he got into the car. Just three simple words.
On my way.
Whether Zac would tell Harper or not depended on how the omega was coping with it all.
Traffic was heavy, and it took him the better part of an hour to get across the city. The hospital parking lot was busy, and he had to circle twice to find a space. That didn’t bode well for what he might find inside. He checked his phone as he headed in, spying another message from Zac.
On the Marigold labor ward. Rm 3.
William followed the signs, stopping at the nurses’ station to explain who he was there for.
“You’re just in time,” the nurse said, pointing toward Harper’s room.
He hurried to the door, knocking before slipping inside. Harper was pacing back and forth across the room, so intent on moving that he didn’t notice William enter. Zac was leaning against the wall next to the bathroom door, and he waved William in when he caught sight of him.
“The cavalry’s arrived.”
Harper whipped around at that. “What cavalry…?” He did a double-take when he saw William. “But you’re working.”
“Beckett can handle it.”
“But we’re fine here. It could be hours yet.”
Zac pushed away from the wall, his tone suggesting he’d been saying the same thing over and over.
“You’re almost fully dilated, Harper. When the doctor gets here, it’ll be time to start pushing.”
“Nonsense. If that was true, I’d be doubled over in pain and yelling the place down.” He winced and staggered a step toward the wall.
William rushed to his side, supporting him gently as the omega panted through a contraction.
“Turns out your fiancé has a super-high pain threshold,” Zac explained. “At this stage, I had pretty much disowned Beckett and vowed never to do the whole pregnancy thing again.”
Harper leaned heavily against William, resting his head on his shoulder.
“It’s all happening too fast,” the omega whispered.
“That’s okay. I’m right here, and we’re going to get through this together.”
“Why do people say that when the pregnant one has to do all the work?” Despite Harper’s whined words, he was smiling.
“Because that’s all anyone else has to give right now. We can’t do this for you, but we can be here while you go through it.”
Another contraction had Harper’s hand fisted in William’s shirt, his teeth gritted against the pain. He let out a strained breath, and then his eyes went wide.
“Uh, duck?”
“Yeah, Harper?”
“Go get someone.”
“Who?”
“Doctor, midwife. Doesn’t matter. Someone who knows how to catch a baby.”
Zac cursed and took off at a run.
“Will, help me to the bed.”
Having no idea what was wrong, William just picked Harper up and carried him over, setting him down in the middle of the bed. The omega groaned, one hand clutching William’s, the other fisting the sterile sheets.
“Where the heck are they? Is this a hospital or—” Harper cut off, his eyes going wide again as he gasped in pain. “Will, the baby.”
“I’ll go get help.”
Even as he said it, Harper grabbed his hands and tugged them down between his bent legs. “The baby.”
Then he bore down, bit hard on his lower lip, and there in William’s hands was their newborn.
“You did it, Harper. Look what you did.”
The baby cradled in his palms, he lifted her so that Harper could see her. The door opened and a midwife rushed in, followed by Dr. Lowe and Zac, their faces shocked at the scene that greeted them.
“Lay the baby down on the bed,” Dr. Lowe said calmly. “We’ve got to clear her airway and clamp the cord.”
The little one let out a loud wail, and Harper laughed.
“I think her airway’s just fine.”
William moved out of the way while they cut the cord and checked Harper over. He held the omega’s hand tightly in his but didn’t take his eyes away from their daughter.
“She’s beautiful,” he told Harper.
“Yeah, she is. In a hurry, too. She gets that from me.”
“Afraid she was going to miss out,” William teased. “That sounds exactly like you.”
It was only a minute or two before she was lifted and placed on Harper’s chest. The omega cuddled her close and murmured something to her.
“I think that might go on our record as one of our quickest births,” Dr. Lowe commented. “I’m sorry we weren’t there at the crucial moment.”
“In fairness, there was very little warning,” Harper admitted. “And not much by way of pain. Just a whole lot of pressure. I thought everyone was overreacting, and it would be hours yet.”
“Well, some people have an atypical birth experience,” Dr. Lowe said. “It