Page 22 of Once Upon a Rec Center Wish
With my mate gone, I washed up with the water he’d drawn from the well the night before. After getting dressed in a loose-fitting pair of shorts and a tank top, I headed to the kitchen to figure out what to eat. Pregnancy had led to some strange cravings, some of which couldn’t be satisfied in the Enchanted Forest, and a repulsion toward foods I used to love. Biscuits were always a safe bet, and I found one left in the basket on the counter. Lonnie, Banir’s mate, made a delicious berry spread, and I added some of that to my breakfast. After a quick tidy, I slid on a pair of sandals and headed to the home of the outer-worlder who’d been in the enchanted world the longest.
The day was beautiful. While the sun shone bright in the sky, it didn’t feel too hot with the cool breeze. Being pregnant, I was thankful I had yet to experience any humid days like what we often endured on summer days back in the outer-world. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to suffer through that weather in my condition. I would likely stay indoors in my bed with ice packs all over me. Or find a spot to camp out in the part of the forest with the thickest canopy.
The wind rustled through the tall grasses as I approached Walter’s place. He really did have a nice location, but I preferred to be closer to the village. Sudden movement around me snapped me to attention. Not one thing rushing through thevegetation but several. And all heading in my direction. Panic clenched my heart until I saw the reddish-brown hair of one of Banir and Lonnie’s children.
“Hello, kids.” I glanced around as several youngsters giggled as they popped their heads up from the grassy field. “Were you trying to scare me?”
“Yep.” One of them stuck his tongue out then took off toward the house. The rest seemed to follow except Ellis, one of Nelson and Holden’s sons. He took my hand as we walked together on the path.
He glanced up at me. “Are your babies ready to come out yet?”
I smiled. Ellis had been so shy and timid when I first met him even though he adored Vern, but he always came up to me to ask about my babies once he found out I was pregnant. “Not yet. But soon, I think. There’s not much room left for them to grow. They’ll have to come out before they get any bigger.”
With a giggle, he tugged my hand. “Can I touch your belly and talk to them?”
“Yes, you can.” Teaching kids to ask to touch was a lesson I was thankful his parents had taught him, and one of the many things I mentally made a note of to make sure my kids knew growing up.
Placing his palms on the sides of my stomach, Ellis leaned so close that his nose nearly made contact with my protruding belly button. “Hello in there. This is Ellis speaking. I’m a kid like you. I want you to come out so we can all play with you. I know you’ll be too little at first, but we’ll have lots of fun once you’re big enough. And don’t worry. Everyone out here is super nice. Especially your dad whose belly you’re in. I can’t wait to meet you.” He grinned up at me then skipped ahead on the path. “My dad and the healer are waiting for you. They sent us to make sure you were okay. Hurry up now.”
With a chuckle, I tried to walk a little faster.
Chapter Eighteen
Vern
“Uncle Vern, Uncle Vern, they’re coming!”
The piercing voice startled me from my intense concentration while framing the large tub into the far corner of the birthing center. I knew I had to get it done soon, knew it wouldn’t be long before Falco went into labor. Though I recognized the voice, I glanced past the open door of the center to see Ellis racing toward me. Was I too late already? Would this be the day the village declared me a fraud because I hadn’t been ready for my mate to give birth?
Ever since Falco had gotten pregnant, I was sure every being watched me closely, looking for some reason to prove I wasn’t a good mate. I loved him with everything I had, but it still seemed unreal that he chose me. And now he carried my babies, soon to deliver them out into our enchanted world. All the doubts I’d had before being mated seemed amplified at the idea of becoming a parent. Not only did I worry about not being good enough for Falco, but I also worried I wouldn’t know how to raise children properly. The other parents in the community told me I worried for nothing, that I was great with their kids, but having little ones of my own seemed a far bigger undertaking.
Ellis came to a stop at the entrance, panting as he held onto the doorframe. “They’re coming,” he huffed out. “I talked to them in Falco’s belly. I told them to come out because I wanted to play with them, and now they are. They listened to me. Uncle Walter sent me ahead, and Rauh said you’re supposed to fill the tub.”
Miffs.I knew I wouldn’t finish in time. But what I’d accomplished would have to do for the moment. “Okay, I’ll get right to it.” With Falco and those accompanying him on theirway to the village, I had to hurry. First, I wet a cloth to wipe the dust and other debris from the construction of the building out of the tub. Once I was sure it was clean enough, I pumped in the water. We had drilled a well under the building for the sole purpose of using it for the birthing center. It was supposed to be faster and meant no one had to haul water from a central well shared with others in the community. Except the water came out cold, pumped out from deep in the ground. I paused the flow of water to light the stove underneath. Unlike in Falco’s realm, we didn’t have what he called electricity to heat things up, but we did borrow some of the technology from the outer-world to find alternate ways to do things. Plus, Max had taught me to stretch my magic to not only keep me in my human form but to use it for simple tasks as well. So, after getting the tub filled over halfway, I stuck my finger into the water and swirled it around.
If the length of time between Ellis disappearing and reappearing at the door was any indication of how long until my mate arrived, the fire below wouldn’t heat the water in time for Falco to use the tub. As I weaved my finger through the water, the liquid produced a faint red glow. I hoped it provided enough warmth since I heard the shuffling of many feet before I turned around to find my mate with sweat beading across his forehead and being held up by Walter and Rauh.
“It’s time,” the healer said.
I nodded, immediately knowing what I had to do as I rushed toward my mate, like a new kind of instinct kicked in that I didn’t know I possessed until that instant.
Chapter Nineteen
Falco
The pain radiating along the bottom of my belly and at the base of my spine was unlike anything I had ever felt before. My heart raced and the sound pounded in my ears. I didn’t know if I wanted to vomit or cry, but my body failed to stop torturing me enough to do either one. If not for Walter and Rauh holding me, I would have been crumpled in a ball on the ground. While the idea of being pregnant and having kids of my own seemed like a wonderful idea when I first arrived in this world, I feared I’d made a grave mistake, one that would be the end of me.
My labor had come on quickly. I’d arrived at Walter’s place and sat with him and Rauh to review all the healer had learned about how beavers gave birth. Some of the information wasn’t relevant since I didn’t live in a den and I couldn’t reach down to lick myself. But Rauh believed my delivery would happen quickly as it did with Lonnie whose mate was a squirrel shifter, since both squirrels and beavers are rodents. Just as the healer shared that piece of information, I felt the first twinge. I didn’t believe it to be much different than one of them kicking. Not until the next one came only moments later with a little more force. They kept happening. Each one more distressing than the previous. Though it wasn’t until the fifth contraction that I groaned, causing Rauh to stop talking.
“Is it time?” he asked, setting down the book from the outer-world. “Are you in labor?”
“Maybe.” I winced and wrapped my arms around my belly. “Something is definitely going on down there.”
Walter walked outside to where the kids were playing while Rauh stood in front of me. “How long have you been experiencing pain down there?”
“Not long.” I braced as my insides tightened again. “But they keep getting worse with each one, and there’s not much time in between.” I thought that was important information based on the shows I’d seen from the outer-world that involved laboring women. “And I’m starting to feel it in my back.”
He moved to my side and placed an arm around me. “We need to get you to the village. To the birthing center. Otherwise, you’ll be giving birth right here.”
