Chapter Twenty-Three

Shane

Since we were traveling a bit for the show, we couldn't get to Jared in time, and he couldn't get to us either. From the spaces between contractions, this baby was coming and immediately.

"There's a shifter hospital only five minutes away," Chad said from behind me. I had picked Zhang up, honeymoon-style and was bringing him to the truck as fast as my already heavy legs could carry him.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Google, dummy."

"Apologize, Chad," Zhang said, but the last part came out as a yell, thanks to a new contraction. My mountain lion was insane inside me, wanting to take the pain from our little panda, but there was no way we could stop this from happening.

And the end result would be so sweet.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. Let's go."

Chad rode with us and called my dad on the way. He was already in his car and headed toward us once Chad sent the name of the city.

Once we were at the hospital, a shifter doctor met us in the room and quickly examined Zhang. It was one thing for Jared to examine him, but another man…good thing he was an omega. I might've growled if he wasn't.

"This baby is coming now. You're fully dilated. Did you want some pain medication?"

We had discussed the issue but not come to a decision.

"No. I don't want it. I can do this."

Zhang gripped my hand with more force than I knew he had. Two pushes, and the doctor proclaimed he could see the head.

Our baby's head.

"You're almost there," I said, meeting my mate's gaze. "You can do this."

Zhang nodded while the doctor coaxed him to push hard one more time. He screamed and, before I could take another breath, our baby seemed to whoosh out of him.

Our son.

I knew it all along, but my mate didn't.

"Are they okay?" Zhang breathed out. "I don't hear them."

"Everything is fine," the doctor said and wrapped the baby in a sterile, blue, paper-thin blanket. He brought the baby to rest on Zhang's chest. "He's a big boy. Nurse, come suction this little one's mouth. I think Daddy needs to hear him cry to know he's okay."

Zhang wasn't the only one. I needed to hear that cry as well.

"A son," I whispered and kissed my beautiful mate as he caught his breath and looked down on our cub. I had a feeling he would be a panda in shifter form, but clearly he was like me in human form. A perfect mix. "We have a family now," I said, crying tears of joy.

The nurse suctioned out the baby's mouth, and soon that cry filled the room, making my omega smile.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Christopher James," Zhang responded. "Is that okay?"

"Of course it is."

After the baby and my omega were cleaned up and settled, I got help from the nurse, who taught me how to diaper our baby and put him in a warm onesie, along with socks and a matching hat for heat.

When she left the room, I sighed. "What can I do for you?" After all, he'd just given me the world, right from his body.

"Come sit with me while I rest. I'm sure he will want to feed soon, and I need a tiny nap."

Chad, along with my dad, came in later and brought sushi and coffee, an offering to the omega who just gave birth. He'd given up those things up during pregnancy but his craving never died.

"Can I hold my grandson?" James asked.

"Of course you can." Zhang was the first to respond. Seeing my dad holding my son brought on a new stream of tears.