Chapter 5
“I’m pregnant?!” Izzy’s shout was audible even through the thick door of the healing center. Ben and Adam’s eyes flew open wide with shock as they looked toward Logan for confirmation that he’d heard the same thing.
“No fucking way,” Logan muttered under his breath. “I can’t believe she was right.” Before they could discuss the situation any further, the door opened and Sylvia stuck her head out.
“Izzy and Ryan want you here for this discussion, so you can come in now,” Sylvia announced, holding the door open until they all shuffled inside. “I’m going to have the Alpha come over, too. He needs to know what’s going on,” Sylvia said as she left the room, apparently to make the call.
Izzy leaned back on the hospital-style bed with a look of shuttered disbelief painted across his face. Ryan leaned on the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest and staring at the floor in silence. Logan looked back and forth between the mates, easily picking up the tension between them. From the blank expression he wore and the faint trembling in Ryan’s shoulders, Logan wondered if the other shifter could be going into shock.
Ben shot Logan a look of concern obviously concerning Ryan’s reaction, but Logan had no answer for his brother. He could only offer a faint shrug in response. Ben grabbed Adam’s hand and squeezed it tight, apparently needing the contact. Logan couldn’t fail to miss Adam’s flinch of pain, but he was proud of his brother’s mate when he made no move to pull his hand free.
“Why does everyone look like someone’s dying?” Sylvia berated when she came back in the room. “This is a happy day and good news for the pack’s health. So everybody smile!” she ordered. Logan glanced around at the rest of his pack mates and found them sheepishly looking at each other as if seeking permission to be excited. Adam, as usual, started the laughter and the rest of them slowly followed one by one. At the moment, Logan was thankful for Adam’s ability to laugh at anything, but he suspected he wouldn’t find it so helpful at the next funeral they attended.
Finally even Ryan was laughing. In fact, he laughed so hard tears were streaking down his face. Logan hoped he was crying due to excessive laughter, but from the way he’d been acting before, Logan wasn’t entirely sure. A knock on the door announced their alpha’s arrival and Logan strode over to let him join in the odd celebration. The alpha’s mate and Adam’s mother, Lucy, was with him. Her presence wasn’t much of a surprise given how she mothered all of them, especially since Adam had become a full member of the pack.
“Now that you’re all here, let me tell you what I’ve found on Izzy’s exam. Izzy, you are definitely pregnant. About eight weeks along, I suspect. That’s what’s causing your stomach problems. I’ve made up an anti-nausea tonic you will need to drink twice a day to help with the symptoms. Once you are about twelve weeks along though, your morning sickness should get better. Most women stop having morning sickness about then,” Sylvia said.
“But I’m not a woman or did you fail to notice that small fact,” Izzy asked, more than a little sarcasm seeping into his normally pleasant tone. Sylvia flushed but did no more to put Izzy in his place. She was obviously used to having to deal with pregnancy hormones and the moodiness they caused.
“I know that, Izzy, but honestly that’s the only data I have to work with here. So we’re just going to use that as a guideline for what’s normal, okay?” Sylvia calmly explained. Izzy crossed his arms over his chest but nodded once in acceptance.
“How much more do you know about what to expect? Did you find anything helpful on your review of the archives?” Alpha Leikos asked.
“Well, there wasn’t much, but what I did find indicated that this has only been seen before in turned wolves. Even then it was rare. I’m not sure if it has something to do with Izzy not being entirely human before he was turned or not. Or if being fated mates has anything to do with it,” Sylvia added.
“So you mean I might get pregnant, too?” Adam asked. He looked from Sylvia to his mate in obvious concern. Ben put his arm around Adam’s shoulder and pulled him closer.
“Honestly I don’t know, Adam. It’s a possibility, I guess,” Sylvia answered. Adam seemed in no way relieved by this news of his possible fate.
“Oh, I might get to be a grandmother after all,” Lucy gushed. Apparently she would be excited for the both of them, Logan decided, as the alpha’s mate rushed over and pulled Adam into a huge hug.
“Mom!” Adam groaned self-consciously. Alpha Leikos and Ben shared a knowing smile before Lucy finally released her son from her rib-crushing embrace. Lucy’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She was obviously more than a little pleased at the possibility of grandpups to spoil.
“Do you know what’s going to happen to my mate? I mean, how is he going to deliver a baby? He doesn’t have the right anatomy for that,” Ryan asked seriously, turning the conversation back from the realm of possibility to the reality at hand. Izzy held out his hand and the mates intertwined their fingers together in solidarity.
“Well, he’ll have to have a C-section, I suppose. Some women have to do that, too. Even shifters. I suspect the pregnancy will last between eight and nine months if we assume it’s going to follow the usual shifter versus human timeline. There’s only a single fetus, so at least that’s good. Less risky for both. And I wouldn’t go out decorating a nursery and buying clothes yet. We are still early in the pregnancy and things could happen. Even females miscarry sometimes. I would suspect the risk of fetal anomaly would only be higher in a male pregnancy,” Sylvia continued. The more she explained, the more anxious the entire group became. Even Lucy’s previous exuberance was dimmed.
“So, we'll just have to wait and see,” Sylvia finished. When her final words of wisdom were met with tense silence, she continued, “Okay, I guess that’s all for now. Izzy here are your vitamins and the anti-nausea powder. Drink it with a full glass of water or juice twice a day. Make sure to get enough rest but there are no other restrictions on your activity for now. I need to see you back in a month for another sonogram. Call me sooner if you have any concerns.”
Izzy took the offered medications and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Ryan’s hand was on Izzy’s forearm in support as he climbed down from the table. Lucy was instantly on his other side and beaming again.
“I’m so excited for you both. Congratulations again,” Lucy beamed. “Look, I know this is a shock, but you are going to be fine. I just know it. And you are both going to make wonderful parents. Oh, my sweet, sweet boys. Alpha and I are so happy for you,” Lucy gushed as she hugged them both, first separately, then together. Logan stifled the laugh he felt at seeing both Izzy and Ryan’s embarrassed expressions as the alpha’s mate continued to fawn over them both.
“My mate is right, as usual,” Alpha Leikos agreed. “We are thrilled for you both. This is great news. Let’s go back to the main house and have a drink to celebrate. Well, everyone except Izzy, that is. Bearers can’t drink.” Izzy groaned aloud. Logan realized whether the complaint was aimed at his new ‘bearer’ status or at the lack of liquid fortification didn’t really matter anymore.