Everything Changes Ch. 04

"Really? How long's this gonna take?"

Ariel smiled, sighed. "As long as it takes, sweetie." Jo dropped her head back on the pillow and groaned.

Lyssa looked at her young, tired, sweaty friend. The smell of blood was in the air, but not much. "How long have you been at it?"

"Um, nnnh." Another contraction hit and Joanna panted.

Nathan briefly glanced at them and both Lyssa and Emmett saw a bit of fear in his eyes. "Eight hours or so."

"Eight hours and she's still in the early stages?"

[Lyssa, Madam Beta, please try not to upset my daughter further. Although nothing is wrong, she seems to be in for a long labor.]

A little upset at the rebuke, Lyssa gripped Emmett's hand a bit more tightly.

Emmett stepped forward, pulling her with him, "Hey, Jo, how 'bout I take Nathan out for a bit? Let Lyssa sit with you for a little?"

"If I gotta stay here, he does, too."

Ariel pushed her daughter's damp hair aside. "Jo, sweetie, let him get a little air. Males don't usually hold up so well around birthing females."

Jo gave her mate a dirty look and let go, waving him off. "Go on."

Lyssa saw a basin and the cloth inside. Wringing it out, she ran it over Jo's forehead and face. "Being a pain in the ass, is he?"

"Who, Nathan? Not really."

Lyssa smiled. "No, Jo, the baby."

"Oh, yeah, I guess. I want to be done. Oh, another one." Lyssa watched the muscles in her belly go rigid as Jo's eyes closed and she breathed quickly.

As it ended, a new smell assaulted them. "Oh, Luna, Mom, really?"

Natalie moved forward. "Can you get to the shower? We'll help you."

Joanna sighed. "Yeah. I guess."

Natalie called out [May? Cassie? Can one of you strip and clean the bed for Joanna?]

Lyssa and Ariel supported Joanna as Natalie cleaned her up. Jo was then brought under a drench hose of body-temperature water. She breathed and felt the water cascade over her, groaning through contractions. Lyssa and Ariel wiped her down.

"Joanna." She blinked and opened her eyes to look at the healer. "Squatting or remaining more upright might help move things along. Walking around."

"I don't know."

"It's not an order, Jo. Just something to consider."

***

Emmett had hauled Nathan outside. Nathan was bent over, hands on his thighs, drawing in air. "Selene, Emmett, how do they do it?"

Before Emmett had a chance to respond, another male voice answered the question. "The secret, pup, is that they're stronger than us."

Nathan looked up to his father-in-law. "What?"

"How many times would you be willing to add 10 to 15% mass, face nausea, shortness of breath, frequent urination, fractured sleep, and endure the regular hits from feet, knees, and elbows..." Randall paused dramatically "... and then push a pup out a channel that has only previously seen your cock?"

Nathan went a little green. Emmett looked fairly startled.

Randall smiled. "It will be the most amazing event you will ever witness. She will curse you, scream at you, may even strike you. It is difficult not to react to her pain. But, as soon as the pup comes, and she holds it, it's as if everything that happened was of no consequence. She will be tired but, oh, so happy. And she will look at you and your pup with such love in her eyes."

Randall's eyes went to Emmett but he spoke to Nathan. "Go grab a quick bite, pup, then go back to your mate. Tell her you love her."

Nathan stumbled slightly as he turned to the doorway.

"Selene, Randall, and I like putting a hand on her belly and feeling the pup kick. No wonder they get so grouchy."

"Movement indicates a strong pup but she's getting it on all sides. This is the nature of pregnancy. My friend, females bearing their first pup can grow fearful since they don't know what to expect." Randall closed his eyes briefly. "Jo appears to be in for a harder time. Lyssa's experience will likely be completely different."

***

Nathan wrinkled his nose at the smell when he returned.

Natalie was speaking to his mate. "You don't want to get dehydrated, Joanna. You should drink as much as you can stomach."

Joanna caught sight of him. "About time you got back."

Nathan took a deep breath. "I love you, Jo."

"Yeah. Thanks. You did this to me."

"Jo.." he entreated. He walked over, took her hand out of Lyssa's and kissed it.

Natalie looked at the other four wolves. "See if you can get her to drink. If she decides to walk, don't leave her alone."

"Sitting right here."

Natalie left to get something to eat. Ariel said, "Lyssa, you should have something to eat."

***

Emmett caught his mate as she left the maternity area.

She put her head against his chest and he smiled as he felt their pup kick. "I don't wanna do that. I don't think I can do that."

A laugh left Emmett's lips. "Don't. Laugh."

"After the beating and the car crash you don't think you can do that? All females do that."

She scowled at him.

"Hungry?"

"Mm, eggs and bacon." Emmett steered her upstairs. She turned back briefly as they heard Joanna yell something. He gently pulled her forward.

Lyssa had grown used to the light touches of her belly by females of the pack, and they had grown used to her restriction. She had asked that they only touch her when she was in the company of her mate. When she was alone, however, she asked them to refrain. She would get occasional requests from a couple of the females, when she was alone, and she generally allowed it. She understood what it meant to them but had grown up without a lot of touching after her family's death. She had never understood why strangers thought they could just walk up and touch a pregnant lady anyway. It was similar, but different here. At least she knew them all.

Emmett snorted. Lyssa had growled at Roland as he reached for the last couple of sausage patties on a nearby serving platter. Roland stopped, looked at her, and slowly withdrew his hand, as if she might suddenly turn and bite him. Randall, at his son's request, grabbed another platter and passed it over.

Natalie scowled as she passed by. Lyssa had a cup of coffee.

***

Joanna's labor continued. Lyssa returned to relieve Ariel for a while. She wasn't gone long.

Lunch came and went without the pup's arrival.

Emmett and Erich noted Randall's increasing distraction and simply carried on with their duties, and some of his. Their Alpha began to pace.

***

Madeline found Lyssa in the sitting room, staring at a shelf of books without seeing them. As she recognized Madeline's presence, she asked, "Why is it taking so long?"

"How long did you think it would take?"

Lyssa turned to look at her. "I don't know, a couple of hours."

Madeline swallowed a laugh. "Lotta things gotta happen before they are really ready to go."

Lyssa narrowed her eyes. "How do you know so much?"

"Don't know just why, but we had a bunch of pups born a couple years back. I kinda hung around a bit and the healer put me to work."

"So?"

"A couple were less than 8 hours, a bunch between 8 and 12. Had one go 21 hours, but it was her first." Madeline put a hand on her arm. "They were all fine and acted like it wasn't that bad, later." Lyssa's hands were, automatically, resting on her belly. "Breathe, you'll be fine."

As they headed past the dining hall, Nathan burst through. "Mom's gonna kill me."

It was midafternoon.

Lyssa got a glass of milk and went down to sit beside Joanna. "How you doing?"

Joanna was panting, covered in sweat. "Healer says I'm in active labor. Finally."

Another contraction had her whining, eyes closed. Her mother mopped her brow and said, calmly, quietly, "Pant, Jo." Ariel looked to Lyssa. "It shouldn't be a whole lot longer but his parents should have time to get here."

Madeline poked her head in to see if she could help with anything.

Lyssa left again when Nathan returned.

***

Randall moved to the front door as Jonathan and Juliet Severn arrived.

Juliet stopped in the doorway, took in the view, and demanded, "Where are they?"

Jonathon grabbed his mate. "Alpha Wyeth, thank you for allowing us in." Juliet's eyes snapped up. "How is Joanna?"

"She's been in labor since late last night," Jonathon squeezed her arms before she opened her mouth. "Her mother and Nathan have been with her the whole time. I will tell them that you have arrived and ask if Joanna wishes to admit you." Jon Severn tightened his grip, again.

[You are not at home, mate. You cannot expect them to just let you run roughshod over them.] Juliet huffed.

Randall watched briefly, then sent to his mate. [El, Nathan's parents have arrived.] [We know.] [I do not intend to allow them much further into the den without reason. Is Jo willing to see them?] There was a pause of some time.

Jonathon Severn looked around as they awaited an answer. The hall was large, very unlike home. While individual wolves passing by took a quick look at the visitors, two males were unsurreptitiously watching them. Guards.

A small, dark-haired pup approached his mate and got her attention with a yap. Juliet looked down. "Oh, what a cutie you are."

"Emmaline!"

[Front hall, Cassie.] They had all gotten used to calling out her position at Cassie's yell. Emmaline, for whatever reason, didn't tell her parents where she was, though she could now.

Cassie came out to collect her daughter. "Sweetie, what are you up to now?"

Juliet smiled as she picked up the little one. "About a year old?"

Cassie nodded. "A little more. Born the morning after Joanna's party."

Juliet smiled while she cuddled the little one before transferring the pup to her mother.

Randall cleared his throat and Cassie looked at him quickly and started to move away. He smiled and she relaxed.

"The pup is expected within the next hour or so. Joanna has consented to a brief visit but is not comfortable having you there for the birth itself."

"But.."

"Jules, enough. She's giving you your baby's pup. You'll see him after Nate gets a chance to marvel at him."

Madeline came into the front hall. "Please follow the Madam Beta to a room to wait. Refreshments will be brought. Nathan will come to get you."

Jonathon replied, "Thank you, Alpha Wyeth."

Juliet looked over the small female before them. "I expected you to be showing by now, big."

Madeline looked confused. "Showing? No, I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought Joanna said..."

"Juliet." Her mate's calm voice stopped her. "I'm sorry. She's nervous and anxious."

"Lyssa's getting big but she says the healers don't think she'll have the pup for another month or two. I'm Madeline. Maybe next year will be my turn."

Jonathon had a beer while Juliet fretted.

Hannah came in with a couple plates of snacks and chattered happily with the visitors for a bit. [Hannah, I need you in the kitchen.] "Oops. I need to help with dinner."

Nathan showed up, weary, dragging his hands through his hair.

"Nathan. Baby." His mother hugged him. "How is she?"

"Tired, Mom, ready hours ago to be done. C'mon, let's have a quick visit, shall we?" Nathan took his mother downstairs. Jonathon declined, saying he'd seen enough with the births of his own boys. Madeline called Erich down to help keep him occupied.

Juliet looked around as Nathan led her to where his mate was working to have his pup. "She's been at it a long time, Mom. It worries me."

"The healer hasn't said anything's wrong?"

"No. But, since last night?"

"Sometimes, sweetie. I've heard some females take 30 hours or so to birth a pup."

She heard the groaning, the breathing of a female in labor. Could smell the sweat.

He turned at the door. "Try not to upset her."

Juliet produced a Who? Me? look as Nathan opened the door.

Joanna was hunched over, panting, groaning, a red-headed female by her side. "Good, honey, not much longer. I know it hurts."

As she came back more upright, Jo groaned. Her mother-in-law could be overbearing. Maybe it had something to do with raising 4 boys. But she wasn't gonna be able to tolerate it long. Not now. She managed a slight smile under her dripping hair.

"Jo, sweetie, how are you doing?"

"Doesn't wanna come out." Juliet bustled over, adjusted the light blanket, the pillows, slicked her hair back on her head.

"Nathan said the pup is coming soon."

Jo's voice was hoarse. "Not soon enough."

"I know it seems pretty bad right now..." Joanna scowled at her "...but, when it's done.."

"He's never gonna touch me again."

The elder females smiled and Ariel moved forward to help Joanna lean forward for another contraction.

Nathan looked chagrined. He wanted their pup born, was looking forward to seeing him, was beginning to look forward to touching his mate again. But it was taking so long and she was working so hard. While he wished he could take over and do it for her, he knew he couldn't. Would she forgive him for what he was putting her through?

[Nathan, come here. Put your hand on her back, kiss her shoulder.] Nathan glanced over at Ariel then did what she said.

Madeline, having been called, knocked on the door. "Go back with Madeline, Mom. We've got this."

"But..."

"Mom!"

Disappointed, Juliet left the room without further comment.

Natalie called Nathan over to see the top of the baby's head emerge. He gulped and looked away. When asked if he wanted to deliver the pup, he shook his head.

"Alright, then, slide behind her and help her."

As Nathan moved behind his mate, she asked, "Why does it burn?" through clenched teeth.

"That's the head, sweetie. Not much more," Ariel said.

Joanna fell back, for a brief period of relaxation, and Nathan kissed her. Three more contractions and efforts to push out the pup resulted in a squall. Natalie held up the screaming infant as Nathan said, "Look, Jo, there he is."

Ariel looked the pup over. Fine, light hair matted to the scalp. Red, contorted face. Waving tiny fists and feet. And a decided lack of something.

Joanna reached for her baby and Natalie handed the pup over to take care of the cord. She paused as she drew the pup to her. "Nathan, it's a girl. We have a little girl."

"What?"