Page 164 of Lost
“I won’t let you drop the baby. You’re doing great,” I reassure him.
Adira whimpers and I check her for signs of distress.
“You’re doing so good,” I tell her. “Morris, Jed. Help her get onto her knees. We’re going to let gravity help here. She’s getting tired and we’re so close.”
Morris and Jed both help her, letting her squeeze their hands as she pushes through another contraction. Two pushes later, we have a very healthy little girl sliding into Damon and my waiting hands.
“She’s perfect,” I whisper, helping to hand her up to Adira. “Carefully turn around and lay down. Congratulations, mama.”
Adira sobs as she carefully turns so she can lay down with her baby, while I clean up and Morris makes sure there’s a pad underneath his omega. We’ll change the sheets again once the afterbirth is taken care of, but she can relax for now.
Jed covers Adira up while she cradles the baby, and I begin to take her vitals.
“Hi baby,” she whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“Believe it,” I say. “She’s so pretty.”
The baby is covered in vernix, but it doesn’t do a thing to detract from her long lashes and curly red hair. Kane takes a photo of Adira and the baby with a proud smile before pocketing it away.
“We have some time before it happens, but does anyone want to cut the cord?” I ask.
Jed’s eyes get really big, and I can see that I have a taker. Damon lays next to Adira after taking care of his gloves and washing his hands, looking exhausted.
“You’re amazing,” he mumbles. “I love you both so much, Adira.”
She smiles over at him before turning her smile on the rest of her pack.
“I love you all too,” Adira murmurs before looking back down at the baby. “You need a name, little one, don’t you?”
“What about Elani?” Kane asks. “It means light of the sun.”
I’m impressed by the name as I nod, quiet as I pull out what I’ll need to weigh the baby later.
“Is your name Elani?” Adira asks, looking down at her baby.
She looks up at her mama with wide eyes, already alert and wiggly. Those are all good signs, and I make a note as I half listen to her.
“I think she likes it,” Morris murmurs. “It’s a pretty name.”
My lips tip up as they all agree. I love being a fly on the wall while watching new parents bond. There’s nothing better than the afterglow of a birth for me.
Adira is a birthing rockstar.
The charity event is long over by the time I’m ready to leave. Adira has nursed her baby for the first time, had breakfast in bed, taken a shower, and is ready to go to sleep. Elani is eight pounds, four ounces and didn’t tear her mama at all during birth.
I think that’s a perk of being an omega and made to take a knot. It doesn’t mean it hurts any less while birthing a bowling ball though.
Yawning as I leave Pack Dresmond’s home at two in the morning, I focus on the road. I checked my phone once before I started driving, and I was able to see a few beautiful photos of Linus and Quinn in the aerial silks as they danced.
What caught my attention the most was how serene they both looked together. They’re so in love, and her baby bump didn’t affect her in the least. If anything, I imagine that being airborne must have been incredibly freeing.
My heater is working overtime as I drive, but I swear Bertha is laughing at me because it’s not helping at all. Blowing out a breath as I try to watch the road through the shit visibility, I frown as I see there’s a roadblock coming up ahead of me.
Taking a right to follow the detour even though it feels odd that this would be happening so late at night, I reach for my phone and call Caleb. They said they’d be waiting for me at my house, and I doubt that they’re asleep yet.
“Hey, beautiful. Are you done?”he asks.
“I am. I’m driving home and I’m on Winston and Thresher. There was a road block and I had to take a detour. It doesn’t make sense that… Oh fuck,” I whisper.
