the afternoon.”
“Quite the day! I may also have decided to clean some of the cupboards in the kitchen…and I might have washed the baby’s clothes.” She makes a rueful face.
“What?” I narrow my eyes on her. “I told you to take it easy. I can do that stuff.”
“I wanted to do it.” We sit down. “I’m not an invalid. I’m absolutely fine. I just need to rest for a while, that’s all.”
My girl looks exhausted. “When did you last eat?”
“This morning…but I’m not hungry.”
“Um…you skipped lunch?”
“I’m fine,” she insists. “I could probably do with some water, though.”
“Sure thing. I’m sure there’s a cafeteria or restaurant in this place. Do you want anything, Tri?”
“I wouldn’t mind a soda and a cheeseburger with all of the trimmings.”
I bark out a laugh. “You ass! Do I look like your servant?”
“You offered!”
I give him a hard look. “I’ll see what I can rustle up,” I say as I stand. Then I lean down and kiss the top of Shannon’s head. “Take care of my number one,” I tell Trident, who gives me a thumbs up.
Then I head off to hunt down refreshments. It doesn’t take me long to find a coffee shop. They have a glass display case filled with sandwiches and muffins. I order a coffee for myself, then grab a couple of waters and a soda. I see that they have cheeseburgers on the menu. I sigh. “How long to make a cheeseburger?” I ask the guy behind the counter.
“Less than ten minutes,” he assures me.
“Okay, then. Cheeseburger and fries…and I’ll take two of these.” I point at the turkey sandwiches.
“No problem.” He places the order with the kitchen, then packs up the sandwiches and the drinks. I wait a few minutes while he makes my coffee, and then I pay for everything and take a seat.
As I wait at the table, I people-watch. My coffee is hot but good. I don’t think five minutes go by and the guy is calling me. The burger and fries are ready.
Great!
I grab the two bags, muttering, “Thanks,” as I head back to the maternity waiting room. I round the corner, and there’s no one there. I look at my watch. I’ve been gone for under twenty minutes.
Where are they?
I walk straight to the security guard at the entrance to the maternity ward. “Did you see where my friends went? They were sitting over there when I left them.” I point towards the waiting area.
“They went inside.” He gestures to the door leading to the maternity ward. “They’re visiting with their friend.”
“I’d like to sign in, please,” I say.
He shakes his head. “Only two people are allowed in at once. You’ll have to wait.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket. Shit! Shannon tried calling twice five minutes ago. I’d forgotten I put the thing on silent earlier. It is a hospital, after all. A text comes through.
I choke out a laugh. It’s a picture of Forge holding a tiny baby. He’s looking down at the bundle. I see bubbles forming that show a message is on its way to me.
Trident is on his way out.
“I need to sign in,” I say to the security guard. “One of the others is on their way out.”
“Okay, but you can’t go in until they come out,” he replies, sounding stern. He takes his job very seriously.
I nod and fill in the short form. I hand over my identification just as Trident steps outside. “I never thought I’d say it, but that baby is as cute as heck. This, despite being a mini Forge.” He laughs loudly, and the security guard shushes him.
“Oops…sorry!” Tri says, still grinning. “I’m going to buy whiskey. It’s celebration time.” He hits me on the back. “I’ll be back soon.”
I laugh – softly – and shake my head. I’m so glad everything turned out well.
“You can go in now, Mr. Night.”
“Thanks.” I go inside.
I can hear Shannon’s voice, which I follow instead of asking for directions, and go through a door on the right. The baby is in Ava’s arms.
“Hi,” I murmur, keeping my voice low.
Ava looks up and smiles. She looks exhausted. Her eyes are a little bloodshot, but she’s beaming with joy.
“Congratulations!” I say. “I can’t believe you’re a dad.” I grin at Forge.
“Neither can I.” Forge barely lifts his gaze from the little one in Ava’s arms. He kisses his wife’s cheek. “I married the strongest woman in the world.” His voice hitches. He clears his throat. “Meet Bruce,” he continues. “He weighs a whopping nine point three pounds.”
“I was two weeks overdue,” Ava reminds him, smiling.
“I might also have something to do with it,” Forge says sheepishly. “I guess I’m a pretty big guy.”
“Bruce?” I say. I’ve heard the name before, but I can’t place it.
“After my late brother.” A tear slides down Ava’s cheek. “He was a lost, troubled soul who gave his life trying to save mine. I have a feeling that this Bruce is going to have a better go of it.”
“I know so,” Forge reinforces, his voice gruff.
“Do you want to hold him?” Ava asks.
My eyes widen.
“You can do it,” she says. “He’s lovely and calm. Besides, you need the practice. It’s going to be your turn sooner than you think.”
I glance at Shannon. She’s standing quietly next to the bed. “He’s so lovely.” Her eyes are shining with unshed tears. “I can’t believe you were sitting on my sofa, not two hours ago!” she says to Ava.
“Oh!” Ava’s face drops. “About the sofa, I—”
Shannon laughs. “Forget the sofa.”
They both grin at each other.
“Come on,” Ava encourages me. “Hold him.” She winks, her face glowing.
I walk over to her and hold out my arms. Forge takes the baby from Ava and places him in my hands. “You can have him for a few minutes, and then I want him back.” There is a humorous lilt to his voice, but I can see that he means it. The little one has tiny, little…everything; fingers, nose, ears. His hair is orange, like his father’s. His eyes are brown, like mom.
“How is everything going?” Lyre asks. He’s just arrived. “How are you feeling, Ava?”
“Good,” she sa
ys.
“Has the baby nursed yet?” he asks.
“Not yet.” Ava shakes her head.
“I’m going to take your blood pressure, and then I’m going to ask everyone to give you some room. I will send one of the nurses to help you get Bruce to latch on. Afterward, I’m prescribing sleep; I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Ava stifles a yawn and giggles. “I guess so…I’m more tired than I realized.”
Lyre wheels a device over.
“Um…Lyre…?” It’s Shannon. She is frowning deeply. I’m not sure I like the look on her face. “You said that persistent back pain is a potential onset to labor, right?”
My heart starts thumping.
“Yes, why? Are you experiencing back pain?”
She nods. “All day, and it’s getting worse.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t bad?” I bark, immediately regretting it. “Sorry, I’m worried.”
Forge takes his son from me. He cradles him against his chest.
I rush over to Shannon. “You should sit down.”
“It wasn’t bad, but it’s starting to really hurt.” She sinks onto a nearby chair. “I might have overdone it this morning. Maybe it is just regular back pain, right?”
Lyre nods. “More than likely. I think we should check it out, just to be sure.”
“That’s a good idea,” I concur.
I expect Shannon to argue, but she doesn’t, which worries me. It’s too soon for Shannon to be in labor. This isn’t good.
15
Shannon
Two hours later…
The pain is getting worse by the minute. It has started to radiate around my belly. My baby kicks, making me relax somewhat. At least Blobby is doing okay…for now.
Night is holding my hand. Thankfully he’s stopped pacing. His face is drawn with worry.
“The good news is that your baby is doing well,” Lyre encourages us. “Your blood pressure is normal, and I suspect your blood work will be satisfactory too. I don’t see any signs of placenta separation.”
“English, please, Lyre,” Night asks. His voice is tense.
“That’s when the placenta pulls away from the uterus. It can be detrimental to the unborn fetus. I’m not seeing that here, so you can rest easy. As I explained earlier, this belt monitors the baby’s heart rate, but it also measures contractions.” He pushes out a breath. “I can say with certainty that you are in early labor, Shannon.”
My heart sinks. “It’s too soon to be in labor.” A tear tracks down my cheek. Then another.
“Based on the size of the little one,” he nods, “I would agree. Your timeline puts you at thirty-four weeks. The baby is measuring thirty-five weeks.” He shrugs. “That’s the thing.” He lowers his voice. “This baby isn’t human…not by a long shot.”
“What does that mean?” Night takes the words out of my mouth.
“It means that thirty-four weeks might not be as early as we think it is. Like I’ve said before, we have no way of knowing.” He shrugs again.
“But the baby does measure under full-term, as far as a normal birth weight would go?” I ask, feeling my throat close.
“What’s normal for a ‘human-shifter-demigod’ baby? We have no way of knowing. What I do know is that, if this were a human baby, thirty-four weeks would be considered moderately pre-term. He or she would have an excellent survival rate if born today. That’s why I don’t think there’s cause for major concern. I do recommend starting you on drugs to try to stop the contractions. We’ll also start you on meds to mature the baby’s lungs.”
“How long before these drugs work?” Night interrupts. “What if Shannon’s labor progresses like Ava’s?” I can tell that Night is panicking. I squeeze his hand.
“The hope would be that we stave off labor for at least twenty-four hours, but, obviously, the longer, the better.” Lyre looks at us with compassion. “Things are looking good at this point. Try not to get too worked up. Especially you, Shannon. I’m going to start you on the meds. Try to get some sleep.”
“I shouldn’t have overdone it today.” My chest tightens.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Lyre tries to ease my guilt. “Nothing you did or didn’t do caused this to happen. It doesn’t work that way.”
“Okay.” I nod.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” Lyre says as he leaves.
Night lowers his head until his forehead is resting on my belly. He is breathing fast. His frame is tense.
I run my hands through his hair. “It’s going to be fine,” I tell him. “Blobby is strong,” I add.
When Night looks up, his eyes are glistening with unshed tears. His throat works. “I love you very much.”
“I know…I love you too.”
“I’m here. If you need anything,” he says. “Anything at all.”
“I’m okay. Lyre is right, I need sleep.”
“You’re not in too much pain?”
I shake my head. “It hurts, but nothing I can’t cope with.” Sleep is out of the question, though. I might not be in terrible pain, but I am uncomfortable.
A nurse arrives. She is pushing a cart. “I’m here with your medication,” she calls in a sing-song voice. “We should have you feeling comfortable in no time.” She’s an older lady, her face is kind.
“That sounds good,” I reply.
Night frowns. His phone is buzzing. He looks at the screen and his eyes cloud. He shoves the phone in his pocket, looking agitated.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“No one.” He shakes his head. His eyes are dark.
“Come on,” I press. “Who is it?” I think I can guess.
“I need you to hold out your arm,” the nurse’s voice intrudes.
I do as she asks. The nurse begins to swab a spot on my arm, the cotton wool cold against my skin.
“It doesn’t matter.” Night shakes his head.
His phone starts to vibrate again, the sound filling the room. He makes a noise of irritation.
I raise my brows.
“It’s Bolt,” he finally blurts.
“You should answer it.”
“I don’t want to.” Night shakes his head. “I’m here with you right now.”
The buzzing starts up again.
“Just answer the call. I’m sure he’s worried.”
“It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it?” Night’s jaw tightens.
“You guys have been friends for how long?” I don’t wait for him to answer. “It’s not too late. You need to take the call.”
He holds my gaze for a moment and then pulls out his phone. The buzzing stops just before he can answer. His eyes narrow. They move across the screen. “He just texted me. Bolt’s here.” He doesn’t look happy at all. “Why is he here?”
“Because he cares more than he’s willing to admit. Then again, he’s here, so maybe he is willing to finally admit that fact.”
“Doubtful,” Night mumbles.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“No,” he shakes his head, “I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m fine. You’ll be just outside. Nothing will happen. If it does, I’ll let you know. I’m not alone right now, so it’s a good time.”
“I’m happy to stay until you get back,” the nurse says to him.
“See,” I add.
“Are you sure?” Night asks, just as his phone starts buzzing again.
“Very sure! Now go.”
“Go already!” the nurse presses, her hands on her hips.
Night looks between the two of us and then leaves.
“Is this going to hurt?” I ask.
“Not one bit,” she says, a kind smile is back on her face. I feel instantly at ease.
“Okay, then.”
Night
I want to turn around and go back. I don’t want to leave Shannon. I completely balk at the idea. The only thing that keeps me putting one foot in front of the other is my girl. Shannon would be mad if I went ba
ck without seeing Bolt. She’s too fucking compassionate. Too kind. Too sweet. If it was up to me…I wouldn’t have left her.
I force myself to unclench my fists. I breathe deeply.
Bolt is alone in the waiting area. He rises to his feet when he sees me. His expression is grave. “How is Shannon?”
I want to be completely immature and yell, “What do you care?” but he is here, so he must care on some level.
“Hanging in there. She’s in labor, but it’s still the early stages. Lyre’s hoping to slow things down with medication.”
“Forge said something about the labor being a couple of weeks early?”
I nod. “Roughly three weeks, to be considered safe, but it’s hard to tell since she isn’t pregnant with a human child.”
“I came as soon as I heard.” He looks at his feet. His throat works. “I thought you weren’t going to answer my call or text.”
“I almost didn’t.”
“What changed your mind?” He pushes his hands into his pockets.
“Shannon. She talked me into coming out here. She’s incredible.”
“I’m here to see how you’re doing. To offer support in any way you need it…and to apologize. I fucked up!” He doesn’t mince his words. I’m glad.
“Yes, you did,” I respond.
“I’m hoping we can find a way to fix this,” he goes on, taking a step towards me. “I acted like a total idiot. I would completely understand if you told me to fuck off.” He pulls in a breath. “I’m not sure what got into me. I was so angry with you. I couldn’t see or think straight. It took me a while to realize that…” He scuffs his toe on the floor, looking down. Then he lifts his gaze. “I was jealous.”
“You can’t have my woman.” I narrow my eyes.
He smiles for a moment. “I don’t mean it like that.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I think Shannon is great, but I was jealous of you.”
I blink in confusion. “I don’t swing that way.”
“No!” He chokes out a laugh. “We’ve always been best buddies. We always had each other’s back. Through the tough times and all the good times. Suddenly you were gone—”
Little Lords (The Dragon Demigods Book 3) Page 12
