Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

L egacy marched his ass to the temp office at the drill site, ready to tear into the manager. He needed to go home.

He’d missed Thanksgiving, but he wasn’t going to miss Christmas. Or his baby’s birth. Dammit, he was going to get his time. This was supposed to be his last off-site assignment.

He knocked, then let himself into the prefab building.

“Vasquez,” the manager barked. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting my ticket for transport. It’s nearly Christmas. I was supposed to be off assignment a week ago.”

“Well, we had that drill break down.” Those bushy eyebrows looked like hairy caterpillars as they gyrated.

“I know. And I stayed on until it was fixed and until the drilling quota for the week was met.” He crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance to look bigger.

“You did. Your bonus will reflect that. What of it?”

“I need to get back to the station,” he said flatly.

“You need to do your job.” Those brows beetled.

“I have a pregnant omega who probably should have popped by now.” Legacy stared the guy down.

“Shit,” said the manager, whose name he’d spaced, because they changed so much that he never got to know them. It was a crappy job. “All right. Here. Here’s your transport code.” The guy hit a button or two on his comm watch. “Go home. And good work, Vasquez. We appreciate you.”

Legacy blinked, but he had to grin. “Thank you, sir. And Merry Christmas if you celebrate.”

“I do. Who doesn’t like presents?”

He hooted, but he made a break for it, raising a hand in thanks. His go-bag was right outside the door, because this was what he’d hoped for. If he hurried, he could make the next hop and not have to wait six hours for the one after that.

He ended up running and leaping before the doors closed, but then he commed Aeryn, who had been working from home ever since it got too hard to walk to work. So he knew he’d be available.

“Hey, baby. I’m on my way home! Last assignment.” He did a little butt-wiggle dance, making the other guys on the transport stare at him. He didn’t care. This was made of awesome.

“Hey.” Aeryn looked a little strained around the eyes and mouth. “That’s amazing, love.”

“You okay? Is something wrong with the baby?”

“No. No, she’s fine. I mean, I think she’s ready to come out. Finally.” Aeryn was a little late, according to the docs, but there was nothing wrong with him or their little girl, so the docs hadn’t wanted to induce.

“You mean—what? You’re in labor?” Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

“My water broke about five minutes ago.”

“Holy hell, baby. Get to the med bay.”

Aeryn grunted, holding his belly. “I can’t, love. It’s just too long a walk.”

“Call for a cart.” The station had auto carts to take people to med.

“I did. I’m waiting.”

“Let me call Jamey.”

Aeryn smiled faintly. “He’s at work. So is Gar. This could take hours, love. I can wait for the cart. They go by priority, you know? I’m not injured, just having a baby.”

“Aeryn…”

“It’s okay, Legacy. You just get home.” Aeryn smiled for him, blowing him a kiss. “I’ll be fine.”

“You want me to stay on the comm?”

“No. No, it’s okay. I don’t need to broadcast this to the whole transport.” Aeryn laughed. “I love you. I’ll probably be at the med bay. But clean up at home before you come, huh? I want you to be comfy.”

His omega, always thinking about him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Aeryn said. “See you soon.”

“Can’t be soon enough.”

They keyed off, and the guy sitting next to him grinned. “Congratulations, man.”

“Thanks. God, we’re having a baby.”

“Great Christmas present.”

“You know it.” He gave the guy a thumbs-up, then leaned back to get some sleep, bag under his feet. He would need the rest. When he got home, there was going to be an omega giving birth and then a baby. So he was going to be prepared.

“Uuggggh.” Aeryn groaned through the contraction, his body trying to twist itself like a pretzel. He was walking, and it seemed like he had been for hours. The docs kept telling him he would know when it was time to hunker down and push, but it was as if his baby girl was waiting for her alpha dad. She wasn’t coming out until Legacy was there.

He panted, leaning on a railing attached to the wall. He thought maybe it was for rehab, like when people were walking again after surgery. But it was perfect for him when he was pacing the ward.

“Hey, how’s the preggers patient?” One of the nurses came over, checking his vitals with a scanner.

“Starting to get tired,” he said, trying to smile.

“I bet. All that walking, fighting gravity… You want to head back to your bed so I can see how dilated you are?”

“Okay, sure.” He made his way slowly back to his bed in the bay, kinda wishing he’d just done this at home. This place was so…sterile.

He let the nurse check him, and she made a tsking noise. “Oh, honey, it’s time.”

“But my alpha isn’t here.”

“Yes, well, you need to get this show on the road, Aeryn.”

He chewed his lower lip. “I don’t want to hurt her. So it’s time to push, huh?”

“It is. But don’t worry. I have plenty of time to go get the doc. You rest up between contractions, and I’ll be right back.”

“Uh-huh.” His muscles started to ripple again, and he winced.

“You got this.” She hurried off, and he figured that was a sign that this was going to happen fast now.

“Where are you, Legacy?” Surely the transport should be here by now.

“Hey, you.” As if conjured up by his thoughts, Legacy appeared next to his bed, smiling, that scar on his lip pulling with it, the grin was so wide. “I made it.”

“You did. She’s coming fast now, though.” He curled up a little as the next contraction pulled all of his muscles tight.

“What can I do?” Legacy sat next to him, reaching for his hand.

“Just exactly what you’re doing. Stay with me. Hold my hand.”

The doc ambled in, a tall man with glasses and a shock of wild, graying hair. “Okay, Aeryn. Lia tells me you’re ready to push.”

“I think so, yeah.”

“Well, let’s do this, huh?” The doc got his legs into place, then put a sheet partially over him, he guessed for modesty. “All right. When you feel the—There we come. And push.”

He pushed. In fact, he pushed a lot. For like, two hours. Legacy sat there with him, first holding his hand, then rubbing his back, then behind him, holding him, petting him. Soothing him when he was able to rest.

By the time the baby came, he was screaming with his contractions, pushing like a maniac, and if this didn’t get done soon, he was going to lose his proverbial shit.

“You can do this, baby. You got this.”

“Uuhhhhhnmnn!”

“Good, Aeryn. Good. I can see her head.” The doc’s praise made him buck up, grabbing the last of his energy.

“More?”

“Just a few more to get her shoulders out. Okay, Aeryn, push.”

He pushed, his body trying to give out. Legacy babbled at him, saying how amazing he was. How beautiful. How perfect.

“I love you, baby.”

“Love you…too.” He pushed when told, and finally, finally, the doc grunted.

“Here she is. Okay, alpha dad. Ready to cut the cord?”

“Oh my God,” Legacy said as a lusty cry filled the air. “She’s perfect.”

“I want to see,” he complained.

“Soon, honey,” the nurse told him. “Let me clean you up.”

“Mmm.” He was so tired. So ready for a nap. “Soon.”

He heard the baby, felt the air moving as people worked around him, and finally, they brought him the baby, swaddled up, so cute and red and grumpy.

“What’s her name?” the nurse asked, her data pad in hand.

“Alejandra Claire Vasquez. After our grannies.” He grinned at Legacy, who bent to kiss his forehead. They had agreed on that ages ago.

“No Lewis?” That was his last name, so he got why she asked, but he shook his head.

“Vasquez will be my last name soon. We just had to wait until he wasn’t working off-site to get married.”

“Aw, congrats. Rest now, Aeryn. We’ll keep her safe. Right, Dad?”

Legacy beamed at him, happier than he’d ever seen. “I’ll watch over you both.”

“Mmmkay.” And with that, he closed his eyes and went right to sleep.