Under a Bad Moon

Under a Bad Moon~*~Chapter 17

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Chapter 17

{Veronica’s POV}

            I had been hoping for an extremely vivid dream. What else could it have been? How could my baby not be in me anymore? It just didn’t seem realistic. On the edge on consciousness, I moved my hand to my belly, expecting the hard, roundness of my pregnant belly. Only I found nothing there. My belly was too soft and small. My eyes shot open.

            I pressed my hand harder to my belly, hoping desperately for him to still be there. He wasn’t, but a sharp pain was when I pressed on a certain spot. My eyes darted around the room. Only one person was in there and he was staring at me expectantly. I opened my mouth and the words automatically tumbled out. “Where is he?”

            Austin looked…tired, worn out, worried. His blond hair was in a disarray and his clothes were crumpled. Still, he managed to look cute. “He’s in the NICU, in an incubator. Since he was, ah, born a little early, he’ll be spending a little bit of time in it. The nurses gave him a shot to help his lungs develop and he is still growing rapidly.” He bit his lip, giving away that there was something he wasn’t telling her.

            “Come here,” I ordered. He scooted closer. I pulled him to me, my lips softly brushing his. “Now, tell me what else is wrong.”

            He stole another kiss before telling me. His hand gripped mine tightly like he thought I would let him go as soon as he told. “They think that his back—spine—is fractured…in two places.”

            The flush on my cheeks from his kisses faded away as I took in this news. “What?”

            He didn’t say anything for a few minutes. He just stared at our joined hands. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered. “This is entirely my fault. If I had just skipped practice and not cared about my reputation… He wouldn’t be in an incubator with a broken back. I’m so sorry.” Unshed tears sparkled in his eyes.

            “It’s not your fault,” I whispered gently. “He’s still alive and fighting to live. He’ll be fine. That’s what counts.”

            “But he’s hurt.”

            “And he’ll pull through, he’ll be fine.” I kissed my mate again. “Is he cute?”

            Austin nodded, running a hand through his blond hair tiredly. “AJ looks a lot like you.”

            “AJ?” A grin tugged at the corners of my lips.

            “Adam James, just like you wanted.”

            “I’m surprised you didn’t change his name to Austin Junior.”

            My mate chuckled. “I was tempted. As long as I kept calling him AJ, you never would’ve known.” He kissed my cheek. “It’s not too late to change it though. I still haven’t filled out the paperwork for his birth certificate… I figured you would want a part in that since you weren’t all there for his birth.”

            I frowned at the mention of his birth. I assumed that was what the earlier sharp pain had been. “Emergency C-section?” He nodded. “Oh,” I muttered. For whatever reason, I was sad that I had missed the chance to experience labor.