He took deep breaths to clear his mind and hurried into the room where they wheeled Melissa. It was someone’s office, a big mahogany desk taking up most of the room. The others quickly ran around finding pillows and blankets so they could get Melissa comfortable on the floor.
Sasha instructed her crew to wait outside and gave them the camera before locking the door—keeping all others out and so that Jarek, Whelon, Dawn, and Sasha were the only ones in the small office.
As Jarek set himself up behind Melissa for support, Whelon knelt between Melissa’s thighs to check how her body responded to labor. To his relief, her muscles were very loose, and even without fancy equipment for diagnostics, he had enough evidence that the birth canal had opened just as it should.
He looked up as Dawn placed a hand on Melissa’s belly. She closed her eyes for a second and then tore Melissa’s pink dress right down the middle. Both Jarek and Whelon stared at her in alarm, but Melissa answered the unspoken question.
“Thank you, Dawn,” Melissa breathed. “I was being strangled.”
“Don’t mention it.” She smiled and put both hands on Melissa’s bare stomach.
“The dragonlet is well,” Dawn murmured. “She remembers you, Whelon.”
“She?” Jarek’s voice was high, his face tense.
“Yes, Jarek, definitely a daughter. Most of the time, we can’t tell the sex throughout pregnancy by listening from the heart. A fetus doesn’t know what male or female even is. This close to term, though, they know enough to tell me.” Dawn closed her eyes again, a soft smile on her face. “She says you are content now, Whelon. You are where you are supposed to be and that you can show her how to do the same.”
“I will do my very best,” he rumbled as he pulled the remnants of Melissa’s skirts out of the way. Sasha moved to Melissa’s other side so she and Jarek each held one of her hands.
Dawn stayed by her side, both hands on her tight belly as she spoke to the child. “She’s ready, Whelon.”
Whelon took a deep breath and carefully felt around to make sure Melissa was, indeed, ready to push. He was outside of a med bay with nothing he could support her with—no medication for pain. If she had a simple hemorrhage, all he would be able to do was watch her die. He tried to push away his frustration, knowing it would only affect the mood of everyone in the room.
“Try and relax, Melissa,” he murmured gently. “I just need to check things at the baby’s head.”
She nodded and gulped, closing her eyes tightly as he felt around. Whelon inserted his fingers as gently as possible, listening for any signs of distress from Melissa. He was terrified he would find the birth canal closed and he was without equipment to perform a Caesarion.
A successful one, anyway. His mind shied away from the dark thought. He knew the ambulance waited nearby, and its attendants would be on their way, but they wouldn’t have anything that would support Melissa through surgery.
Melissa gasped in pain as his hand finally reached her cervix. He felt around as quickly as possible before carefully withdrawing his hand.
“You’re open,” he breathed in relief. “You’re okay, Melissa.”
“I don’t feel fucking okay!” she screamed at him, her face bright red and sweat peppering her brow. “Nothing about this is okay!”
Whelon looked to his mate. “Go and get the ambulance attendants. We can at least give her something for the pain if they have anything.”
Sasha nodded, dashing away. Dawn had her eyes closed and crooned something under her breath. The lilting melody throbbed through him, as calming as a physical drug. It relaxed him but kept his mind sharp, and Whelon noticed Dawn’s magic working on everyone in the room.
Whelon peered down and saw Melissa’s body blushing deep rose and the outer lips turning a deep red. He only guessed but he assumed her body prepared to push. He placed his hands over Dawn’s.
The sensation hit him in the chest so hard it stole his breath. For a split-second, he was the baby, caught in a dark world where he was being compressed and squeezed. The warm, safe home that he had enjoyed for months had now become a claustrophobic prison and the child was desperate to get out.
Whelon pulled back his consciousness and felt his mind move away from the baby girl’s, but she reached out for him with her young mind. Through Dawn, they could feel each other and sense each other’s thoughts.
“She’s ready, Whelon,” Dawn whispered.
He sensed it, too, but this was the hard part. This was the time that, if it was going to go wrong, it would happen so fast he could do nothing to save her.
“Melissa.” He stared at her, his jaw firm. “Push.”
She tried. She gripped Jarek’s hand and tried to bear down, but then she shrieked in agony. Shaking overwhelmed her and Dawn met Whelon’s eyes with concern.
“I can’t! She’s too big!” Melissa sobbed.
Dawn put her hand over Whelon’s. “You can manage this baby. She knows you. She likes you. Just reach for her… She can reach you even if you don’t know how, but I honestly think you have a touch of heart master talent.” She moved up to Melissa’s head and gave Whelon a stern look before issuing her order. “Talk to the baby.”
Whelon had no idea what in all the skies he was doing, but he placed his large hand on Melissa’s belly. Sasha appeared beside him at that moment.
“I called them in,” she whispered. “They got stuck on a one-way street. They won’t be here for at least fifteen minutes.”
She doesn’t have fifteen minutes! She doesn’t even have five.
Dawn placed her hand on Melissa’s forehead and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. “You are well, Mellissa,” she spoke soothingly, crooning just a little as she gently rocked back and forth. Jarek began to rock too and Sasha grabbed Melissa’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
“We’re all here for you, Melissa,” Sasha added gently. She had tears running down her face and her eyes were filled with terror, but his mate kept it together.
I am here too. I am with you, Mother.
The vibration took Whelon by surprise and he jumped, quickly putting his hand back on Melissa’s belly.
We can do this together.
“Oh, my god,” Melissa cried. “I can hear her. I can hear my baby.”
We can do this together, Mother.
“You are well, Melissa,” Dawn crooned. “You are strong. You are invincible. You are the mate of a dragon and bearer of dragonlets. For this you were made.”
For this I was born.
For this I will be born.
It was the voice of Melissa joining with her daughter in a song of union. Whelon looked up and found Jarek still as a statue, his eyes closed as he focused on pouring strength into his mate. His face was twisted in pain and he appeared haggard, but Melissa glowed—her eyes bright and her cheeks stained rosy pink.
Whelon sensed the child turning within the womb.
“Now Melissa!” he ordered. “Push, push now!”
She gathered herself and scrunched up her body, gripping Sasha’s and Jarek’s hands as she pushed. Dawn took a deep breath and held tightly to Melissa, lending her strength as she struggled to give birth.
Whelon felt for the child again, sensing it moving within Melissa. He let her pant for four breaths before he roused her again. “Push, Melissa, now!”