He darted around the bed and jumped onto the mattress, taking a position next to my bad shoulder. He briefly sniffed the bandage and valve, releasing a pained moan.
Edward bent down and listened to my heart again. “You’re fully dilated. On your next contraction, I want you to push. If you start to feel dizzy, like you might pass out, then stop and let me know. Do you understand?”
Something about his British accent instilled more confidence in me than it should have—maybe because of all those old shows I used to watch where the prestigious doctors were always from England.
I nodded. “Do I get any pain medicine?”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that now, but not to worry. Women do this all the time without the need for pain blockers. I want you alert, so we’ll save some of that for later.” He brushed his hand over my forehead, his voice softening. “If your heart feels funny and flutters, let me know immediately. You’ve lost a lot of blood and…”
I touched his hand, comprehending the risk. “I know.”
He winked. “Push hard, and make it count.”
Austin whined, sensing my coming contraction. He seemed attuned to the changes in my body chemistry.
A muscle tightened around my belly, squeezing like a metal cord. The urge to push came, and Katharine hurried to my left side and propped pillows behind my back so I wasn’t lying flat.
I gripped her hand and tucked my chin against my chest.
“Push!” she coached. “You can do this.”
I screamed when I realized the pain of childbirth was far worse than the contractions. “I can’t do this!” I shouted back at her.
“Yes, you can. If I could give birth to six boys, you can do this. And let me tell you, Ben and Wheeler were no joke. Those two were fighting to race each other out of my womb.”
I couldn’t see anything since my knees were bent and Edward had draped a sheet over them. Honestly? I didn’t want to look. I would have been completely content with someone knocking me unconscious for the duration of labor, with a baby magically appearing in my arms when I woke up.
My body trembled as I kept pushing, the pain immense and the pressure unfathomable.
A knock sounded at the door, and I heard Wheeler. “Everything all right—”
“Not now!” I shrieked.
I collapsed onto the pillows when the contraction ended, my heart beating erratically and a wave of chills coming over me.
“Great job, Lexi,” Edward said.
I smiled weakly. “Do I get a gold star?”
Austin nuzzled my head, licking my temple and making deep sounds that told me he was not okay with any of this. I reached over with my left hand and grabbed a tuft of fur.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
It might have seemed unorthodox to have my mate comforting me in wolf form, but his protective instinct forced his wolf out, and I loved them both. How could I not? They were one and the same.
When Edward rounded the bed to my right and reached out to check the valve on my chest, Austin’s wolf turned around and snapped at him.
“No!” I shouted, realizing he’d broken the skin.
Edward retracted his hand. “Bloody hell,” he murmured, quickly leaving the room.
“He’s doing what comes natural,” Katharine said.
“Nothing about this is natural. I’ve been shot, I have a chest tube, a wolf is coaching me through delivery, and I’m having a baby without drugs. Austin mauling the only person who can get this baby out is just icing on the abnormal cake that is my life.”
Edward returned with a bandaged hand. “I’m afraid I’m going to need him to leave the room.”
Austin showed Edward his teeth.
The Relic stood beside Katharine and didn’t waver in his request. “Unless he shifts back, I can’t allow a volatile animal in here. I know he’s an alpha with some sense of control, but it’s too great a risk. The smell of blood is in the air, his woman is screaming, and if he attacks me, then I’ll be of no use. After you deliver this baby, I can’t waste any time in removing the bullet from your back so you can shift. I’m sorry, but there’s no other way.”
Katharine reached out and stroked Austin’s muzzle. “Son, I’ll stay by her side. The biggest battle is yet to come, and this is not one you can fight.”
He nuzzled against my neck, and I kissed his head. “I love you so much,” I whispered against his fur. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”
The black wolf rose to his feet, and he was a magnificent creature to behold. Austin lowered his head and tapped his nose against my chin.
Yeah. He loved me back.
Edward cautiously approached the door and held it open for Austin to leave. Before he even closed the door, another contraction was fast approaching.
“Don’t push yet,” he said, noticing the tension on my face.
He circled the bed and released the valve, a small hiss of air escaping. “Not as much that time,” he said. “How do you feel?”
“Like a million bucks,” I said, tears hovering at my lashes.