“Okay, okay, first Haven’s just fine. So I don’t want you to worry, but it seems the baby has decided to make an early debut.”
I blink at the dresser on the other side of the room trying to force my orgasm soaked brain to make sense of what he’s saying and failing miserably. My chest thrums with feelings of calm, of reassurance, from my pack and I take a deep breath. “Tell me what that means.”
“I thought it was obvious, Ren. Haven’s going into labor.”
Labor.Now? But no. No. I must have misheard him, he must mean something else.
“What do you mean she’s going into labor? There’s still two weeks until her due date.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Ren. The baby is coming. We’re packing up and heading to the hospital now.”
“No, but… I’m half a world away. She can’t have the baby now.”
Someone to my right chuckles and without looking at them I lash out with my fist and punch any bit of them I can reach. I’m met with a muffled‘ow, killer,’ as Thayer grabs my still fisted hand and brushes kisses on my knuckles.
“Tell her to wait until I get there. Tell her she has to wait.” Oh god lord, I’m on the verge of tears. But I can’t miss this. I promised her I wouldn’t miss it. I’m set to return in two days because I thought that was plenty of time, early enough.
“No can do, sweetheart,” Jude says, voice soft and understanding. “I’m more than a little worried about the state of my nuts if I do that. She nearly ripped off Tic’s hand for suggesting she sit down while we gather our things.”
There’s a ruffle of fabric to my left, movement of bodies leaving the bed and then Forsythe is pressing into my side, plucking the phone from my fingers and putting it on speaker. “Jude?”
“Your highness.” Jude manages to sound cheeryandsnide while he says the title.
“We’re heading to the airport and should be in the air in less than an hour. We’ll be there in about eleven hours.”
I blow out a breath at his steady tone, the hand that’s sweeping up and down my spine, soothing me.
“Sounds good. But I’m not telling my omega to try to-”
“Is that Ren?” Haven’s voice comes through the line laced with… frustration? There’s a brief pause and then Haven comes through, sounding as on the verge of tears as I am.
“I’m sorry,” She chokes out. “I tried to wait. I told her. I said, ‘you have to wait for Auntie Ren. You can’t come now.’ But she just wouldn’t listen. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head even though she can’t see it. “No. No. Don’t be sorry. Our girl’s just excited to meet everyone. Sounds like she’s going to be a real extrovert.”
Haven snorts a laugh. “I miss you, Ren.” She sighs.
“I know, Haves. I miss you too. But I’ll be there soon. Okay?”
“Promise?”
A light turns on and I glance up to find all of my pack in the process of pulling on clothes or throwing things into bags. All of them but Forsythe who is still right next to me, offering his support.
“Promise, hon. We’re packing up right now. And they have a private jet, you know. And their own airfield. So we’ll be in the air in no time.”
There’s another long pause on her side. Then she says, softly, like she doesn’t want her alphas to overhear. “I’m scared. I’m-I’m not sure I can do this. It hurts so much, Ren.”
The fist I’d used to punch Thayer smacks into my forehead, three times before my prime stops me. Guilt drapes over my shoulders like a cloak. I should be there. I should be helping her through this, offering my support, not just over the phone, but holding her hand, helping her to the car.
But this isn’t about me, It's about her.
“I know you’re scared, honey. I know it. But you can do this. Absolutely. One hundred percent you can do this. There isn’t even a flicker in my mind that you can’t. You are Haven motherfucking Calloway, you survived for years under Frederick Bell’s commands. You were clever enough to find a way around them, to claim your pack. Years, Haves. This is nothing. A few hours of labor and at the end you’re going to have the most perfect little girl in the entire world. The little girl you’re going to name after me ‘cause I’m awesome too.”
She gives a choked laugh. And I smile as Forsythe kisses my shoulder. I can feel his pride radiating out to me.
“Now, you need to get your butt to the hospital and I need to get on a plane so I can get there as soon as possible. Don’t tryto wait for me, okay? You just do what you need to, and I’ll see you when I get there.”
“Okay,” Haven says, sounding as choked as I feel. “Also, I don’t really have the time to get into it with you, but I’m so pissed at you.”
