22. Drew

Sebastian had been right. I liked his parents. Well, Arturo anyway. The verdict was still out about Benedict. He honestly wasn’t terrible. He was a bit uptight for my tastes though, and I didn’t know how long it would take me to feel completely comfortable around him. He’d been nothing but nice to me, and I often found him smiling at me and Sebastian when he noticed us together, but I wasn’t ready to call him dad or anything.

But Arturo? I adored him. He and I had become close over the past month. I had felt bad at first, but he’d insisted on staying and helping in any way he could. I was so incredibly thankful that I’d agreed and he’d been around to help.

I sighed and placed my hand on my stomach. I took another deep breath and breathed through the contraction. My omega line had turned red last week but hadn’t started opening until this morning. I wasn’t exactly fond of the burning pain in my lower stomach that accompanied its opening, but it all meant that our baby would be here soon.

At this point, it was a known fact that everyone knew what we were having except me. That was how life rolled when you mated into a family of powerful warlocks. The past month had been difficult, and Eli seemed to be one of the very few that could make me smile anymore. He knew what I was going through and could directly relate. He’d had to take things incredibly easy at the end of his pregnancy with the twins. We both just shook our heads at Arturo when he would talk about his seamless pregnancies. Ah, to be so fortunate. That was not my fate though, nor had it been Eli’s.

I grabbed my back and slowly tried to stand completely upright. I really needed to pee, and the bathroom seemed to be so far away. I wouldn’t need to pee, though, if not for Sebastian and Arturo constantly bringing me juice and water. I understood they were just concerned and doing exactly what they were supposed to, but at this point, I didn’t want either of them hovering over me.

I finally got myself upright and started walking toward the bathroom. Well, mostly upright. I was standing enough be able to shuffle my way to the bathroom. I had just reached the doorway when I heard a gasp behind me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“Drew, no deberías levantarte de la cama.”

I shook my head and was still shaking it when I felt Arturo’s arms wrap around my shoulders. He tried to redirect me back to the bedroom, but I stood my ground and grabbed ahold of the doorway tighter.

“I have no idea what you just said, Arturo, but I’m not ready to go back to bed. I need to go to the bathroom. That’s why I struggled my way here.”

“Ah. I will help.”

I gratefully took Arturo’s help to close the last bit of distance between me and the toilet. All sense of modesty was gone at this point, and I let Arturo help with pushing down my sleep pants and then lower me to the toilet. My days of standing to relieve my bladder went out the door about three weeks ago. It was simply safer to sit when you couldn’t see the parts.

“Where’s Sebastian?” I asked.

“He is downstairs. Did you wish for me to get him?”

I looked up at my father-in-law and smiled. “Would you? I’m just feeling really off, and I want him.”

Arturo nodded and then left the bathroom.

“Seb?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Your papa is on his way down to get you. I’m just feeling off. Can you call the doctor and then come up and be with me?”

“I’ll be there in just a few. Let me call Dr. King, and then I’ll be with you.”

I sighed. I could have always reached out to Sebastian, but I knew that Arturo wanted desperately to be involved. I really liked the lynx shifter, and he’d been nothing but kind to me. It was obvious from day one to me that we were from very different backgrounds, but he’d not ever acted as if he were better than I was. He’d been a tremendous help and great company. But like Sebastian, he could get a bit hovery, and there were times that I just wanted to be alone. This wasn’t one of those moments.

“What’s wrong?” Sebastian said as he came rushing into the bathroom.

I looked up at my mate and tried to smile. “Oh, nothing. I’m just in labor, and it burns like crazy. And I really needed to pee because you and your papa keep putting juice in front of me.” I sighed. “I’m tired, Seb. And I just want to lie down and not hurt. Or stand and not get dizzy as I tried to walk from the bed to the bathroom.”

Sebastian was now kneeling in front of me. “Do you need me to help you up? Are you ready to get up?”

I chuckled. “Yes and yes. I did pretty good getting here, but it’s difficult to stand all the way up. My back hurts, and my stomach feels like it’s getting ripped open.”

“Dr. King is on his way. He had to wait for Constantine to get here from Amherst because he’s at the infirmary this morning,” Sebastian told me. “Here, let’s get you up.”

With ease that I would never understand, Sebastian pulled me to my feet. When he did, there was a searing pain in the front of my stomach that was followed by a huge gush of fluid. I looked up at Sebastian in pain and surprise. “I guess our little one is coming today, then.”

Sebastian nodded slowly. “Let’s get you into bed. It’s probably a good thing that Dr. King is going to be here shortly.”

“Well, if not, you could deliver the baby, right?” I groaned when a sharp pain centered in my stomach, and it felt like I really needed to now go to the bathroom again. I’d read the book. I knew that usually meant it was time to push.

“I’ve never delivered a baby, but Papa has had three. I’m sure between the two of us we could figure things out.”

“Where is Arturo? He should be here,” I said.

Sebastian carefully set me on the bed, and I started to struggle to get out of the bed, but then I felt something below me that hadn’t been there before. I looked to the side and realized that Sebastian had used magic to place something on the bed.

“Dr. King is here,” Arturo said from the doorway.

“Perfect timing,” Sebastian said. I gasped as another pain hit me, and then I did what came naturally and scrunched up and started pushing.

“Is he pushing?” Dr. King rushed to us and quickly set a bag on the foot of the bed.

“His water just broke in the bathroom.”

“It hurts,” I gasped out as I let myself go lax and fall back onto the bed. “It hurts so bad,” I said again and felt tears rolling down my face. I looked to Sebastian, who was now kneeling beside me, and I could see his face clearly. “Seb, it hurts so much,” I whispered. He ran his fingers through my hair.

“I know. We’re going to help you.”

Another contraction hit, and I pushed up onto my elbows to start pushing again because that seemed to help the pain some.

“No, no pushing,” Dr. King said. He gently pressed on my shoulder, but I tried to resist. I glared up at the doctor.

“It hurts, dammit. I want the baby out so it’ll stop hurting. And I can walk, and eat, and do things like I used to!” I was simply over being pregnant. My pregnancy had been horrible, and I hadn’t enjoyed any aspect of it except the attention from my mate. But I knew that I would have received that attention even if I’d not been pregnant.

“Lie back,” Dr. King said, pressing on my shoulder harder. “I’ll take away the pain, but I need you to stop pushing.”

The words “pain” and “away” registered, and I let myself fall back onto the bed. Eli had mentioned that the doctors could take away the pain and make me feel like I was floating in water. I wanted that. Desperately. And if I got that if I lay back, then I’d lie back.

Dr. King’s hand started glowing, and then the pain was suddenly gone. Completely. I felt weightless and better than I had in several weeks.

“Oh, there it is. That’s so nice,” I said. I was suddenly sleepy, and when I looked over at Sebastian, he was staring at me with concern in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. “You’re worried.”

“The baby isn’t in the correct position to be born,” Dr. King said. It took a lot of effort to turn my head back toward Dr. King. “What do you mean?”

“That’s why it hurt so much,” Dr. King said. “Your baby’s bottom is presenting at the omega opening. We need to reposition the baby and assist the delivery.”

I sighed as I let my head fall to the side. I couldn’t help it—it was simply too much, and I felt tears falling down my face again. “Why?” I asked nobody in particular, but Sebastian was right there. “Why is my pregnancy pure hell? Why couldn’t one thing go right?”

“Shh,” Sebastian said. He ran his fingers through my hair again and then moved closer to kiss me.

“Arturo, would you please grab that towel?”

“Si.”

I felt myself being moved a bit, simply because my body wiggled, but I truly didn’t feel anything else.

“Almost,” Dr. King said. And then I felt my body wiggle more. I heard a gasp, and when I looked away from Sebastian, I saw Arturo with a look of awe on his face as he carefully took the baby that Dr. King placed in the towel he was holding. “Just like a C-section that warlocks and vampires need. Now to clean up the afterbirth and help you get started on healing. There’s some extra tearing on the left side because the baby was folded in half.”

Dr. King was cut off by the sudden screaming of a pair of little lungs.

“Allá vaella.”

I looked down at Arturo as best as I could. He was still standing close to Dr. King, and then suddenly, he was moving away. He wrapped the other side of the towel around the baby and then brought the baby toward us.

“Ella es bonita,” Arturo said. He looked down at me and smiled. “She’s so gorgeous, Drew.”

“She?” I asked. I looked back at Sebastian. “We had a girl?”

Dr. King chuckled from where he was taking care of my omega opening.

“Yes,” Sebastian told me. “You didn’t want to know, remember?”

“Yeah, but now I wanna see. Let me see the little booger.”

That had Dr. King outright laughing. When I looked down at the doctor, he was nodding. “I have to agree with your nickname at this point. She’s put you through hell, and yes, little booger seems to suit her. For now, at least. Hopefully, you come up with something much different in the next few days.”

Arturo leaned down and carefully handed the baby off to Sebastian. When he did, I completely fell in love with my mate all over again. The look of love and wonder on his face was one I would never forget.

“She is beautiful, Drew.”

I could only stare at Sebastian as he knelt there and cradled our crying baby in his arms. Although, now that she was with Sebastian, her crying had quieted some.

“Can I see?” I asked, reaching out to try and move the towel.

“Let me assist,” Dr. King said. He moved closer, and when he carefully took the baby from Sebastian, she started crying again. When Dr. King placed her on my chest, she was swaddled up in a pink-and-purple blanket. She looked up at me with a head full of dark hair and Sebastian’s bright blue eyes.

“Oh, look at you,” I said in awe. They were right; she really was beautiful. She stopped crying, and I smiled over at Sebastian, who was staring at us. “Look at what we did,” I told him.

“We did, but mostly you. Look at what you did.”

I looked back at our daughter. “She’s so pretty. Like a little flower.”

I moved my arms to pull her closer and then kissed her on the forehead before I did my best to hold her out to Sebastian. I’d taken her from him, and he had just as much right to hold her as I did.

“You keep her.”

I shook my head. “No, I like seeing you holding her. You keep her,” I told him. “I’ve been holding her for three months almost. It’s your turn. And I can finally get a much-needed nap.”

Dr. King chuckled again. Sebastian took the baby from me, and I moaned as the feeling in my lower body started to return. I looked down at Dr. King, who was staring up at me. “Too much pain?”

“No. It’s just different for it to suddenly be back.”

“I went ahead and used magic to close your omega line since I was healing the tear on the side. I can help get you better situated if you’d like, but I’ll be here for a few hours to make sure you don’t have any complications.”

I nodded, and once Sebastian stood and moved out of the way, Dr. King helped me sit up enough that I could lean against the pillows that he piled behind me. “Thank you, Dr. King.”

“You are most welcome. And congratulations on your little girl. She’s quite adorable.”

I nodded. I had to agree. Dr. King left the room, taking his bag with him. I looked over at Sebastian where he was standing next to Arturo. They were talking quietly and in Spanish, so I couldn’t quite understand. I had started learning once I’d mated with Sebastian, but I only really understood a few words and phrases so far. It had only been a few months, and I’d spent the better part of that sleeping, sadly.

Arturo looked up at me and smiled. He had watery eyes, and I felt bad. Why was he crying?

“So beautiful, so precious,” he told me. He came over to where I was sitting and sat beside me. When Arturo took my hand, I gave his a squeeze.

“So what do you think of your granddaughter?”

“She’s perfect,” he told me. He squeezed my hand between both of his. “You are so strong, Drew. Don’t ever think otherwise.” Then, Arturo snorted. “It is not just anyone who can make my mate give them a wide path.” Arturo chuckled. “You truly made quite the impression on Benedict, and although he doesn’t necessarily show it yet, he is quite fond of you and has great respect for you.”

I didn’t know that I necessarily believed what Arturo was saying, but I did like my mate’s sire. I didn’t think he was overly fond of me, but if Arturo said he liked me, he liked me.

“That’s sweet of you to say,” I said. “Is he coming to meet the baby? What about Caspian and Lorenzo?”

Arturo chuckled. “Yes. They will be here in a bit. But for now, you and Sebastian should cuddle your precious little bundle.” Arturo’s eyes widened. “And come up with a name so we know what to call her.”

I nodded. Arturo kissed me on the top of my head and then left the room. I looked back at Sebastian, who was standing not far. Instead of staring at our daughter though, he was looking at me.

“Hi.”

“I love you,” he said.

I grinned as my entire body flooded with warmth from his words. “And I love you. So what do you think?”

“I think you’re amazing, and you kick ass at everything you do.”

I snorted. “Yes, because someone who kicks ass cries and begs for the pain to stop while giving birth.” I couldn’t help it; I started crying again. I had felt so weak in that moment.

“Shh,” Sebastian said again. He carefully placed the baby in my arms and then climbed onto the bed with us. When he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his chest, I let out a louder sob. It startled the baby, who had been sleeping. She scrunched her nose and looked as if she were about to start crying again, which broke my heart.

“Oh, I’m sorry, little flower. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I took several deep breaths, trying to get myself under control. Once I did, I realized Sebastian was slowly rocking us from side to side.

“It’s perfectly all right for you to feel a wide range of emotions. You just cry if you need to.”

I took several deep, broken breaths, finally calming down. “I don’t feel strong. I felt so weak and overwhelmed. It’s been so much, Seb.”

I felt Sebastian kiss my head again. “I know my heart. We can have just our little flower if you’d like. It’s going to be completely up to you. I’ll support you no matter what. But don’t make any decisions right now. Wait weeks, months, or years to decide. Right now, let’s just enjoy having our daughter here and you getting better.”

I could certainly agree with that. “What are we going to name her?” I asked after a few minutes. We had several names picked out for both genders, but now that she was here, she didn’t seem like any of them.

“You’ve called her little flower a few times. Why don’t we call her that?”

I looked up at Sebastian. “You want to name our daughter Flower?”

Sebastian chuckled, leaned down, and kissed my nose, and then shook his head. “I was thinking more along the lines of Flora. It’s Latin for flower.”

My mouth dropped open. How did he do that? “Yes. Can we call her that?”

“Yes, my heart. We can call her that.”

I smiled up at Sebastian before looking back down at our sleeping daughter. “Hello, little Flora. Welcome to the outside world.” It really was perfect for her. And I had to agree with the doctor. It was so much better than little booger. But she was still that, to some extent. But no matter what, I loved her and always would. Just as I loved my mate and couldn’t wait to see what else life was going to throw at us. I knew that together, we could handle anything because Sebastian truly was my perfect match, and with him, I felt like I was worth something. Like I had finally found my family.

* * *

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