AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sheppard
As we walked into the birthing center, the healer was there, already waiting. The birthing center was open and staffed but some, like us, chose to be attended by our own healer.
“How far apart are the contractions now?” he asked.
“Three minutes. Maybe two,” Locke said.
“Let’s get him into the room.”
Locke carried me into the birthing room. It was a lovely place and while we’d toured it before, I was instantly calmed by the light mint color on the walls and the soothing music softly playing from speakers in the ceiling. A small diffuser was in the corner, and the smell of lavender permeated my senses.
But it was my alpha who kept me calm and grounded.
“Can I examine you?” Josh, the healer, always asked permission before doing anything. It was one of the things I most liked when we were deciding on who would help with delivering the baby.
“Of course.”
I undressed and got onto the bed. Locke held my hand while Josh did whatever he did down there.
Another contraction took hold. “You’re fully dilated now, Sheppard. Listen to your animal. He will tell you when it’s time to push. He knows exactly what to do.”
Five or six contractions later, an urge came over me and I knew it was time. My rabbit urged me on from that place where he lived inside me.
Locke must’ve felt the shift because he looked toward Josh. “It’s time. This baby is coming.” He sat on the edge of the bed and took both my hands in his. “You can do this, Sheppard. You’re the strongest omega I know. Let’s bring this babe into the world. I’ve got you. Squeeze as hard as you have to.”
I felt awhooshinside me and knew something had changed. I retreated into my animal, just as Josh had suggested, and let him take over. The baby was in place. All I had to do was push.
Bring our babe into the world.
“That’s it, Sheppard. One more big push.”
I bore down, squeezing the life out of Locke’s hands and growling though my animal had never growled before. “There he is.” Then came a huge relief as I felt our baby come out. I threw my head back while my body relaxed for the first time in what was an eternity of pain.
But once I saw our son being held and cleaned by Josh, the pain faded.
“Locke, would you like to cut the cord?” Josh asked.
“Are you okay? Can I?”
“Of course.” I wanted him as involved as possible. “Go. Look at our son.”
The cord was cut and Locke placed our already crying babe on my chest. The second our skin touched, he gurgled a bit before settling against me.
“He’s gorgeous, alpha,” I said, crying.
“He takes after you.”
We held onto him for a while before Josh needed to weigh him and take care of the afterbirth which I had expelled with my babe in my arms.
“We’re a family now,” I breathed as Locke swiped a cold towel over my face.
“Sheppard, you and I have always been a family. Now we’re a family of three.”
Once we were settled, Locke called my parents who were ecstatic and already had bags packed. They were in the car and on their way by the time they ended the call. I placed the call to Jenson myself. He was days out from his marathon but promised to come see his nephew as soon as he could.
“What are we going to name him, omega?” Locke asked while rocking the baby in his arms. Our babe was swaddled and had already nursed like a champ.
I’d thought about it since the day we found out I was pregnant but now, seeing him in Locke’s arms, I knew he needed a strong name like his father. “How about Theodore? We can call him Theo or Thor.”
