22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lachlan

"Is this my fault?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the blipping, blinking monitors, or the hospital bed where Quinn lay resting.

"Of course not," Finn assured me.

"We had sex."

Finn grunted. "Sex didn't cause this. It's just something that happens sometimes."

"We had rough sex."

I couldn't look at Finn, and not just because I was unwilling to take my eyes off Quinn. Quinn and our pups. Their heartbeats filled the room. Even though the sound had been muted in the room, I could still hear it. Both of them, the fast fluttering of the twins, the most beautiful sound.

Finn sighed noisily. "Lachlan, this isn't your fault, and sex – rough or not – didn't cause this. And ew, thanks for that visual." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. I couldn't begin to imagine how long he'd been awake, before my frantic call to him telling him we were on our way to the hospital. "That being said, you can't have sex, now or in the near future. Not until Baby B calms himself down and stops trying to escape. "

Finn had explained that the placenta of one of the twins was trying to detach from the uterus. It's what had caused so much blood. In reality, it was a tiny tear, which, given proper care, rest, and monitoring, should heal itself. It looked much worse than it was, but we weren't out of the woods.

"Our twins aren't identical, are they?" I asked, realizing the thought had never dawned on me before, even when we'd had the first ultrasound and I'd seen two distinct amniotic sacs.

Finn looked up from the notes he was writing in Quinn's chart. "Your twins are in separate amniotic sacs, so we would consider them fraternal. Identical twins occur when a single egg splits into two. Or four in our parents' case. In this case, two separate eggs were fertilized."

I couldn't help the little zing of glee that went through me. I'd done that. My super sperm. Finn glanced over and caught the spark in my eyes.

"Oh my Goddess, are you gloating? You are, you bastard."

"Let's see you guys do that when you start having kids." I wanted to tack on a triple dog dare you, but I restrained myself.

Finn put his pen in his pocket. "Who are you, and what have you done with my uptight brother?"

I quirked a brow at him. "I'm not the uptight brother, you are. Everyone knows this."

Before we could get into the age-old argument of am not, are too, Quinn's cranky, tired voice finished the argument for us. "You're both fucking uptight. Pregnant person trying to sleep here. Growing babies here. Take it outside, and fuck right off."

Finn and I raised our brows at each other, and he motioned his head towards the door. I followed him into the bright hallway. "Come on. I know where the good coffee is, and we can go over instructions for Quinn's release. He's really going to be cranky when he finds out everything he can't do. "

"Can't wait."

I carried Quinn into the house, thankful to feel the weight of him in my arms. He was quiet, his head resting against my shoulder, and he didn't fuss about me carrying him. For once.

It was just after five in the morning. We'd spent the last eight-plus hours at the hospital. First in the emergency department, and then upstairs in Labor and Delivery. That had almost terrified me more than when I'd seen Quinn and the sheets covered in blood.

No one would tell us why they were moving him from the emergency room up to Labor and Delivery, or if he was losing the babies. They'd placed him in a bed, elevated his legs, strapped a banded monitor around his slightly swollen belly, and started running test after test. And we'd waited.

He wasn't contracting, which Finn assured me was a good sign. And despite the bleeding, his uterus was still closed for business. Another good sign, my brother had explained to me.

The bleeding had slowed by the time we'd made it to the hospital, and was light spotting by the time we'd been released. Hearing the words placenta eruption had sounded terrifying. Finn had been less pleased with Quinn's blood pressure, and the swelling around his ankles. He became less pleased when I'd told him about the swelling I'd already witnessed in his feet .

All of this amounted to my mate now being on strict bed rest, until things settled down. Quinn had barely resisted it, and I hadn't been able to tell if it was from sheer exhaustion or his fear for the babies. He'd at least dozed some in the room, while we'd been waiting for test results, and they'd been monitoring him.

After telling Finn and me to fuck off for disturbing him.

I'd been awake the entire time, listening to our pup's heartbeats, loud in the quiet, darkened room. Any dip in their rate would have my heart pounding, my ears perked, but they'd just been moving about in their cozy little home, shifting the band around Quinn's middle.

I moved slowly up the staircase, almost fearful that the slightest jar to my fragile cargo would start the bleeding up. I laid Quinn down gently on the bed, and he gave me a tired smile, scooting up a little on the pillow. Pulling an extra pillow from the closet, I lifted his legs, placing it under his knees.

"I feel ridiculous," he muttered, his hands instantly moving to rest on his belly, rubbing his hands up and down the little mound that protected our babies.

Strict bed rest meant knees elevated, and moving as little as possible this first week. He was allowed to get up and use the restroom, and little else. He wasn't even to shower without my help, which I had no objection to.

Finn had also made it very clear: no sex. Penetrative or otherwise. His exact words had been "keep your dick out of any of his holes, Lachlan, no penetration, and no orgasms. Those can start him contracting and we don't want that while we are trying to heal the tear."

Leave it to my brother to be blunt and to the point. The nurse assigned to Quinn had looked at Finn like he'd grown two heads, and I'd guessed she'd never heard him talk to his patients that way.

"I'm going to bring up a bottle of water for you, and I need to get the office squared away," I told Quinn, pulling the blankets over him. It had been an exhausting night for both of us, physically and mentally. His face was pale, purple moons underneath his eyes. "Do you need anything else?"

He stared at me for a second, some emotion crossing his face I couldn't pin down. "No, I don't think so. I really can't think right now. I'm so tired."

I leaned up and brushed a wild curl off his forehead, then placed my lips there in a chaste kiss. "Sleep, baby. I won't be too long, and then I'm climbing into bed with you."

He closed his green eyes, his jaw a bit tight, then nodded, silent. He was too silent for him, had been for hours now, and it terrified me almost more than seeing him bleeding.

I quickly made my way downstairs to my office and booted up my computer. I'd called Wade from the hospital, first to tell him we were there and why. He was Quinn's best friend, and I'd needed him to rearrange my next day's schedule.

I planned to work from home as much as possible, starting now. I wanted to be available for Quinn, for whatever he might need.

He'd joked on the way home that he'd finally be able to catch up on his Netflix watch list, and read all the books he never had time for. I figured that was going to last about a day and a half before he started crawling the walls with boredom.

This was going to be a long week, maybe more, if he wasn't allowed off bed rest at the end of it. Even if he was given more freedoms, I was doubtful he'd be back at The Sweet Spot anytime soon, and that was going to sour his mood.

I checked my work calendar and saw Wade had already rescheduled not only my day but my entire next two weeks. God love that man. I'd be lost if he ever left my employment. How he had even managed to work his magic, I had no idea. It had been after midnight when I'd phoned him, and the sun was starting to peek over the horizon now. Yet, he'd waved his magic wand, and moved everything around.

I itched to go for a run, to burn off the excess energy I could feel strumming just under my skin. I was starting to come off the adrenaline, and the pure fear I'd been running on the last few hours.

Picking up my cell phone, I dialed the number Wade had given me for Josh. He should be getting to the bakery about now. I needed to fill him in on Quinn, and come up with a plan for the next week to help him out any way I could. I couldn't bake for shit, but I could help in other areas. I knew my brothers would pitch in with whatever they could. I was grateful that Quinn had agreed to the temp hires, and then accepted my gift of paying their wages to keep them on. At least that would free Josh up to concentrate on the baking, while the front counter and coffee were covered.

"Wade already called me, Lachlan," Josh said by way of a greeting. "I've been here for a couple of hours. Tell Quinn we have everything covered." I smiled again at Wade's awesomeness for thinking of not only my work schedule but Quinn's as well.

"Do you?" I ask him sincerely, hoping he'd give me an honest answer and not just what he thought I wanted to hear. I'd liked Josh the few times I'd met him. He was a calm beta, and he didn't put up with a lot of Quinn's crap, and I could appreciate that.

Josh sighed. "Well, honestly, no, but don't tell Quinn that. He'll fucking freak, and nobody needs that, especially him."

I frowned. "What do you need? How can I help?"

Because he was right, Quinn would freak out if he thought something needed to be done at the bakery, and it wasn't being done to his exact specifications .

There was silence for a minute, and I let Josh gather his thoughts. "If Quinn is back here in a week, we won't need much. The extra hires have been a tremendous help."

"What if he's not back in a week?" I hedged.

"Is that a possibility?"

I thought back over the night, to the worried expression I'd seen on Finn's face when they'd repeatedly taken Quinn's blood pressure and the numbers weren't changing. At the way they'd done ultrasound after ultrasound, checking on the placenta, the amniotic levels. My brother was good at schooling his face for patients, but not good enough to fool me. He'd voiced his concerns to me in private, out of Quinn's earshot.

The blood pressure and the placenta issues were dangerous, and our pregnancy had just taken a turn we hadn't been prepared for. When I'd asked how dangerous, Finn had laid it out for me. Placenta abruption was dangerous for both babies and Quinn, the blood pressure spiking, even more so. It could cause a condition called pre-eclampsia and could cause death. The two together were a recipe for disaster. Finn had been quick to reassure me that if Quinn followed directions, and was monitored closely, he could go home, and we could end with a healthy delivery for both the babies and my mate.

"It might be. There are concerns with one of the babies' placenta, and also Quinn's blood pressure. It's a waiting game now, and everything can change in an instant." Tonight had proven that. "We need to be prepared, and have a plan in place. Possibly two or three plans."

"Okay, then I would like to propose Quinn letting me hire someone to help with the baking. I'd let him have the final say on any decision, of course, but we are going to need someone. I can't do it all myself. I don't want The Sweet Spot to fail because of that. "

"Do it," I told him, without having to even think about it. "Start the process, and I'll talk to him about it."

I knew he would fuss and bluster, and worry about the extra expense, and I'd make sure he knew he didn't need to worry about it. His job right now was to concentrate on his health, and that of the twins. I knew he wasn't going to be happy about it, but it's what needed to happen. "Do you need more counter help?"

I could almost feel Josh's relief over the phone. "I think we should be good, for now. How is Quinn, really? Wade said he was okay, the babies were okay for now, but how is he?"

I ran a hand through my already disheveled hair. I'd been pulling at it all night, and it was a mess. "He's ok right now. The bleeding has pretty much stopped, so that's a positive sign. The pups are active, and out of danger for the time being. He's exhausted though, so if you need anything call me, please, before bothering him."

"Will do," Josh stated, in his calm, matter-of-fact way. "Tell him we are all thinking of him, and to not worry about this place. We've got it handled."

"Thank you, Josh," I told him sincerely, before ending the call.

I yawned, rubbing at my tired eyes, then made my way to the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water. Checked that all the doors were locked, and set the alarm, then made my way back upstairs to the bedroom.

Quinn's eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. His hands were on each side of his little baby belly, rubbing softly. I sat the water down on the nightstand, then perched my hip on the bed, next to his side. I placed my hand over his, and his jeweled eyes fluttered open.

He smiled softly at me. "They're restless. I'm trying to convince them to settle down, so I can sleep. "

I rubbed his belly with him, then placed my head above the slight mound, speaking softly to our pups. "Boys, it's time to sleep now, Daddy is very tired after all the drama tonight, and so is Papa."

Quinn snorted, and I sat up and grinned at him. "What?"

"Boys?" he questioned, one brow cocked. "They could be two ladies, you know?"

I shook my head. "Nope," I said, popping the ‘p'. "Two boys. Alphas."

He huffed, and it was his ‘you're annoying the ever-loving fuck out of me' huff. I was becoming fluent in Quinn's well-stocked arsenal of huffs. "You don't know that."

"I do," I stated, matter-of-factly. "There hasn't been a girl born to the Sinclair's in over four hundred years. Or an omega. You, my love, are carrying two alpha boys."

"Four hundred years?" His voice was incredulous and disbelieving.

"Four hundred years," I reiterated, shrugging. "Sorry, not sorry."

He stared at me a full minute, then muttered, "I'm not sure how I feel about this."

I ducked my head again, and laid it gently on his stomach, just feeling him and our pups. I needed to feel him, breathe him in, touch him in some way. One of his hands came up and threaded gently through my tangled hair.

He shuddered a breath in, then whispered, "I was so scared I was losing them tonight."

I couldn't look at him just yet, my eyes burning. I swallowed hard, and my jaw tightened. I nodded my head a little against the mound that housed our pups.

"I wasn't even sure how I felt about them, you know?" he continued, and I nodded again. I did know. I knew he was still coming to terms with all the changes that had happened to both of us, in a few short months. Things had moved too fast for us, in ways neither of us had been prepared for, but he was trying, and I appreciated that.

Though there were days I still felt like I wanted him much more than he wanted me. I knew it, but I didn't care. Because I did want him. All of him. I wanted our babies, and I wanted my mate, and I wanted to claim him as mine, and I didn't care about any of the rest of it.

"Then I saw the blood all over the bed, and there seemed to be so much of it, and I was terrified. I thought we were losing them, and I couldn't process the loss I was feeling. I want them, it hit me at that moment, how much I absolutely want them, and I was terrified."

I felt his hand move from my hair, and I turned my head to see him wipe at his eyes. I sat up and turned to face him, my hand cupping his jaw.

My throat constricted again at his use of ‘we' instead of ‘I', when he described how he'd felt. Something seemed to have shifted within Quinn, and I couldn't explain it, but I felt closer to him at this moment. As if he'd finally let go of whatever part of him he had still been holding back, and was ready to let me in.

"I was terrified too." My voice was husky, low, and raw with emotion. "Not of losing them. I mean, I was, but that's not what scared me the most. I was terrified of losing you."

Quinn stared at me hard, and I didn't look away from his questioning gaze. Didn't loosen my grip on his jaw. I wanted him to see me. I didn't want him to be able to turn away, and I needed him to hear me.

"I saw the blood, and I thought I was losing you, and I couldn't breathe. For a second, I couldn't breathe, or move, or think. I love these pups, I do. I already love them, but the thought of losing them didn't frighten me as much as the thought of losing you. There isn't a choice for me." I took a deep, staggering breath. "If it comes down to a choice between saving you or our pups, I choose you. I will choose you. Every single time. "

He touched my face then, feather-light and almost unsure, even though he'd touched me so many times before. This was somehow different. There was something in his eyes, some emotion that he wasn't quite comfortable with yet, but he was close.

I didn't care if he was ready. Not anymore. I was done waiting. Tonight had been one of the worst experiences of my entire life. It had been horrifying, gut-wrenching, eye-opening, and terrifying.

"I love you," I told him, not looking away. "I love you, Quinn Rafferty, and I know you don't love me. Not yet, but that's okay. You will one day, and I'll wait for that day. I love everything about you, and you're mine."

"I'm not what you want." He stated it so quietly, I barely heard the words.

Were we back to this argument again? I'd thought we'd gotten past this. It dawned on me, like a light bulb going off, that this was the reason I felt Quinn was not quite fully committed to our relationship. He was still waiting for me to leave him for…whatever I'd thought I'd wanted before falling head over heels for him. Silly omega.

"You are what I want," I said, a fierceness in my voice. There was no denying how I felt. "Maybe you weren't what I thought I wanted, but I didn't have any sense then."

He laughed at me, but it was a shaky, watery laugh.

"I love your sassy mouth and your independence. I love that you don't need an alpha. I'm aware that if you didn't want to be with me, you damn straight wouldn't be. I love your snark, and your humor, and your kind heart. I love your emerald eyes, and your lush mouth, and this wild hair of yours." I gave him a saucy grin. "Don't get me started on that ass of yours."

I continued, because why the hell not? I didn't have anything to lose. "I love that big, complicated brain of yours, and Goddess, do I love the things you bake. I love the way you smell, like a warm chocolate chip cookie, cinnamon roll mix on a cold, winter day. I love the way you kiss me like you're the one in charge of it all. Which you pretty much are. And I love when you take charge in the bedroom, I love that a lot. So much."

He laughed at that, a real laugh this time.

"You're the whole package, Quinn. My whole package, and I love you." I placed my hand over his baby mound again. "I love that you are carrying our pups, and how absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful you look doing it."

"I love you, and I'll be here when you realize you love me, too." I didn't expect him to say the words back, and he didn't surprise me by whispering his undying love.

I was willing to wait.