16. Connor

16

Connor

“ T hat’s it, baby.” Bryce lifted me off the bathroom floor and helped me into the bedroom. “Let’s get you dressed and to the hospital. You have been sick all week and are getting so weak you can hardly stand up without help.”

“Okay.” All the fight had left me by the time he found me collapsed that morning. Several days of vomiting everything I ate and intense stomach pains were enough for me to agree with him that a visit to the doctor was necessary.

“Sit here, and I’ll grab you a new shirt.” Bryce sat me on my bed and went to the closet to gather fresh clothes. I hadn’t been able to change out of my pajamas before I rushed to the bathroom this morning. I loved Bryce so much for taking care of me this last week. “Here you go, baby. Let’s get you changed.”

Bryce helped me change and put on my sneakers. Collecting our wallets and keys from the dresser, Bryce lifted me off the bed again and helped me walk downstairs and into the garage. I wasn’t sure what I would have done if he hadn’t been here.

As Bryce drove me to the hospital, I sat in the passenger seat and curled into a ball as much as the seat belt would allow. I got a little comfort from that position, and the stomach cramping that had been almost constant this morning eased enough for me to take a small nap.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Bryce kissed my forehead and laid a tender hand on my cheek. “We’re here. Let’s get you inside and checked out by a doctor.”

“Okay.” My weak voice would cause my mate even more worry, so I patted his cheek as he bent down before me. “It will be okay. This hospital has some of the best staff possible. Thank you for bringing me.”

“I love you. Let’s go.” Bryce lifted me out of the car and carried me through the main entrance, yelling to the attendant at the door. “I’ll be back to park the car. I need to get my mate in there.”

“We’ll park it.” Bruno appeared at our side and snatched Bryce’s car keys.

“What are you doing here?” Bryce blinked. “You know what? Never mind. Tell me later. I’m just glad to see you, man. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Hector waved us off as his gaze followed Bruno to the car. “I’ll come in with you if you need any other help. And that way, I can tell Bruno where we are to drop off your keys.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Bryce continued walking through the hospital entrance and up to the check-in desk. “My omega mate is sick. We need to see somebody now.”

“Okay, sir.” A polite young omega smiled up at us from behind the desk. “I can get you checked in. Can I have the patient’s name and date of birth?”

Bryce provided all the necessary information. I was getting weaker and weaker, and my head spun like I was on a ride at Valleyweird Theme Park. “Bryce, I think I’m about to—”

My world turned dark.

The next conscious moment I had was of lying in a hospital bed with Bryce sitting in a chair next to me and Bruno and Hector near the door, almost like they were standing guard.

“What happened?” My voice still sounded weak to my ears, but the moment I spoke, all three shifters took notice.

“Connor, I was so worried.” Bryce stood up and kissed my lips. “The doctors and nurses brought us straight back here after you fainted and started the test and an IV. They said you were dehydrated.”

“We’re gonna go tell the nurses you are awake.” Bruno headed out the door, Hector following. “Then we’ll head home. Call us when they have answers.”

“They stayed?” I guess I scared everyone, not just my mate.

“They were concerned.” Bryce grimaced. “But they also may have volunteered to stay so I would calm down. I sort of went crazy alpha at first. When no one could tell me what was wrong with you, I almost lost control of my shift. Hector was able to do a calming spell on me, and Bruno helped him hold me down when needed, so the nurses said they should stay until you were discharged.”

“I’d better bake those nurses and doctors some treats for dealing with my big scary alpha.” I chuckled. “Tell me you didn’t shift in the middle of the hospital.”

“I didn’t.” Bryce lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Well, not fully. My eyes did the shift, and my wolf growled when they stuck your arm for the IV.”

“Bryce.” I swatted my mate on the arm. “Bad wolfie.”

“Stop it.” My mate’s chuckle was a beautiful sound. “I have never been more scared.”

“Do they know anything yet?”

“No, only that you were dehydrated. They ran a lot of tests, though, and they said the doctor would come in once you were awake.”

Knock. Knock.

The doctor entered the examination room, and Bryce and I stopped speaking.

“Well, gentlemen, I think I have discovered what has been making Connor so ill lately, all the dizziness and headaches.” Doctor Prentis looked down at his tablet and nodded. “Congratulations. You are pregnant.”

“Excuse me?” I had to have heard him wrong. “Can you repeat that?”

“I understand that you may be shocked.” The doctor sat in front of me on the stool with wheels. “You did state you were given the shot at your last checkup, and your files show that as correct. You also said you didn’t have a heat. Is that correct?”

“Yes. How am I pregnant?”

“Well, I apologize for this, but I need to ask a few questions to be certain. Were you more sexually stimulated at all during the last month or so? At any time, did it feel like you had to be with each other all night?”

“Well, yes. But I figured that was what happened when you finally were with your fated mate for the first time. But I never went into a frenzy of heat like my omega friends had described to me. I never really have. I just have a mild season of feeling warmer and hornier. But nothing major. I honestly worried I was defective.”

“No, not at all. All omegas are different, and their heats and cycles are not one size fits all. I think you had what your body considers heat, but it was hard to recognize it as such because it was milder than you would expect. And although the pill has a high success rate, nothing is 100 percent.”

“Especially in Valleywood and when it has to do with fated mates.” Bryce smiled and shrugged. “That was what my papa was trying to tell me the other day. But I told him there was no way.”

“Well, there is a way.” Doctor Prentis pulled a machine closer to the table. “I brought the ultrasound into the room with me so we can take a look at the baby. Would you lean back on the table for me, please?”

Lying back and baring my belly, I waited for the doctor to set up the equipment. He smiled after several minutes with the probe on my slightly rounded stomach. “There you go. And, apparently, the surprises aren’t over for you. You will be meeting two new pups this Christmas.”

“Two?” Bryce’s eyes were wide as he stared at the screen, his hand enclosed in mine. “They are so tiny.”

“But exactly the right size I’d estimate based on your mating date.” Doctor Prentis pressed a couple of buttons and took some notes. “I will print out a few pictures for you and want you to follow up with an obstetrician in the next month. I have times available at my clinic if you need one; otherwise, tell the hospital where we need to send your files.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” I sat up, wiped the gel off my belly, and pulled my shirt down. “Is there anything else I should be doing? I’ve been so sick.”

“I am prescribing you some medicine that should help with the nausea. The IV should have helped with the dehydration. Try to keep at least fluids down throughout the day, and if you find that your symptoms are still this extreme, come in earlier than next month. If you are like most omegas I see, the sickness will pass in a month or two.”

“And you said the babies should arrive around Christmas?” Bryce stared at the ultrasound picture as he spoke, moisture gathering in the corner of his eye.

“Yes. Based on the type of wolf shifter you are and the packs you originate from, I estimate the gestational period will take that long, and you will get two adorable Christmas presents this year.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Congratulations again, you two. Take care of yourself and stay stress-free as much as you can.”

“I’ll try. Thank you.”

As the doctor closed the door behind him, Bryce turned to me. “I think it’s time you tell me what’s been on your mind. Our babies need a healthy papa.”

“I will.” I accepted his assistance to get down from the table. “Let’s get home first. I need to cuddle you while I tell you my fears.”

“All right, my omega. Let’s get you home.”