BK 5 - Chapter 11- Surprise Delivery
Jade was still in shock. She and Milo had the same birth mother. Saxon was her big brother; he'd been with her from the time she was a baby, but knowing she had an actual blood sibling was incredible. She thought it was awesome when Morgan discovered she was related to her aunt Cat and Kitty. Now, she had a brother. This news led to more questions, though. How were both she and Milo taken from their birth mother, and why?
"Earth to Jade. Anyone home?" Jade turned and saw Lisa and Jayce walking toward her.
"Sorry, I just got off the phone with Aunt Cat, and you're never going to believe what they found out about Milo." She said. Lisa stopped walking and waited.
"Well, don't keep us in suspense. What did they find?" She asked anxiously.
"He and I have the same birth mother. He's related to Aunt Cat and Aunt Kitty too." Lisa's mouth fell open in disbelief.
"What? How do you feel about that?" She asked Jade. She imagined she was happy to find another relative but didn't want to assume.
"I think it's incredible, but I have questions that I don't think anyone can answer yet. Who was our mother, and why were we taken from her?" They walked across campus toward the parking lot to meet up with Carmen and Breanne.
Jade quickly told them about Milo as they drove home. When they walked into the house, they realized something was off right away. There wasn't the smell of food cooking like they'd gotten used to.
"Hello?" Lisa yelled.
"In here," Alex replied. They all went into his and Kiersten's bedroom and stopped. Kiersten was lying on the bed, holding her stomach while Atzi examined her. Randy was putting cool washcloths on her head, and Alex held her hand.
"Are the cubs coming already?" Jade asked as she ran over to the bed. Jayce made the smart decision to stand near Alex, away from Kiersten's lower region. Alex wasn't sure he wanted the men in the room, but Kiersten told him they were all family, so she was okay with it.
"No, we all just decided to come in here and practice," Alex said sarcastically. Jade rubbed Kiersten's arm while glaring at Alex.
"You're lucky you're getting ready to become a father; otherwise, I'd tackle you right now." She said. Carmen and Lisa went to the other side of the bed while Breanne washed her hands to assist Atzi.
"How far along is she?" Lisa asked while taking Kiersten's other hand.
"It won't be much longer. Weregrizzlies aren't like their bears; they give birth within a couple of months." Atzi explained. She was excited to be there for the arrival of the cubs. Maybe she would have time to bond with them before the inevitable happened. "Okay, Kiersten push."
Kiersten gripped Lisa and Alex's hands while she pushed with everything she had. She wasn't having much pain, just pressure. Her labor came out of nowhere. One minute, she was folding laundry, and the next, her water was breaking. She felt something slide out of her, followed by the sound of wailing.
"We have a boy," Atzi said proudly. After cutting the cord, she quickly wiped him off and wrapped him in a blanket. Alex reached for him and held him close to Kiersten. She couldn't see him, but she could feel him and hear his strong lungs.
"Who does he look like?" She asked. Everyone tried not to laugh.
"Right now, he just looks like an angry old man." Alex glared at Lisa. "Stop looking at me like that and hand him over. You have a daughter getting ready to make her entrance."
Alex kissed his son's head and handed him to Lisa. She beamed down at him before looking at Jayce. He stared at the little cub in awe. Randy looked from the cub to the others with disappointment.
"I thought they would look like bear cubs since you refer to them as cubs. He looks human." Lisa shook her head and chuckled.
"They won't get their bears until they're five." She replied.
"Okay, Kiersten, push again. She's ready." Atzi said as she prepared for the next little one. Carmen took Kiersten's hand since Lisa was occupied with the cub. Kiersten squeezed hers and Alex's hands as she pushed. When she felt something slide out, she laid back. The cries of her daughter filled the room.
"I can't believe they came so quickly," Kiersten said as Alex kissed her forehead. Atzi cleaned the little cub and wrapped her in a blanket, handing her to Alex. He kissed her head and then put her in Kiersten's arms. Lisa gave her their son, so she had both cubs.
"Did you think of names for these two?" Lisa asked as Jayce put his arm around her. He was so excited to be an uncle and was ready to start spoiling them.
"We're going to name this little guy Roger because I believe Grandpa Roger brought Kiersten and me together," Alex said, rubbing his finger over his son's cheek.
"What about her?" Lisa asked, leaning over to kiss both cubs.
"Emma. We talked to Grandam Cat and asked her if it was okay. Without Great-Grandma Emma making the choice she did and having Grandma Cat, none of us would have been brought together to make this amazing family." Alex felt a little choked up thinking about the choice of one woman having an impact on so many lives.
"Those are perfect, and I know they are both going to live up to their names. Emma and Roger. Beautiful." Lisa said, beaming down at them.
*"They're so precious. I want a cub. Lisa, go into heat so we can have a cub."* Ace was crying as he mindlinked Lisa, Ali, and Jayce.
*"Don't worry, it won't be long,"* Ali replied. This was one thing she agreed with Ace on. She wanted a cub, too.
Lisa and Jayce didn't say anything as they looked down at the little ones. Their family was expanding, and neither could wait until they had a cub of their own.
"Hello?" Bill yelled from the other room. Jade ran out and got him, Patrick, and Dustin as they walked into the house. Atzi and Breanne were just finishing cleaning Kiersten up when the three men walked in. Bill's eyes began stinging as soon as he saw the cubs.
"Meet Roger and Emma," Jade said. She saw how emotional he was and understood. Her ovaries were doing flip-flops looking at the two little ones, but she wasn't ready for a baby vamp yet. Right now, they could spoil their niece and nephew.
"They're so tiny," Bill said in fascination.
Kiersten was happy to have her family all around, but she would have liked to see her cubs herself. Then she remembered she could. She just needed to shift.
"Hold the cubs. I'm going to shift so I can see them." Alex took Emma, and Bill took Roger. Kiersten was thankful she was a shifter because she was already feeling almost as good as new. Lisa helped her into the bathroom so she could take her clothes off and shift. Breanne and Carmen removed the sheets off the bed and put fresh ones on.
A few minutes later, Malia walked out of the bathroom. Alex looked into her eyes, smiled, and then held up Emma. Bill walked over and held Roger for her to see. Kiersten couldn't believe those perfect little ones were hers and Alex's. They were beautiful. Malia nuzzled their little faces. Emma had red hair like her mom, and Roger had dark brown like his dad.
Atzi stood back with tears in her eyes. She had helped along Kiersten's cycle so the cubs would come early. Everything was almost in place, and they needed to be here for it to work. Xipil came to her side while Johnny and Cole went over to check out the cubs.
"Are you sure there's no other way?" He asked his wife, taking her hand.
"I'm sure. We have to do this to save all of them."
