by Moxie North
What man wouldn’t? He knew how babies were made and he knew when they had sex. He’d never believe she was six weeks pregnant with his baby. Which meant he would think she lied about being a virgin. He’d never want to see her again.
Libby’s body felt like it was crumbling around her. But what hurt worse was the fact that her heart was breaking.
Her parents were always there, helping when they could. Consulting with the doctor, their worry seemed to be escalating every time she saw them.
They both looked tired and strained. She knew it was because they were with her and probably hadn’t gone home. But she didn’t want to be alone. She was scared of falling asleep and not waking up.
Sometimes Libby craved the moments she lost consciousness. It was quiet in her head then. Dark and fuzzy. She floated in that nether not having to deal with the reality when she was awake.
The nurses started doing regular ultrasounds on her. They would wheel in a machine next to the bed. Libby would ask her mom and dad to leave when she was awake during these exams.
The nurses stopped trying to get her to look at the screen, telling her how healthy her baby was. She’d stare at the wall ignoring the nurse.
If she looked then she’d have to admit that her life wasn’t what she thought it was. That she’d blocked something out, that there was time missing from her life six weeks ago. That was too scary of an idea and in her feverish state she was repelled by the idea.
Libby didn’t know, but the times they did the exam and she wasn’t awake for it, her parents stayed. They held hands as they stared at the screen watching the tiny flick of a heart, no bigger than the tip of a pencil. They would hold each other and cry happy but still sad tears. Happy there was another life growing in their daughter and sad that their own baby was suffering.
Chapter 40
“FUCK!”
Stryker yelled this as he hit end on his phone. Everett who had been working with him turned around with a raised eyebrow.
“No word, no fucking word in almost two days. This is bullshit. I need to go,” he said to his brother.
“Have you tried her parents’ number?” Everett asked. He’d watched his brother’s agitation grow over the last day.
At first he chalked it up to just missing her. But when she didn’t answer his text messages he tried the library. That went straight to voicemail. He tried her house number. That also went straight to voicemail. Now her fucking inbox on her brand new phone was full. All messages from him in growing anxiety.
“Dude, hit the airport. I’ll call ahead. Jet will be waiting for you. Go man, make sure she’s all right. We got this here,” Everett said. His brother was great at mechanics, but it wasn’t like he was the only one on staff.
Stryker nodded at his brother and took off running. He wished he could shift, it would appease his cat to help in their journey. But flying was faster than running.
He’d been ignoring his own instincts and his cat’s over the last day and a half. That’s when he started to get worried. The worry changed temporarily to anger then back to all out fear.
Maybe her phone was dead. Maybe her mom had unplugged all the land lines because they were interfering with some energy cleanse she was doing. All seriously valid possibilities. But now, there was something fucking wrong.
He grabbed one of the work trucks that was parked by the burned out warehouse. He sped down the dirt road to the main highway kicking up a trail of dust. He didn’t care about tickets, he could afford them.
When he hit the airport he pulled up just short of the jet waiting on the tarmac. His pilot and the flight attendant already there. As he ran up the stairs they pulled the stairs up and started to taxi. Sometimes he was fucking glad they were rich.
The flight was less than an hour to Roseburg. He’d left his truck there so he jumped in it and again exceeded the speed limit.
He screeched to a stop in front of the Berkowitz house and was at the door and pounding on it before the car had barely stopped moving.
“Libby!” he yelled pounding on the door.
“Libby! Answer the door. Freedom? Primrose? Someone answer the door, it’s Stryker,” he yelled even louder while continuing to hammer on the door.
He peered in the windows and everything was dark. The family’s electric car that was normally parked out front wasn’t there.
“They aren’t home,” a haggard voice sounded from the house next door. Stryker looked over to see their neighbor leaning over the fence.
“Where are they?” Stryker barked.
“At the hospital, son. Couple days now, ambulance came and all. Most exciting thing that’s happened around here in a while. Shame about the girl,” Mr. Parker said sadly.
Stryker felt his heart drop to his feet. “What girl?”
“Oh, Libby was feeling poorly. They called the ambulance. You know her father always tries to cure things with sticking a root up yer butt or something.
But whatever she had he couldn’t fix. They haven’t been home since then.” Stryker turned and without thanking the man was back in the Rover and heading towards the hospital.
He found a parking spot close to the front and ran into the reception area.
The woman behind the counter was wearing scrubs that had unicorns and rainbows on them. They did not reflect the sunny disposition of this employee, in fact her scrubs should have angry hissing cats on them. The woman had to flinch to keep from rolling her eyes at the fact she had to interact with the public.
“I’m looking for Liberty Berkowitz?” He prodded woman who clearly was not in a hurry to do her job.
“Are you family?” she asked in a bored tone.
“I’m her fiancé. I’ve been out of town and just found out she was in the hospital. I’d really appreciate you giving me her room number,” Stryker tried to keep his tone calm.
This was especially hard since his cat was roaring in his head. He didn’t like the stench of the hospital and knowing their mate was there set him off.
“Sorry, family only,” she said dismissing him.
Stryker took a deep breath then another. Leaning closer to the counter he let his anger show.
“You need to understand something. If I don’t get to see my fiancée I’m going to raise a ruckus in this hospital the likes of which you have never seen. I will be flipping shit over, punching holes in walls, and generally bringing mayhem,” he finished with a deadly growl.
“Now I’m sure there is a chance I’ll get arrested for this. But I will make sure your night is fucked way the hell up with reports and interviews and all sorts of general unpleasantness.
So why don’t you think of a way to get me her room number without breaking any of your special rules, huh?” Stryker finished this by letting his cougar come out just a bit in his eyes. They glowed and the woman gasped.
He watched the woman slide her eyes away from him to her computer. She typed for a moment then picked up the phone.
Her startled eyes came back to his. They stared each other down for a moment before the woman said, “Yes, this is Peggy from the front desk. I have a visitor here for Ms. Berkowitz. I need to know if he can be given personal information.”
There was a pause. “His name?” the woman repeated looking at him.
“Stryker,” he rumbled again.
“Uh, um he said his name is Stryker. Yes of course, thank you,” she said hanging up. “She’s in room fourteen eleven, fourth floor. Take the elevators around the corner.”
“Thank you,” he said and used a calming voice. He didn’t want to scare her, but she was what stood in the way of him finding his mate.
He took off at a run again and hit the elevators catching one that was opening. He stepped in and hit the four button. The doors closed at an agonizing pace. When they opened Stryker stepped out and saw the large sign on the wall that pointed out which rooms were located.
What he then spotted was that room fourteen eleven was in the obstetrics wing. That can’t
be right, they must have made a mistake.
Seeing a set of double doors he reached for the handle and found it locked. He growled, looking around the door to see a small sign with an intercom buzzer that said, Push to buzz nurse’s desk.
Stryker hit the button and waited.
“Yes?”
“I’m here to see Liberty Berkowitz,” he said.
The door made a buzzing noise and Stryker grabber the handle pushing in.
He walked straight to the nurses’ station. “There must be some mistake, my fiancée shouldn’t be in this wing,” he started.
Before the nurse could correct him he heard from the side of the station, “Stryker.”
It was Freedom looking tired and drawn. “Why is she here?” Stryker demanded.
“Son, come on down. Her room is this way,” he gestured to him.
Stryker followed but he still didn’t understand. They stopped outside a room, but Freedom put a hand on the middle of his chest.
“You need to calm down before you go in there,” he warned in a quiet voice.
“Freedom, what the fuck is she doing here,” he ground out.
“She got sick then she got sicker. We thought it was the flu but then she declined and I got worried. When we arrived they did tests. They aren’t sure what is causing her illness, but they found out she’s pregnant.”
Stryker was processing what he was saying but still not understanding.
“How can they know that early? I thought it took a month or more to show positive. I know it’s not been a month,” Stryker assured him.
“They say she is about six weeks along,” Freedom said, and as he did, he moved to block the door from Stryker.
“Now, Libby says that’s not possible. That you two, well, that it’s been only recently you were together. Now I don’t know why she’s afraid to tell us that you’ve been seeing each other longer. It really doesn’t matter to us.
Right now we are just concerned that she isn’t getting better and the doctors have no clue why,” he said, sounding like a man at his wit’s end. Being a doctor and not being able to help his own child must be maddening.
Stryker didn’t want to correct him and he couldn’t until he figured out what was going on. “Okay, I understand. Can I please talk to her?” He kept his voice low and calm.
“If she’s awake. Let me go get Primrose out then you can go in,” her father offered.
Stryker waited the thirty seconds before her parents came out of the room. “I’m so glad you are here, dear. She didn’t want us to call you. She was so adamant; she kept getting upset when we mentioned it. I’m sorry,” her mother said to him.
She looked about as good as Freedom did, although her eyes were red like she’d been crying.
Stryker didn’t know what to say to that so he nodded at her. Libby’s dad gave him a nod and they walked down the hallway to give him and Libby some privacy.
Chapter 41
Stepping into the room Stryker could smell Libby along with antiseptic and medicines. It made his cat jumpy.
As he pushed through the curtain that blocked the door he saw Libby lying in a hospital bed. She looked small, pale and sick. Her eyes were closed and her chest barely moving. Her breath would stutter and catch. It scared the living fuck out of him.
He slowly approached the bed seeing the monitor for her heart beeping quietly in the corner. The drip going into her arm. The room also had a tang of her being sick in it.
Stryker stopped when he reached the side of the bed. He took her limp hand in his and then leaned over to her ear.
“Mouse, baby. Open your eyes,” he whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Libby, my love, I’m here. I need to see you wake up.”
Libby heard his voice in her dreams. Stryker, she missed him. He’d never understand, never forgive her. She didn’t have an answer to her situation.
No man would believe his girlfriend was a virgin one week and pregnant the next. Even though she knew he’d be angry she still wanted to see him even if it was for one last time.
She reached for his voice with her mind forcing her eyes open. It was bright so she blinked until her eyes focused. She saw Stryker above her bed. Maybe he was an angel? Were there good looking boy angels? Where were his wings?
“There’s my girl,” he said, brushing her hair back.
“You really here?” she asked.
“Yeah, Libby, I’m here.”
“I didn’t want you to come. You won’t understand,” she gasped.
“Shh, don’t talk,” he said, trying to calm her.
“They won’t believe me. They say I’m pregnant. I told them it’s not possible. They said I must have blocked it out. But I didn’t, you were the first Stryker, I swear it,” she said. Tears were spilling down her cheeks.
“Libby, I know that. I believe you. You have to calm down,” he said, worried at her heart rate on the monitor. He heard her gasp and saw her eyes close. She was still breathing, but she wasn’t awake anymore.
Stryker started to get the nurse when he saw a crumpled piece of paper on the nightstand. He grabbed it and smoothed it out.
In his hands was the ultrasound picture of a baby. Libby’s baby. His human side was telling him that she must have been pregnant when they met. His cougar was telling him to not be an asshole, she was theirs and she wouldn’t lie to him.
Grabbing his cell phone he dialed Dax. Fuck any policy that said not to use a phone in the hospital. His brother picked up on the first ring.
“Stryker? Your mate okay?” Everett had filled him in when Stryker took off like a bat out of hell.
“No, she’s not all right. Can a human get pregnant without being bonded?” Stryker asked.
There was silence on the end of the line. “Dax?”
“You’re saying she’s pregnant?”
“I’m standing by her hospital bed holding a sonogram that says she’s six weeks pregnant. She’s sick, man. Really sick. They don’t know what’s wrong with her.” Stryker didn’t try to hide the fear in his voice. He was fucking terrified.
“I don’t know man, I’ve never heard of it before. Is there a chance she was already pregnant?” Dax didn’t want to ask, but he felt he had the responsibility to cover all the bases.
“No, I was her first.” Stryker said this low and mean. He wasn’t mad at his brother for asking, he was mad this situation was happening at all.
“Okay, think of this logically. If she’s pregnant and she hasn’t bonded then she doesn’t have your DNA in her system. That bond allows humans to adapt to a shifter pregnancy.
With a shorter feline pregnancy she’d be seemingly farther along than a human one. She’s sick because her body is fighting it, it can’t cope with rapid changes.
I’m not sure, but I would imagine this could kill a human. They aren’t meant to handle short gestations,” Dax said all this in a quiet voice.
Stryker’s mind was spinning. It made sense, if Dax was right she’d never survive a shifter pregnancy.
“So what do I do?” he begged Dax.
“You bond with her, tell her what you are, tell her why you have to do it. Then seal your bond. Which you should have done a long time ago.”
Stryker knew that, he was well aware he’d royally fucked this up. But now he was supposed to lay this shit on her while she was suffering in a hospital bed?
Why didn’t he tell her when they were cuddled on the couch staring at the fire? She could have been shocked and he would have explained. Maybe showed her his cat so they could meet.
Instead, his mate was possibly dying because he’d been a scared little punk.
“Fuck!”
“Yeah, but what other choice do you have? I could ask the elders see if they know of any other case like this. But I’m gonna say, gut instinct says that’s the reason she’s sick,” Dax said.
He felt for his brother he really did. This was not a situation anyone wanted to be in. But Stryker had made some poo
r choices.
“Got it,” Stryker said, hanging up the phone.
He looked down at his mate and could see the dark circles under eyes now. He’d only been gone a week, not even that and she looked like she’d lost weight.
Stryker still had the ultrasound picture in his hand. His baby. Their baby. If he didn’t do something he could lose them both.
He took a seat next to her, he had to wait for her to wake up, to at least tell her what he needed to do.
How the hell was he going to explain a bite mark on her to hospital staff? They’d have him arrested. Stryker let his head drop to the bed beside Libby’s arm. There was no way this could get any worse.
Chapter 42
The alarm sounded loudly startling Stryker from the doze he’d been in waiting for Libby to wake up. His eyes flashed to the machines that were blinking red, the numbers on them flashing.
The curtain at the end of the bed was ripped back and a nurse was standing there. She moved over to the machine turning off the alarms and checking her IV’s.
“What’s wrong?”
The nurse didn’t look at him when she said, “Her heart rate went a little too low. I’ll let the doctor know.” Another nurse came in to assist.
“Can you grab two ice packs for me?” the first nurse asked. The second woman left and returned with the packs. They popped both of them and shook them up. They placed one on her forehead and one on her throat.
“What are you doing?” Stryker wanted to know. Why weren’t they giving her something, medicine, something to make her heart rate go back up.
“Shocking her system, sometimes that’s all they need to speed up their heart. Hers is just working too hard for some reason.” The nurse explained calmly to him. Too calmly for Stryker’s feelings.
“Isn’t there medicine or something for it?” He was getting more agitated, they weren’t rushing around. They were casually talking about his mate’s heart not working right.
“No meds, only way to fix it is a pacemaker. I don’t think that is something we want to consider yet,” the woman said turning to watch the monitors.
