Chapter Thirty-Nine
There were some days when the pain was sharp and the anger threatened to overwhelm him. Those were the days when he trained for hours with Ronan and Quinn, pushing his body to its limit in an attempt to quiet his mind. Once he’d exhausted his body, he’d spend hours lying with Griffin in the lounge, often with his ear or his hand pressed to the omega’s stomach. They’d talk. About everything, anything, nothing. Or just sit in silence, feeling the baby kick and hearing its heart thumping away, fast like a little hummingbird.
That was where the healing happened. For him and for Griffin. They often talked about Andrew and Michael. They looked through all the information Griffin had gathered over the years, searching for anything, no matter how small, that might have been missed. There wasn’t much but they found a few leads to chase up. It was slow going, as anything learned was no more than a tiny dot in a huge picture.
Beau did his best to help distract Griffin from the frustration of having to delegate even the safest of jobs for the duration of his pregnancy. They were in this together, after all.
The months passed, and as the baby grew, the pain grew less. Until the night Griffin woke him with a hand to his shoulder and two words that sent a thrill of fear and excitement through him.
“It’s time.”
They were ready. They’d been ready for weeks. Bags packed, car on standby, Doctor Mackenzie on speed-dial.
Ten minutes later, they were in the car, Ronan driving, Damien in the passenger seat, with Beau holding Griffin in the back, doing his best to make his mate comfortable. The contractions would come and go, and Griffin was so stoic during them, he almost didn’t realize they were happening at first. But he quickly noticed the pattern. Finn’s hand would tighten around his, his breathing would slow to a very deliberate inhale-exhale, and he’d close his eyes like it took every ounce of his focus.
“You’re doing great,” he murmured in Finn’s ear, brushing a stray strand of hair from his forehead. That earned him a smile, relaxing some of the tension he felt at watching his mate in pain.
The contraction eased, Griffin leaning forward to whisper in his ear. “You’re doing great too.”
They hit a bump in the road, and the omega grimaced, the smile disappearing.
“Sorry,” Ronan called back. “Pothole.”
“It’s okay,” Griffin said, cradling his bump. “This little one has a built-in shock absorber. He doesn’t care if you drive like a madman.”
“I care,” Beau said quickly. “Drive like a normal person.”
The car slowed dramatically, and Griffin snorted. “Do you want me having this baby in the back seat, Ronan?”
They accelerated again as Damien laughed, twisting around in his seat. “Well, I know you’re doing okay if you’re making jokes. But we need to time the contractions so say when.”
“They’re fifteen minutes apart,” Beau answered before Griffin could.
“That’s your daddy. Knows me better than I know myself,” he heard his mate murmur and glanced down to see Griffin stroking a hand across his bump.
“Another hour and we’ll be at the clinic. Can you hold on that long?”
Griffin nodded, relaxing back into Beau’s arms. “Oh yeah, this little guy is in no rush to go anywhere.”
The room they were ushered into when they arrived was different to the exam room they were used to. It was bigger, for one. And comfortable. It looked more like a bedroom. Beau helped Griffin over to the bed, still marveling at how quiet his mate was despite clearly being in some discomfort.
“There’s my favorite power couple,” Doctor Mackenzie joked as she walked in the door. “Now, first things first. Griffin, do you need anything for the pain?”
Griffin shook his head.
“Are you sure?” Beau asked him. “I don’t like to see you suffer.”
The omega grabbed his hand. “I’m not suffering,” he said. “I’m working. This is my job.”
“And drugs can make that job easier,” Doctor Mackenzie said. “There’s no shame in it.”
His mate smiled. “I hear you. Both of you. But I’m okay for now. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Good, then let’s see how we’re getting on.”
Doctor Mackenzie was all business from then on, examining Griffin and checking the baby’s heartbeat.
“You’re just about ready to push. That’s the hard part but, arguably, has the most rewarding ending of any job you’ll ever do.”
She stepped out to update Ronan and Damien, leaving the two of them alone for a moment.
“What do you need?” Beau asked his mate.
“You, right here, holding my hand.”
“Done.”
Griffin smiled. “Huh. That was easy. Should’ve picked something harder, given you a bit of a challenge.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know… sent you out for mint chocolate chip ice cream.”
When Griffin was three months along, he’d had a sudden midnight craving for mint ice cream with crunchy chocolate chips. Beau knew he’d surprised his mate when he’d managed it, Griffin marveling at how he’d not only woken Quinn in the middle of the night and avoided getting his head bitten off but had actually convinced the alpha to go with him to the nearest all-night grocery store.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve completed that mission.”
“Yeah. That was the best damn ice cream I have ever tasted. Ever.”
Griffin’s eyes went wide all of a sudden, his hands gripping the side of the bed.
“Call Doctor Mac.”
Beau didn’t need to be told twice, rushing to the door and shouting her name. She appeared lightning quick.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I need to push.”
There was an urgency in Griffin’s voice that told both of them he wasn’t joking around.
“That’s fine. You do what you need to do. We’re both here.”
And Griffin was suddenly gripping Beau’s hand with both of his, his face tense, teeth clenched, no sound escaping despite the monumental effort his body was making. The pressure released all of a sudden, and Griffin panted for breath while Beau put an arm around him to support him.
“I need to kneel,” Griffin insisted. Beau looked to Doctor Mac, who nodded, before he helped Griffin onto his knees on the bed. The position seemed easier for the omega when the next contraction came, but still, he was almost silent.
Beau leaned in, ignoring Doctor Mackenzie’s presence, and murmured into his mate’s ear.
“Be as loud as you need to be. The only sound anyone will remember from today is the cry of our little one when they take their first breath. And maybe me yelling when your bruise my fingers.”
He got a faint smile and a nod as he brushed the hair from Griffin’s forehead. When it came time to push again, Griffin let the noise out this time, instead of trying to hold it in, but it was still quiet and self-contained. That was just how his mate was.
They lost themselves in the rhythm of pushing and breathing, Doctor Mac guiding them through it.
“That’s it, Griffin, I can see the head,” she called, and Beau knew they were close. He ducked his head down to see, his eyes wide when he came back up.
“What?” Griffin asked, panting, his hand reaching for Beau.
“He’s got hair. Lots of hair.”
Finn let out a laugh that turned into a cry that became a near shout as he pushed again.
“Almost there. One more big push, the shoulders are almost out.”
Griffin was sobbing, and Beau had his arms around him, holding him up. And then there was a baby on the bed below where they knelt. They both stared down in shocked silence before the baby, coaxed by Doctor Mac, let out a shrill wail.
“Don’t cry,” Finn said, reaching down. “Don’t cry, baby.”
Doctor Mackenzie helped lift the baby into his arms while Beau eased them both to lie back against the head of the bed, propped up by pillows.
“Hi,” Finn was saying to the squalling baby cradled against his chest. “You’re here. You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for so long, I thought you were never coming.”
The baby calmed at the sound of Finn’s voice. The omega glanced up at Beau, smiling through his tears. “He’s here.”
“I see,” Beau said. “I see him.”
“Look, it’s your daddy,” Finn said.
Beau leaned in, catching sight of a pair of blue eyes that seemed so aware.
“Hi there,” he murmured. “Look at you. You’re perfect.”
He caught the baby’s hand between his fingers, only for the newborn to wrap his hand firmly around Beau’s thumb. He marveled at the strength such a tiny person could have. Just as he was about to say that to Griffin, a wave of dread washed over him, a strong scent overwhelming everything.
“Doctor Mac.” His voice sounded wrong, and he didn’t know why.
“Beau, what’s… oh no.”
And then there were alarms sounding, voices shouting, and people pushing into the room. Griffin was looking around in confusion, clutching the baby closer, oblivious to the growing pool of blood between his legs.
A nurse gently took the baby from him.
“No, wait.”
“It’s fine, Finn. They just need to take care of you now.”
The baby was handed straight to him, Beau holding him close.
“I’ve got him. I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”
“Beau?”
He could see Griffin was waning, his grip on consciousness fading.
“It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
He tried to get closer, but there were too many people between them, hard at work around his mate. The baby let out a cry, and Beau turned his attention downward.
“It’s okay, little man. Doctor Mac is looking after your dada and I’ve got you. You and me have got to stick together, right?”
Rocking the crying baby in his arms, he could do nothing but look on and hope.