With the pain dulled due to the transfer to Isaac, I drifted into a nap. I wasn’t sure how long it was before Ryver arrived, but the door buzzer woke me, and I felt my mate shift me onto the pillows so he could get the door.
“I’ll be right back.” Isaac left the room, and I felt the full pain of my next contraction hit. The short reprieve I had while my mate took on the pain almost made everything feel even more intense.
“How’s everything progressing?” Ryver flowed into the room. I had met the young beta a few times since I started working for the fire station. He liked to stop by and speak with Jason. I heard rumors they use to date, but I never asked if there was truth in that. Although sometimes the chemistry between the two men made me believe there was something to that rumor.
“I checked and it looks like it might be time to get the egg out.” Isaac joined me back on the blankets. “Just tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.”
“Let me take a peek and see how far the gap has grown. If we can get the egg out, I will need you to hold Thomas and take a bit of his pain for him.” Ryver knelt in front of me, his hands roaming my abdomen. “I don’t see any signs of trouble and the opening has advanced enough where we can start to guide the egg out. Are you ready, Papa?”
“Let’s do this.” I gripped Isaac’s hands and leaned into his body for support. Once again, I felt the mate bond allow a large portion of the pain to be transferred to my mate. I checked with Isaac to see if it was too overwhelming. “Is that too much, babe?”
“I can handle it.” Isaac gritted his teeth as he felt about ninety percent of the next contraction come through. “If it makes it easier for my mate, I can take the pain for you.”
“I love you.” I brought our joined hands to my mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I might let you have another baby after this one, then.”
“Let’s get this one out first, yeah?” Ryver chuckled. “I’m going to start massaging your abdomen and coax the egg to descend. Let me know if you feel anything more than discomfort while I do it. The contractions will happen but if you feel anything sharper, tell me right away.”
I wasn’t sure how long the labor would take, but I didn’t expect to be holding my egg only five minutes later.
“Everything looks good.” Ryver examined me again. “The line should start stitching itself up within the next few minutes. I put on some magical balm that will help the process. Just lie here and shower your baby with love. I’ll go have a cup of coffee in the kitchen and check you again in an hour. If everything is looking fine then, I will leave you three alone for the night to bond. Yell for me if you need me.”
Ryver left the room, but I only paid half attention to him. The beautiful iridescent blue egg that held my child had my full focus.
“It’s beautiful,” Isaac whispered, his fingers gently gliding along the top arch of the egg.
“Can I just hold it for the next six weeks?” I bent and kissed the shell. “I don’t think I can lay it down.”
“We can hold it as much as you want, love.” Isaac adjusted us so that we were both lying on our sides, the egg resting in the crook of my arm. “I don’t think I ever want to get up from here.”
My eyes started to feel heavy and I closed my lids. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when Ryver comes back.”
“Go right ahead. I’m here to make sure everything is okay.” Isaac stretched his neck and kissed me gently. “Get some rest.”
The last thing I remembered was Spice joining us in the nest and rubbing up against the egg before curling up next to me. I drifted off to sleep, content to know that my little family was already bonding.
I wasn’t sure if they woke me for Ryver to examine me or if they just let me be, but my eyes didn’t open again until the morning sun came and the dreams of tiny dragon babies playing with bear cubs faded.
Chapter Eighteen
Isaac
“I don’t want to leave the house, or even this room.” Thomas cradled our egg in the crook of his arm, gently rocking back and forth as he sat amongst the blankets and pillows in the middle of the room. “If I feel like this now, how will I feel once the egg hatches and our child is kicking and rambling to us? How will I continue to work at the station?”
“We will face that question when the time comes.” I plopped down in the nest and placed a bowl of fresh berries in front of him. “I made us a quick and easy snack. We need to keep ourselves fed and hydrated. Let me do the work and you just enjoy bonding time.”
“I’m serious though.” Thomas popped a blueberry in his mouth. “I made a big deal about wanting to stay at the fire station and not being a stay-at-home papa, and now, that is all I feel like doing.”
“From my experience with other omegas, it is often the hormones rushing through your body right after birth that causes you to feel like you must not be separated from your young.” I fed him a strawberry. “But after a couple months, you will feel more capable of knowing what you truly want again. So just enjoy the moments you have now and face the big questions in a couple months. The fire station gave you six months’ leave for paternity, and we are in a good financial state. There is no need to stress out about the future right now. Give yourself some time to relax.”
“You’re right.” Thomas leaned over and kissed me. “I’m just freaking out about things. But I think I remember reading about not making huge decisions for at least a few weeks after givingbirth if we don’t need to. I just thought that was bullshit, but perhaps it has some validity to it.”
“And when the time comes to go back to work, we will reevaluate how you feel.” I brushed a stray hair from his face. “You wanted to continue to work and I support that if that is what you still want. But I will support you if you also change your mind. And I will also be here at home, so you will not be alone in making decisions for our family.”
“Thanks, babe.” Thomas fed me a blackberry and took a raspberry for himself. “I feel a bit better. Sorry for getting a bit freaked out.”
“No worries, babe. I’m always going to be here for you to vent to and share your worries.” I moved the bowl and placed it on the table beside us. “That reminds me though, have you called your sister back? She wanted to check in with you after you woke up.”
“Not yet. I’m afraid she will need me to help her.” Thomas shrugged but lowered his head to kiss the egg. “And I don’t want to leave here but also hate telling her no, you know?”
