20. EPILOUGE

EPILOUGE

There was a lot to be said about an Omega who was brave enough to lead the town he'd built. Renzo stood there grinning at the man he loved as he moved around the park from group to group, welcoming them to Sanctuary's anniversary picnic.

The residents had voted Coleson in as their mayor and he'd moved heaven and earth to not only find and rescue more Omegas, but worked tirelessly to see to that Sanctuary was a safe and happy place to live. Don't get him wrong, they still had Alphas who came after them, but with the help of other Omegas, as well as a few Alphas who had proven themselves trustworthy, they'd defended their town.

There was still a lot of work that needed to be done, but he knew his Omega was more than up to the task. No matter the issues that popped up, Coleson had a knack for resolving them.

Renzo stilled when he saw his love wince and put his hand on his very large abdomen. That was the second time he'd seen it happen. Striding over to his Omega, he took a hand in his and said, "Time to go to the hospital, love."

Coleson's eyes showed his confusion. "What? Why would we do that? In case you've missed it, there is a picnic going on."

Damn, he loved the man to death, but there were times, like now, when he ignored his own body to take care of others. But this was one time he needed to worry about himself.

"Coleson, you're in labor, love. And based on your winces, I'd say the contractions are about two minutes apart." Renzo tried not to laugh at the shock on his Omega's face, but it was hard to hold it back when he blinked at Renzo and shook his head as if to deny it.

But before he could argue that Renzo was wrong, fluid soaked his shorts, proving Coleson was indeed in labor.

Before he could try to come up with a reason that wasn't his water breaking, Renzo tugged on his hand and led him away from the park and down the street to the hospital. Thankfully, it was only a five-minute walk.

"But I'm not due for another two weeks," Coleson told him as if that would stop what was happening.

"Clearly, our baby has other ideas and is ready to make his appearance." Renzo ushered him into the hospital and straight to the labor and delivery room.

Since Coleson seemed unable to grasp the concept of labor at the moment, Renzo helped him out of his clothes and got him on the bed with his legs in the stirrups. Then he sat on the stool at the end of the bed and quickly checked to see how dilated he was. "What is it about you Omegas in this town and giving birth? Just like Coleson and Fennic, the baby is already crowning."

"What?" Coleson sounded panicked. "No. That can't be. I'm not supposed to have him for two more weeks. I'm not ready. We haven't decided on a name yet."

That seemed like another thing these Omegas had in common. Denial. "How about we meet him and then pick out a name?" Mainly because that was what was going to happen, whether Coleson wanted to or not.

Maxon ran into the room just then. "I just heard. What do you need me to do?"

"Help him sit up and push." Renzo told him before focusing back on his Omega. Calmly, he stroked Coleson's abdomen as he encouraged his Omega. "I need you to push on the next contraction." By the panic still in Coleson's eyes, he wasn't entirely certain he was listening to anything Renzo said.

Still, his body was going to have this baby, even if Coleson seemed unable to focus enough to do as Renzo told him. He could feel his Omega's muscles tighten as a contraction hit. He nodded to Maxon, who helped Coleson to sit up a bit.

"Okay, love, push." When Coleson didn't do anything, Renzo barked out, "Push." Which was just what Coleson had needed to bring him into the moment.

Three pushes later, he was holding their son. Love flooded him as he placed their child on Coleson's chest for some skin to skin contact and his Omega gently reached out and touched their son's face with the tip of his finger as if he were the most precious person in the world.

"I love you," Coleson first said to their son, before tearing his gaze away from their angel and looking at Renzo with happiness. "I love you too, Renzo. Thank you for giving me our son."

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on Coleson's lips. "No, my Omega, thank you. You have given me the world and I will do everything in my power to never let you regret it."

"Do you have a name picked out for the birth certificate?" Maxon asked.

Coleson smiled down at their son. "Ryver Zuko. To honor that we met on the river and Zuko, who would have loved to be an uncle."

When he glanced over at him to see what he thought, Renzo smiled. "It's perfect."

And it was. Their lives weren't easy by any stretch of the imagination. They had lost many because of the violence that kept coming to their doors and they would most likely lose many more. But to find a place where they could be free to be who they were… well, it was Worth the Fight.