by Carly Fall
Honestly, she didn’t know what else could be needed, and she hoped that none of it would be used and they could put it all into storage.
As she reached for the Tums, the baby gave a good kick to her liver, and she felt a gush of warmth between her legs. Looking down, she was standing in a small puddle.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, and a contraction had her grabbing onto the black marble countertop.
“Breathe,” she said, and she concentrated on the air going in and out of her lungs in long, slow breaths.
A moment later the contraction stopped. This wasn’t supposed to happen now, not with everyone gone, and especially not two weeks early. She had been counting on Abby and Faith to be here to help her and Cohen, as well as to keep Hudson in line. Meeting her eyes in the mirror, she continued to breathe deeply and tried to get used to the idea that it would be her, Hudson, and Cohen delivering the baby.
She used the toilet, then left the bathroom.
“Hudson,” she said loudly.
He didn’t move. The man could sleep through the end of the world, but he sure as hell wasn’t sleeping through her labor.
“Hudson!”
She bent over to shake him, and another contraction hit hard, causing her to cry out.
That got his attention.
He sat up in bed, his eyes blazing yellow. “What? What’s wrong?”
Beverly closed her eyes, unable to move. The contractions shouldn’t be this close together this soon. This baby was coming fast.
“Beverly! Talk to me!”
The contraction passed, and she opened her eyes. “It’s time, Hudson. Call Cohen. Baby’s on the way.”
Chapter 3
As Hudson helped Beverly out of the elevator and through the double doors to the gym, fear gripped his heart. He couldn’t stand to see his mate in pain, and what made it worse was that his beloved child was causing it.
Beverly doubled over again and squeezed his hand with such extraordinary strength, he was certain that his bones were breaking.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
She nodded, and he scooped up his lovren in his arms. Pushing through the doors leading to the gym, he was happy to see Cohen, wearing a bathing suit and a sweatshirt, filling up the birthing pool. He had three hoses attached to the three different water heaters that serviced the silo, and two hoses to a sink and a shower to cool off the hot water. Soft Native American chants that Faith had found played from the speakers, speaking of health, happiness, and the wonders of Mother Earth. Cohen had turned off the glaring fluorescents above and surrounded the tub with candles that were scented vanilla and lavender, if Hudson wasn’t mistaken.
There was a hospital bed and an IV stand with IV bags laid out on a metal table next to it.
Oh, good God. This was it. His knees nearly gave out.
“Help her get undressed and into the tub, Hudson,” Cohen said without looking their way.
Hudson stopped in his tracks, his possessive SR44 side rearing its head. Beverly naked. Cohen in room. No. Fucking. Way.
It was then that he realized he couldn’t deal with it all, regardless of the books he had read and the talks he and Beverly had. He couldn’t be around while Cohen saw his mate naked, and he couldn’t stand to see her in pain. The urge to kill Cohen was strong, and with every flinch from Beverly, he felt the pain as if it was his own, and it scared the shit out of him.
For everyone’s sake, he needed to leave, because he was either going to commit murder or break down and weep like a little girl. Either way, he would be too much of a distraction. The focus needed to be on Beverly.
He would get Bev into the pool, and then he would bail. He wasn’t cut out for this.
His regret of missing out on Abby’s birth and childhood ran deep. He had wanted to be there for her from the moment of conception, but Iris had other plans. But here he was, on the cusp of the birth if his baby, and all he wanted to do was run. He thought of all the hunts he’d been on, the Colonists and their offspring he had killed, and he couldn’t remember a time where he felt more scared, panicked, and uncomfortable.
“Don’t look over here,” he growled at Cohen, who turned his head.
He set Beverly down on the hospital bed, then gently lifted the blue nightshirt over her head. She met his gaze and gave him a small smile.
“Are you ready?” she whispered.
Yes, he had studied the birthing process. He had been to the classes. He had read book after book after book. But the fact of the matter was that no, he wasn’t ready. In fact, the whole idea scared the shit out of him. His thoughts had moved more along the lines of him giving Beverly great orgasms, labor starting, and then he’d be snuggled up with his mate and child. He blocked out a whole lot of this . . . stuff in between.
And he understood why he had. The blood, the slick, squirmy baby, Cohen seeing his mate naked . . . good God, it was too much to handle.
He didn’t answer her, but gave her a kiss that he hoped conveyed everything he was feeling. He then picked her up and gently eased her into the pool. She curled on her side, her head resting against the edge of the pool, and shut her eyes. Her body seemed to relax a little.
Cohen turned around and looked at him. “We’re going to need to monitor her blood pressure.”
Hudson shook his head and walked over to Cohen. “I can’t do this, man,” he whispered. “I want to fucking remove your gallbladder through your nose right now, and I feel sick watching Beverly like this. I can’t take it.”
Cohen narrowed his eyes. “You are so not bailing on me right now.”
“I have to. I’m ready to kill you, and I can’t watch Beverly in pain.”
Cohen met his gaze and gave him a small smile. “You’re a fucking pussy, Hudson. A grade-A, chicken-shit-eating coward.”
Hudson had been called a lot of things, but never anything having to do with being a coward. He was surprised how the words didn’t anger him. In fact, in this circumstance, he pretty much agreed.
“Look—“
“I don’t have time to look at anything, Hudson. I’m going by the seat of my pants despite what I’ve studied trying to deliver your fucking baby. I’m hoping that Beverly’s body knows what to do, because I sure as shit don’t if things go tits-up here. So either stay and help me, or get the fuck out of here. You’re either going be a help or a hindrance, so make up your mind on which team you’re playing for.”
Cohen moved past him and grabbed the blood pressure cuff, gently pulling Beverly’s arm out of the water. He wrapped it around her arm and worked the plastic ball with his hand. The cuff expanded, and Cohen looked at the monitor. Beverly was still curled in the water, her eyes closed. Hudson’s vision blurred as he couldn’t get past the fact that Cohen was touching his very naked lovren.
He shut his eyes, trying to get a grip on the sheer anger that ripped through him.
He had prepared for this. However, his mate was naked, another male was touching her, and Hudson was seeing stars before his eyes. He wondered if he had blown a blood vessel.
Because of his protective nature, it would be much easier for everyone if he left. And maybe Cohen would come out of this with all his limbs intact.
Of course, he knew he was being a bastard. Beverly would need him, but he couldn’t seem to get past her being naked with another male present.
He made his way toward the door. Maybe he would be okay monitoring things through the window.
Probably not.
He wouldn’t be okay with this situation no matter where he was.
Dammit all to Hell and back.
“Where are you going?” Beverly asked, her voice echoing off the concrete walls above the Native American chants playing. He turned to her, but couldn’t speak he was so choked up with emotion.
Cohen said something, and Beverly stood up in the pool, anger raging across her face. “You,” she yelled, pointing at Hudson, “get your ass back here right now! There is no way you are going to turn in
to a selfish cocksucker now, Hudson! You nut-up and deal with whatever you have going on in your head, and you get back here and help us! You help me!”
He briefly thought back over the past eleven months, and he was pretty sure Beverly had only cursed maybe once or twice. The female meant business. As she stood there in her glorious nakedness, with her blonde hair cascading around her shoulders, her belly almost an entity of itself, and the sheer look of anger on her face, he knew he would have to do exactly what she said: nut-up and deal with it.
As Cohen moved around the pool looking over the monitoring equipment, the possessive SR44 male within Hudson took a breather, and the more rational side surfaced.
Cohen was there to take care of his lovren and deliver his child safely into this world. Unfortunately, for human women it involved a lot of nudity and the exposition of secret flesh.
He studied the mats beneath his feet, trying to find the gumption within him to get his Nikes in gear and move over to Beverly.
“I need you, Hudson,” Beverly said in a soft voice, so soft, in fact, he was surprised he heard her. As he looked up, she sunk back down into the pool, curling up again into a fetal position.
He couldn’t leave her. He would have to take all of his fears, worries, and possessive bullshit and slam them into a can and kick it out of here. There wasn’t any room for any of it. He needed to stay focused on Beverly and his baby, and getting them both through this birth safely. He thought of that beautiful image of the three of them snuggled up in their bed, the baby sleeping, and Hudson and Beverly gazing at it with love.
It. No, he was about to replace that description with an actual he or she. He was about to meet his child.
He couldn’t let Beverly or “it” down.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to walk over to the pool and met Cohen’s gaze. “What do you need me to do?”
Cohen gave him a half smile and motioned toward the pool. “Get in. She needs you more than I do.”
Chapter 4
Beverly sat in the pool with Hudson at her back. She appreciated him being there, but she didn’t want to talk to him. Instead, she concentrated on her breathing and the self-hypnosis techniques she had studied.
Another contraction gripped her abdomen, and she imagined it as a gentle wave pushing out the baby. Breathing deeply, she let the wave do its work.
She was in that wonderful space just before sleep and just before wakening. Completely aware of her surroundings and hearing what was being said, she chose to ignore them all and concentrate on getting the child delivered safely.
The stress she had felt earlier when her water broke was gone, and now she fully focused on relaxing, breathing, and visualizing Baby coming into the world. Her pain wasn’t too bad, and her plan was to push through it. She didn’t want to go down that slippery slope of taking pain medication and losing control of her addiction.
The Native American chants were soothing, helping to lull her into her dreamlike state. She couldn’t understand what was being said, but she felt the intentions of the music wash through her. She and Hudson had created a life, and now she was about to give birth. She was involved in a very primal, a very base ritual, and as the soft chants echoed throughout the room, Beverly had never felt more alive or more connected with the world around her.
“You’re doing great, Bev,” Hudson whispered in her ear.
She nodded, letting him know she had heard him, but she didn’t speak. Her mind, body, and soul were all focused on the birth.
“Blood pressure is still good,” Cohen said softly as the cuff deflated on her arm.
The physician in her was happy to hear that, but the woman in labor wished they’d both just shut the hell up so she could concentrate.
Another contraction grasped her belly, and she breathed deeply, wondering how long it would be before Baby made its appearance.
Chapter 5
An hour later, Beverly let out a moan, and Hudson hugged her upper body close to his chest. He had taken off everything but his boxers and climbed into the pool as Cohen had suggested. It was as if Beverly was in another realm of existence. She didn’t answer him when he spoke to her, but as he stroked her back, it seemed to soothe her.
Again her body contracted, and Cohen’s eyes widened. “Holy shit,” he said, and Hudson had a pretty good idea what that meant.
Baby was making its grand entrance into the world.
Hudson realized he was praying. He didn’t know to whom, but his mind raced with pleas to keep Beverly and their child safe.
The next thing he knew, Cohen was in the pool, his body between Beverly’s legs. As he reached in, Hudson had a brief vision of drowning Cohen, but suppressed the urge to do so.
“I’ve got the head,” Cohen stated, as if he had just said he picked up a watermelon at the store.
Beverly groaned, her body contracted, sending slight waves through the pool. She lashed away from Hudson and gripped the side of the tub. She took a deep breath and pushed again, a gush of red coloring the water.
“Come on, Bev,” Cohen said, apparently oblivious to the blood. “You got this. Get this kid out so we can all say hi.”
A minute later, Beverly let out another groan and pushed, and Cohen lifted the baby from the water. Hudson felt like his chest would explode with pride, as he was the proud papa of a baby boy who had a head full of black hair.
The baby began to cry softly, and the sound made Hudson feel like someone had just stabbed him through the heart. He had never heard anything like it before. The wail sounded like hope, despair, and the need for love all rolled into one long syllable.
“What’s wrong with him?” Hudson asked, panic lacing his gut.
“Nothing, that’s good. They’re supposed to cry. You want to cut the cord?”
Hudson looked at the cord and decided that would be a definite negative, a “hell no” of epic proportions. He shook his head.
Hudson stared at the crunched-up little face, the little mouth that formed an O. He briefly counted the baby’s fingers and toes and was happy to see ten of each. The cry from the kid increased tenfold.
“Oh, no,” Cohen said, his eyes on Beverly.
Hudson turned his gaze to her. He held her upper body above water, but she floated unconscious, blood pooling around them.
He was certain his heart stopped beating. There was so much blood. The water around him was thick with red; he was sitting within the waters of death.
“Take your baby,” Cohen said, handing the infant to Hudson. “She’s hemorrhaging.
Chapter 6
Hudson looked at Cohen, then back at Beverly, fear ripping through him. The boy was so small, he was afraid he would hurt him if he held him. Beverly was unconscious and bleeding. He couldn’t lose her. Fear paralyzed him.
“Hudson, take the baby! I’ve got to help Beverly!”
Hudson took the baby in his arms. The baby wiggled around and was slippery, his wails almost deafening as they reverberated off the concrete walls of the gym.
“Shhhh,” he said, bringing the little guy close to his chest. Somehow, he made it out of the pool without dropping him. “Please stop crying. Please,” he whispered.
The decibel level dropped slightly.
“He’s hungry,” Cohen said, lifting Beverly out of the pool. Hudson stood in stunned silence as he watched another male carry his naked, unconscious mate to the hospital bed.
Cohen gave the blood pressure cuff a few squeezes while Hudson watched the sheets turn red.
“What do we do?” Hudson asked through a tight throat.
“I need to heal her,” Cohen answered, watching the dial. “She’s losing too much blood.”
Hudson walked over to Beverly’s side, his panic so great he could barely think straight. “You can’t heal her! You’ve never healed a human before! You could kill her! We need to get her to a human hospital!”
Cohen spun around. “We don’t have time, Hudson. And if I don’t do anything, she’s go
ing to die!”
Hudson and Cohen stared at each other for a moment.
“She needs blood, Hudson. And fast.”
Hudson closed his eyes and held his child closer. He simply wouldn’t quiet.
“Please stop crying, little guy. Please. We’re trying to save your moha. I can’t live without your mommy.”
“Wrap him up in some blankets and put him to her breast,” Cohen said. “That will quiet him down. Then go into the locker room and get us some clothes before we freeze to death.”
“Where are we going to get blood? You and I are the only ones here! There aren’t any humans in the house!” Hudson felt his fear reaching epic levels. He was seriously about to lose it.
“We’re flying by the seat of our pants here, Hudson. I’m going to hook you up for the transfusion. I’m hoping that because your baby grew inside of her, your blood won’t send her system into shock. Then I’ll try to heal her.”
Hudson took a white towel and laid it out on the table, then set Baby on it. He took a second towel, laid it over the top of the baby, and rolled the ends together. He had seen pictures of babies who were properly bundled, but the squirming baby with the healthy set of lungs before him looked nothing like it. First test in the father department: fail.
“Give him to me, and go get us some dry clothes,” Cohen said.
Hudson took off for the locker room, when suddenly there was silence, which was almost louder than the constant wailing of the baby. He stopped and turned around. Cohen was leaning over Beverly with the baby, and the baby had latched onto her breast.
“Hurry up,” Cohen said in a quiet voice, not looking at Hudson. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
Chapter 7
Hudson sat next to Beverly’s bed, a needle in one arm, his sleeping baby in the other.
The fear that had grasped him before had gone, and now he felt numb as he watched his blood travel into Beverly. He hadn’t really been prepared for the actual birth, and the complications had simply bowled him over. He lifted his arm with the needle in it and touched the side of Beverly’s face. His eyes stung with tears. He simply couldn’t lose her.
