22. Cecil

Chapter 22

"Cecil, we're going to have to perform a cesarian section," Dr. Rothwell said.

"All right." I didn't really care all that much as long as the pressure stopped. "Can I go to the bathroom first?" I said, trying to sit up.

"No," both doctors said quickly. I looked at them with wide eyes. "The chances of you actually having to go is slim. The pressure is the babies. They are ready to be born, but your omega line didn't open, so we will have to open it for you."

"Oh." I lay back down and sighed. I reached for Warwick, who immediately knelt beside me.

"What can I do for you?"

"Just be here." I grinned at him. "I'm actually scared now that it's happening. I'm not ready, Warwick. We haven't even painted the nursery."

Warwick chuckled. "What color do you want? I'll have it painted before the boys are even born."

"That's the problem, isn't it? We haven't decided on a theme. We have neutral colors for blankets and clothing. Do we want that for the nursery?" Did we? I still didn't know. This was part of why six weeks was too short. It truly was.

"Sweetie, the babies aren't going to be in the nursery for several weeks yet. And they really won't care what their room looks like until they're older."

"This is true," Dr. Rothwell said. "Miles had me change our nursery several times before our triplets were two."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Just pick something that interests you and will bring you a sense of calmness. Go from there."

I could do that. "Can you do the nursery in stars? You know the one we were looking at?" I asked Warwick. My mate smiled as he leaned close. He kissed me and then ran his fingers through my damp hair.

"Done. And if you decide you don't like that, we'll pick something else out. But right now, let's focus on getting the babies here with us."

I nodded. That was good.

"Are you ready?" Dr. King asked.

"As ready as I'm going to be. I'm not sure about doing this again, so let's get this over with." I looked at Warwick with wide eyes. He grinned at me.

"If you only want the two, that is fine with me. I'm not the one that has to carry them. We will have as few or as many as you wish."

I shook my head. "I'm just nervous. I've always wanted a big family." I reached for Warwick. He leaned down and gave me a kiss. As he did, I felt myself starting to float, which surprised me a bit. Warwick pulled away, and I looked up at him. "Why am I floating?"

"That was us," Dr. King said. "We have numbed you so there is no pain during the delivery. Most omegas really like the floating feeling."

"I can see why. If I was having strong contractions, I can see how that would be nice."

"Because your omega line didn't open, we have to cut you open, Cecil. Without numbing it, there would be a great deal of pain," Dr. Rothwell said.

"I understand. Is it time for the babies now?" I asked. "Where's Grandpa?"

"I'm here," Grandpa said. He came over to stand behind Warwick.

"Can you hold my other hand?" I asked.

"Of course." Grandpa Lev moved around the bed, and when he crawled onto it, I realized he was wearing flannel pants.

Once he was settled on the bed, I said, "I'm sorry you were pulled from bed. It's late, huh?"

Grandpa smiled down at me. "Babies come when they're ready. They have no sense of time, so don't apologize. Your grandfather and I were in bed, yes, but we were watching one of our cooking shows."

I smiled at that. Grandpa loved to cook, and Grandfather humored him by watching the various cooking shows with him. Although I knew the truth. Grandfather liked those shows just as much as Grandpa.

"Cecil, we're going to begin now. You're going to feel some movement and possibly a bit of pressure, but there won't be any pain," Dr. King said.

The doctors were standing side by side, down by my waist, which made perfect sense. I found Grandfather standing at the foot of the bed beside the goddess.

"I'm ready." I took Grandpa's hand on the right and Warwick's on the left. I turned my head to the left and stared into Warwick's eyes. I felt movement, but that was it. Then more, and suddenly, Warwick's eyes flamed.

"Are you all right?" I asked, suddenly worried about my mate.

"Fine," he said, a light growl to his voice.

More movement was made, and I heard the doctors talking to each other and then a loud cry. When the baby cried out, Warwick's eyes flamed so bright I had to look away. I turned my head toward the sound and saw Dr. King handing the baby to Dr. Rothwell.

"The first baby is quite loud," Dr. Rothwell said. He moved the baby to the bed, where I lost sight of him.

Dr. King smiled. "It's safe to say his lungs are quite developed."

I smiled. When I looked back over to Warwick, he was staring toward the baby. Even from where I was, I could see that his eyes were definitely those of his beast.

"Warwick?"

My mate looked at me, and I tugged on his hand to get mine released. When he let go, I reached up and touched his cheek. "You can go look at the baby if you need to."

Warwick grabbed my hand and then pulled it to his mouth. After he placed a kiss on it, he shook his head. "No. I'm right where I need to be. You will be the first to hold the babies," Warwick told me.

"Another slight bit of pressure," Dr. King said. Our first son had quieted considerably, but after some movement and a bit of uncomfortable pressure, I suddenly felt empty.

There was another loud cry, and then a second joined. The room was filled with loud cries, and Warwick seemed to become agitated. When the goddess came over to stand behind him, she gently placed her hands on Warwick's shoulders. Warwick's eyes closed, and he seemed to relax. When he opened his eyes again, gone were the flames of his beast. I looked up into the deep brown eyes that I loved most.

"There you are."

"I was always here, sweetheart." Warwick leaned down and kissed me. "You are amazing," he whispered to me.

I smiled when he pulled back. I looked down my body but couldn't see anything with how they had me lying. I gave Grandpa Lev's hand a squeeze. "How are they?"

"They're a lot larger than I expected for twins." Grandpa's eyes were round and a bit surprised.

I grinned. "Well, look who their father is."

That earned some chuckles in the room.

"Baby A is seven pounds two ounces," Dr. Rothwell said. He brought the baby over to us and tried to hand him to Warwick, who shook his head. "You won't drop him," the doctor said.

"No, Cecil holds the babies first."

"It's all right, Warwick. You and your beast need to hold the babies." I wasn't exactly in a position to hold the babies at the moment anyway.

Dr. Rothwell placed the baby in Warwick's arms. My poor mate—he seemed so stiff and unsure, and it was probably the only time I'd ever see the look of terror on my mate's face.

"You have to take him," Warwick said.

"You will be all right," the goddess said. She placed her hands on my mate's shoulders again. "Just relax. They're your babies. You will protect them with the same fierceness that you would your mate."

She was the goddess, so of course she had a way about her. But that was twice now that she somehow calmed my mate. I smiled at her, hoping she understood what I was saying.

"And here is Baby B. He is seven pounds and four ounces. They are both twenty-one and a half inches long. Both are quite large."

Dr. Rothwell expertly moved our first son and placed him in one arm and then his twin in Warwick's other arm. I had been wrong before. I thought Warwick looked terrified before. No. Now, he truly did. But as the babies were brought together, their cries died off.

"I'm going to help Maxwell see to your mate. Then we'll rescue you."

I was feeling quite sleepy all of a sudden. "Can I take a nap?" I asked out loud.

"You are welcome to go to sleep in just a bit," Dr. King said. "We have to finish closing the incision and then clean you up. We understand it's late and you are probably tired. The adrenaline is most likely wearing off now that the babies have been born."

I grinned as I turned my head back toward Warwick. He was staring down at the babies. I felt Grandpa move behind me, and then he placed his other hand on my shoulder while the other continued to hold my hand.

"Did you two ever decide on names?" Grandpa asked.

Warwick nodded at me.

"We did. We decided the first one born would be Xander, and the second would be Zayne," I told everyone in the room. "And we need to get their bracelets on them so I can tell them apart," I told Warwick.

My mate chuckled. "Do you think I haven't already put them on their ankles?"

I sighed. "Thank you."

"They're absolutely gorgeous," the goddess said as she leaned over Warwick's shoulder to look at the twins.

I smiled at her. I would never forget that the goddess, Grandfather's creator, the person responsible for all of us being here, was at the birth of my children.

"Thank you for being here," I told her.

She smiled. "I wouldn't miss this for anything. Even if my brother is being his usual prickly self and trying to cause trouble." Warwick stiffened. "Relax. He's still very much stuck right where he is. He's still in…what do you call it? Time-out, I believe? Our creator is still not too happy with my brother. He will have a long time stuck where he's at before he's allowed to even think about getting out." The goddess stood from where she was leaning over Warwick. "I'll take my leave now." She looked directly at Grandfather. "Tell Edison to be sure to consult the hellhound book again. I've taken what Cecil had to say into consideration." Seconds later, she was gone.

I dropped my gaze from where she'd been standing behind Warwick to my mate, who was still holding our babies.

"All right. Cecil is closed up as well as cleaned up," Dr. King said. "Can we help you get more comfortable, Warwick?"

"I think I can stand, but I'd really rather you help Cecil sit up some. We can then give him the babies."

I wasn't going to say no. I wanted to hold our babies desperately, but I had wanted Warwick to hold them as well. I knew the thought of having tiny little beings in his arms was terrifying for him, but he was so gentle and protective with me I knew he would be the same with our children.

"I'll help him," Grandpa said. He helped pull me into a somewhat upright sitting position. There were several additional pillows behind me, but I was simply going to go with it.

When I was finally sitting to Grandpa's satisfaction, Warwick leaned down, holding out his arms stiffly. I reached for Xander, and my heart melted as I got the first look at our son.

I pulled him close as Warwick carefully placed Zayne on my legs.

I glanced between the boys and then up at their alpha father and shook my head. "They are mini versions of Warwick," I said.

One or both of the doctors chuckled. "Both of their eyes flamed before they calmed down," Dr. Rothwell said.

I looked up at him, surprised. "Already?" Should they be able to do that? Shifters didn't have the ability to shift until puberty.

"They had their magic until they were born," Grandfather reminded me. "Their beasts most likely were acknowledging their alpha father before they went dormant until they hit their teens."

That made sense. "Is that why your eyes flamed so bright?" I asked Warwick.

"Yes. My beast was seeing theirs. They are going to be beautiful in their beast forms, Cecil. Their coats aren't coal black like mine though. They are black with some silver in them. I'd say their coats are more of a mixture of both of us."

I smiled while looking down at my twins: one in my arms and one on my legs.

"The aftercare talk," Dr. King said, drawing our attention. "I will be here for a few hours if needed, but otherwise, I am only a phone call away. The storm isn't letting up anytime soon, it seems, but that doesn't affect my ability to travel."

"Rest," Dr. Rothwell said.

"I will, Dr. Rothwell." I yawned just then. It had been a long day, and although I'd not had a long pregnancy, it'd still drained my energy.

"Constantine is fine. Although you still call Maxwell Dr. King, I don't mind being called by my first name."

I shrugged. "He's my boss. If he insisted I call him by his name, I might consider it."

Dr. King chuckled. "I am not your boss. We work together. But we both work for the council. Consider your grandfather our boss."

Grandfather shrugged. "In a way, I guess. Your grandpa and I are going to take the last room on the left," he said. "If you need help with the twins, we'll be here for the next day or two. Well, Lev will. I have to be at the council in the morning for a meeting."

"If you need help getting there, I'm more than willing to help in any way I can," Warwick said.

"I appreciate it. But I think my bear would very much like to go for a romp through the snow. It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to just enjoy a leisurely stroll through snow as deep as it is out there now."

Grandpa kissed the top of my head before he gently touched each of the twins on their heads and climbed off the bed.

"It was a pleasure and honor to be here to assist in the birth of your twins," Constantine said. "I am going to take my leave. You are, of course, welcome to call me if needed, but Maxwell is more than capable."

"Thank you, Dr. Rothwell," Warwick said.

Constantine looked as if he was going to say something but instead just nodded. He glanced at Dr. King before he followed my grandparents out of the room. It was probably the middle of the night in Amherst at this point, so I didn't blame him at all.

That left us with Dr. King. "I will be downstairs if you need anything. Spend this time bonding with your boys though. Take it easy for the night if you can, Cecil. I'll let myself out in a few hours and then be back tomorrow to check on you and the twins. If you need anything before then, you know how to get in contact."

"Thank you, Dr. King," I said. I offered a tired smile. The day was truly wearing on me now. It had started early, and it was well past midnight at this point.

Dr. King walked out of the room, leaving me with only Warwick and our babies. I looked up at my mate, who was standing next to me beside the bed.

"Join me?" I asked. He looked like he was hesitant. "You won't hurt them, you know. You've already held both of them."

"I don't wish to disturb them. Aren't you supposed to let sleeping babies lie?"

I smiled. "Yes. But they were just born. They're going to be awake in a few hours, needing to be changed and fed. For now though, they're both asleep, and I want you to come sit beside me."

Warwick nodded, and after he turned off the overhead light, he joined me on the other side of the bed. He had to move closer to the center because I was close to the edge where he'd placed me earlier.

When Warwick wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I sighed. This was what I needed. My mate was holding me, and our twins were here with us. I glanced down at them and shook my head.

"What's wrong?"

"They're literally mini versions of you. I swear, they look absolutely nothing like me. If they hadn't been cut from me, I would think they were just you and no part of me."

Warwick reached out and touched Zayne's nose. "My nose isn't that small. They have your nose."

I smiled. Maybe. But they had just been born too, so it was very possible that they simply had squished noses because they didn't have much room inside my stomach.

"I'll take it. But they're definitely mini-Warwicks."

"If you say so." Warwick kissed the side of my head. "I love you, Cecil. Thank you for loving me and gifting me our boys. I never thought I would be here, but now I can't imagine not being here or having the life we're building."

I sighed. He was so sweet with me. I knew he still grunted at others, and I definitely never wanted to cross Warwick if I was someone of questionable character, but that wasn't the case with me. He was my mate, and I had never been safer or more loved.

"I love you," I said with another yawn following. I felt another kiss and then Xander gently being taken from my arms. When I opened my eyes, Warwick was looking at me. He carefully stood with Xander in his own arms and stared down at our son. When I looked for Zayne on my lap, he was already gone, but Warwick gently placed Xander beside his brother in the double bassinette. He was going to be an amazing father. I truly was lucky for such a gift.