“They can give you less anaesthetic to help you feel more active during the birth,” Cash pointed out. “You’ll still experience some discomfort, but I know not feeling completely numb is important for some people.”
Jake raised a brow. “You sure know--”
“An awful lot about birth for an alpha, I know,” Cash interrupted, obviously having heard that comment a million times. He raised a brow. “Did Kaden not mention I’m a nurse? Ever?”
We both turned to him and said “No?” at the same time.
The blush on Kaden’s cheek turned deeper. “Well, it’s not something that comes up all the time!”
Jake and I immediately ignored Kaden and began bombarding Cash with a million questions each about little health concerns. I asked about being a week late, and my pains, and my embarrassing body questions, and Jake asked about Finn’s development, and if his ability to walk and speak were good for his age. Cash took it all with good humor while we played doctor with him, answering to the best of his ability.
And the whole time I noticed from the corner of my eye that Kaden was watching with a soft smile and the same pink tinge in his cheeks.
It was after the onslaught of questions, though, that a slow, deep discomfort began manifesting in my stomach. I took a break from pestering Cash and leaned back into the couch with a sigh.
“You all right?” Kaden asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded, but halfway through I began to shake my head. “Not sure.”
Cash noticed and got up to tend to me. His expression was instantly kind but serious. “Do you think you’re going into labor?”
“I don’t know, I’ve neverbeenin labor before,” I said, probably unhelpfully, but the pain was getting worse and quickly souring my mood, along with the sudden jump in my nerves.
“Call Rafael,” Cash said. “I have a car, so I can drive you to the hospital and he can meet us there.”
My heart jumped, beating frantically. Suddenly it felt like everything was happening too quickly. Despite being a week overdue, it didn’t seem real until right now. Time seemed to slow and fly past at the same time.
But this baby was coming whether I was ready or not.
Jake scooped up Finn and ran to the door. Kaden was beside him, holding the door open for me as I struggled to get ready. I’d never put on my shoes in such a damn hurry. Cash was already downstairs, his car idling by the curb for us.
As soon as we all piled in, I fumbled the phone. My fingers felt clumsy and the sheen of sweat that built over my skin was stopping the touch screen from properly registering my input. I let out a frustrated groan. Jake reached over and punched Rafael’s number for me.
“Thanks,” I said, but my relief was short lived. Rafael wasn’t picking up. My heart lurched and I almost felt sick. “Please, please…”
It went to voicemail.
“No!” I cried.
“What’s the address?” Cash demanded, and I knew he meant our condo. “Maybe if it’s close we can pick him up.”
“Let me try again,” I said, feeling a bit panicked.
I called again, and to my massive relief, this time he picked up. He was laughing, like he and Griffin were in the middle of a conversation.
“Oh, hey baby,” Raf said. “This crib is gonna be the death of us, I swear--”
“Raf,” I said sharply, cutting him off. “The baby.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s for the baby, so we’re doing our best to make sure it actually works--”
“No! The baby! Now!” I snapped. “Get to the hospital!”
“Oh. Oh my god,” he said, panic seeping into his tone now. “The baby’s comingnow?”
“Yes!”
I heard him scramble on the other end. “Shit, okay, we’re getting ready now. Are you okay? Do you want me to stay on the phone?”
