A whiff of something vile drifted past Brand's nose as he stepped into the hallway, and he gagged, but held his breath until he stepped into the examination room across from his office and nearly slammed the door shut behind him.

"Well that's quite an entrance," Ty said. Brand took a tentative breath, and when no further nausea inducing smells assaulted him, let out all his air in one giant sigh. "You okay?"

Brand waved away his concern. "Just morning sickness. I thought I had lucked out when it never hit me hard in the first trimester. It was just biding its time." Brand wondered if his nose was more sensitive with his wolf half-awake than it had been before. Would it be worse if he were up to full strength, able to shift like a normal wolf? He and Ty had suspended their sessions until the babies were born, but Brand felt more determination than ever to be the kind of dad his kids needed: whole;

Cheryl smiled in sympathy. "I know it's completely over said, but why the heck do they call it morning sickness when it happens all through the day?"

Brand nodded, his stomach still feeling twisted, but he pushed a smile on his face and reached for the sleeping little bundle in Cheryl's arms. "Thankfully, it passes, and we end up with these little presents. Hello, sweetie."

Little Zane was six months old now, and had moved on to seeing a pediatrician instead of Brand, but he never missed the opportunity to cuddle a baby, and impulse that had only grown as he grew closer to the end of his pregnancy and yearned for his own babies in his arms.

After his requisite cuddle, he handed Zane to Ty. "Okay, Dad. Time to do your duty."

Ty took the baby happily and confidently, something some alphas found issue with. Brand had never understood that. Maybe they were afraid they'd break their tiny children, but that fear only faded with practice.

And now they were expecting baby number two.

"Now, how are you doing emotionally?" Brand asked. "I know you're probably not getting a ton of sleep with watching Zane, but it’s important at this point in the pregnancy, and you still need to keep an eye out for postpartum depression."

"I am exhausted," she admitted. "But Ty is a huge help, and my mom has been coming by every day to take the baby while I catch up on the house or a nap. And the pack has absolutely packed our freezer full of meals I can just pop in the oven. We barely even have to wash dishes most of the time."

Brand smiled past another twinge of nausea. "That all sounds wonderful. Now remember…" He paused to push back the urge to vomit. "Lots of water. Take as many naps as you need. If you have any worries at all…" He gagged. "Excuse me," he managed to blurt out before running to the sink in the room and retching. "Sorr—" he tried, before another wave hit him.

Ty was with him then, a hand on his back. Normally, the presence of an alpha he trusted would soothe his nerves, but right now, all his body cared about was that there was an alpha near that wasn't Carter. Brand waved his best friend away, and a moment later the attack subsided. He took a moment to wash his face and rinse his mouth.

"Sorry. I've been eating those morning sickness cookies like crazy, but they don't seem to be doing a thing for me today."

"Are you sure you should be working?" Tyler asked. "If it's that bad, you might be better off going home. It won't do your patients any good if you work yourself to the bone."

It was a sign of how much it had taken out of him that Brand nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I think I'll call Carter to pick me up." He didn’t think it would be a good idea to try and drive himself home right now.

"I can run you home," Ty said. "Or Cheryl. It's not a problem, I promise."

Brand shook his head. "No, you have work, and Cheryl has more than enough on her plate with this little man. Besides, I have a few things I need to do before I head home, which should give Carter plenty of time to get here."

Ty nodded reluctantly. " Are you sure there's nothing we can do to help?"

Brand couldn't help but smile. Alphas. They couldn't handle not being able to fix things. The good ones, at least. "I promise, I'll be fine. Just a little longer until my little ones come into the world and I can put the memories of the hard parts of pregnancy behind me."

"Until the next one," Cheryl teased, and Brand groaned.

"I don't even want to think of another pregnancy right now. I'll take the babies, though. All the babies."

Cheryl laughed. You'll take that back once they're here. One is hard enough—I can't even imagine having two! Two feedings, two baths, two burpings… two million dirty outfits."

“At least we’re having a boy and a girl. I know parents always say you can tell the difference, but I’d be terrified of getting them mixed up!” Brand escorted them to the front desk. "I promise, I'm going to call Carter as soon as I get to my desk.

They bid their good byes, and Carter instructed Sarah to cancel his last few appointments and schedule them as soon as possible.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he collapsed into his office chair. He'd bought a very strong smelling candle of one of the few scents he could handle, lemon, and it blocked out most of the things that triggered his gag reflex. He took a few deep breaths to clear his lungs and then called Carter.

"Hey babe, what's up?" Carter answered.

Brand was so tired, he didn't even bother to beat around the bush to alleviate Carter's anxiety. "Would you mind coming to pick me up early? I'm having a rough day."

Immediately, the tone of Carter's voice changed. "Of course. Now?"

Brand could hear the bustling sounds of Carter tapping on his computer and then sorting through his desk to close down for the day.

"Please."

"Be there in twenty." Carter hung up.

Brand snorted. Twenty would definitely be pushing the speed limit, but he knew Carter would do it whether Brand fussed at him or not.

He'd exaggerated how much he had to do to wrap up for the day. Ty was sweet to offer, but as close as the two men were, right now, Brand just wanted Carter. He knew he had to get out of the office as fast as he could, however, or someone would open the door to ask him a last-minute question and let in whatever that scent was in the hall that was giving him so much trouble. He packed his bag and said goodbye to his staff, and stepped outside.

If anything, the parking lot was worse than inside the office, which he should have expected. There were only a few cars in the lot, all familiar staff vehicles except for a big, black SUV, but the scent of hot, dirty pavement and gas and oil was too much. Brand held his breath again and started making his way to the park Ty loved for lunch. Brand had started joining him, as he'd gotten pickier during his pregnancy about foods and smells. He brought his lunch, and they enjoyed the peace of the trees and grass, the squirrels and birds for a while.

Brand pulled out his phone to text Carter where to find him, but halfway through his message, someone wrapped him in a fierce hold and held something to his nose. The sickeningly sweet smell triggered his nausea again, but before his body could respond, everything went black.