Page 26 of Such a Sweet Omega

Jabez was paler than I’d ever seen him and gripping my hand as though he were the one in labor instead of me.

“Is something wrong with the baby?” I asked him.

“They are monitoring his heartbeat. That’s all.”

Didn’t seem normal to me, but he was the healer.

The nurse returned with the ice chips and had another healer. Neither of them was smiling.

That couldn’t be good.

“Beale, we’ve got some concerns. As your labor progresses, your baby’s heartbeat is slowing. I don’t think they are handling all of this well.”

Jabez swallowed and gripped the edge of the bed.

“I understand. What’s the plan?” I asked, hoping my voice somehow drowned out the pounding of my heart.

“We think the best course of action is a C-section. Not my first choice for birth, but we are going to do what’s best for you and your baby. Jabez, I’m sure you agree.”

“Yes,” he choked out. My poor alpha. I was sure he was reliving part of his trauma right then and there. “As long as they are both healthy, we’ll do whatever. Right?” He looked down at me, tears welling in his eyes.

“Yes. I think that’s best. Let’s make sure everyone is taken care of. We’re going to be okay, mate. I promise you. I won’t leave you.”

“Please don’t,” my alpha said, only a faint shake in his voice.

“I’m gonna try my best.”

On our way to the operating room, my blood pressure rose. Once I was on the table, our baby’s heartbeat became more erratic with every passing moment. Jabez held my hands as I was given an epidural, and I soon had zero feeling from the chest down which was scary but also a relief. No more pain sounded like the best thing in the world.

The second-best thing would be the sounds of our pup’s first cry.

“Jabez, did you want to watch or stay up there with your mate?” the surgeon asked. The other healer was in the room as well, but he would take care of our baby once they were born while the surgeon would tend to the C-section.

“I will stay here.” He hovered over my face, whispering all things encouraging and telling me how much he loved me, but a tsunami of worry rose between us. Who could blame him? Fate and life had dealt him a ton of trauma in the past.

He’d told me one night that he didn’t think he would be able to live through another mate dying.

Nor another baby.

He was surprised he had made it through the first round.

I listened to the surgeon’s explanation. There was a ton of tugging and pressure and awkward jerks and despite Jabez being next to me, his eyes were on my belly.

Our whole family was there in that room, and our lives hung in the balance. Even the one who had no physical part in the birth.

“And there we are. We have a baby.”

I listened while Jabez sucked in a breath. We listened and listened for what seemed like a million years until I heard it.

The first cries of our baby.

Jabez had never looked more torn. His body swayed a bit toward our baby, but then he looked down at me. Tears rolled down his beautiful face in relief and joy, but I knew he wouldn’t be fully happy until the healer assessed our baby.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” I asked.

“A son.” Jabez brushed some sweat from my forehead. “We have a son, omega.”

I sighed. A son. “Go on. Go make sure he’s okay. I’m fine here. I promise I’m fine.”

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