“Felix’s water broke. Premature,” Kade says, breathless. “I’m taking the car to the hospital. Gotta pack an overnight bag. But he said hi.”
“Oh! How’s the labor going?”
“Not started yet. Need to get back.” He leaves her behind on the stairs, sprinting to the bedroom he shares with Felix. Bag. Toothbrush. Toothpaste. Sleeping clothes. Socks. Warm slippers.
“It might be better if you don’t toss them all into the bag at once,” his mom says, smiling from the doorway. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to miss it,” Kade says, his breath catching. It’s Felix, and it’s their baby, and he wants to be there for Felix when he goes into labor. They’re going to be dads. They’re going to be dads! Is he going to screw up? Are they going to be good enough? He’ll need to take some time off work to stay with Felix, and oh, hell, they’ll be bringing a baby home. Their baby.
“Take some spare change with you,” his mom says. “For vending machines. It could be a long wait, since it’s his first.”
Kade groans. He doesn’t want to wait anymore. “Sure.”
He throws other things into the bag, like phone chargers and a camera, and sketchpads.
“Is Felix all settled in?”
“Yeah. They’ve got him changed into the hospital clothes. I left him with the giraffe.” And it’s kind of funny, Felix and that giraffe they joked about so long ago. Back then, Kade hadn’t even known about the pregnancy. “Shit, I’m gonna be a dad. We’ll have a baby here this time tomorrow.”
“Nervous?” His mom smiles.
“Yeah.” When he’s got clothes for him and Felix, a pillow, and probably more things than they need, Kade looks around. “Never thought I’d be a dad.”
“You’ll do fine,” his mom says, pride on her face. “So will Felix.”
Doesn’t seem like we need anything else from here. He relaxes a little more, stopping by the doorway to pull his mom into a hug. “Be back soon. Get your sleep in. I’m sure it’s gonna get busy around here.”
She laughs. Kade sucks in a deep breath, wishing he could be as calm as she is.
At the hospital, he checks his phone again. I’m in Ward 63A, Felix texted. Things are fine.
Kade weaves through the corridors, brushing by nurses and people strolling around. There are too many people in here. He needs to get to Felix.
He barrels into the ward, almost knocking down a nurse. Felix smiles up from the cot. The sheets are pulled over his hips, and he’s in a purple hospital gown, tiny in the wide bed. “You really didn’t have to rush.”
“You weren’t waiting for me?” Kade grins, slowing down when he reaches his bondmate’s side. “I brought you things.”
Felix wriggles the giraffe at him. “I had company. It smells like you. It was comforting.”
Kade sets the overnight bag at the foot of the bed, relaxing. Felix scoots over the mattress. Kade squeezes beside him, gingerly holding his belly. “It’s fine?”
“It is. You really don’t have to worry,” Felix says, folding Kade’s hand into his own. “I just had the first contraction a few minutes ago.”
Kade’s breath catches in his throat. “It’s starting?”
“Seems that way, yes.” Felix snuggles close to Kade, leaning his head against Kade’s shoulder. “But it might be many more hours yet. I hope you won’t get bored.”
Kade laughs. “Bored? With you?”
Felix grins. “Oh, sure. I’ll just be here being bitchy and pregnant for the next several hours.”
Kade kisses him. “Then I’ll wait with you,” he says, gingerly touching the baby bump again. It moves against his palm, and his heart skips. “Go ahead and bitch.”
“Ha!” Felix leans in and kisses him, his eyes glowing with warmth. “You’re the very best, Kade.”
And those words light Kade up from inside.
Three hours in, Kade’s nerves twist together, like live wires trapped in his body. “It’s not coming out yet?”
Felix winces as he breathes through a contraction, squeezing Kade’s hand. “No. It’s supposed to take longer than this.”
The midwife checks on them. Kade sighs, leaning in to smell the lavender of his bondmate’s hair. “Guess I should’ve expected this.”
“You think?” But Felix grins. He slaps Kade lightly on the thigh. “Go read your bike magazines,” he says. “You’re more worried about this than I am.”
Kade sighs, grumbling as he pulls his phone out. “Fine.”
Five hours in, Kade paces on the floor around the bed. “You’d think it’ll be out faster,” he says. “Breaking the water and all that. What the hell is it still doing in there?”
“It’s waiting for you to calm down,” Felix says, his tone dry. He cuddles the pillow from home, tossing the giraffe at Kade. “Looks like you need a snuggle buddy.”
“I’m fine,” Kade grumbles, his heart still pattering. He plucks the giraffe out of midair. “It’s just taking a lot longer than I expected.”
“You need to sit down,” Felix says, patting the bed again. “Maybe the doctor should order you some bed rest.”
Kade barks a laugh. “Me, bed rest?”
“Why don’t you get pregnant next time?” Felix says, his eyes twinkling. “You’d be so calm about it.”
“Maybe. Guess I’d try getting pregnant if I could.” Kade frowns. They’ve been here for hours. “I don’t get how you’re so calm now.”
“It’s built into me, I guess.” Felix laughs, shrugging. “Come on, quit stomping around and kiss me.”
Which doesn’t sound bad at all. So Kade steps over, settling into the bed next to Felix, pulling his omega into his arms.
At ten hours, Kade’s ready to snipe at something. Break a wall. Felix pants through a contraction, his fingers squeezing the life out of Kade’s hand.
“Breathe,” Kade says, sucking in lungfuls of air to demonstrate.
“Tell me to breathe one more time, Kade Brentwood, and I’ll wring your neck,” Felix wheezes, flipping him off. “Fucking hurts.”
Kade winces. “It should help, right?”
“No!” Felix shudders again, his face paling. Kade holds his
