Page 108 of Pucked and Pregnant

“This is all your fault,” I gasp out as the contraction fades a little. I crack an eye open and glare at Aiden, and then Dimitri. “And also yours and yours,” I say grimly.

Aiden goes a little pale as he looks at me, and I feel a surge of triumph that helps push me through the next hideous contraction.

“Be as angry at us as you want if it helps you get through the pain,” Connor reassures me.

Dimitri dares to come closer and cups my face in his large hands. He starts speaking in Russian to me. Although I only catch a word here and there, it’s enough to know that he’s saying I’m a strong and beautiful warrior woman, peppered with words of love in between.

“I’m still not convinced that I can’t have an epidural,” I snarl at Dimitri in response. He grins at me and kisses the end of my nose while uttering more words in Russian.

“Honey, we’re past the safe point where we can give you an epidural,” the veteran nurse who has been taking care of me says as she hustles into the room with ice chips in a cup. She squeezes my shoulder and winks at me. “Just a few more hours of pain then you’ll get to hold your babies.”

“Easy for you to say,” I grumble between rapidly narrowing contractions.

“I’ve had six kids,” the nurse tells me, and I feel a wash of humble pie rain down on me. “You survive, and you even thrive,” she says. “Keep crushing that one’s hand and yelling at the other two. It’ll help.”

I offer a small grin to the men surrounding my hospital bed. “You hear that? I can yell at you all I want because it will help.”

“Yell at us with all the power you’ve got,” Dimitri says with a huge grin.

I hiss a few curses at him and grab Connor’s hand as hard as I can as another contraction tears through me. Dimitri chuckles and takes my other hand.

“Break it if you must,” he says, his accent thick as he squeezes my fingers.

“I’m going to get the doctor,” the nurse says after measuring me. “I think it’s close to showtime.”

Her words cause a jolt of fear to race through me. I’m not ready. I can’t be ready. This is too big.

“I’m scared,” I say, in the same rage-filled voice I’ve been using to yell at them about how much pain I’m in.

Dimitri’s smile falls from his face and he looks at Aiden. Rage is something Dimitri understands. Fear, he isn’t so comfortable with.

“You can do this,” Aiden says soothingly as he takes over for Dimitri. He grips my hand lightly then reaches out with the other to push my sticky hair off my forehead. “You are strong and brave and I love you. You’re my hero.”

I look at him, feeling a little bubble of hope and strength take over me. I look at Dimitri and Connor and give them a teary-eyed smile.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” I sniffle.

Connor laughs. “I liked it. Do it more.”

We all chuckle at that before another contraction seizes me. I double forward, nausea and pain scorching through my body.

“Oh my god,” I gasp, flopping back on the pillow behind me. “I have to do thistwice,” I moan.

“And you’ll do it in style,” Aiden assures me.

“Yeah, I’m really glamorous right now,” I complain as I feel another contraction coming on.

“You look radiant,” Connor says with a fond smile.

I glare at him and swipe at the sweat on my face.

They all laugh and exchange a look.

“What are you laughing at?” I hiss.

“Just push, love,” Aiden encourages.

“Time for the big girl panties,” my nurse says as she comes back in the room with the doctor.

---