imagine assisting with an egg birth in a hospital bed. An omega needs to feel safe and happy on the day of a birth. It helps them open up and lay the egg without injury. How can I give Lu that in a place that smells of rubbing alcohol and has terrible food?
Lu squeezes my hand. “I can do that. I’m just relieved our baby is okay. I had a C-section before. It saved my life.”
I figured he had because of the scar on his lower abdomen. If Lu’s okay with this, I should be too.
“There is every reason to believe that your pregnancy will continue to be healthy without complications. Congratulations, gentlemen. I have the results of the amniocentesis right here. If you’re wondering what all of it means, your child has no abnormalities. This is what we were hoping for.” She hands Lu a few papers stapled together.
He leans into me, his body relaxed. “It’s okay, Sam.”
“What if moving to the hospital prevents his inner omega from feeling safe enough to build a nest?” I’ve heard of that happening with penguin shifters in war zones or in situations of domestic abuse.
“It’s of the utmost importance that Lu feels comfortable at the hospital. We’ll allow you to make changes to the room, and we encourage frequent visits by friends and family. It would be best if you could sleep at the hospital with him, Sam.”
That may be difficult. My alpha father still hasn’t come around, which means we can’t leave the kids with my fathers. And Cy will be near the end of his pregnancy too. We can’t expect Axe to take our kids when his mate is about to give birth.
“We’ll make it work,” Lu says.
I guess we don’t have a choice. We’ll have to.
42
Lu
Four Months Later…
My hospital room has a window. It’s overlooking a parking lot, but it’s a big one. Lots of natural light.
Sam walks in with the box of paintings we framed last week—my box of wishes. Wishes that came true.
Nothing will make me feel more at home than that.
Axe follows with my suitcases full of clothes and other necessities to get me through the next few weeks. The doctor said I shouldn’t go back home until the baby comes, in the hope of convincing my body that this hospital room is my new home.
“Let’s hang the paintings along this wall,” I say, pointing to the only wall without white boards or privacy notices.
They said we could alter the room. I should probably ask what the limitations are.
Ben pokes his head in. “This is nice.” He’s two months pregnant with an egg, so I didn’t ask him to carry anything. His arms are full of reusable grocery bags anyway. Cy walks in with bags too.
What did they bring?
Todd is the last one to file into the room. He has a mini-fridge in his arms. “Where do you want it?”
“Wait… where did that come from?” I ask.
“Cy bought it for you,” Ben says. “He said the ragers at the Slope all had one to make their rooms feel more like home.”
Sam’s already getting out the adhesive strips to hang the paintings. Todd sets down the fridge, and they fill it with my favorite foods. Axe unpacks my clothes into the wooden wardrobe on the other side of the room.
Despite all of the stuff, it’s these men who make me feel at home. As long as they’re here for me, I could feel at home anywhere.
Liam walks in. Which doesn’t make any sense. Liam was supposed to be at home with Mary, Parker, and Morgan. He’s carrying the blue bedspread Sam bought for our room when I moved in.
Parker comes in next with my box of paints. Morgan is close behind with a stack of Mary’s board books. She skips in behind them holding a box of crayons.
“How…” Sam says, before his alpha father enters with four pillows in his arms.
“I figured you’ll need them eventually,” he says, depositing the pillows on the bed.
Sam holds out his arms. His father gives him a long hug.
Grandpa Jerry walks in last with a cookie jar. There isn’t enough space in this room for all of the people in my life. Only a few months ago, I felt so alone. And now, my life is bursting at the seams with the people I love.
“We should bring some rugs,” Axe says, pointing to the linoleum floor by my bed.
Cy nods. “And a desk. Right now he doesn’t have anywhere to draw