Page 130 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“You haven’t called him yet?”

I shook my head.

“I need clothes,” Calum said and quickly rushed over to the hearth and grabbed his jeans that I hadn’t noticed were there. He then pulled on a shirt and hastily buttoned it. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I noticed that it was buttoned crooked. He’d missed a bottom one, and when Calum looked down at his shirt, he grumbled and reached for the buttons.

I helped with the shirt and then looked down at the puddle on the floor and cleaned it up with a little bit of magic. I started toward the stairs, wondering if I’d be able to actually get myself up them while it felt like our daughter was already trying to push her way out of my body.

“Calum, I think your daughter is coming now,” I said, grabbing my stomach as I lowered myself to my knees.

“What? No. Your water just broke. You can’t be having her yet.” Calum rushed to me and carefully helped me lie down. I’d made it to in front of the fireplace, and when my mate carefully pulled on the front of my pants, his eyes widened. “Oh, sweetheart, she’s right there.” He pulled my pants all the way off and tossed them to the side. “Do you want me to call Dr. King? He might be able to make it here in time, but her head is already pushing out.”

I shook my head and crunched up on myself, bracing my body up on my elbows. “Just get ready to catch her,” I told him as I bore down and pushed as hard as I could. Calum seemed to search for something but then instead reached for my stomach. I felt movement, and then he looked up at me.

“Relax, Asher. That was an amazing push, but now I need you to relax for a minute. I don’t have anything here, sweetheart. Nothing to deliver her. Can you hold off long enough for me to at least get a towel? You don’t have anything but the rug under you. I have nothing to wrap her in.”

I chuckled. “It’s fitting, isn’t it?” I asked while breathing deeply. “She was conceived on this rug; it’s only right she’s born on it,” I said before I sat back up and braced myself on my elbows again and pushed. I grunted and screamed through the pressure and pain, wanting nothing more than to deliver our little girl into this world.

“Good, sweetheart,” Calum said. “You’re doing so good. Probably two or three more big pushes like that and she will be here.”

I panted and fell backward onto the rug. I took several deep breaths, trying to get my mind to focus on what I needed to do. I reached out to my left and felt what I’d hoped I’d be able to use magic for. While giving birth wasn’t necessarily the best time to be trying to use magic, grabbing a towel from the bathroom, as well as the suction ball and Calum’s phone, wasn’t too difficult.

“There,” I said, pointing to everything.

Calum’s eyes widened, and he reached for the phone, and after touching it twice, he dropped it back on the floor beside us. I heard it ringing just as another contraction hit, and I sat up, needing to push. Back on my elbows I went, and I grunted and pushed as I heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“Calum? Is everything all right?”

“Dr. King, no. Asher is in labor, and he’s already pushing. It just happened. His water broke, and then she was coming out. Please help. What do I do?”

“Arrrgggg!” I shouted and then fell back onto my back.

“You go help your mate sit up and support him, and I’ll take over from here,” Dr. King said as he suddenly appeared in the room with us. It was good to have a warlock doctor around. He knew all about delivering babies, and he had magical powers that were quite useful.

“Oh, thank the fates,” Calum said. He crawled over to me, carefully lifting my shoulders and placing my head in his lap.

“All right, Asher. You’ve almost delivered her without me. Let me help just a little, and with the next push, your baby girl will be here, all right?”

I nodded as I panted. I was tired, and my body was covered in a sheen of sweat. I didn’t know it would be so difficult to deliver a baby, but here I was, lying on the floor of our house and pushing her out.

“Calum, during the next contraction, help him sit up and support his back while he pushes, all right?”

“I can do that.” Calum’s hands were busy rubbing my shoulders, and I was trying to get the energy to sit up and push again.

“Whenever you’re ready, Asher,” Dr. King said.

I just panted, trying to breathe and regain some energy. “I skipped it. I’m not ready.”

“That’s all right. There will be another contraction soon. Whenever you feel like you can push, I want you to nod, and Calum will help you sit.”

I took several more deep breaths, and as I felt the contraction building, I nodded. Calum lifted me, his strong arms holding my shoulders and back up, and I pushed with every last ounce of energy I had in me. I screamed toward the end, and I felt another gush of fluid and then instant relief.

“She’s here,” Dr. King said seconds before I heard the beautiful sound of our daughter’s cry as she took her first breaths.

I was still panting, trying to catch my breath, but I looked toward Dr. King as he held our daughter in his hands.

“She’s here,” I whispered as I reached up for Calum’s hand that was now on my shoulder. He had somehow moved, and I was resting between his legs, and my back was now against his chest.

“She is, and she’s absolutely beautiful,” Calum said.