CHAPTER 28
XADE
The call Xade had been waiting for his whole life came during an incredibly boring trade meeting. The red strip around Xade’s armband lit up, marking the call as urgent.
At first, he welcomed the interruption, as it was an excuse to leave the meeting. The trade deals being worked out didn’t even have anything to do with the southern lands that he ruled, so he found it very hard to remain alert as local governors droned on about artisan industries and such.
He ducked out of the meeting room, briefly showing his armband with its flashing red strip so the others knew that he was receiving an urgent call. Once he was in the hallway, he answered it.
When the face of Dr. Mayza appeared, the head palace doctor, his heart began to beat faster. An urgent call from the doctor? Xade’s mind instantly went to Caden.
Was everything okay?
“Caden has gone into labor,” Dr. Mayza began. “There appear to be complications…”
Everything after that word was a blur.
Complications. No. No…
This couldn’t be happening. Complications weren’t supposed to happen. The last time Caden had been to a check-up appointment, they had been assured that everything appeared to be progressing as normal.
Xade managed to choke out that he was coming to the infirmary before ending the call and starting to run. He sprinted through the halls, his emotions wildly swinging from extreme worry to glimmers of hope, realizing it was possible he would get to meet his child in the near future.
The infirmary doors slid open too slowly. Xade strode inside, looking around for his mate.
There.
He felt a tug pull him toward a space near the corner of the huge room, sectioned off with curtains. He pulled open the curtains to see a scene from a nightmare.
Caden was on a bed, groaning and crying out in pain. Nearly ten doctors were around him, including Dr. Mayza, prodding him with needles and offering him medicinal concoctions.
Xade tried to push forward to speak to his mate, but a large male doctor moved into his way.
“I apologize deeply,” the doctor said, looking nervous. “But Caden must not be excited any further. You may not see him at this time. I have to ask you to sit in the designated waiting area.”
“Let me see him,” Xade ordered, barely hearing the doctor’s words. “I must see him. What are you doing to him?”
“I… Ah...” The doctor looked around. “I’m sorry, Prince Xade, I cannot let you–”
Xade walked straight past him, nearly managing to reach Caden’s bedside before a gentle hand on his shoulder distracted him. He looked to his side to see Dr. Mayza, looking serious.
“Follow me,” she said. “Take a deep breath. Everything will be alright.”
Xade trusted Dr. Mayza completely. The woman had essentially helped raise him and he had no doubts about her integrity or skill.
With one last look at his suffering mate, he followed her through the curtains and to a nearby corridor lined with benches. They sat down together.
“It looks like a natural birth is no longer an option,” she said, speaking slowly and carefully. “The baby is positioned incorrectly.”
Xade blinked, not quite sure he understood. “Incorrectly? Will the baby be okay?”
“The baby developed in exactly the opposite position we expected,” Dr. Mayza explained. “This happens very rarely with Zatan births, so you may not have heard of the procedure required in this situation. We are going to surgically remove the baby.”
Xade stared at the doctor in shock, his heart lurching in his chest. Surgery? To remove the baby? He certainly hadn’t heard of the procedure before, but it sounded horrible. And they were going to do it to his mate?
“It is a very safe process for both the baby and the father, and happens quite often on Earth. It is a Cesarean or C-section, as humans call it. However, it is a surgical procedure so we must ask you to stay away from the area due to possible contamination.”
Xade shook his head in disbelief. He was still in shock, but he did trust Dr. Mayza to know the best.
“I understand,” he said slowly. Some of his panic was beginning to subside but his mind was still abuzz with worried thoughts and questions. He understood there was no time for answers now though. He could still hear his mate’s screams only a few feet away.
“I must go and begin the procedure. I will return with any and all news,” Dr. Mayza said reassuringly. “I’ll have a nurse bring you some water. Ask her if you need anything at all.”
Xade nodded, feeling numb. He sat alone on the bench, staring into space as the nurse walked up to him and gave him a glass of water. Dark, worried thoughts swirled in his mind.
Wasn’t this much too early? The question loomed the largest in his mind. Zatan births were usually very regular. It wasn’t normal for a child to be born early, late, or be positioned the wrong way around…
Nobody knew what to expect from a human male’s pregnancy though. Caden was the first human male to give birth. Could it turn out that everything seemed as it should be until the labor began? Could it be that the baby could not be born safely and would never make it into his arms?
Xade shook his head, trying to banish the dark thoughts from his mind. He stood up and began to pace back and forth in the waiting area. Sometimes, he paused and looked at the curtained area – not that he could see anything, but he couldn’t help but keep looking to see if Dr. Mayza was returning.
How long would the surgery take? Xade had forgotten to ask. And how long would it take his mate to recover? Was there any chance the baby could be harmed during the procedure? Were they able to check on the baby’s health before deciding to perform the operation? And how long would the surgery take?
The questions ran through Xade’s mind in endless cycles, despite his attempts not to dwell on them. He tried to concentrate on the moment once more. The questions were important, but more important was not disturbing the doctors who were performing surgery on his mate.
Xade sat back down on the bench, feeling slightly nauseous with worry. He took a sip of the water he had been given, watching as another nurse joined the doctors behind the curtains.
If anything happened to his mate or his child… His heart clenched in his chest. He couldn’t think about that, it was simply too much to imagine. Eventually, he shut his eyes and tried not to think of anything at all while he waited.
What could possibly be taking so long?