Not His Omega To Love by GS Holmes

28Cody

Ethan rubbed my back,and I shifted, trying to get more comfortable where I sat beside him on the couch, leaning into his side. We were watching one of his scary-ass movies, which I didn’t mind too much when he was with me. And since he was home every day now, having taken his paternity leave yesterday, he was quite fine with me standing outside the bathroom if he needed to take a pee.

I shuddered and clamped a hand over my eyes at the hideous monster that ripped the face off a woman. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. I was going to be up all night with nightmares after this.

“Still feeling okay?” Ethan asked.

He’d been asking me that all evening. “Don’t stop rubbing my back,” I said. “It’s so soothing.” Especially when I got those tight clenching pains I’d been feeling all day. This past week had been absolutely the worst. The baby kept sticking itself in places that made it hard to sleep. I had heartburn from hell that no amount of antacid helped, and my bladder was practically nonexistent.

And I needed to use the bathroom again, but this time, it wasn’t even to pee.

“Bathroom break.”

“Okay, come on.” He paused the television and stood. He had to help me out of the brand-new couch he’d bought earlier this week just as he’d said he would. I gasped and took a deep breath at another clenching pain.

“Let’s get you up the stairs. I think that’s enough of the horror movie.”

“But it isn’t over yet.”

“I think we’re done, baby. We’ve got to get you to the hospital.”

“The hospital? Why?”

“Now don’t freak out, but I think you’ve been going through labor all afternoon.”

I scoffed at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. If I’d been going through labor, I would’ve known.”

“You haven’t been paying attention to the signs. You’re having contractions. Sure, they may not be too strong right now, but I know I’m right.”

“Wouldn’t I know?”

A white-hot flare of pain shot through me, and I would have fallen if Ethan hadn’t caught me.

“Oh my god, I’m going into labor.”

“No need to panic. We’ve practiced this before in our class. We know what to expect. You’re going to sit back down in the chair, and I’ll grab the suitcase.”

“Please, don’t leave me.” If I hadn’t known I was in labor, what else would I do wrong?

“I’m not going anywhere, Cody. Just getting your bag. You’ll be brave for me, won’t you?”

Could I be brave? I was about to give birth. I nodded frantically. “Okay.”

“Good.” He kissed my forehead and dashed up the stairs.

Okay, breathe.

I grunted at another pain that rippled down my spine and tightened my belly. Oh, my gods, why had I thought I could do this?

I grabbed the arms of the chair and clenched my teeth, riding out the next cramp. Breathing didn’t help. Why the hell did they think breathing could help with something like this?

“Ethaaaan!” I screamed his name. “I need you.”

“I’m here, baby.” He clattered down the stairs with the suitcase in hand. “I called your doctor, and he’s meeting us at the hospital. Let’s get you into the car.”

His arm supporting me, I wobbled toward the car, which thankfully was still parked in the driveway. We’d been out earlier for dinner, and he hadn’t put the car in the garage. He stowed the suitcase in the front seat and had me sit in the back.

“We’re going to get there as safely and quickly as possible.” He gave me a quick kiss. “It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

I hoped he was right. The pain was unbearable. Oh, how stupid was I not to have seen the earlier signs.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked him.

“I wasn’t sure until we started watching the movie and I saw how much you were wincing and rubbing your back.” He flashed me a reassuring smile through the rearview mirror. “And first babies are more likely to be late, as we learned in our class. We’ll get there in time.”

“Please hurry. It feels like this one wants to dance their way out.” The baby moved again. They weren’t going to be in there much longer.

I was a moaning mess by the time he’d parked at the hospital and helped me out. Someone met us at the entrance with a wheelchair. I wanted to argue that I didn’t need a wheelchair when another sharp stab ripped through me. I sat gratefully and allowed the orderly to push me ahead.

“I need to fill out some paperwork for you, baby, but I’ll be right there.”

I didn’t like being without Ethan, but he’d asked me to be brave for him, so I nodded. He kissed my forehead and went up to the nurse’s station to check me in. I was transported to the L&D unit and taken to a private delivery room that Ethan must have paid a fortune for.

A nurse helped me out of my clothes and into a gown. She stuck a needle into the back of my hand and asked me to lie on the bed to wait for the doctor to come and check how far along the baby was.

Just as the nurse left, Ethan came into the room. I was so glad to see him, I let out a sob.

“It’s okay. I’m here.” He took my hand and kissed my forehead. “We’re going to do this together. You squeeze my hand as hard as you need to.”

Dr. Van Hurst entered the delivery room, snapping on his gloves. “How long have you had contractions?”

I glanced at Ethan.

“Since earlier this afternoon,” he answered. “But they only got bad within the last hour.”

“All right, let’s see how dilated we are.”

I held on to Ethan’s hand and squeezed it, scrunching my face as the doctor checked the baby’s descent. Tears streamed down my face, and I cried as Ethan soothed me.

“Contractions are coming quickly.” How could the monster smile at me? Didn’t he see how much pain I was in? He chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that, young man. This is a good thing. You’ll have this baby in no time, and then just like that, the pain will disappear.”

What the hell had he meant in no time? I was there for over an hour, wanting to push but only being told it wasn’t time yet. At some point, the doctor even left the room. I almost changed my mind about having a C-section instead.

Finally, the doctor deemed me ready. “Cody, you’re going to push on the next contraction. Not after it, but once you—”

As another contraction ripped through me, I pushed. I was crushing poor Ethan’s hand, but he didn’t once say a word. I bit into my lower lip until I tasted blood, but it was all worth it when the healthy wail of a newborn babe filled the room.

Dr. Van Hurst had been right. The pain had completely disappeared.

“My baby. I want to see my baby.”

The nurse brought him over to me. “You have an alpha-presenting male.” She laid the baby into my arms. His face was red and wrinkled as he loudly wailed.

“Hey there, baby.”

“He’s so big,” Ethan said in awe.

“Worth every bit of pain.” I stared down at the baby, love filling my chest. It was different from the love I had for my friends. Different from the love I had for his father. It was pure and honest and all-consuming.

“What are we going to name him?” Ethan asked me.

“What do you think of Barron? Barron Adonijah Finch.”

“I love it. I love you and him. So much. I can’t wait to show him off to everyone.”

I chuckled at the pride in his voice. He really did love us, and one day I would tell Barron the story of how this man rescued us both and loved us with an everlasting love, even when I wasn’t his omega to love.

The End

Want more of Ethan and Cody? GS Holmes is planning a sequel for this couple that will take a look at Ethan and Cody’s life post-delivery. This story will carry a completely different arc.

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