Page 63 of Jared

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Jared smoothed his hand down the front of his tunic. He admired the deftness of the needlework, loving the luxury of the silk against his skin. Any minute now, Steve would come to the door to take him up to the dais and Steve's new position would be official.

And then, we'll get married.

He grimaced. The Braxton Hicks contractions had been an unwelcome revelation.

Doc said stress could set them off, or make them feel worse. I'm wound pretty tight today, so guess it's no surprise they've started up again today. He willed himself to be calm. Imagine a peaceful beach. Getting to just chill out, drink in hand. Soaking up some sun. Listening to the sound of the waves.

The pain receded just as Steve poked his head in the door. “They're ready for us.” he opened the door wider as he took in Jared's expression.

“You going to be all right?”

Jared nodded. “yeah, just stressed a little.”

Steve offered his arm. Jared took it, while admiring Steve's suit. He's so handsome and caring. Stop stressing and go get your happy ever after, dude! “Let's do this,” he said, smiling back at Steve.

Heads turned as the couple made their way to the dais where Alan and Alice stood. Alice's face was wreathed in a smile, while Alan gave them both a small smile and a nod. The room fell quiet as Alan called for everyone's attention.

“First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming today. A pack is family, and I'm so very happy to so very many of our family and our friends here. Family and good friends make events like this one to really remember. A hand over like this is always a special occasion, but today it is even more so as my son and his True Mate make their mating official.” There was a scattering of applause. Alan gestured for Steve to step forward.

Jared stiffened as a wave of nausea hit him. He frantically swallowed it down. God, no, not this now. His stomach gave a stronger lurch. He missed hearing Steve repeat the oath of leadership as he turned his attention inward, intent on not spoiling it all by vomiting all over himself in front of several hundred people. Pull it together, man. He suddenly felt Steve's hand on his arm and became dimly aware of applause.

“You sure you're okay? You look green,” Steve whispered.

“Nerves,” Jared gritted out.

“You sure?” Steve pressed.

“Yeah.”

“Everything okay?” It was the officiant.

“He's got a bad case of nerves.”

“Let's just get married, okay? I'm sure once I'm not in front of all these people and can sit down, I'll be fine.”

Steve nodded. The officiant gave a nod and took his place. He placed their hands in each others and began. Jared concentrated on fighting his rising gorge and making appropriate responses. No sooner had Steve placed the ring on his finger than he felt his bile rise uncontrollably.

Oh God, no.

He placed his hands over his mouth. Steve must have read the panic in his eyes as he quickly turned Jared towards a potted plant off to one side. Jared couldn't help it. He emptied his stomach. Once he began vomiting, he couldn't stop, not even when all that was left was pure bile. His cheeks burned in humiliation. What everyone must think...

A sudden wave of pain hit his midsection, worse than anything he'd felt previously. He gripped his midsection tightly. “Uhhh,” he moaned. A line of damp wet the front of his tunic.

“Jared?” Steve's worried eyes met his own.

“Bad. It's real bad,” he whimpered. The whispers from the crowd grew louder.

A hand on Steve's shoulder. “Let me look at him.”

Doc.

“Jared, have you had contractions all morning?”

He nodded.

Dr Schaeffer glanced at the contents of the plant pot, then at Steve. “That's bile, and with his contractions and the marks I'm seeing on his shirt, I'm going to say he's in labor. We need to get him to a room where I can examine him properly and check to see if his flap is opening properly.”