Page 51 of Duke's Baby Deal

“Stitch it,” Bax said, coming in the door with Taden in a sling. He patted Jason’s shoulder as he slid past him. “And it’s bed rest for you, Bram.” He moved to the foot of the table and glanced at my belly, taking in the opening. “I’ve heard of worse.”

“Heard?”

He shrugged. “Omegas don’t travel, so unless it happens in your pack, you only hear stories. In the packs outside Mercy Hills, anyway.”

Adelaide shook her head and went to the cupboard. “I feel like I should have spent more time in other packs before I came home.”

“It wouldn’t have made much difference. The omegas look after the omegas. I can call Buffalo Gap and see if they have any suggestions for treatment, if you like. The omega pack,” his lips twitched in a smile, “here won’t know anything. But for certain it’s bed rest.” He came up to the head of the bed and took my hand. “Too much weight, too much pressure.”

“Will it happen with the next one?” I asked, wondering if these would be my only pups.

He shook his head. “You can’t tell. Probably. If you only have one next time, maybe not. But for now, you’re job is going to be to stay horizontal as much as you can. Eat good food, stay calm. You can work on making baby clothes.”

“But I can’t knit!” It was a stupid thing to be upset about, but the rest of it was so huge I couldn’t get words out past the fear.

Bax, however, seemed to understand. “Neither can I, but maybe it’s a good chance for the two of us to pick up a new skill.” He squeezed my fingers and I felt a bit better, between his smile and the warmth of his hand. Maybe it would be all right.

Adelaide brought over a tray of things, needles and other stuff. “You’re going to feel a few pinches while I freeze the area. Just breathe through them, okay?”

I nodded and stared at the ceiling. Bax squeezed my hand. “You want to hold Taden?”

Adelaide poked me with the first of the needles and I sucked in a quick breath. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said in a high, tight voice. Ihatedneedles.

“You’re going to be fine,” Bax assured me.

Yeah, sure. I stared at the ceiling and crushed the hem of my t-shirt in my fists. Another pinch, and then another. I curled my toes inside my shoes so hard they started to cramp, and thought about that while Adelaide made her way around the gap in my omega line.

She patted my belly. “All done. We’ll give it another couple of minutes to numb everything up, then I’ll stitch it and we’ll arrange to get you home.”

“I called Duke,” Jason said. He was just stepping through the door—I hadn’t noticed him leave. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. He’s bringing the truck.”

“What? No!” I tried to sit up, but Adelaide pushed me back down onto the table.

“Take it easy. You don’t want to strain your stomach.”

“But I can’t…” I stopped suddenly. I didn’t want to worry him. But I needed him right now, so badly. I let my head fall back against the table and said, “Fine.” I hated this, as much as I hated needles.

“It won’t take long,” Adelaide assured me. I sighed and stared at the ceiling again, until the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway broke the silence in the room.

“How is he?” Duke’s low voice was both reassuring and unwanted. I avoided his eyes—I hadn’t wanted to mess up his day off.

“It’ll be fine,” Bax reassured him. Bax put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, and when I met his gaze, his smile said he understood all the things I was thinking. “Say something to him,” he murmured, hardly moving his lips at all.

Duke took my hand. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. You didn’t need to come,” I told him.

“Of course I did.” He glanced toward Adelaide, then turned to look at me, slightly green faced. “Bed rest, Jason said?”

“Yes,” Adelaide said, her head bent close enough to my belly I was starting to get embarrassed. I could feel her tugging at my skin, but there was no pain. “No housework, no going for walks, no running to the laundromat. The only time he’s allowed out of bed is to go to the bathroom, to have a shallow bath—no showers—or for someone to change his sheets.” She raised her head and stared severely at me. “I’m serious about this, Bram. This isn’t practice, this isn’t me just being careful. If you decide that I’m being over-protective, you’re going to lose these babies.” Her voice was grim, and there was something in her expression as she bent back to her work that made me realize how close I was to disaster. My heart sped up and I clutched at Duke, because he was big and comforting and I wanted someone to take over and make it all better, at least for a minute.

He squeezed my hand back. “No problem, Adelaide. I’ll duct tape him to the bedframe.”

I frowned at him and he smiled innocently back at me.

“Not funny,” I said.

“Who said I was joking?”