Cynthia ruffled his hair. “Just wait until you have a mate and you get to host your families.”
With wide eyes, he shook his head. “Nope. I’m staying single forever.”
As I chuckled, I glanced down the hall to see if Kane was coming out yet. No sign of him. Something didn’t feel right. I headed toward the bathroom. “How long ago did he go in there?”
“Ten minutes,” Rechie answered. “I think.”
At first, I knocked on the door. “Kane?” When I heard a groan in response, I pushed it open. “Where are you?”
“Over here.”
I found him sitting in the corner, holding his stomach. “What’s wrong?”
“My water broke.” He nodded toward a puddle covered in paper towels in front of the stall. “And I think I’m having a contraction.”
My heart clenched in a moment of panic. I quickly pushed it away, lifting him into my arms and carrying him out of the bathroom. “Sorry for the mess in the bathroom. Kane’s in labor and I’ve got to get him to the hospital.”
“Go.” Rechie shooed me out as Marshall held the door.
I don’t remember much of the drive to Breaker General, wasn’t even sure if I stopped at all the streetlights. I was focused on getting my mate to the hospital so someone could relieve the pain that made him whimper and cry out.
Finding a spot in the temporary parking out front, I grabbed the closest wheelchair and wheeled him inside.
The man at the information desk took one look at my mate and pointed down the hallway. “The west elevators are downthere. Head up to labor and delivery on the third floor. I’ll let them know you’re on your way.”
“Thank you.” I pushed Kane down the hall, and it seemed to take forever for the elevator car to arrive.
Kane breathed through another contraction, gripping the arms of the chair. “Hurry, please.”
When we finally arrived at the labor and delivery unit, the usually locked doors from our tour the month before were open, and two nurses waited for us.
They took Kane into a triage room and had him change into a gown to assess how far along he was. Just over three inches dilated already. Then I learned he’d been having contractions all day but didn’t tell anyone because he still had work to finish up.
I was glad I’d shown up at his work when I did. If I hadn’t, he might have delivered our baby on the bathroom floor. Trying to hold in my worry and frustration, I clenched my fists. My mate had a big heart, but he was stubborn.
Once I helped him back into the wheelchair, the nurse guided us to a delivery room. I tried to stay out of the way with so many other people in the room with us. Kane was hooked up to all kinds of monitors, and his bed was converted into something that looked torturous. Then everyone left again, one nurse saying she’d be back in a few minutes after letting Kane’s OB/GYN know he was in labor.
Holding one of his hands, I brushed wet strands of hair away from Kane’s face and kissed his forehead. “I wish I could relieve all the pain you’re in. I hate seeing you in so much distress.”
He glared at me. “It’s a good thing one of the nurse’s gave me a shot of something already. You obviously weren’t paying attention. But this is what happens when you don’t wear a condom.”
My breath caught in my throat. “I thought you wanted kids. We’d talked about it.”
Wincing, he squeezed my hand. “I do. But it’s not a walk in the park when this baby is coming out. It fucking hurts.”
His strangled cry turned into a long, low groan. The nurse and doctor walked in at that moment. After Dr. Starr greeted Kane, he flipped up the sheet covering his spread legs to examine him and the baby, reaching his hands inside my mate’s opening.
Part of me wanted to lash out at him, but I had to remind myself Dr. Starr was going to keep our baby and Kane safe and healthy during the process.
“Already up to four inches, and the baby is lined up perfectly.” The doctor stood and talked over Kane’s spread legs. “I think you’re ready to go. I want you to push with the next contraction. When I tell you to stop, stop. I know it will be hard when your body is telling you to do otherwise, but we want to keep you from tearing.”
Kane glanced up at me, his eyes wet with tears. “Our baby is almost here.”
I nodded, a sudden lump in my throat preventing me from talking. After wiping his eyes, I held his hand in both of mine. “You are the strongest omega I know. I love you so much.”
“I love you.” He sucked in a quick breath. “Too.” Squeezing his eyes shut as well as my hand, he pushed with a pained grunt.
“Good,” the doctor said. “Now, not so hard. Lighten up a bit. That’s it. Good.”
