“Troy?” Kay let go, but he didn’t move away. “If you don’t come with me or give me a good explanation, I’ll have to call the cops and press charges against Emery for kidnapping you.”
Emery tried to get up to face Kay, but a pull on his hand stopped him. He turned to look at Troy and immediately forgot about Kay. He fell on his knees in front of his mate and put his hands on Troy’s knees. “Troy? What’s wrong?”
“It’s the—it hurts.”
Troy was breathing hard and fast, and Emery remembered Jared telling him it might be one of the signs he had to look for. “Oh shit. Now?”
Troy nodded. “It started this morning, but I didn’t think it was time yet.”
“I’m calling Jared.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Kay asked, but Emery ignored him. He was already dialing Jared’s number, and when the doc answered he didn’t give him time to say anything. “Doc? The baby is coming.”
“Bring Troy to the infirmary.”
“He wants to do it in our room.”
“We can always move him, but I need to check him first.”
“Okay, okay. We’re coming.”
Emery pushed his phone in his pocket and looked at Troy. “Jared says we need to get to the infirmary. Do you want me to carry you?”
“No. Help me up and I’ll walk.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
The door opened behind Emery but he ignored it. He ignored everything that wasn’t his mate. He took the blankets off Troy’s lower body and threw them away, aware of the startled noise that came from Kay but not caring about it. He knew he would later, but now he had to help Troy.
“What the fuck? What’s... that?”
“That’s a baby.”
“But how? He’s a man!”
Emery scowled at Kay. “You wanted to know what they did to him? You know now. They did this.”
“They got him pregnant?”
“No, that was me. They gave him the means to get pregnant, though.” Emery reached for Troy’s hands and helped him from the couch. “Now you can decide if you’d rather be there for the man you call your best friend, or run away and call the cops. I hope you’ll make the right decision.”
Emery didn’t wait for an answer. He slid his arm around Troy’s waist and directed him toward the door.
* * * *
Troy had thought he knew what pain was. He’d been through a lot during the months he’d passed in the lab. They’d poked at him, examined him. It’d hurt and burned and he’d screamed, but nothing could compare to what he was feeling now.
His entire mid-section was a bundle of searing pain. Sure, it wasn’t continuous, but when it hurt, it hurt like hell. “I hope you weren’t planning on having a big family, because I’m not doing this again.”
Emery smirked at him. “Let’s get through this one first, mmm?”
They were walking along the hallway. Well, Emery was walking. Troy was waddling, when he didn’t have to stop to bear the next contraction. “How do women, ahhh, how can they do this?”
“You’d have to ask one of them.”
“Smart-ass. Fuck!”
Troy could feel people following them, but he couldn’t have cared less about them seeing him at the moment. Not only was he hurting, but he was also scared shitless. He was about to lay his egg, no matter how weird that sounded, and he still had no idea what the fuck was inside the thing.
“Please, don’t let it be a chicken.”
“What?”
“If it’s a chicken we’re not going to eat it, right?”
Emery stopped next to the staircase and looked at Troy. “No, we’re not going to eat it. Now hop up. I’ll carry you downstairs.”
Troy scowled. “How do you expect me to hop, exactly?”
Another contraction started and he gripped the railing. Troy gritted his teeth together and tried to keep the scream bubbling on his lips in, but it wasn’t easy.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Because I didn’t want Keenan to be sad about his party.”
“I don’t think Keenan would’ve cared.”
“Can someone explain what the fuck is going on here?” Kay hollered right next to them, startling Troy. He hadn’t even noticed his friend had followed them.
“I know you have hundreds of question, but I’m not really in the mood to answer them at the moment.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Dominic proposed, and Troy nodded. He watched as the alpha grabbed Kay’s arm and tried to lead him away, but Kay was stubborn. He stayed right where he was, his eyes locked on Troy’s stomach.
“Kay. Kay!” Troy called.
The man looked up.
“Go with Dominic. I can’t talk with you right now, and you need answers. You can come once the, uh, the baby is born.” Luckily Troy wouldn’t be the one to tell Kay he was having an egg rather than a baby. He’d have loved to see the expression on his friend’s face when Dominic would tell him, though.
Troy held his hands out to Emery, who understood without having to be told. He slid one arm around Troy’s shoulders and one under his knees and pulled him up. He nearly ran down the stairs and didn’t put Troy down until they got to the infirmary.
Jared, Noem and Adrian were already waiting for him. Emery put Troy down on the closest bed and Noem closed the curtain around it and helped Troy get rid of his pants. Troy didn’t even mind being half naked in front of them at the moment. He was feeling too much pain to care about anything that wasn’t making it go away.
Troy bit his lower lip against the next contraction and held on to Emery’s hand. He was pretty sure he’d just pulverized the bones in it, but his mate didn’t even squeak at the pain and helped him through the contraction without a word. “Doc, take this thing out, please!”
Jared chuckled and Troy wanted to punch him. “You’re not the first one I helped to give birth. I’ve been insulted more than once, so feel free to do it.”
“Oh, thanks. I feel so much better now.”
“Let’s see what we have, okay?”
Troy nodded. The pain was concentrated on his stomach, not where he’d thought it would be. He’d given a lot of thought to where the baby would need to come out of, and there was only one solution he’d come up with. Jared had told him he didn’t think it was right, but Troy didn’t have other options.
“Okay, the vent is nicely formed.”
“The what?”
Jared looked up from where he was rummaging around Troy’s stomach and smiled. “The vent. I studied how birds give birth.”
“They grow it every time?”
“No, that’s just you.”
“Oh, lucky me.”
“So it’s normal?” Emery asked. He was standing next to Jared even if he was still holding hands with Troy. His eyes were wide and his face a little green.
“Emery! Come here and stop looking at—at the thing!”
“The vent.”
“Whatever!”
Troy pulled on Emery’s hand to make him stop looking. He came without protesting, but the next contraction was already on Troy. He felt the insane need to shift but he resisted, at least until the contraction was over.
“Can I go to our room?”
“I’d rather keep you here if it’s okay with you. That way we’ll be ready if something goes wrong.”
Troy scowled at Jared tried to sit up but hands on his arms stopped him. He looked at his mate and hissed. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll take your hands off me. This is all your fault!”
Emery let go and held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry.”
“Doc, I need to shift.”
“Sure. Do we need to move you?”
Troy didn’t answer. He pulled his T-shirt off with a grunt right before his wings sprouted from his back and his body grew, and soon his legs were dangling off the end of the bed. He gestured to E
mery to help him lie back again. It wasn’t comfortable, but the pain was so acute he didn’t even register the twinges in his wings.
“It’s nearly over. I can see the egg every time you have a contraction.”
“Is it—is that normal?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Breathe, Troy. Stop worrying. Everything is going fine.”
“How can you know that?”
“I just do.”
Troy squeezed Emery’s hand as the next contraction hit him and heard Jared call out for Noem. There was a flurry of activity around his lower stomach and Noem handed Jared a towel. Then they all stilled, their eyes fastened on Troy’s belly.
He felt uncomfortable. “I should have sold tickets for people to see this.”
“Huh?”
Troy gestured toward the docs. “They’re looking at me like I’m a freak or something.”
“No, they’re looking at you like you’re a miracle.”
Troy huffed. “Yeah, well. I don’t care how many compliments you give me or how sweet you are, I’m not having a second baby.”
Emery chuckled and held Troy’s hand tighter. “Come on, you can do it.”
“Do you—ah—can you feel it?”
“Yeah. I don’t feel the pain but I know you’re experiencing it.”
Troy let his head fall back. He hoped it was the last contraction, because he wasn’t sure he could last much longer. He wanted the thing to be out, now.
“Push, Troy.”
Troy followed Jared’s instruction and pushed as hard as he could. He felt Jared rummage against his stomach and heard a pop. The pain ended right after that and Troy felt the tension leave his body. It left him drained and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep, but he needed to see before.
He kept waiting for a cry, something, but this wasn’t a normal birth. “So? What is it?”
Emery moved and looked at Jared. “It’s... an egg.”
“What’s inside?”
“Do you want me to check right now?” Jared asked, and Troy nodded.
He knew Noem was cleaning him up, but his eyes stayed on Jared as he turned on a light on the table close to the bed. He turned off the bigger lights above them and moved the egg closer to the smaller one.
Troy’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe how big the egg was. Not that he’d expected a chicken egg, but the thing that had come out of his body could’ve easily contained a premature baby. He hoped it was a good sign.
Jared put the egg in front of the light and Troy held his breath.
It was a baby.
It was tiny. It didn’t even fill the egg, but it clearly was human. Except for one thing. “Are those wings?”
Emery tilted his head to the side. “I’m not sure, but I don’t know what else it could be.”
Jared turned the egg slowly, taking care of not jostling it. He didn’t talk until he was satisfied. “It’s a boy.”
Troy’s breath hitched. “A... boy?”
Jared came closer and handed the egg to Troy. Troy took it, even if he didn’t know what he should do with it. He was scared he’d let it fall and break it, and he wanted nothing more than to pass it along to Emery. There was something stopping him from doing just that, though, and he held it close, careful of his claws.
“I can’t tell you much at the moment except that it’s a boy, and that he looks human, apart from the wings, of course.”
“Human?”
“Yes. He has two legs and two arms, he’s proportioned even if very small, but he’s bound to grow now that he out. He’ll stay small until he hatches, though, so don’t worry if you notice he doesn’t grow much. He doesn’t have that much space in there.”
“What do we do now?”
“You can take him upstairs once we’re sure you’re fine and put it in the incubator Jayden gave you. It’ll keep him warm and help him grow.”
Troy nodded. He couldn’t do more than that, because his brain had taken a vacation.
* * * *
Emery was speechless. The baby wasn’t there yet, not really, but everything had suddenly become much more real when he’d seen inside the egg. He was a father—was going to be a father when the egg hatched. “How long do you think we have until the baby comes out? And how will that even work? Doesn’t he need claws or something?”
“We’re still working in the dark, so I’m not sure how long it’ll be. I’ll have to check on him often enough to understand how much he grows and give you an approximate date. Don’t expect him to be here soon, though. I don’t think it’ll be less than a month.”
“What about the claws?”
“Again, I don’t know, but since he’s in an egg, I’m sure nature provided him with everything he needs to make it. Troy does have claws when he shifts, after all, and even if the baby doesn’t have them, we can open the egg for him. Don’t worry too much. We’ll do everything we can to make sure he’s fine, and we’ve been doing a good job of it until now. I won’t let that change.”
Emery watched as Noem patted Troy’s stomach and covered his lower half. “All set. The vent is gone and you’re as good as new. You might be sore for a bit, and Jared will probably want to do an ultrasound to see if everything is back as it should be, though.”
“I do want the ultrasound, but you can go back to your room for now. I’ll see you in a few days for that, unless you start having problems or pain. If you do, call me right away and I’ll come to you.”
“So I can go?” Troy asked, still bewildered. He was gripping the egg as if it was a lifeline, but not hard enough to break it, thank Gods.
“You can go. Do you need help to do the stairs?”
“I’ll help him, doc.” There was no way Emery would let anyone else touch his mate, not right now. “He can hold the egg and I’ll carry him.”
Troy huffed. “I’m not pregnant anymore. I can walk.” He hesitated, then offered the egg to Emery. Emery took it just as hesitantly, surprised to feel how smooth and warm it was.
He watched as Troy tentatively sat up and winced, and he had to stop himself from fussing over him. “Are you okay? Does being carried look better now?”
Troy growled. “No. I can do this. I’m just sore, like Noem said.”
Noem stepped forward and helped Troy up. Emery could see it wasn’t easy for his mate. Troy was biting his lower lip almost to blood, but he didn’t complain, didn’t even whimper after that first time. Emery didn’t know whether to be impressed or dismayed at the fact that his mate didn’t want to look weak, so he just concentrated on the egg containing their son.
Once Troy was on his feet, he shifted back to his human form and started dressing. Noem handed Emery a blanket. “Bundle the egg in it to keep it warm.”
It was awkward. Emery draped the blanket around the egg, realizing too late that he’d kept an opening on the top as if it needed to breathe. He chuckled to himself and shook his head before covering it completely, and by the time he was done Troy was ready to go.
“Do you think everyone is waiting out there?”
Troy grimaced. “Do I really have to face them? The last thing I want is people fussing over me.”
“You’ll have to let them sooner or later. You know they’re all worried.”
“Yeah, but I’d like a little time to get used to being normal again.”
Emery frowned. It happened sometimes—there were moments when the old Troy peeked through, when Emery was reminded that Troy still had a hard time accepting everything, accepting who he was now. “You are normal.”
“I meant without baby bump.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I know you mean well, and I certainly didn’t make things easier for you since we found out about the baby. I’m sorry you had to tiptoe around me so much, and I can’t be sure you’ll never have to do it again, but it’s getting better, I swear. I’m getting b
etter.”
“I believe you.” And Emery really did. He’d never expected Troy to be okay with everything right away. He knew it’d take time, and that Troy would deprecate himself again and again, but he would be there to tell his mate how wonderful he was. He’d do it until Troy was finally convinced of it, even if it took years.
Emery stood on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his mate’s lips, happy when Troy sighed and hugged him tight. He let Troy deepen the kiss and opened his mouth willingly, at least until someone cleared their throat next to them.
Jared smirked at them. “Maybe you should take this upstairs.”
Troy blushed and Emery couldn’t resist kissing him on the cheek. “Yeah, maybe we should.”
He made sure the egg was secure in his arm and grabbed Troy’s hand, then pulled him toward the door. “We’ll see you in a few days, doc.”
“I’ll be waiting for you. And no sex until I say so!”
Emery laughed at the embarrassed expression on Troy’s face. He felt happy and part of a real family for the first time in years. Nothing would be able to change that.
Nothing—except maybe the man he found standing in the hallway when he opened the door.
He’d forgotten about Kay and what the man had said to Troy. Emery steeled himself, ready to rescue his mate if he needed to, but he let Troy’s hand go and watched him walk to his friend.
There was no one else in the hallway, probably courtesy of Dominic, and Emery thought he’d have to find a way to thank the alpha.
“Kay?”
Troy stopped in front of his friend and waited for a reaction. Emery waited too, his breath held, hoping Kay would be fine with everything he’d seen and learned that day. He knew how important the man was for his mate, and he knew Troy would have an easier time accepting himself if someone from his former life accepted him, too.
“Troy. I... I don’t even know what to say.”
“Maybe we should go upstairs,” Emery proposed.
Kay looked at him, and his gaze focused on the bundle in Emery’s hand. “Is that... is it...”
Troy [Whitedell Pride: 12] Page 11
