CHAPTER THIRTY

Tavish could only see the front part of the living area from his vantage point, but he couldn’t hear or smell what was going on. With every nerve wound tight, he’d given up standing back from the window in case someone looked his way and now stood, holding back the net curtain, every sense trained on the room on the other side of the road.

The strange alpha entered the office and went straight upstairs. The Reeve siblings didn’t have a clue he was coming. A growl rumbled in Tav’s chest, like that of a guard dog, but until the Reeves siblings reacted as if he were a threat, Tavish kept his feet rooted to the spot. If the stranger made one move, one single move toward Mir, Tav would be over there as fast as his feet would take him. The stranger’s deep green kilt was plain apart from an odd black stylized cow skull with upward curving horns. He’d never seen anything like it. Whoever this was, he either didn’t belong to a traditional family, or he’d struck out on his own. Either way, he probably didn’t adhere to society norms. As he had a key, Tavish assumed this was a welcome, trusted visitor. Tav’s neck still pinged with tension. No one has been in the living quarters except the Reeves the entire time he’d been here.

Both Mir’s siblings placed themselves between Mir and the alpha. The way Mir spun on their heel, turned away and hid their face from the newcomer made his hormones scream that he should be over there. He needed to defend his mate against this apparent threat, but his sensible beta brain told him to stop being so damn stupid. Charging in could make things worse, but God, he wanted to.

Corish was younger and fitter than this older alpha, and he had the backup of his beta sibling. Both could probably fight better than Tavish. After all, they’d grown up with Mir. He flexed his hand, remembering the last disastrous time he’d thrown a punch.

The hand remained a little tender, but he could hold a fork without too much discomfort. Punching anything, even if he got the technique right for once, was out of the question, even if his alpha side demanded it. No, he needed to stay in his beta mindset, cool, calm, and professional, because that’s what Mir needed.

The group moved out of his field of vision, and Tavish’s last nerve broke. Acting on instinct, he hurtled out of the apartment and down the stairs. He flung the door to the street open to see Corish shoving the older alpha out of the front door.

The two of them stared at each other, then Tavish was running across the road, not caring that he’d failed to put on his shoes. Corish blocked the doorway with his body, but at least he didn’t slam it in his face. If he had, Tav knew he’d probably try to break it down.

“Tavish?” Corish saying his name when they were a few feet apart, dialed down his fight response a touch. Up close, Corish looked even more like Mir. Even his scent was a subtle variation of Mir’s, or maybe he could just smell Mir on him. Whatever it was, it was fucking wonderful. It was… family. Any jealousy he’d experienced about this alpha being closer to Mir than himself vanished. It seemed like they’d stared at each other for minutes, but it could only have been a few seconds before Tav’s brain began to function again.

He swallowed against a dry throat. “Yeah. Is Mir alright?”

“I think it’s starting, but they just had a shock, so I don’t—”

“How far apart are the contractions?”

Corish blinked. “Ten minutes, five? I wasn’t paying attention, what with our Pa turning up unannounced. I hit him before Mir could. But I swear they is having contractions and threatened violence if we tried to take them to the hospital.”

Tavish rammed his metaphorical doctor hat on. “How intense are the—” He blew out a breath. “And that’s a damn stupid question. I can ask themmyself.” When Corish didn’t move, he prompted, “I’m good, but even I can’t deliver babies when I’m not in the room.”

“Shit, yes, come in,” he stepped back, but still blocked the access to the stairs up to the living accommodation. Mentioning the labor had got Corish moving, so Tavish hit him with another salvo.

“Have the waters gone, are they bearing down?”

Color drained from Corish’s face. “I don’t know, I don’t think so. What are the signs?”

Tavish’s stress level went down several rungs. They had time to set things up. “Don’t worry, you’d know. I’ve got some just-in-case stuff to bring over because, knowing Mir, someone’s life would have to be in imminent danger for them to accept medical help from a stranger.”

“They’re going to have them in the house?” The horrified expression on Mir’s little sib’s face caused a smile.

“Unless you think the street would be better?”

Corish paled even more. “No, God, no.”

“Has Mir started nesting yet?”

“Do what?”

“Finding a dark room, wanting quiet, gathering blankets, clothing with familiar scents?” As Tavish asked the usual questions, he remembered that Mir probably didn’t have anything like that. Most omegas wanted to be surrounded by the scent of their alpha, existing pups, and affiliated betas. People they depended on and loved.

“Well, they spend most of their time in their room, but they’ve been doing that since they arrived. They’re wary of people coming up the stairs from the offices, but we’ve told the staff not to since Mir arrived. As for clothes, they like my and Toren’s shirts, but is pretty obsessive about a girdle thing they had when they was found. Keeps it in their bed. Won’t let us wash it or anything.”

The thrill Tavish experienced at the news that Mir obsessed over something they’d both touched was totally pathetic. “Well, that’s one of the signs that things are moving along. Have you had any experience of dealing with births? Triplets usually need more than one set of hands, and one of mine is still healing.” He held up the hand with the brace.

The wide-eyed horror on Corish’s face said it all. “When is the other doctor, Alcott, coming back? It’d be a shame, as Mir doesn’t know them.”

“Not until after work, but they wouldn’t be too much help. Sibiren’s a pathologist, but they’d be better than hauling Mir to a hospital. But I’m fine, I’ve delivered hundreds of babies.”

“Triplets?”

“Tons, quads too, even one set of septuplets.”

Corish pulled at the collar of his shirt as if finding it tough to breathe. “You’re sure it’s three, right?”

“Nope,” Tavish gave the panicking alpha a bright smile. “But I’m not often wrong.”

“Right, right,” Corish nodded to himself, as if trying to get his head around what was happening. Tavish desperately wanted to charge up the stairs and hold Mir, but he knew the chances of him being able to leave again was nil.

“So can you come help bring the equipment over while I get some shoes and leave a note for the other doctor?”

“Other doctor, yeah, yeah, let’s do that.”

Corish displayed every sign of a nervous father to be, which was almost cute, but also worrying. He’d need help with the delivery and expectant fathers could either be fantastic, useless, or become a patient themselves. As for himself, he couldn’t allow emotions to get in the way of caring for all four of his patients. Tavish needed to take a back seat and let Taven drive for a while.

Tavish managed to walk back across the road ignoring the odd looks he got for being a clean-shaven, shoeless alpha. Once back inside the green door, he pointed to the cardboard box of birth supplies and a black leather doctor’s bag. “That’s the stuff. I won’t be a minute.” Without waiting for a response, he hightailed it back up to the apartment, three stairs at a time.

After finding his shoes, he scribbled a quick note to Sibiren to say he was over the road, but not to come over. Then he bundled up his blankets and sheets, and went back down the steps at a far more sedate, and safer, pace.

Mir needed him, and more than that, Mir wanted him, and Corish didn’t mind.

When he got back down to the ground floor, Corish had gathered up the boxes of medical supplies.

“You sure you can do doctoring stuff with that?” He nodded at Tav’s hand.

The thought of anyone else touching Mir had his alpha self pacing and growling. “Perfectly sure. Besides, most births are pretty quick; malthusians are designed so that the period of vulnerability is as short as possible. So time is a definite factor. It’ll probably ache like hell afterwards, but it works. Boxer’s fracture.”

Corish snorted. “Who did you hit?”

“Someone that deserved it.”

“Did they hurt Mir?” The glint in Corish’s eye would have had every beta and omega backing off and dropping their gaze. Tavish stared him in the face, wanting to see how he’d react to a threat to his family.

“I’m going to have to talk to Mir first.”

Corish’s jaw clenched, then relaxed, but his tone was even, without the hint of a growl when he spoke. “As a lawyer, I’m morally obliged to say that violence is never the answer. As Mir’s brother, I hope you broke his damn jaw.”

“Does nearly chewing his throat out count?”

Corish blinked. “I’m erm, going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Actually, would you like to be my client?”

Tavish looked over Corish’s shoulder but couldn’t see any activity over the road. A growl rumbled in his chest at the thought of Mir needing him, of them being in pain. “We don’t have time for this.” He took a step forward.

Corish’s palm landed on his chest. Tavish froze, and enunciated his words slow and clear. “Take your hand off—”

“As your lawyer, anything you say to me, or Toren, comes under client privilege. We can’t be forced to reveal a damn thing, even when under oath. So, you’re my client, right?”

“If that gets me upstairs, fine.” He tried to move past again, but Corish still didn’t budge.

“And you are going to tell me everything you know afterward, right?”

Tav stared back at his future brother-in-law, if everything worked out as he hoped. Corish was significantly younger than him, but Mir’s brother had possessed balls for longer. He also held the trump card of being Mir’s legal guardian. Getting into this now could change Corish’s mind about letting Tav help, although if Corish changed his mind, Tav would get another opportunity to practice his punching technique. There was no way on earth that anyone would keep him from his distressed mate.

“Do we have time for this?” Tav tried to keep the growl out of his voice. “I thought Mir was in labor?”

“They are, but I can find another doctor. I need a promise of full disclosure before I let you anywhere near Mir.”

Tav eyed the distance across the road, wondering if he could outrun this office worker, wondering if lying would work against someone who detected lies for a living.

Corish straightened. “I wouldn’t bet on getting past me, Dr. Grabar. Most people would dismiss an alpha who learned how to fight from an omega, but we both know who I’m talking about.” Mir’s brother huffed out a breath and took a half step back. “Look I’m hoping we are going to be on the same side, which is Mir’s side. We both want the same thing, Mir and their babies safe. And to do that, I need to know what we’re facing.”

“As long as I tell Mir everything I’ve found out first and they agree, yes, I agree that pooling information is the only way to go.”

Corish grinned. “You sound like a lawyer. Mir’s still got good taste. Let’s go.” Tavish pulled the door up behind himself before remembering he didn’t have a key. It didn’t matter, everything he needed was either across the road or in Corish’s arms.

Waiting the few seconds while a dray passed by felt like hours, then they were running.

One of the staff opened the door as they neared the office. As they went through, Corish called out, “Send everyone home when they get here, but can you stay in case we need anything fetched?”

The beta paled. “It’s happening?”

“We think so. This is Tavish; he’s a doctor and Mir’s mate.”

The beta nodded. “Good to meet you at last.” They turned to their employer. “Shout if you need anything from the back.”

Corish’s jaw dropped then snapped shut. “Shit, that’s right. Sort out some newborn clothes and blankets, and the crib. I’ll come down for it if, when, we need it.”

“You got it.” The beta turned toward a half open door at the back of the office. Through it, Tavish could see a small room stacked with baby supplies.

“Mir wouldn’t talk about the birth, so we’ve been keeping all the stuff down here, so we didn’t—”

A deep groan of pain came from above. Tav barged past Corish and took the stairs three at a time.

Mir stood, leaning their elbows against the wall, head hanging, rocking a little from side to side. The beta next to Mir, who had their hand on Mir’s back, stood up straight.

Emotion swelled in his throat, and he could do nothing but stand there, taking in Mir’s magnificence, the curves of their body, ready to bring life into the world. Footsteps pounded up the stairs behind him, and Toren looked over Tavish’s shoulder, then tipped their chin up.

Toren’s hand reclaimed its position on Mir’s shoulder. “Mir, you’ve got a visitor.”

Without looking up, Mir growled, “Tell that shit of a father to get the fuck out of here, and never come—”

Throat dry, he managed to croak, “Mir?”

He dumped the bundle of bedding on the floor a second before Mir threw themself into his arms. Tavish stumbled under the impact, and only Corish bracing him from behind meant he didn’t end up on his ass.

Mir shoved their nose up against Tavish’s neck, inhaling like their life depended on it. With his arms around his mate, and his nose in Mir’s hair, breathing in that intoxicating rich cinnamon scent, Tavish could have died happy because there would be nothing in his life better than this.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

Tavish felt Mir’s lips move against his skin as they spoke. He knew exactly how Mir felt. He didn’t want to have a hair’s breadth of space between them either. “For the last two weeks, across the road, watching you.”

Mir stiffened. “Third floor, lace curtain.”

“Yep.”

Mir squirmed free, but before Tavish could catch up with the change of position, Mir’s fist hit his jaw, and his ass hit the polished wooden floor.

Mir glowering down at him, belly swollen with babies, but with still trim and muscular arms legs. They was the most magnificent thing Tavish had ever seen.

“Why the fuck weren’t you over here with me?”

Tavish rubbed at his jaw with his good hand. “Wasn’t sure what sort of reception I’d get.”

Behind him, Corish snorted. “Sensible guy. Now, if you’ve stopped abusing your doctor, perhaps we could get him to check you out?”

Mir frowned. “What happened to your hand?”

Tavish accepted Corish’s offer of a hand up. “I think I should have taken up your offer to teach me to punch. This is a classic boxer’s fracture, but it’s healed enough for me to deliver those babies, so you don’t—”

“Whose face?”

“Zepish’s.”

“Did he shoot me?” The skin beside Mir’s eyes crinkled, and for a second, Tavish braced for another assault. Then Mir stumbled the few steps to the dining table and leaned on it. “Fuck, that hurts,” they gritted out.

Doctor mode kicked in. “Where’s my bag?”

Corish proffered the doctor bag. As he got out his stethoscope, he asked, “How often are these coming and how long are they lasting?”

Toren’s eyes went round. “Fuck, I forget to keep count, but—”

“Don’t tell him a damn thing, until he answers the question.” Even in the grip of what looked like a significant contraction, Mir remained the bolshie, awkward person Tavish loved with all his heart.

“Sakish, Sakish shot you. And if my father hadn’t got me in a choke hold, I would’ve finished chewing out his throat for it.”