Rowan’s eyes widened as the pain overwhelmed him. His hand went around his belly and his face contorted.
Axel jumped up and was at his side in a moment, right as he felt an immense pressure on his bladder.
“Oh”—Rowan’s eyes widened—“the baby. The baby is coming now!”
Alfie’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure?”
Rowan cried out as pain shot through him, and he realised he’d been having back labour, not Braxton Hicks. He hunched over as the spasm overtook him.
“Ca—” He breathed out the way he always told his patients to. “I need you to call Mikhaillllllll.” The last word came out on a wail.
“Alfie already called Cameron, and he’s dialling Mik, but we need to get you to the clinic, Ro.” Axel rubbed his back. “I need you to get on your feet so we can get going. Where is your car key? We definitely can’t walk there.”
Alfie was talking, but not really to him. His brother got him on his feet and into some flip flops which were the easiest option.
Rowan wasn’t worried. Everything would be fine, he kept telling himself. He tried not to think about the fact that since he was human and cis-male, there was nowhere for the baby to go, and they had to get him out now, or things could go wrong.
Omegas could birth their babies naturally, but even though mating made it possible for him to get pregnant, it couldn’t change his anatomy to that extent. With that thought floating in his head, Rowan held his belly and kept whispering everything would be okay.
Rowan didn’t even remember the ride to the hospital. Everything was a blur, even the getting prepped part.
“I need Mikhail. Where is Mik?” Rowan knew his voice sounded frantic, but he didn’t care. He wanted his mate to be there.
“He’ll be here in a moment.” That was Cameron, Mikhail’s papa, who he heard talking. Rowan had been seeing him for regular checks since they had moved back.
Alfie had stayed home with Mason and his own kids, but Axel was at Rowan’s side coaching him through it. But he wasn’t the one Rowan wanted with him.
He and Mikhail had spoken about it, and even though mates usually didn’t come into the room for births, they both decided Mikhail would—and not just because he usually assisted his papa at times like this, but because Ro wanted his mate with him.
By the time he was prepped and ready, Rowan was worried Mikhail would miss it, but his mate came through for him and showed up just in time.
Mikhail barged into the room and was at the head of his bed already dressed in scrubs.
“I didn’t think you would make it,” Rowan half sobbed.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Mik lowered his head for a quick kiss.
“Alright, gentlemen, let’s get this show on the road.” Cameron’s voice got Mikhail moving.
He’d been given the anaesthetic earlier, and his bottom half was already covered.
“Just hold on, Ro,” Mik’s voice was muffled since he’d covered his mouth with the mask. “Hold on, baby.”
“I love you,” Ro whispered.
“I love you, too.”
Twenty-Nine
Mikhail
Mikhail had raced home from his office the moment he’d got that phone call from Alfie, his heart in his throat the whole way back.
As soon as he saw Rowan laid out on the table with a curtain blocking his lower half from view, he’d rushed over to his mate. Mik knew what was coming next, and had to push his wolf down because the thought of them preparing to slice into Rowan had him too close to the surface.
When his papa said he was ready, Mikhail was about to move to his position to help, but his papa stopped him.
“Hold on to your mate son,” his papa said before Mikhail was able to make it to the other side of the curtain. “Axel can be my hands here.”
