Chapter Ten
“Logan!”Thea called out to him.
“I’m right here.”He took her hand and she squeezed tightly.
“It hurts,”she said.
“I know.”He kissed her forehead and smoothed the hair from her face.“You’re doing great. It’ll be over soon.”
Elise came into the room.“The midwife is here.”
“Hello, Thea,”the midwife said.“I’m just going to check your progress, okay?”
Elise took her other hand and smiled at her.“All of our parents are here.”
“Thanks,”Thea said.
Elise squeezed her hand again before leaving the room.
“Won’t be long now,”the midwife said.
Logan bent down to kiss her again.
Over the next few hours, he stayed by her side, holding her hand and helping her through her contractions. The midwife coached her in breathing, and when it was time to push, guided her through that part, too.
“One more big push, Thea,”the midwife said.
She gripped Logan’s hand tightly and pushed with all her strength. A shrill cry broke into the room and Thea sighed in relief.
“It’s a girl!”the midwife said, and held up the crying baby. She placed her on Thea’s stomach and laid a blanket over her.
Thea looked up at Logan, then down at the screaming baby. She looked mostly human but had several patches of purple scales on her arms, legs and stomach.
Logan’s parents had explained to them all the reasons why they couldn’t have the baby in the hospital, and this was one of them. If she was a shifter, which she clearly was, then right from the start there would be signs. Over the next hours and days, the scales would fade and she’d appear to be a normal human for several years. But, sometime in toddlerhood, she’d start to understand and grow curious about her other nature, and she’d start to shift.
For now, she looked perfect in every way, healthy and vibrant. The effects of Elise’s poisoning hadn’t hurt her at all, though Logan’s parents had also made a potion for Thea to drink to make sure the baby would be fine, and to help make the pregnancy and birth easier.
Thea couldn’t get any pain drugs because she was having the baby in their home, but they had provided potions that did the trick.
“She’s perfect,”Logan said.
“She really is.”
He ran his fingertip over the baby’s forehead and she stopped crying.“Hello, Alora.”
Alora let out a small hiccup.
“I think she likes it,”Thea said.
“She’ll make the most beautiful flower girl,”Logan said.
Thea chuckled.“I don’t think she’ll be ready to walk and toss flower petals in the next three months.”
“Small detail,”he said. He leaned down to kiss Alora, then Thea.“It’s funny how complete life suddenly feels. And we never planned for any of this.”
She smiled dreamily down at her baby.“Sometimes the best things in life happen by accident.”
*****
THE END