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“Almost,” she said. “I sent my partner to pick him up. They’re maybe five minutes away.”
“I need him,” I said. “I need my husband.”
“Shh, shh, shh...” Ginger cooed. “Come on, this is nothing. You’ve been through two aborted bites, leaving your whole life behind, and a goddamned shifter war. You made it through corruption and your husband going missing. You can handle this, too. Show those pups how strong their mom is.”
It was strange for Ginger to be so kind to me. It wasn’t that she was particularly cold toward me or anything like that, but the way she was speaking to me now reminded me of Cole in many ways. That sort of steady, comforting confidence I needed from him in that moment.
I forced myself to slow my breathing, still letting tears fall. There was no stopping them. The emotions and hormones running through my body’s system were so much, I couldn’t just stem their flow.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m strong.”
“That’s right,” she said. “You’re so strong.”
She wheeled us through a set of double doors, then down a hallway where a nurse was already waiting near an open door. “Is this Mrs. Lucas?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ginger said.
“Labor room is almost ready. Come on this way,” the nurse said to me. “I’m just going to get your vitals while they get the last bits put together.”
“You have to hurry. These babies are coming,” I rasped, groaning as another contraction seized my body.
“Don’t worry, Momma,” the nurse said. “We’ve got time.”
I cringed and groaned through the contraction as they took my temperature and my blood pressure, checking for eclampsia, I was sure. The nurse didn’t indicate anything amiss, and thankfully, the room was ready for us not more than a few seconds later.
Once we got into the room, Ginger and the nurses helped me undress. I was just slipping into the hospital gown when Cole flew down the hall, steel-toed boots tromping. I heard the squeak of his rubber soles before he dashed back, looking into the delivery room, his face red with exertion.
“Baby!” he exclaimed, hurrying over to me, dropping the duffel bag to the floor and grasping my arms to support me.
“I thought you were going to miss it,” I whimpered.
“I’m here, baby. I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” he said, smiling softly. “I’m here.” He looked around the room before looking at Ginger. “Have you guys seen the doctor yet?”
“I haven’t, and unfortunately, I have to go arrest my fiancée and then bail her out. You guys going to be good?” Ginger asked. “I’ll try to go get it all processed quickly so we can be here to support when you need me.”
Cole looked down at me questioningly, and I shook my head. “Don’t ask,” I said to him.
“Let’s get you comfortable, sweetheart,” he said.
He helped me over to the bed and got me lying down with the help of one of the nurses. “Do we have an ETA on the doctor?” he asked her.
“Should be here in about a half-hour, an hour maybe,” she said. “He was away for a day trip when we called. In the meantime, we’ll get you all set up with some fluids and see if we can’t place that epidural as per your birth plan, okay?”
“Please,” I begged.
The nurse gave a little giggle, her nose crinkling as she smiled up at Cole and bustled off to find whatever team members she needed for the epidural.
I leaned back as Cole piled up the pillows behind me, placing one under my knees to reduce some of the pressure on my hips. “Thank you,” I said. “I feel a lot better now that you’re here.”
“Of course, baby. I’m here until it’s time to go back home with our precious little pups,” he said as he adjusted the pillows beneath my head. He smoothed my hair away from my sweaty brow and kissed my forehead. “How you feeling?”
“Scared,” I admitted. “Sore.”
“Sore, I can’t do much about, but I can help with scared,” he said. “Run me through it.”
“Okay,” I said. “The babies are...fucking huge. They’re huge, Cole, and they’re going to have to tear out of my vagina like something out of a sci-fi horror movie.”
“Well, doc said we can do a caesarian if it becomes evident that your body can’t handle getting them out the typical way,” he said. “And I will fight for you, if you want to do that.”
