Page 131 of Omega's Refuge

“I’ll let him know you’re in labor.” She said a few more things to the person on the other end of the call, and then she hung up. “Let’s get you to a delivery room. Rex, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing that wheelchair over there for Tanner.” She pointed to a wheelchair nearby. “I’ll print the paperwork and be right behind you. Just go down that hallway to Labor and Delivery, Room 3.”

Rex grabbed the wheelchair and helped me lower myself into it. Then with Linda’s directions, he took off down a short corridor. The hallway smelled of antiseptic, clean and sharp, with faint undertones of coffee wafting from somewhere deeper in the building. Rex’s boots squeaked against the polished floor tiles.

We were met at the door of Labor and Delivery, Room 3 by a young, male nurse with dark curls and a reassuring smile. “I’m NurseEvan. Bring Tanner in here and while we help him up on the table, you can change into scrubs in that little room over there.”

“Okay.” Rex looked uncertain about leaving me.

Evan took hold of the wheelchair. “I promise he’ll be fine. You’ll only be gone a few minutes and I’ll look after him.”

Rex let out a shaky breath and he looked down at me. “I’ll just be a second.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

Rex headed toward the door of the changing room, giving me an uneasy look over his shoulder.

“He’s very protective,” Evan said, helping me to my feet. “That’s how an alpha should be.”

I didn’t respond because another contraction hit. Evan waited patiently for it to pass, and then he was able to help me hobble to the table. He assisted me up onto the flat surface, adjusting the small pillow beneath my head for me.

“You good?” Evan asked, smiling down at me.

“Well, as good as I can be, considering.” I winced as another contraction slammed into me.

Evan grimaced. “The contractions are very close together. It won’t be long now.”

“God,” I whimpered.

“It’s okay. We’ll take care of you and the baby.” Evan helped strip off my clothing. Hehelped me into a hospital gown, and then he moved away to talk to another nurse who’d entered the bright room.

I scanned the room, taking in the sterile environment. The room was small but well-equipped, with the hospital bed I was on, and monitors set up on one side. There were no windows, but the lights were very bright, bouncing off the white walls.

Rex returned, wearing blue scrubs and a mask. He lowered the mask when he reached me. “How are you feeling?”

“Like an alien is trying to escape my body.” I tried to smile, but failed miserably as another contraction hit.“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”I gripped Rex’s hand, and he winced but held on tight.

Evan returned, pulling on a pair of gloves. “I’m going to check your vitals, Tanner, and then get you hooked up to the monitor. We’ll want to keep an eye on the baby’s heartbeat.”

“Is Dr. Thompson on his way?” Rex asked nervously.

Evan nodded. “Yep. He’ll be here shortly.”

The next few minutes were a blur of activity. Evan wrapped a blood pressure cuff around my arm, clipped a pulse oximeter to my finger, and placed two elastic bands with sensors around my belly. The monitor beeped steadily, and a rapid, heartbeat filled the room. Relief flooded me at the sound of my baby’s heart.

“Hear that?” Rex smiled. “The baby’s heart sounds strong.”

“Yeah, it does.” I nodded, my eyes stinging with tears.

You’re doing great, Tanner,” Rex murmured, holding my hand. “So much better than I’d do.”

Sweat beaded my face as I held his gaze. “I just want this to be over.”

He nodded, looking pained. While watching me go through labor was easier than being the one doing it, it still had to be difficult to see someone he loved in pain.

Relief flooded me when Dr. Thompson arrived. He strode over to us, glasses perched on the bridge of his long nose. “You boys must have taken my advice.”

Rex frowned. “Advice?”

He lowered his voice. “About having sex. You must have listened and here we are.” He grinned. “I told you so.”

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