Epilogue
Cat waddled around the house, checking to make sure everything was in place for the cub's arrival. She was due any day now and felt like she was as big as a house.
Their guest house had been completed right on time. Aiden was a miracle worker and ensured everything was done according to what Cat and Trey wanted. Cat looked around the second bedroom that had been converted to a nursery and smiled.
Kitty had painted an enormous mural on one wall with two lions, one resembling Atlas and the other resembling Saira. The other three walls were painted sky blue, where Kitty added clouds and birds. Cat loved it; she couldn't have asked for anything better for her little cub.
The floor had a cream-colored carpet with little bits of blue mixed in. The crib, chest of drawers, changing table, and rocking chair were all white. A mobile with little lions hung over the crib that had blue bedding. Stuffed animals filled one corner of the room, courtesy of Roger and Valerie.
Cat rubbed her belly as she sat in the rocking chair, looking out the window. There was a built-in bookshelf that Aiden had added under the window seat, and it was already filled with books.
She could hear the work being done at the main house, but she wasn't allowed anywhere near it because she was worried the dust and fumes would hurt her cub. Cat spent most of her days walking around the property and sitting in the garden. All the lilac bushes had been planted.
Trey hovered over her, constantly making sure she was okay. He was at the main house checking out the work and answering some questions for Aiden. Cat took a deep breath as she continued to rub her belly.
She felt a little pain, but nothing concerning yet. Due to giving birth to a cub and not a human baby, she had decided to deliver at home. Cat's doctor agreed to come to her when she went into labor as she was a doctor for shifters.
As Cat continued rocking in the chair, she noticed the pain in her belly getting worse and more frequent. She decided to call Dr. Caddel to see what she thought. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
"Hi, Kelly. This is Cat Galloway. Can I speak to Dr. Caddel? I think I may be going into labor." Cat felt the pain in her ribs getting stronger, and she quickly mindlinked Trey to come to the nursery.
"Sure, Cat, let me get her." It was no more than a minute when the doctor picked up the phone.
"Cat, Kelly said you think you're in labor? How are your contractions?" Cat could hear her shuffling things around on her desk.
"I've felt pain off and on all day, but now it's much more intense, and it's coming every five minutes, sometimes less." Cat couldn't get any more out as another one hit at the same time Trey ran into the room.
"Okay, Cat, I'll be there in fifteen minutes or less." Dr. Caddel hung up, and Cat looked up at Trey.
"I'm in labor. Our little guy is finally ready to come out. Can you help me to the bedroom?" Cat was getting ready to stand up when Trey came over and scooped her up in his arms.
"No more walking. It'll be faster if I carry you." Trey leaned down and kissed Cat as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her to their bedroom and sat her on their bed with pillows stacked up behind her.
"Can you get those pads we got to cover the bed in case my water breaks? I don't want to mess up our bed." Trey walked to their closet, pulled the pads, and helped position them under her.
As Cat had another contraction, he held her hand, letting her squeeze. Saira helped take some of the pain on herself as Cat breathed through. When the doorbell rang, Trey ran downstairs and opened the door for the doctor.
"Can you call Valerie and tell her the cub will be here soon? I know she and Roger want to be here for his birth." He pulled out his phone while Dr. Caddel washed her hands in the bathroom and put on gloves.
"Okay, Cat, let's see how we're doing." She had Cat lay back so she could check the baby's position by gently pressing on her belly. She then checked to see how dilated she was and as she measured, Cat's water broke.
"Well, Cat, your water broke, and it looks like you're fully dilated, so now we're going to get everything ready to deliver. Trey, I'm going to need your help."
While Cat watched, the doctor and Trey began getting supplies out. Trey got the bassinet out of their closet and pulled it next to the bed, along with towels. They heard the door open downstairs and footsteps running up the stairs. Valerie stuck her head in and smiled.
"Is it okay if I come in?"
"Of course. Where's Roger?" She looked past Valerie and didn't see him.
"He's downstairs. He didn't think you'd be comfortable with him in here." Cat smiled. Roger was constantly worried he would make her uncomfortable.
"Tell him he can come in and be here for this. I just ask that he stay up by my head." Cat winched as another contraction hit her, and she felt pressure between her legs.
Valerie yelled for Roger to come up, and he ran inside, sitting up by Cat's head while holding her hand. Valerie sat on the other side, holding her other hand while Trey helped the doctor.
"Okay, I need you to push. His head is already crowning." Cat squeezed both Roger and Valeries' hands while she pushed. Saira did her best to take on some of Cat's pain, but Cat still felt the majority of it.
"You're almost there. One more push, and he should be out." Dr. Caddel said as Cat stopped to take some deep breaths. Trey leaned over and kissed her sweaty forehead.
"You can do this. I can see his little head. All I see is black hair like yours." Cat smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. She took one more deep breath and started pushing again. She felt him slide out just as she was ready to give up.
Cat watched as Dr. Caddel cleared his airway and smacked his bottom. The sound of her cub crying was music to her ears. Trey cut the cord and helped clean him up. He then carried him over, wrapped in a blanket, placing him in Cat's arms.
She cried as she looked at the sweet little face. He had a head full of black hair, but she could already see a resemblance to Trey. Valerie and Roger were both crying next to her, looking at the little one.
"Do you have a name for this little guy?" Valerie asked between happy tears as she ran her finger over his soft cheek. Cat looked up at Trey, who smiled and nodded.
"Yes, we decided to name him Theodore Roger Galloway, but we'll call him Theo for short." She watched Roger's face as she said the name, and his face registered shock followed by pure joy.
"You gave him my name for his middle name? Why?" Roger asked as he reached down and rubbed Theo's soft head gently. He was already in love with his grandson.
"You're what made all of this possible. I would have never met Trey or any of you if you hadn't taken my case and assigned a team to catch Leo. I wouldn't be here with this little guy if it weren't for you. So you see, Roger, you're the reason for all our happiness and for making us all a family." She held Theo out to him as he cried at what she said. Roger gently took him in his arms and kissed his forehead.
"Thank you." Was all he could get out.
Dr. Caddel finished cleaning Cat up and checked her and the baby out before leaving. She said they both looked good, but she would be back that evening to check on them again. After she left, Trey mindlinked Aiden and Kitty, who were at the main house, to come over to meet their nephew.
Valerie was holding Theo when they came in, and she handed him over to Kitty. She looked at the little cub in her arms, as apprehensive as she had been about having cubs that all seemed to fade away. She handed Theo over to Aiden, who beamed at the little cub.
Aiden had seen Kitty's face melt at the sight of their nephew, and he knew she may be getting close to wanting a cub of her own. He looked down at the baby and decided he would be the best uncle Theo could ever want.
When Aiden handed Theo to Trey, he looked down at his son, who looked like a mixture of him and Cat. He would be the first of many cubs, but he represented the love between a lion and a human. Theo brought everyone in this room together to make a family. A family that would face troubles and heartache, but through it all, they would stick together as families do.
