21
Maxwell
I’d helped deliver babies before, but obviously, I had no experience in regards to myself.
So that made itinteresting,to say the least, when my water finally broke.
And of course it just had to happen during dinner, in the dining hall, surrounded by the entire Tenebrae family.
I slowly shut my eyes and took in a deep breath as I felt the liquid dripping down my legs.
“Um,” Theo said. “Max, you okay?”
Pierce and Adriel, who undoubtedly already knew what was happening, had put down their wine glasses and exchanged looks with each other. They stood and came around to my chair, helping me pull it out from the table.
“What’s going on? Is it--Oh.” Theo’s eyes widened as he saw the wet spot on my pants. “OH!”
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “My water broke.”
“What does that mean?” Lark asked Benji, who threw down his fork and fumbled out of his seat.
“Er, it means that Maxwell is going to have his baby, sweetie,” Benji reassured her.
“Wow! Cool!” she cried. “I wanna see!”
“No,” Benji and Pierce said at the same time.
“You can see the baby afterwards, honey,” Benji added with a hurried smile. “Right now Maxwell needs our help.”
“I can watch the girls,” Pierce offered, nodding at Benji and Caleb. “You two should go with Maxwell, if he wants your help.”
I thought I could handle the birth on my own with only Theo by my side, but then the panic set in. Even though I’d helped the two omegas deliver their own babies, I suddenly felt lost and confused, like I had no idea what I was doing. I nodded vigorously with a whimper. “Yes, please.”
Theo rushed to my side and helped me up. I was grateful for his strong arms as I leaned on him for support as he walked me to the clinic. I breathed in and out, like I knew I was supposed to do when I was anxious, but it sure as hell wasn’t working.
“Guys, I’m really freaking out,” I admitted when we reached the clinic.
Theo smiled and took my hands. “You’re gonna do great, Max. You’re a doctor, remember?”
“Great. I conveniently don’t remember any of my eight years of medical training,” I mumbled.
“Yes, you do,” Adriel insisted patiently. “It’s normal to be scared during labor. Just try to relax.”
Anytime I’dtriedto relax in my entire life, it never went as planned, but I shut my eyes and focused on my breathing anyways.
“We’re here for you,” Caleb reminded me. “You got me and Benji through this, and now we’re gonna help you. Okay, Maxwell?”
I looked at the two brothers standing by me. We’d been through so much together, and now I was really grateful they chose to support me through this. Tears welled in my eyes as I was overcome with emotion.
Benji and Caleb silently took each one of my hands and squeezed.
“Should we take you to a human doctor?” Theo asked, his brows furrowed in concern.
“No,” I decided. “I want to be here, surrounded with my family.”
Theo smiled sympathetically. “Are you sure? I just want you to be safe.”
I rounded up the remnants of my nerves and exhaled a shaky sigh. “I’ll be okay.”
