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Mortimer opened the door for us right away. “Come, come. I was expecting you.”
“Expecting us?” Pol said.
“Yes. Today is the day, is it not?” Mortimer looked confused.
I’d heard other alphas talk about how Mortimer had a sense about these things. At the time I assumed they meant he was a good healer and made good guesses. But the way he was talking now, I suspected it might be a case of it being more than that.
“We aren’t sure. We were hoping you could tell us.” Pol winced in pain. We pretty much knew.
“If you knew today was the day, why didn’t you tell us before now?” I demanded, the pain of my mate making my beast agitated. The old man liked to keep his secrets, which was all well and good when it wasn’t my mate on the line. If that was what this even was. I wasn’t able to think clearly, not with my mate in agony.
And the worst part was, I knew this was only the beginning. It wasn’t like an omega started labor and poof… baby.
Mortimer shrugged. “What’s the fun in it?”
I couldn’t answer that because I didn’t see how there was fun in any of it. But also, there was a kindness in his eyes. I’d have said something back to him, but Pol was grunting as he tried to hold back the pain.
“Let us get you in one of these lovely dressing gowns we have for the omegas here. I’ll get my assistant, but you might as well make yourself comfortable. It is going to be a little while.”
Comfortable. I was confident that wasn’t a word that would describe anything from today.
“So it is today. I am having a baby today?” Pol’s voice squeaked with fear.
I held him tighter. Anything I could do to ease his pain and keep him calm through this process I was more than willing to do. Why couldn’t I take all of it? Why didn’t the goddess give us that gift?
Mortimer smiled and nodded. “Yes, of course. But just remember, labor takes a very long time,” he said.
That wasn’t very reassuring at all. But also, he was not exaggerating. My Pol’s contractions got closer together and stronger, sure. But it was a slow process. He tried walking, lying down, even some yoga positions. None of them seemed to do much to help.
I begged Mortimer to give him something to take the pain away, but Pol had heard all they did was slow down labor and adamantly refused to take them. He wanted to meet our child now. I could see his point and didn’t push after that, even if I wanted him to no longer be crying out from the misery.
Pol was a champ through it all. I wasn’t sure I could handle that kind of pain. He tried to tell me I already had. And maybe on some level he was right, but also, my body did a lot of blacking out then, protecting me from it. Pol was front and center through all of it.
Hours later, we were still monitoring contractions. They were getting more intense. They were getting closer together, but not significantly enough to feel like birth was imminent.
Mortimer had us taking several walks around the clinic, both inside and out, and we had several rounds of visitors. Seemed that news of Pol’s labor spread quickly. At first I was irked that anyone would bother my mate during this time, but then I saw how much he appreciated it. Pol needed his Asilo support group. This wasn’t about what I’d have wanted in his position.
“I’m just so ready to meet them,” Pol said, his face covered with sweat.
“I am, too. You’re doing very well, though.” He was so strong, stronger than anyone I knew.
“Thank you, mate. You are, too. I most certainly couldn’t do this without you.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“Well, no, I should hope not. You can’t get pregnant on your own.” I kissed his brow.
He started to laugh, then winced, followed by a guttural scream. “Oh, that one felt more painful than the last, really painful, and I kind of feel like I should push.”
As bad as I thought his contractions had been, I could see now that they were only the beginning.
“That’s my cue.” Mortimer came in with Thomas at his side. “Lie back, Pol. I believe your child is ready to show us who they are.”
“Finally.” Pol let out a sigh of relief.
I gripped Pol’s hand and took a steadying breath. He was ready. We were about to be fathers. He could do this.
Pol tensed, his body going tight. “I need to push. Can I push?”
“How is your pain level, Pol? And you, alpha daddy? You’re not going to pass out from the blood or afterbirth, are you?”
