Page 216 of Labor of Love

“I’ve never had s-sex,” Tim insisted, understandably panicked.

Eric soothed, “Okay, okay. Try to stay calm.”

“How?! How do I stay calm when you’re saying I’m—aaah!”

“There will be a logical explanation,” Eric’s tone was light and affable as Tim rode out what we now knew to be another contraction. “But, for now, we need to get through the immediate issue of delivering this baby.”

“I don’t want to,” Tim sobbed. “I’m scared.”

“I know,” Eric smiled sympathetically, “but there’s no other option. You’re almost fully dilated, so we’re doing this here and now.” He turned to Martin, giving instructions to take my truck and arrange a support team back in town.

Martin didn’t need to be told twice. He shifted on the spot, and I didn’t stop to consider how bizarre it felt to hand a raccoon my keys before he was running off into the dark forest with them held tightly between his teeth.

Eric settled back between Tim’s legs, sliding on a new pair of gloves. “Okay, boys. Show time.”

8

TIM

Giving birth was not on my bingo card for the year. And, even if it had been, I would have planned to do it in a hospital, or as an intimate home birth…not in the middle of a freaking forest during a pack run.

But there I was.

Conrad held me as I grunted, screamed, pushed, and cried.

God, I loved him.

I had no idea how I was pregnant. It all seemed too unbelievable. My head spun. Conrad’s support was the only thing keeping me going.

“Okay,” Eric declared after some torturous amount of time and pain had passed, “baby’s crowning, Tim. I’m not going to lie: this part is going to suck. It’s going to burn, but you need to keep pushing during your contractions, okay?”

I whimpered but, as Conrad squeezed my hand and murmured, “You’ve got this, darlin’,” I nodded.

“Okay.”

The next wave of pain built, as did the pressure. I grunted, bearing down to push with all my might.

Eric was right: this part was awful. It stabbed and ached andburned.

Then the pressure eased a little.

“Good, Tim. You’re doing so well. Baby’s head is out. Wanna see?”

With my eyes clenched shut, I shook my head vehemently. Did I want to see a baby’s head sticking out from between my legs?No. Hell no. One million ‘no’s.

Eric chuckled. “Fair. But, on the next contraction, I need you to push carefully. The shoulders are wider, so we need to be cautious.”

I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by ‘push carefully’, but I tried not to bear down as hard during the next lots of contractions.

Time seemed to stretch, and the new pain made me feel sick.

Then, suddenly, the pressure vanished completely as I felt something —the baby— slide out of me in one big rush. Relieved, I slumped against Conrad’s warm, strong body.

I’d almost forgotten what had even happened when, moments later, a shrill wail rent the air.

“Well, hello, healthy lungs,” Eric said with a smile I could hear in his voice. “Congratulations, guys; you’ve got a perfect little girl.”

My heart ached. She was mine, yes, even if I hadn’t known about her. But Conrad didn’t need to be roped into parenthood like this, boyfriend or not.

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