12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Patrick

Waking up next to my mate was definitely one of the most glorious experiences of my life. Every morning, I accepted it as the gift it was. The first day, I thought it was the novelty, that the feeling would lesson with each morning. I’d been so wrong. If anything, it grew more intense with each day that passed, as my love for him grew and deepened, as I let him in a little bit more.

He was mine and I was his, and the daily reminder I had, seeing him first thing, was everything and more.

How I had survived this long without having my mate in my arms each and every night, and seeing his gorgeous face every morning, I would never know. Even though it had been just two short weeks since we’d been together, I could not imagine ever having him away from me. This was where he belonged.

Only this morning, when I woke, he wasn’t there. My initial thought was that he’d gotten up for a drink or something, but then my bear started to feel distressed. So did I.

I was barely out of bed when I heard the bathroom door of the en suite slam, and the sounds of him retching into the toilet reached my ears. I got up, pulled on a pair of sweats, and tapped on the door gently. My mate was sick. As much as I longed to barge in and try to fix everything, I was aware enough to know that he probably wanted his privacy. No one wanted an audience while they puked.

“Finn? Are you all right?” He obviously wasn’t, but those were the words that came out.

“Fine.” There was a pause, but before I could say anything, he added, “Just… stomach…”

Relief flooded into me as my brain caught up to what was happening. I knew, of course, that one of the first signs of pregnancy was morning sickness. I didn’t want to dare say the words out loud, but it was going through my mind. He wasn’t sick… probably. He was having our baby.

I tried not to get too excited, but it was hard. The only thing holding me back from racing in there and asking to celebrate was the slight chance that it was food related. We’d been eating the food given to us, and while I liked to think that everyone who sent us with food were as picky as I was when it came to food safety, there weren’t really any people out there who were. It was one thing I was beyond diligent about.

“Would you like me to call Rissa?” No matter the reason for his sickness, Rissa could help.

There were sounds of more retching. Instead of waiting for his reply, I went to the kitchen and brewed some tea. I didn’t want to risk the scent of coffee upsetting him. I put in two slices of toast. I wasn’t sure if either would help, but I needed to do something or my bear would insist I invade my mate’s privacy.

When I returned, Finn had crawled back into bed. His face was ghostly pale, and there was a thin sheen of sweat coating his skin. He was wrapped up in the blankets, shivering. I set the tea and toast on the side table.

This didn’t look like pregnancy. At least I didn’t think it did. Weren’t pregnant omegas supposed to glow?

“Well, I think asking if you’re okay would be stupid.” I sat on the edge of the bed, trying hard not to jostle the mattress too hard.

He laughed a little, then coughed. “I don’t feel so good, Patrick.”

“I see that. I can call Rissa for you or take you there? Maybe I should take you there.” I didn’t enjoy seeing my mate this way, and my bear itched to solve it in whatever way he could. Taking him would be faster, but would it make things worse for him?

“It’ll pass,” he said.

“Is it…” I paused, “morning sickness? Is that what you’re thinking?”

He smiled slowly, like it took an effort for him to do so. “Yes. I don’t want to jinx us, but it probably is. When we get ahold of Rissa later, we’ll have her bring us a test. For now, why don’t you go to work?”

My bear nearly broke out of my skin. Leaving Patrick, until I knew for sure he was okay, wasn’t in my beast’s plans.

“I don’t want to leave you like this.” Not that I ever wanted to leave him, but today the pull was exponentially stronger. “What if you need me?”

“Please. I’m just going to lie here in my misery. I’ll drink the tea and have some toast. You don’t need to hang out with me while I’m miserable.”

“I want to hang out with you always. I could care less what state you’re in; pretty sure we took vows ‘in sickness and in health.’”

He chuckled at that. “I think you have those mixed up with human wedding vows. We didn’t have a ceremony.”

“I can fix that,” I said, brushing his hair off his forehead, my body freezing as I did. “You do seem rather warm. Are you sure we shouldn’t call Rissa?”

Fevers weren’t part of pregnancy, were they? Crap. I should’ve paid better attention in sex ed or at least to the pregnant omegas I’d know over the years.

“Trust me, Patrick, I’m fine.”

I didn’t sense any dishonesty from him, yet still, I hesitated. Of course, I trusted my mate, and he would tell me if he needed more than just rest. But that didn’t mean I wanted to leave his side. What if he got worse and needed me?

“All right, I can go to work. Then you’ll call me if anything changes?”

“Of course.”

I pressed my lips to his forehead. His eyes fluttered closed. “Get some rest, baby.” He burrowed into the blankets a little more.

I went to the linen closet and grabbed an extra blanket. Then, while I was thinking of it, I grabbed him a bucket in case he couldn’t make it to the bathroom. He hadn’t touched more than a bite of the toast and just a few sips of tea. I set a water on the counter in case he needed it. I made sure he had his cell phone and the remote to the television. I wished there was more I could do, but I couldn’t think of anything.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No, I’m fine. I promise.”

“All right, I’m gonna call you every hour.”

He chuckled. “Please don’t. Call me at noon, but not a minute before. I don’t want to be woken up a few minutes after I fall asleep… every single hour.” He made a fair point.

“All right. Maybe I’ll send someone to check on you.”

“If it would make you feel better, alpha, you can send someone to check on me.” I wasn’t sure how that was better for him, but it sure was better for me because it meant someone would be able to see him, see his coloring and his eyes. I’d rather it be me, but I was trying hard to honor his wishes. It wasn’t like I wanted someone hovering over me when I was sick.

“All right.”

I fought with my bear the entire way to work. It felt wrong to leave my mate when he was in such distress. Thankfully, we had a busy day at the diner; the local schoolteachers were getting together to plan something, and they pretty much took over any open space I had.

The entire day was a flurry of activity.

I sent a quick text to my mate at lunch, and he assured me that he was fine. I went back to work, determined that I would get through this day and make it back to him quickly. I hated being apart, and I found it difficult to keep my bear under control.

And because I was me, I snapped at Archer and Stacy more than usual. They gave it right back. I deserved it. I was being an asshole to them and a shitty mate to Finn.

I should’ve listened to my instincts. I should have gone home or sent someone over there. I wasn’t prepared for what I found when I returned home, and it could’ve been avoided if my father hadn’t been right: I wasn’t worthy of a mate.