12. Patrick

Chapter 12

Patrick

I didn't expect my pregnancy to be so effortless, but this time around, it seemed as if fate was making up for the fact that I'd had some small issues with my first three pregnancies. I'd had morning sickness, which certainly was ill-named, only a time or two. They were my own fault for not listening to my body and letting myself be pulled away from what I should have been doing—getting a snack.

And that was why I was listening to my body now. It was telling me that I was in labor; it was still early yet though. My contractions weren't overly intense, but they were steady. Our coven was truly having a baby boom of sorts at the moment. Miles and Costas had welcomed their triplets just twelve days ago, and they were the absolute sweetest. Every chance I got to hold them, I fell in love with the little babies. I couldn't imagine having three at once, but Costas and Miles were already pros at it. They were a perfect team. Poor Grant was still waiting for his second to be born. He was now five days overdue, and although he adored his and Balthazar's firstborn and was excited about their second baby, he was over being pregnant. Not that I could blame him. I had obviously forgotten what it was like to be pregnant since I'd had Louis.

Another contraction hit, this one slightly stronger but still not nearly intense enough to warrant calling for Costas. Arthur knew something was up, though, because he was checking in with me every fifteen minutes or so. I didn't mind. We'd been together for so long, and although we were completely taken by surprise with this pregnancy, we were equally excited.

I rubbed my stomach, waiting for the contraction to ease up. When it finally did, I sighed. That one was stronger than the previous, and I knew my moments were numbered. Before long, Arthur would be here, and he would be fussing over me. I smiled despite the discomfort I was feeling. After all of this time, he still fussed over me, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I couldn't have been gifted a more amazing One than Arthur.

"My love? I'm feeling discomfort in my stomach. Are you well? Is it the baby? Should I get Costas?"

Right on time , I thought to myself. I was alone in our quarters, resting. Well, I was supposed to have been resting. I had actually been enjoying a peaceful afternoon and taking it easy, but our little warlock had other ideas, obviously.

"I'm good. Yes, I'm having some contractions, but they're not strong yet. There's no need to worry." I knew my reassurances were useless, and it wouldn't be long before Arthur wrapped up his work and was here and hovering over me. He was like that though, and it was probably a good thing I found it charming more than annoying.

"I'll let Costas know."

I rolled my eyes. "You will do no such thing. He is spending time with Miles and the triplets. Let him have his time with his new family. You can alert him when my waters break. Not until then." There truly was no reason for Costas to have to wait around for my labor to progress. I was in the very early stages, and the doctor wasn't required as of yet.

"Are you certain?"

I grinned. "Yes. It might have been quite a while since I had Louis, but I know I'm not ready to give birth yet. We have time. Focus on what you need to do there because tomorrow you won't be leaving our quarters," I told him. Tomorrow, we would have our own little bundle, that much I knew. And if Arthur truly was needed for something, I understood and wouldn't ever dream of stopping him from doing his duty as coven master. We were incredibly fortunate that we had an amazing coven family here though, and they all were more than willing to pitch in when needed.

I got up from the couch where I'd been watching a cooking show and went to the little kitchen area. A nice cup of tea would do me well , I thought. Sure, I could use magic, but I found the motions of making the tea soothing. Right now, I could probably use that. I knew the act of having a child wouldn't ever be overly taxing on me as I was a carrier and not an omega. I had that going for me, at least. I couldn't have the baby without the assistance of another warlock. I had no omega line, and therefore, all of my children had to be magically delivered.

Once I had my tea brewed, I took it to the back room and sat back down in front of the windows. It was almost the third week of August, and although it wasn't yet autumn, it wasn't far away. The temperatures had already dropped considerably, and I wondered if that meant we would have an early autumn and an extra-cold winter. I wouldn't mind. I loved the snow and cold temperatures we experienced in the winter.

I smiled, thinking about my brother-in-law, George. He most certainly wasn't a cold-weather warlock. He could deal with it for short periods of time, but he absolutely loved the warm temperatures of his and Marco's home in Italy.

Another contraction hit, this one a bit stronger than the last, and when it didn't let up as quickly as I expected, I set my tea on the side table and grabbed my phone. The contraction finally let go, and I got my timer app on my phone ready to time the next one. If they were increasing in intensity already, perhaps our little one would be here sooner than later.

"Patrick?"

I chuckled.

"I'm fine. It was just a stronger contraction. The first of what will be many to come. I'm still very much waiting and not concerned." I loved that man so much.

"I have one more thing to discuss with Fenwick, and then I will be with you."

"Take your time. I'm just sitting here and relaxing. There is truly no rush. I will, of course, let you know when it's time, but for now, the contractions just started in earnest a short time ago." It would be some time still. My contractions weren't yet indicating the baby was ready to be born, so there was no need for Arthur to rush to me.

I timed my next contraction and found it to be shorter than I realized and quite a bit apart from the next one, so truly no rush. I picked up my tea and enjoyed part of it before Arthur was suddenly in our quarters.

"Patrick?"

I smiled at the urgency in his voice. "I'm in the back room," I called out. Seconds later, Arthur came rushing into the room I was in and knelt down in front of me. His hands moved to my stomach, and I covered his with mine as another contraction hit.

"I can feel it through our bond, but the tightening of your stomach feels more intense."

I chuckled, but it turned into a groan of pain. "Yes, well, it is more intense. I'm the one experiencing them while you're simply feeling a bit of it through our bond. Have you forgotten the last three labors I experienced?"

Arthur looked up at me. "They were quite some time ago. I do remember them, but the ability to recall every single detail is escaping me."

The contraction passed, and I smiled at my One. "That's all right. I can hardly recall them now, as well. I remember them not being overly difficult, which is good. Some were more painful than others, but I know I have never had to face anything nearly as painful as omegas do."

"Are you certain? That contraction felt powerful."

I smiled at Arthur. "I am. I've been timing them, and they're not yet consistent. When that happens, we'll let Costas know. Until then, there is nothing that can be done except wait." I knew that wasn't what Arthur wanted to hear. He was more than ready for our son to be here, but there was nothing that could be done. Babies came when they were ready, and we had to be patient until then.

"How is Miles doing? Do you know?"

That worked. Arthur's expression went from one of concern to pleasure. "I saw Costas earlier. He looked well. He said the triplets were doing amazing for the fact that there were three. Miles is a natural, but I expected nothing less." There was a knock on the door, and Arthur's look told me he wasn't expecting anyone. "Are you anticipating someone?" he asked.

"No. I haven't yet told anyone I was having contractions except for you. I'm due though, so it's possible that someone in the coven is dropping by to check on me."

Arthur nodded as he stood to check who was at the door. He returned moments later with his fathers trailing behind him. I couldn't help but smile. It took a bit of effort, but I was able to stand finally so I could greet them. They had always been amazing to me. From the beginning, both had been welcoming as well as loving. They had both been full of helpful advice about being mated, and Edison had been a valuable source of information about being a pregnant warlock.

"Hi, Dad," I said, hugging Edison. I looked over at Wallace and then gave him a hug as well.

"How are you feeling?" Edison asked.

"Good. The contractions have started, and although they can get a little intense every once in a while, they're still not consistent."

Edison nodded. He seemed anxious, which had me wondering if there was something to be concerned about.

"Is everything all right, Father?"

Edison looked from me to Arthur, then back to me. "Yes. There are going to be many babies in the coven soon. Grant is in the beginnings of labor, and now you."

I smiled. That was good news. Grant was overdue, and the fact that he was finally in labor was a positive thing. "Then perhaps their second born and our fourth will share birthdates." That didn't bother me in the slightest. But when I looked up at Edison, the worry on his face seemed to have increased.

"What is it?" I asked, becoming concerned myself. I looked over at Arthur, who also appeared to finally be uneasy.

"Nothing, except that Constantine might not be here to deliver your baby. It is possible that he will be with Grant," Edison said.

I felt a flash moment of panic before it calmed. "No. He'll…" I thought about everything. Costas had newborns himself. Three. They were our great-grandchildren even. And now he was busy delivering Grant's baby. My contractions weren't intense yet, nor were they consistent, so I wasn't too concerned. "It's fine," I said as I turned to go back to my position where I'd been on the sofa. When I did though, there was a sudden sharp pain in my lower stomach that was accompanied by a sudden gush of fluid. I grabbed my stomach and moaned through the contraction. "Oh," I groaned out.

"Arthur, help him to the bedroom. We might have to deliver the baby," Edison said.

"What? No. Costas has done all of the care so far, and he should deliver the baby," I said. Arthur wasn't having it though. He swept me up into his arms, and then in a blink, we were in the bedroom, and Arthur was just as carefully placing me on the bed. "We need Costas, Arthur. He should deliver the baby. William delivered the other three; we need Costas for this one." I took a deep breath. I knew I wasn't exactly being rational, but it felt wrong that Costas might not be the one to welcome our newest addition to the family.

"I'll see what I can do," Arthur said. "Are you all right for me to go and see where he is?"

I nodded before glancing toward the foot of the bed. Edison was standing there, and I knew that, if nothing else, Dad wouldn't allow anything to happen to me or the baby.

"I'll be back in just a moment. Hold tight there, and trust in Father if you should need his assistance." Arthur leaned down, gave me a quick kiss on the forehead before he stood, and then was gone.

I looked at Edison and tried to grin, but another contraction had taken over my body, and my stomach was definitely cramping down, ready to bring our baby into the world. "Is everything going to be all right?" I asked as I breathed through the contraction.

"It is," Edison said seconds before Arthur reappeared. It was the man that was with him, though, that I was most relieved to see.

"Oh, thank fates. Constantine, I want you to deliver our baby. Every single one of our children has been delivered by your family line. I don't want to tempt fate otherwise," I managed to moan out before grabbing my stomach as another contraction hit. If I'd not been staring at Costas so closely, I would have missed the look he sent Edison.

"I'm not offended, and he's right. Your grandfather delivered all three of their children."

Costas looked back at me. "I just always assumed that Edison would deliver the baby," Costas said.

"No, I had thought you would," I said. I tried to relax, but the contractions were really starting to hurt, and that made it difficult to focus.

"Very well. If you're sure," Costas said.

"Yes. Positive."

Costas looked to both Arthur and then Edison. I wasn't sure what that was about, and maybe I was being incredibly unfair about all of this, but I wanted Costas. I had always just assumed it would be him.

Costas's hand started to glow bright green, and he moved it slowly down my body. As it did, that long-ago feeling of floating overcame me, and the contraction that had been coursing through me was suddenly no longer an issue. I sighed in relief. It had been quite some time since I'd last had a baby, and although I remembered this feeling, it was a very vague memory.

"It won't be but a few moments, and the two of you will be new daddies again," Costas said.

Arthur took my hand and held it while there was movement and a bit of pressure. Other than that, I couldn't feel a thing. More movement and then a feeling of sudden emptiness. That was immediately followed by a loud cry. I stared at Arthur, overcome with emotion. That was our baby. Our newest son was finally here.

"The blue-eye gene is strong with Patrick," Costas said. "Congratulations, daddies," he added as he held out our baby, who was now wrapped in a blue blanket. Arthur took him with ease, just as anxious to see our son as I was.

"Yeah?" Arthur asked as he looked down at the bundle in his arms. "Oh, Patrick. He's beautiful, just like you," Arthur said as he knelt and held the baby out so I could see him. Our little guy was fussing quietly, and when I reached out and touched his cheek, he turned his head in that direction. "Hey there, little man. Pretty abrupt change, huh?"

"Might I ask what you're going to call him?" Costas asked, pulling us from our time with the baby.

"Edric," I said without a thought. We'd discussed many names, and although we didn't want a "stuffy" name, I wanted a more traditional one.

"That's a good, strong name for a warlock as powerful as he's destined to be," Costas said. "Congratulations again. I'll be by to check on you tomorrow after I look in on Grant," he said from where he'd sat down on the side of the bed near the end.

"Did you finish with me? When?" I asked as I moved enough to peer down my body.

"Grant? He had the baby finally?" Arthur asked, his eyes going wide.

Costas chuckled and looked directly at me. "Yes. You were distracted by your beautiful little boy." He then looked over at Arthur. "I'd actually just delivered little Maddox when you found me. You should know that his lungs work much like his older brother's."

Edison laughed, and I smiled at that.

"That seems about right," Edison said. "He was overdue."

"You knew? Forget I said that. Of course you did. Why didn't you say something?" Arthur asked his carrier father.

"Because you were a bit preoccupied with your own pregnant One. Now, can I bring Wallace in here? He's badgering me, wanting to know about the baby since he heard him cry just a bit ago."

"Of course," I said. "I'd love for him to be able to meet his newest grandson." I looked over at Costas. "Thank you so much, Costas. Please give our love to Miles and the babies for us."

Costas grinned. "I will. I would normally stay a bit, but I've already been gone longer than I intended. Miles was sleeping though, which is expected with having given birth less than two weeks ago."

"Absolutely," I said. "I am more than ready for a nap, but I want to spend some time with Edric before I give in."

Wallace entered the room, excited as could be, distracting all of us. "I heard a wee babe cry."

I chuckled, as did the others. Arthur looked to me, and I nodded. Arthur stood, taking Edric with him.

"Meet Edric, your newest grandson."

Wallace looked at Arthur and then made a face once Edric was securely in his arms. "Such a wee one. But so verra handsome."

I gave Constantine a quick wave before he popped out of the room. I lay back, relaxing for a moment. My lower half was still very much numb, but I knew that the feeling would return over the next hour at the most. When I looked to my left, I found Arthur smiling down lovingly at me. I reached for him, and when he knelt down this time, he gave me a soft kiss. "I love you, Patrick," he said against my lips.

"I love you."