Page 55 of Ascendant Moon
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Erin hurried home after closing the clinic at noon. Hungry, eager to see Kaylee, and worried about her mother, the drive seemed to take longer than usual. Poor Lou! He’d stopped intwiceto see if there was any news he might have missed, and Erin assured him that he would be the first one to know. The man might be tough as nails, but as a first-time father he wanted to be home with his mate as any shifter male would.
Erin pulled into the lot, picked up Kaylee at the daycare, and went to the packhouse to grab a to-go lunch for herself and her mother. When Donna didn’t answer the door, Erin went inside and found her napping on the couch—an open book resting on her enormous belly.
“Oh! Sorry, honey. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down. Why don’t you feed Kaylee and I’ll put lunch on the table?”
While the baby nursed, Erin told Donna about her half-day at the clinic.
“Doctor Byrd is a hoot, Mom! The patients were surprised to see her instead of you, but they all seemed to like her. She has a great bedside manner and tells the funniest stories. If she wasn’t human, I’d ask if we could keep her on after you come back.”
Donna continued setting the table as she answered.
“You know why we can’t, though she’s just the type we need. I sent a message to Alpha Sheppard the other day, asking if he knew of any OBGYN shifters that might be interested in sharing the practice. I’ll let you know if I hear anything, but it would be an ideal arrangement for both of us, especially while the kids are young.”
Erin finished feeding Kaylee and then dug into her own meal. It didn’t take long to notice that Donna wasn’t eating very much, and Erin called her out.
“It’s started hasn’t it? The signs are all there, Mom, which means today’s the day!”
Donna abandoned her plate and stopped pretending.
“You’re right, but don’t say anything to Lou yet. It could be midnight or after before things get started, and he’s got a meeting yet tonight. There’s no reason for him to sit here with nothing to do except worry. Tell you what, if the time comes and I’m not thinking clearly, just call him home, all right?”
Erin agreed.
“You got it, Mom. If you still want Jonah and Evie here, we should probably let them know ahead of time.”
Donna shook her head.
“No. Word will get out and I don’t want everyone hovering for the rest of the day. I’ll give Evan a quick call so he knows, but nobody else for now.”
After lunch, Erin put Kaylee down for a nap in the new nursery and joined her mother in the primary bedroom. Together, they checked all the supplies, rearranged the nest a little more, and then put a load of laundry in the washing machine. It wasn’t long before Donna went down for her own nap, and Erin kept watch from a corner chair, monitoring her mother’s scent.
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Near 7 p.m.
Lou growled all the way to the Elks Lodge, making Scooter nervous. His mind wasn’t focused on law enforcement, elections, or schmoozing with voters. All he wanted to do was stay home with his soon-to-deliver mate. Donna had insisted that he attend the meeting even though they both knew she could go into labor at any moment—thus the growling and Scooter’s raw nerves. What was so difficult about giving a short speech, answering questions, and mixing with concerned citizens? The difference was that while Lou had dealt with many dangerous and stressful situations in the past, none of them were so intenselypersonal.
They arrived to find a good-sized crowd, along with a local media presence covering the run for Sheriff. Traditionally, seniors were active voters who took local politics seriously, and Lou needed to reassure them that decreasing crime was uppermost in his mind. They arrived in time to shake a few hands before he stood to speak—secretly wishing he was at Donna’s side where he belonged.
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About an hour later…
Donna couldn’t stop pacing, stopping every now and again to breathe through a mild contraction. Erin finally had enough and sent Scooter a text.
>Bring him home. It’s time!
>What? He’s still talking to people.
>NOW Scooter! Donna needs him.
>Oh shit! Right. Got it.
Once Erin saw his reply, she went to tell Donna that Lou was on his way. All they had to do was wait.
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