18
Raja
It was supposed to be a Wednesday. That was when the doctor, Dr. Lynden, estimated my due date would be. But the date passed, and the baby didn’t come.
And it didn’t come for another day, or the day after that.
My belly was swollen beyond belief. Every day I grew increasingly irritable and uncomfortable, and was at a point where Lorenzo had to doeverythingfor me because I was in too much discomfort to even move. Frankly, I was ready for this baby to get out of me already, but clearly that wasn’t happening. It seemed content to linger in my belly for as long as possible.
“Lorenzo, I’m sick of this,” I complained.
“What, the pickles?” he asked, eyeing the half-eaten jar sitting on the coffee table in front of me.
“No - the baby! Why won’t it be born already? Dr. Lynden said it was supposed to be on Wednesday and it’s already Saturday and it’s still in me.” I groaned again and slumped back into the couch. “This sucks.”
He stroked my belly sympathetically. The baby kicked Lorenzo’s hand, but he didn’t stop.
“It should be any day now,” Lorenzo said. “The due date the doctor tells you isn’t always accurate, it’s just an estimate.”
I glared at him. He immediately realized he wasn’t being helpful and grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry,” he said. “Is there anything I can do for you, my love?”
I sighed dramatically. “Not unless I can put this baby inyou, andyoucan give birth to it.”
“If I could magically turn into an omega, I would,” Lorenzo said, smiling. “Is there anything else I can try?”
“You can give me a back rub,” I mumbled. Ever since I’d moved into the second half of the pregnancy, my lower back had been killing me non-stop. I moved over and Lorenzo carefully positioned himself behind me. His thumbs dug firmly but gently into my skin as he massaged my back, slowly working his way down to my lumbar. I groaned. “Ugh. It’s good.”
Lorenzo hummed and kept massaging. “Just relax.”
My eyes slipped shut as I was lost in the pleasure of his fingers. I was filled with the warmth of intimacy, even though the act wasn’t sexual. It was nice just tobewith Lorenzo, enjoying each other’s company in silence, the powerful bond of fated mates running between us like unbreakable thread.
Soon the hard knots in my back began to loosen. My body went from tense to limp, and I slouched against Lorenzo and the couch. I wanted to melt into him and fall asleep until the baby was born, so I could be free of this discomfort. Not that I wasn’t excited for my baby, of course. It was all I could think about lately. We turned down Dr. Lynden’s offer to tell us the sex of the baby, so the whole thing would be a surprise. Right now, all I cared about was that the baby was healthy - and that it came out of mesoon.
I sighed again, leaning against Lorenzo. Everything felt warm and comfortable.
Suddenly, Lorenzo gasped.
“Oh - Raja!”
Not opening my eyes, I mumbled, “What is it?”
Something warm was spreading underneath me. That sensation alongside Lorenzo’s frantic tone made my eyes shoot open. I stared down at the puddle beneath me.
“Uh,” I said eloquently.
“Raja, your water broke!” Lorenzo leapt up from the couch and already had one dragon wing shifted, ready to leave as soon as possible. “Come - I’ll carry you!”
“Hang on, I can barely move!” I complained loudly. Now the heavy swelling of my belly was preventing me from being able to lift myself up. Lorenzo didn’t waste any time. He threw his phone open and made a few quick calls - only seconds each. He immediately ran to my side and scooped me up, then ran to the outdoor landing deck, where he shifted into his dragon form and took to the sky.
I clung to him desperately, more than usual. My hands trembled with anticipation. My baby was going to be heresoon.This was what I wanted ever since I found out I was pregnant, but now that it was time, I was afraid. Terrified. I thought about everything that could go wrong, which was easier to think about than the pleasant things, for some reason.
“Please distract me,” I begged Lorenzo.
“We’ll be there soon,” Lorenzo promised. “A distraction, huh? Well, right below us is the city. Bustling as ever. Ryu’s magic shop is there, pretty close to Dante and Gabriel’s place. Gabriel still goes there with Noah to practice his magic. He’s getting pretty good at it. Maybe if you ever wanted to try, you could go along with him someday?”
I’d zoned out, listening to Lorenzo’s comforting words, before I realized he asked me a question. “Huh? Me?”
