Page 14 of Unexpected Delivery

I sway a little, but catch myself.

Hayes and Morris might be terrified, but at least on the outside, you can’t tell.

They’re rock stars at not panicking.

I’m not about to be the weak link in something so important.

I don’t know what it means when Arbor stops wailing and moves to softly crying, but the baby’s head that seemed to be about to pop out suddenly scoots back in. She’s still got her legs up to her chest, and it seems like she’s keeping them there for now.

“Is that normal?” I ask Hayes in barely more than a whisper.

“It’s called retraction, and it is. We need to swap out the towels.” He lowers his voice even farther before going on. “Preferably without her seeing how soaked they are.”

I nod.

That plastic shower liner is the only thing saving us from needing an entirely new couch.

But fuck the couch.

That’s something replaceable.

Screwing this up isn’t an option.

I’m still baffled how Morris and Hayes aren’t losing their shit.

My whole world feels like it’s on fire.

“Okay, can you plant your feet on the cushion and lift up for me?” Hayes asks.

“I don’t know,” she says in a wobbly tone as Morris releases her legs. The sheet makes a tent around her knees, which is good. If she could see all that blood, she’d be panicking.

Morris helps while Hayes takes over, wrapping his forearms under her knees and lifting.

I tug the towels free and drop them in a garbage bag. Once they’re gone, I place another layer on the comforter. My hands are soaked in her blood. I would normally freak out about it, but Hayes made a big deal about him needing to be sterile to avoid introducing germs into the equation, and he only has one pair of gloves left.

I had no idea the human body could even hold this much blood. It’s terrifying and impressive all at the same time.

Hayes barely gets her lowered to the couch when another contraction takes over. Arbor groans, muttering something I can’t make out as she pulls her legs up once more.

Morris wraps his massive hands under her thighs, which makes the tent area of the sheet smaller, but Hayes doesn’t mind…he gets all up in there.

I collect another clean washcloth, handing it over his shoulder. He grabs it and pats around the baby’s head while I use another to clean off my bloody skin.

My gaze moves back to what Hayes is doing, and it looks like he’s got two fingers at the top of the baby’s head and two on the side. He’s not pushing, at least I don’t think he is. From here, it seems more like he’s gently guiding where the baby moves to.

Honest to God, I’ve never put much thought into how babies are born, but my mind is blown. If I was Arbor, I would have passed out by now. She’s a fucking beast at giving birth.

My mouth falls open as the entire head twists slightly to the side and pops out.

“The head is out,” I tell the exhausted omega. “Holy fucking shit! You’re doing so good.”

“You really are,” Morris says, kissing her temple. “Almost there, sweetheart. Just a bit more, and you can hold your baby.”

Hayes continues to monitor her, and on the next push, the shoulders pop out. The rest of the body follows, along with a gush of blood and fluid.

Hayes keeps the little one upside down for a few seconds while he cleans out their mouth and nose. He nods for the towel, patting and rubbing the baby’s back, while I’m still frozen in awe.

My heart pounds like a drum as I hand it to him, and he flips over the baby to wrap them up.

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