Page 14

Chapter Fourteen

Arley

“F en, I think it’s time to head to the hospital.” My mother-in-law laughed at the look of shock on my face as I stood by the kitchen table, wide-eyed and mouth agape. “Your babies are about to make their appearance, it seems.”

“What? Right now?” Fen popped his head out of the pantry, cereal box in hand. “Are you sure?”

“No, next week. Of course I mean now.” Mom came and helped me sit back down. At that moment, I couldn’t remember how to move on my own merit. “Go grab the to-go bag from the hall closet and tell your father to warm up the car. We will drive you two there. You can sit in the back with Arley and remind him to breathe through each contraction. It really does help.”

Oh right. Breathe. I knew I was forgetting to do something.

My rabbit rolled his eyes and continued to try to remind me that we weren’t the first omega to give birth and wouldn’t be the last.

We will make it through this.

As Fen ran around, doing the things his mom pointed out needed to be done, I just closed my eyes and tried not to scream.

How were six babies coming out of me? Why did I think this was a good idea? Is it too late to change my mind?

“Yes, Arley.” Mom chuffed and rubbed my back. “It’s too late to turn back now. Breathe.”

Did I speak out loud?

“Yeah, honey.” Fen crouched in front of me and grasped my hands. “You are thinking out loud again and we can hear all those thoughts. And no, I don’t think I would appreciate you pulling on my sack every three minutes so I know the level of pain you are in. But if you really think that will help…”

“Son, shut up.” Dad came in through the garage. “Trust me, this is the one time he might take you up on it and it’s not worth it. Even that wouldn’t show you the level of their pain. Instead of taking the sacrifice, why don’t you help your omega up and we can all get into the car. It’s warmed up and ready to go.”

“Thank the goddess.”

The ride to the hospital was uneventful, at least I thought it was. Between painful contractions and predelivery panic, time swirled past me in a blur. Voices were dulled, lights were dimmed, all my senses were focused on getting through the labor and preparing myself to birth six babies within the next few hours. I guess my body was moving on autopilot because I honestly didn’t recall anything that happened between leaving the house and my obstetrician arriving at my bedside.

Doctor Williams entered the room, smiling and bouncing. I hated him at that moment. No one should be so cheerful when I was about to die from the pain of this labor.

“Can you turn the sunshine down a few notches, Doc?” Fen sat at my side and held my hand. The emotions flowing from me into him through our mate bond had to be overwhelming. My mate looked exhausted. “I think my mate is about to commit murder if he sees your megawatt smile for one more second.”

“Oh, sorry.” Doctor Williams shrugged. “I just get so excited still when we bring new life into the world, I forget how uncomfortable the omegas are in the process.”

“Uncomfortable? Uncomfortable is when you sit on an old couch and can feel the springs. Uncomfortable is when you ate too much and feel bloated. I’m not uncomfortable, Doc. I’m in pain, soul-wrenching, joy-killing pain, and you have three seconds to stop smiling and start helping me, or I swear to god I am going to blow.”

“Let’s check you, then and get this started.” Doctor Williams approached my bedside and I nearly kicked him.

Doctor Williams performed his exam and we waited for his observations. I needed to be done with this already.

“Are they ready to come out, Doctor?” Fen looked at the doctor pleadingly.

“The omega line has begun to open and everything seems to be progressing as expected.” Doctor Williams pointed toward the opening located at the bottom of my abdomen where our children would soon emerge. “For now, I can offer meds for the pain and just keep monitoring.”

“So the babies should be here soon?” I ran a hand over my huge belly. A small part of me realizing I would kind of miss this feeling of being able to feel my children growing inside me.

“Every birth is different so we can’t tell if it will be within the next hour or the next twenty-four.” Doctor Williams filled out some forms in my medical file. “Would you like something for the pain?”

“Oh goddess, yes.” I nearly screamed as another contraction tore through my body. “Please, Doctor. Now.”

Finally, sweet relief coursed through me as the medical staff provided me with pain medication safe for laboring omegas.

“I read that it is sometimes easier for shifters to transform into their animal for the birthing process, so is that something Arley should try?” Fen had done a lot of research in the last few weeks of my pregnancy. He promised he wanted me to have the best experience possible.

“Sometimes that is the best choice.” Doctor Williams checked my omega line again. “But in Arley’s case, he is already too far along in the process, not all the babies are shifted into bunny form, and there are multiple pups, not just kits. So in this instant, it is best to remain in his human form. Safer for papa and babies.”

“So we just keep laboring like this?” Fen rubbed my shoulders but I shrugged him off.

“We?” I twisted to look at the foolish man I usually call mate. “Since when are you popping a kid out of your body? Do you feel like you are being ripped apart from the inside?”

“Um.” Fen’s face paled a bit the longer I glared at him.

“No. You aren’t laboring like this. I am.” I turned back around and tried to get back into a comfortable position. Something almost impossible in my current condition. “Now, go grab me a cup of that chewy ice I like while I work on bringing these babies into the world, okay?”

“Yes, my love.” Fen left the room, hopefully to grab the requested cubes. The nurses’ station had a machine that put out the perfect kind.

“Do you think it will be much longer?” I looked up at Doctor Williams and gave a hopeful lift of my brow. “Maybe we can hurry up the process.”

“I understand the desire to speed it up, but the available options for speeding up the process are not safe for your situation.” Doctor Williams placed a comforting hand on mine. “But you’re progressing nicely and I think there may be babies entering the world very soon.”

“Really?” Hope started to seep back in with his words. “I just can’t wait to meet them.”

“They will be here before you know it.” Doctor Williams patted my hand. “I need to go check on a few other patients. The nurses will remain with you and will come and get me as soon as it’s time for the babies to make their grand entrance. You are doing great, Papa. And remember, your mating connection allows you to share the pain with your mate. Give him a bit of a taste of the labor after that comment earlier. He wants to claim the labor, let him feel what it’s really like.”

“You, dear doctor, are amazing. I never would have thought about that.” I felt a bit excited to let Fen experience my labor. “I think this is about to be fun.”

“I’m back, my love.” Fen walked in with two cups of ice. “I got two of them just in case. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

“Actually there is.” I let a slow smile form on my lips. “Come here.”

“Why does that smile scare me?” Fen slowly approached and grabbed my hand. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, everything is great.” I gripped his hand tighter and concentrated on our bond, sending a portion of my experience to him through the link.”

“Holy Fuck. What is that?” Fen gripped his stomach with his free hand, nearly doubling over. “Oh goddess, am I dying?”

“Oh, don’t overreact now.” I tilted my head and enjoyed the lessening of my own pain. “I just thought you could take a turn on our labor. Aren’t our contractions a bitch?”

“That’s okay, Arley. Send it to me, that’s what mates are for.” Fen panted through gritted teeth. “But my respect for birth givers just tripled.”

“As it should have.” I chuckled. “Now let’s eat that ice.”

Several hours passed, but at least my pains were lessened by sharing them through the mate bond. Once it was time for delivery, things progressed much more quickly. Soon, we were relaxing in the hospital’s family suite bonding as a family with six brand-new babies. Life was never more wonderful than it was in the moment.

“Are we sure on the names we picked?” Fen held Lily and Kiki, as he rocked his body side to side near the window. “I can fill out the birth certificate applications if we are confident on our choices.”

“Yes. I adore each name we decided on.” I looked down at Simon and Maddie and couldn’t believe how perfect they each were. “We can send out the paperwork now if it’s done.”

“It is.” Dad sat in the corner chair holding little Danny in his arms. “I made sure everything was filled out and it’s on the desk over there.”

“You did amazing, Arley.” Mom admired little JoJo in her arms as she stood beside my bed. “Thank you for making me a grandmother. These are the most precious babies I have ever seen.”

“I think we are all biased.” I laughed. “But I agree. Our babies are amazing.”

Fen

Lying in bed with Arley in my arms, I couldn’t help but fight sleep. I didn’t want to waste treasuring any moment I had with my mate or our children. Sleep was overrated.

Arley snored softly, his head resting on my chest and his left leg thrown over my hips. He needed the rest, giving birth a week ago and taking care of six tiny pups was exhausting, even if he did have my parents and myself here to help. There was something about the carrier parent that young pups craved, so many times they preferred Arley over anyone else. Luckily, the babies were quick to learn how to sleep through the night. I was sure we would end up paying for that gift from fate when they were teens and keeping us up all night with other worries.

Our babies were safely asleep in the crib in the corner of the room. I was glad we decided to keep them in our room for the first year instead of making them sleep in their own separate nursery. It made it easier for the few times one would wake. And I knew it eased Arley’s postpartum anxieties. I had a feeling if we did put the children in their own room, I’d end up sleeping in here alone.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Arley startled me. I didn’t even realize his snoring had ceased.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” I ran a finger down the side of his face. “You need your sleep.”

“So do you, Daddy.” Arley grinned. “So tell me, what’s on your mind keeping you awake.”

“It’s nothing bad.” I leaned in and pecked his lips, lingering just a second. “I was just wondering how I got so lucky to get a mate like you, and six healthy pups and kits. And maybe stress a bit about finding a new house.”

“Remember Neal and everyone else who lives here said no rush on that last one,” Arley reminded me.

“That’s true, but it’s still in my list of things to do soon.” I reached over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “Can I just show you three of the ones I like most? Maybe if I feel one step closer in choosing, I’ll be able to get actual rest.”

“Doubt it but it’s worth a shot.” Arley sat up straighter. “Let me see whatcha got.”

“Here, let me get them ready for you.” Pulling up the listings of the three houses I had added to my favorites, I handed Arley my phone. “These are the three that stood out to me. They offer the space we need, while allowing for growth in the future.”

“This one looks super impressive. Look at that yard. And are those pillars on the porch. God, I love pillars in construction.” Arley clicked on the first option. “What made you decide on this one?”

“Besides the pillars that I know are one of your favorite features? There is a separate in-law house in the backyard by the pool so that Mom and Dad have their own space but are still close by and can help when needed.” I listed all the features that I thought would benefit our family. “And it is close to campus, so we will be close to most of the pack.”

“I am not crazy about having a pool when we have littles.” Arley pointed out that the pool was not secured. “There are no safety measures for children, so we would have to add things if we went with this option.”

“Okay, I can make notes of that. What do you think of the next one?” I really couldn’t wait for him to see that one. I kind of thought it would be his favorite. “I think the backyard is perfect for the kids to play in.”

“That lawn in front is beautiful. And the back is spectacular, like a shifter child’s dream come true.” Arley clicked on the images. “Is the swing set part of the deal? And how much land exactly is that?”

“Enough that we could still add an additional house in the back if we don’t want Mom and Dad in the main house with us.” I pointed to the details on the page listing the number of rooms and anchorage. “And did you see the basement.”

“This one is truly wonderful. And the basement could be a playroom for the kids for rainy days. I can almost envision it.”

“It’s amazing, right?”

“It is. But let me look at this third one. I have a feeling about it.” Arley selected the final listing and gasped. “Oh, Fen, this is it. This is the one I want.”

“Are you sure?” I really thought I’d get this reaction from the middle option, not last.

“There are so many signs that point to this being the one for us, Fen. It’s located on Fate’s Way Boulevard. Its door and mailbox are painted teal which is our favorite color. It has a guesthouse in the back but also a ton of space in the main house. I look at this yard, and I see our kids playing during the day and you and I cuddling on this swing on the back porch at night, or in the gazebo with the fire pit. This is the one.”

“Are you sure?” The more he talked about it, his face lit up with excitement, I knew the answer.

“Yes, Fen. We found our home.”