Page 33 of These Little Heirs
“It’s not like we couldn’t move back in the future,” Ambry whispered as the front door flung open and Manny raced through nearly knocking Dara over on the way to Uncle Nicky.
A moment later, Indigo came through the door and said, “he already knew. Why do we all forget about links when everything blows up?”
“Why do you think I didn’t volunteer to go?” Cade chuckled.
“Because you want to steal my baby,” Indigo panted wiping the sweat off his face with his t-shirt before stealing a kiss from Ambry.
Dara gently laid Baby Humphry over Cade’s calves and I wondered how often the toddler made a habit of napping there since no one seemed to think it was odd.
“Are we ready to see what the baby’s up to?” Dara turned to us.
“More than anything,” I nodded and Ambry moved away from my belly.
He and Indigo perched behind the sofa as I lifted my shirt and wiggled around to get comfortable on the sofa with Cobalt sitting behind me. My belly was a beach ball, protruding from my body and it took some shifting around to get the weight settled. Cobalt had taken to holding it up from time to time to take the weight off my back but kept his hands to himself during ultrasounds.
“Don’t bite me,” Dara said, taking his portable ultrasound machine out of his pocket.
I chuckled because once upon a time Cobalt had bitten Dara for not asking permission before giving him one of the many vaccinations that kept babies and young kids healthy.
“Don’t jab my baby then,” Cobalt said but the humor in his words didn’t reach his tone.
I squeezed his hand. My mate wasn’t afraid of doctors but he clearly didn’t trust them. He made an exception for Teal and for Dolores but all in all he’d rather not have them around. His fingers itched to pull down my shirt and shoo Dara away. He might’ve done just that if he wasn’t as excited as I was for another glance at our little growing wolf pup.
Wiggling one leg out from under Humphrey, Cade used his foot to scoot the recliner around so that it faced the sofa. I hoped that was enough to ensure Cade didn’t bite Dara. Indigo squeezed his brother’s shoulder, and I wasn’t sure if that was his way of soothing Cobalt or agreeing to bite Dara too if he made the wrong move.
I never knew how much to breathe while Dara measured my belly. If I breathed too much, would it mess up his findings?
“Exactly where I’d expect you to be. I think we’re probably looking at the baby arriving within the next week,” Dara announced, and Cobalt and Indigo shared a look. I squeezed my mate’s hand. We had a lot of choices ahead of us and we’d need to make them a bit sooner than we’d expected to.
“I suspect that we’ll find the baby in the head down position,” Dara said, feeling on my belly as if I was a melon at the grocery store.
“Is that bad?” I asked.
“No,” Cobalt and Dara said at the same time.
Dara nodded for Cobalt to go on, probably figuring that if he were talking, he’d have less mouth to bite him with.
“The baby goes head down when they’re ready to come out,” Cobalt said, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I didn’t need him to alphaxplain that one.
“Yes, I know that, but is it okay for the baby to come early?” I asked.
“Sorry, mate,” Cobalt said. “Been through so many of these that I could do his job.”
“Yet, I am here,” Dara chuckled good-naturedly. “I suspect that we’ll find that the baby is full term in growth. Sometimes when genetics mix the gestation rate changes. Sure, you’re tossing in two parts wolf but that dragon is still in there and dragon eggs are notorious for not following anyone’s timeline. I suspect that is what’s going on here. Though, if the baby comes a bit early and needs some extra help, we are the best stocked pre-natal unit stateside. As of last year, we added everything pre-mature vampyric babies might need. Thus, we surpassed the hospitals on Hemlock Mountain. Darian is up in arms about it but we didn’t twist Bane’s arm and make him move here. If Lee wants more vampire stuff for babies, then Bane buys it for him and trains upcoming medical staff on how to use them. It seems I’ve gotten off topic though, eh?”
“Keep talking. I like it,” I said as Dara finally took the ultrasound wand in hand.
I almost added we might be moving here but stopped short as I didn’t want to get Cade’s hopes up before we officially decided anything.
“But as I said, we have everything newborns need. Last year we successfully saved a litter of wild wolf pups who were born mid-term. It was an exercise in patience and left me completely in awe of medicine. I’ve practiced most of my life but every new advance leaves me slack jawed. We are the future of medicine and if we here at the Heartville Clinic have anything to say about it, infant and carrier mortality will stay under one percent,” Darasaid as my baby’s head appeared on the little portable monitor. “And you can keep breathing, Odell. In fact, I practically insist upon it. I find that babies enjoy oxygen very much inside the womb.”
I laughed and tried to keep breathing normally but it was hard with our baby coming into sight. Torn between holding my breath and hyperventilating, I watched the screen as Dara measured our baby this way and that before finally revealing that we like Indigo and Ambry would be having a little boy.
“Steel,” I whispered.
“Come again? Still what?” Dara asked.
“Steel like the color of blue,” Cobalt chimed in.
