Page 43 of Nanny's Mate

TWENTY-FOUR

BEATRIZ

The entirety of the Wolfe family … excluding Caleb, of course … sped down to the shifter hospital. It wasn’t a very long drive into the city, and thankfully, Tristan knew the best routes to get there. Being friends with the hospital staff and doctors also wasn’t too shabby either.

Beatriz was on a high after the battle with Wallis, then the subsequent confession Mike had made to her in the shower. They were on the precipices of making celebratory love when the birth was announced, forcing Beatriz to switch gears once again.

This time, it was switching into family mode. The drive was exciting, adrenaline and adoration pumping through her veins like a torrid rainfall. It was all so thrilling and wonderful she thought she might burst at the seams with happiness.

The atmosphere in the waiting room was still one of anticipation but with an added spice of fear. Ellie and Caleb were having their first child, and despite the healthy birth of Karla and Nate’s triplets, having a shifter baby wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

It wasn't for any woman, human or not, but being a shifter made it extra complicated. Beatriz raced into the hospital, holding Mike’s hand, her heart like a singing canary in the somber atmosphere.

“Everything going okay?” Mike asked.

Tristan, Barbara, Aric, Nate, and Karla had all arrived before Beatriz and Mike, but they hadn’t missed anything. Barbara had gone into the hospital room with Caleb and Ellie after her contractions only had two minutes between them. Tristan paced up and down the hall, which was dominated by the Wolfe family. He looked nervous, his hands placed behind his back in his usual contemplative stance.

Mike held her hand for the entire twelve hours that the labor took, his touch sending shockwaves of affection through her bones. She didn’t feel the same fear that Tristan and his children were feeling. She felt that a lot of it was normal, of course. A woman getting pregnant and pushing out a baby was threatening to her health, especially a shifter baby, but something told her that everything was going to come out peachy.

A shifter baby was already far more powerful when it was born than any human ever could be. The power of it was enough to shatter the pelvic bones of the person giving birth. Beatriz’s own mother had injured herself once giving birth to the sixth child, and it was a wonder that she managed to recover as miraculously as she did.

But there was still that hope, that vibration in her, that knew both Ellie and the baby were going to be healthy as a lamb once the labor was over.

Since meeting Mike, there had been a fairy tale essence that hung in the air like spider silk. She squeezed his hand back, brought him coffee along with the Wolfe brothers, and did what she could to comfort Tristan.

She kept offering him her seat, but he declined politely.

She held up her coffee cup and tilted her head, feeling more charming than ever.

“Caffeine is good for the soul. I promise you. I know Ellie is going to be just fine.”

Something glimmered in Tristan’s wizened eyes. He flickered them at Mike, who was smiling up at Beatriz. He, too, began to smile, and it made Beatriz feel warm inside.

“I’m so glad you are here, Beatriz. I am even more glad that Mike smartened up.”

He cocked an eyebrow in Mike’s direction, and Mike chuckled. A few seconds later, the conversation was cut short by Caleb pushing through the double doors, ecstatic out of his mind.

“My son is here!” he exclaimed, babbling madly with tears in his eyes. “Little Caleb Rahound Junior is here! A healthy baby boy!”

Everyone rose to their feet. Mike and Beatriz let the family members embrace him first, the relief and delight in the room through the roof. Nate and Karla went in first, along with Tristan. Aric went in next, and everyone came out infatuated with the newest member of the Wolfe family.

“It’s your turn now, sweethearts.”

Barbara was the chaperone of the visits, guiding the family in and out to not overwhelm the new mother. Tristan remained in the room as Beatriz and Mike walked in, the new mom and dad with eyes as bright as the moon.

The moment Beatriz laid eyes on Caleb Jr., her heart swelled. He wiggled around in the tired but beautiful Ellie’s arms, the light of the room far too much since emerging from the comfort of the womb.

He was the most precious, delicate, gorgeous thing Beatriz had ever seen. She had seen many babies in her lifetime, being the oldest in the family. It had been a while since she had been in the presence of one, but she realized how much she had missed it.

Family was important to her … more than anything in the world.

“Come in, come in,” Ellie exclaimed.

She was beaming. Little Caleb was swathed in a powder blue blanket, adjusting to his small form. Beatriz went to Ellie’s side, gazing with adoring eyes at the sweet child.

“My God, Ellie,” she said, her voice wavering. “He is beautiful.”

Caleb and Mike stood behind her, the pride in the new father’s eyes brimming. Ellie raised the baby from her chest, and Beatriz gave her a look of surprise.

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