Dragon Whelps: Earth Dragons Series: Book 3

by Hartnady, Charlene

  He shook his head. “I’m not talking about your…placenta,” he said under his breath. “You are going to birth another whelp.” He spoke so softly that she could hardly hear him.

  Whelp!

  What?

  More mumbo jumbo. It was so frustrating. Just when Shale seemed completely normal, just when she started to feel comfortable with him, he would say something along these lines. Dragons, lairs and whelps. She rubbed her eyes, feeling exhausted.

  Georgia tried to get up again, she needed to go to her son. Her baby needed her, but Shale held onto her.

  Frustration ate at her. “How is he?” she tried again, louder this time. Her throat hurt.

  Macy tried to give her some more ice chips, but she shook her head. She suddenly felt a touch of nausea. That, and very cold. The placenta must be coming soon. It almost felt like she was about to have another contraction. “How is my baby?” she asked again, louder this time.

  The doctor ignored her. He kept on working for another half a minute. It could have been less than that because each second felt like a lifetime. Then he held up her son. Finally.

  Georgia gasped at how beautiful he was. Tiny, but not as small as she thought. She had been right about that. He was perfect in every other aspect. One little foot gave a tiny kick and she sobbed, tears coursing down her cheeks. “He looks like he’s breathing fine.”

  “He’s two point five one pounds,” the doctor said. “You were most likely further along than you realized.” He smiled. “Your son is breathing well. I’m baffled, actually. How long did you say the patient was on steroids for, Doctor Michaels?”

  “A couple of hours.” Doctor Michaels sounded shocked as well.

  “Well, that might be it. Certainly worked at maturing his lungs. He has some kind of…I don’t know…birthmark on his chest.” She could see that both pediatricians were frowning heavily. “It’s the strangest thing. It looks…”

  Then it hit and hard, almost knocking the air from her lungs. A contraction. She would have doubled over if Shale hadn’t held onto her. As it was, she hunched forward, making a harsh groaning noise that hurt her throat. She couldn’t stop it from happening. What the hell?

  Georgia didn’t know much about childbirth. What she did know was that contractions after the baby was born were supposed to slow down to a minimum. Some women reported not even feeling them anymore when pushing out the placenta. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Or was it? Georgia wanted to ask Doctor Michaels, but she couldn’t talk. She focused on her breathing instead.

  Doctor Michaels looked concerned. “Are you alright, Georgia?”

  Georgia managed to shake her head. What was that the pediatrician had said about a strange birthmark? Where had he said it was? If only it didn’t hurt so much. She’d be able to think. Something rattled around in her brain, but she couldn’t put two and two together. She groaned as the pain intensified. Then she felt—

  “Oh, good lord! Oh, heck….” she groaned.

  “You shouldn’t be…contractions…” She caught splintered parts of what Doctor Michaels was saying to her. Her doctor was examining her. Checking her heart-rate.

  She finally looked between her legs and jumped up like a jack-in-the-box, eyes wide. Georgia’s contraction subsided. Her pain slowly easing off. “What is it?’ she panted the words.

  “Your perineum is bulging.” Doctor Michaels swallowed. “I think…”

  Georgia turned back to look at Shale. “It’s true! I’m having twins.” Her heart was beating so wildly it felt like it might just bruise her ribcage.

  He nodded once. “Yep. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  “All of it’s true?” She sounded skeptical. Heck, she still felt skeptical. It would mean that he was a dragon shifter. A freaking dragon. How was that possible?

  He nodded again, giving her a half-smile. “Every last thing I told you is true. All of it.”

  “No way!” Macy yelled, sounding shocked.

  That meant that he was a prince. Her babies…not baby, babies… Her eyes felt wide. Her blood felt like it had drained from her body. Maybe that’s why her heart was beating overtime. “Shit,” she mumbled. Georgia could feel her belly begin to tighten. “Help me back up.”

  Shale did as she asked, lifting and then maneuvering her into position easily.

  “You’re having twins, alright,” Doctor Michaels piped up. “The second one will crown and may even be born on your next contraction.”

  She nodded.

  “With twin births, normally everything goes quicker the second time around. The first baby paves the way for the second.”

  Georgia was struggling to hear what Doctor Michaels was saying. “I need to push,” she ground out.

  “Do it!” her doctor said, looking from between her legs to her face and back again.

  Shale held her tightly. “You can do this,” he urged.

  Georgia pushed with all her might, feeling immense pressure between her legs. It hurt, but it also felt good to push. Like finally being able to scratch an itch.

  The pressure built and built and then in one rush was gone as her baby was born.

  “Good job!” Doctor Michaels was smiling. “Another son. He also looks very healthy.” The nurse was there, handing Doctor Michaels clamps and scissors.

  “I paged Doctor Greene,” the pediatrician announced.

  Her son made a wailing noise. She could hear him suck in a deep breath. Georgia sagged against Shale. Her boys were part dragon shifter. They weren’t human. That meant that they were full-term like Shale had said. They were going to be just fine. She couldn’t stop smiling. “He has red hair,” she muttered.

  “They both do,” Shale chuckled, sounding excited. “Gorgeous like their mom.” She could hear he was still smiling. “You did it,” he said, kissing her temple. “You’re amazing.” His voice sounded choked.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Macy clapped her hands softly. “You have two babies. Two!” She laughed. “I can’t believe it. Can you believe it? Oh my god, but I’m in awe over here.”

  She felt Shale tense when their second born was handed over to the pediatrician who had just arrived. He was out of breath and his coat buttons had been done up wrong. “It’ll be okay,” she tried to soothe him. Shale. A dragon shifter. Shit! This was surreal. It was completely mind-blowing.

  “You can’t take them,” Shale pretty much growled the words. His chest actually vibrated against her back.

  Their firstborn was nestled in the incubator. The pediatrician was still busy with baby number two. “They won’t do anything to harm them,” she tried again. “I just realized I don’t have names. I don’t even have a name for one of them, let alone two. I don’t have anything for them. No diapers. No—”

  “Don’t worry,” Shale said as he stood up. He lifted her back and into a better position. “Everything will be taken care of. Everything will be fine.” He pushed some hair behind her ear. “We’ll come up with their names together.”

  Georgia had so many questions. She burned to ask them all, but couldn’t. Her belly was contracting lightly. It was almost indiscernible after the last couple of contractions. It most likely indicated that the placenta was coming. She couldn’t get back up, even though she wanted to go and check on her babies.

  Both of her sons were put into the incubator. “I must say, we are shocked at how well these two are doing,” Doctor Hickstead said. “They are identical twins. They even have that same birthmark. It’s…bizarre. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are laser treatments available, so I wouldn’t worry. Otherwise, they seem to be extremely healthy.”

  “You most certainly were further along with this pregnancy,” the other pediatrician commented. “There is no alternate explanation,” he stated, shaking his head. Georgia couldn’t remember his name. “That, plus the steroids taking effect after such a short period of time, means that your boys are in good health and breathing well on their own. For now, the incubator is oxyge
nated, and the temperature is regulated.”

  “We are going to take them—” Doctor Hickstead began.

  “No!” Shale snarled.

  The first doctor paled and the second even took a step back, clutching his chest.

  “B-but…um—” Doctor Hickstead stammered.

  “But nothing!” Shale’s voice was booming. His hands were fisted at his sides. He looked ready to tear the two of them limb from limb. He was quite capable of doing it too. Being that he was a shifter. Georgia still couldn’t believe it. There was no other logical explanation. He had known things he couldn’t possibly know. Twins, chest markings, boys. It had to be.

  “You n-need to let us d-do our jobs,” Doc Two stammered, taking another step back and lifting a hand as if to ward Shale off.

  “We will need to run further tests,” Doctor Hickstead spoke carefully. “Just to be on the safe side. It is important that we check for oxygen saturation, that the infants have the suck reflex.”

  “Exactly!” Doc Two stated, with more confidence now that his colleague had stepped forward. “We need to monitor them over a period to make sure they remain stable. Then, we can make a call as to whether or not they will be able...”

  “They should be with their mother.” Shale clenched his jaw.

  Her heart hurt at the prospect of them taking her babies. It physically hurt, but this was a necessary step. “Um…Shale,” Georgia reached up and took his hand, “let the doctors do their job. Why don’t you go with them? Keep an eye on things.”

  Doctor Hickstead shook his head, pulling in a breath. “That won’t be neces—”

  “I would have to insist,” Shale growled. “Otherwise, my children are not going anywhere.” He folded his arms, towering over the two doctors.

  “Okay then.” Doctor Hickstead nodded.

  “Charles, what are you…?” Doc Two began.

  “We don’t seem to have much of a choice,” Doctor Hickstead said, eyes wide and still trained on Shale.

  “Alright.” Doc Two shook his head in disgust. “You will need to stay out of the way.”

  “I’ll…we’ll be back as soon as we can.” Shale squeezed her hand and then leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. It was platonic. It was friendly and sweet, but butterflies still took wing in her stomach. This, despite another mild contraction and an irritating need to push. It wasn’t like before. Nothing major, just an irritation.

  “Yes, you go. I’ll be fine. Just…” Shale turned back. “Don’t hurt anyone. They’re only trying to help our boys.”

  Our boys.

  What was she saying? Georgia was assuming that they were going to be one happy family. Not together as a couple, but parents to this baby. That might not happen.

  The whole business of pushing out the placenta lasted less than ten seconds. “I’m happy to announce that you didn’t tear,” Doctor Michaels said. “The placenta looks complete. We’ll be able to discharge you in a day or two. It doesn’t seem like your sons will need to be here all that long either, but you’ll have to wait to hear from Doctor Hickstead and Doctor Greene on that note.”

  “Thank you.” Georgia smiled.

  “I’m so glad things turned out so well,” Doctor Michaels said as she pulled off the rubber gloves. “Someone will be in to wheel you to your private room shortly.”

  “Private?” Her eyes widened. Private rooms were costly.

  “Yes.” Her doctor nodded. “Your partner insisted on it.”

  “Private rooms cost lots of money!” She couldn’t fathom the idea.

  “He’s already paid for everything in full.” Doctor Michaels winked at her.

  Holy crap, this was really happening?

  “I’ll come through and check on you when I make my rounds later. Otherwise, get some rest. Your life is about to become really busy.” She choked out a laugh. “I can’t believe you didn’t know you were carrying twins. It’s never happened to me in my whole career.”

  “I can’t believe it either.”

  “Push the call bell if you need anything. The nurses will check up on you regularly. Oh, and it’s the most bizarre thing. Maintenance got back to me and the ultrasound machine seems to be working just fine again.” She shook her head. “We’ll have to keep an eye on it. I can’t believe this happened.” She grinned. “I’m so glad you guys are all doing so well.”

  Georgia nodded. “Me too, thanks.” More proof that everything Shale had said was the truth. That he was completely sane.

  They watched as Doctor Michaels left. Macy clapped her hand over her mouth and laughed hysterically. “I can’t believe what just happened,” she finally said. “It’s all true, isn’t it?” Her eyes were wide.

  Georgia nodded. “I think so.”

  “I mean, you had twins with chest markings. They’re both boys who are, it would seem, absolutely fine.” She wiped a hand over her face. “Shale is a shifter.” She said the last under her breath. “Not just that, he’s a prince.”

  “I still struggle to believe it. I just…”

  “And he told you he wants the two of you to raise these children?” Macy asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

  Georgia nodded. “I don’t want to get my hopes up just yet. I have no idea what all of this means.” She shrugged. “I just can’t comprehend. I was just starting to come to terms with the Joyces adopting my child. Now I have two, and the father is here and wanting to…be their father.”

  “And he’s not human.” Macy mouthed ‘OMG’.

  “It’s all surreal.” She pushed out a heavy breath.

  “Do you think he wants the two of you to be, not just parents to the boys, but an item?” Macy raised her brows.

  “I doubt it very much.” She shook her head hard. “It was a one-night thing. I can’t see it playing out like that. Like I said, we have a lot to talk through.”

  “Would you be interested…in Shale in that way?” Macy asked, her voice animated. “I mean, if he was interested in you in that way? You guys could be a family.”

  “Slow it down, there. He’s a good-looking guy and I’m attracted to him, but I doubt there’s any more there…between us. I don’t think he’s the settling down type.”

  “Up until a few days ago, you didn’t think he was father material either, and yet here he is growling at the doctors and being very much a father. He wouldn’t take his eyes off those little boys. He was sweet with you too, during the labor. So sweet! I would love a guy like that.”

  Georgia felt her eyes well. “He was pretty sweet, and my babies are beautiful, aren’t they?”

  “So beautiful,” Macy gushed. “They look just like you.” Her friend smiled broadly.

  They both laughed. “Gingers,” Georgia said, between her laughter and tears. “I wish I could hold them.” Her laughter turned into a sob.

  “Oh, hun.” Macy put her arms around her. “I’m willing to bet that Shale will have them in your arms in no time.”

  They let each other go. “You’re right.” Georgia nodded. “I have a big favor to ask.”

  “Your mom.” Macy smiled. “I’m headed there as soon as I leave here, which,” she looked at her watch, “needs to be right now.”

  “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “I know.” She smiled broadly. “You will owe me, big time.”

  “Most definitely.”

  “I’ll come and visit after work tomorrow.”

  Georgia nodded. “That would be lovely.”

  “I can’t wait to hold those little bundles of joy myself. Get Shale to take lots of pics of all of you guys.”

  Georgia narrowed her eyes. “You should stop with all of that. It’s not going to be like that between us.”

  “I saw that kiss he planted on your forehead earlier.” She grinned. It was all out wicked.

  “Exactly. Nowhere near the lips. Go already.” She shooed Macy.

  Her friend chuckled as she headed to the door.

  “Don’t forget, if my mom’s in one of her moods y
ou will need to—”

  “I know…” Macy turned back smiling. “I’ll clean the room until she calms down.”

  “And if she’s lucid…” The idea worried her more because her mom would worry where she was.

  “I’ll handle it,” Macy said.

  “I’m not sure if you should tell her what’s going on.”

  “Of course I will tell her. She’ll want to know,” Macy insisted.

  “I don’t know if that’s wise. She’ll get upset. She’ll cry. You know how she becomes when she realizes how much she’s missed. Even worse, how much she’s deteriorated.”

  “Your mom is a grandmother. She will want to know. Let me be the judge of her mood. Chances are good I’ll clean for half an hour and then head home. Teddy will be dying to go for a walk. Hopefully he hasn’t chewed up my sofa.” Macy rolled her eyes.

  “You wanted a puppy.” Georgia smiled back.

  “I love him to bits,” her friend said, smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear all about it and to meet those gorgeous boys of yours.”

  “I can’t wait either.” Her voice hitched. They hugged and Macy left.

  Chapter 16

  Three hours later…

  Shale handed their eldest son to his mother. Georgia was crying openly. A smile on her lips. Her eyes were focused on the bundle in her arms. “He’s so little and so perfect.” She looked his way, smiling. “I can’t believe this. I just can’t!” She shook her head, her eyes glistening.

  “He is all of those things,” Shale agreed, looking on. Georgia put their boy down in her lap, gazing down at him.

  The little one yawned. “He’s so adorable.” Georgia touched her finger against his hand, and he gripped it. She chuckled. “So clever. He has your eyes.”

  “They both do.” Shale felt such pride. He never believed he would ever feel this way. Love beyond compare. Their youngest son was sleeping soundly in a crib next to the bed.