*** I know that there would be one more chapter and then the eppie... but I felt that this was a good place to leave off. Let me know what you think of it and if there should be a sequel.. or no... either way, tell me. Last time I check, I sadly could not read minds. <3 Thank you all for reading Finding Me... this is bittersweet! ***
Irishyez
Epilogue!!!
“You’re doing great Ellis, just keep breathing.” Mathias said in a hushed tone.
I have been in labor for the last 17 hours and I’m exhausted. The anesthesiologist has been called and I’m hoping like hell that he gets here before this baby makes its grand entrance. We don’t know if we are having a boy or a girl, all we know is that it is healthy and strong.
I was nearly squeezing Mathias’s hand off when there was a knock at the door. Oh saints be praises, the magic man had arrived. Under my dad Jackson’s supervision, I am having the baby at a regular hospital. The anesthesiologist is thankfully a member of the Pack, so he is able to give me the quantity of meds that I need as meds burn off quicker with werewolves.
Once he was done, I instantly relaxed and fell into a much needed deep sleep. Throughout my slumber I recalled the events of the last few months.
First, there was the accident. Turns out it was just that, an accident. The hairs that were found on the bumper were that of a deer, it must have jumped into Mathias’s blind spot, hitting the car and causing it to go out of control. We were so happy to hear this news, as we were not prepared to battle any other Packs or more hunters.
Then there was our honeymoon, we decided to just make it a short trip to the west coast. We spent a week basking in the sunlight and going to Hollywood to try and catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two. We were fortunate enough to see Ian Somerhalder who I wanted to chase down and we also saw Kim Kardashian who winked at Mathias and tried to talk to him. He had no idea who she was and I was tempted to smack her. Once we ‘kindly’ informed her that he is married, she backed off.
The third big event was the merging of our Packs. Alpha Marcus is now in charge of both Packs and he seems to be relishing in it. Mathias is going to be taking over in a few months once he has some time with me and the baby as well as a few more private talks with Alpha about how to run a Pack. I know that Mathias is ready, but he keeps insisting that he wants just a little more time before he takes on roughly 200 members of a Pack.
My dad was happy to step down. He spent so much time running and fighting that he was worn out and just wanted to be a dad and grandpa now. It didn’t last long though, he quickly found something to occupy all of his time. Cars, he had taken to restoring old cars. The latest one was a 1957 Chevy truck, which he is going to paint pink for me.
Lastly, and it has led us here, was the pregnancy. Once the morning sickness subsided full, I enjoyed it. Everything from the doctor’s visits to getting to feel the little one moving around. No one really knows how odd hiccups are until you feel your unborn baby have them. Mathias enjoyed it as well, even if he did groan about having to go to the store at 2am to get me a particular flavor of ice cream, only to have me sleeping and no longer wanting it when I woke up.
He was so excited to be a dad though, but I knew it was hard for him to not have his family here to share it with. He confided in me that when his parents died, he wanted to just give up and end it all, but his wolf saved him. His wolf reminded him that he had someone out there that was waiting for him and to take that away from her would be unfair. I thanked his wolf all the time for that.
“Ellis, Ellis honey, we need to check to see how you are progressing, can you wake up for us?” I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder trying to get me to wake up, but I didn’t want to. It felt like I had only been asleep for about ten minutes when the devil nurse woke me up.
I tried swatting her away as I rolled over and pulling the blanket over my head, but my giant belly got in the way. “Damn-it.” I groaned out as I realized that I had no real recourse at this moment. “Fine, but then can I please go back to sleep, I have only been out for…” I looked up at the clock and realized that I have been asleep for two hours and another nurse came in and checked me while I slept because my dad threatened her job if she woke me up. “Holy cow, I’ve been out for two hours, only about ten more and I’ll be good to go.” I tried laughing, but the nurse was repositioning me and making me mad.
She checked me and excused herself from the room without saying anything to me. “Well that was rude.” Mathias said as he kissed the top of my head.
A moment later my dad Jackson came in smiling along with Doctor Paulson. He was only in his 20’s, with thick blonde hair and the bluest eyes anyone would have seen. He was also from the Pack and was going to take over for Jackson when he retired at the Pack Doctor.
“Who’s ready to have a baby?” Jackson asked as he helped one of the two nurse ready the baby warmer. “Looks like you are fully dilated and 100 percent effaced. So, we are going to get everything ready so that I can meet my first grandchild.”
“What, you mean I can’t sleep anymore? But I’m still really tired.” I was whining and it was not my greatest moment, but I just wanted to close my eyes again and not wake up until it was all over.
Mathias grabbed my hand and I could feel that he was shaking, why was he nervous, I was the one that had to push out the baby and I guess I never realized until that moment, just how big Mathias’s head was. This baby better not have its daddy’s noggin. Suddenly panic attacked me out of nowhere.
“I can’t Mathias; I know I am not going to be able to do this. I am too tired to be able to have this baby right now.” The nurses pulled on my hips and coaxed me further down the bed while standing the back of the bed up more.
Doctor Paulson was standing before me, all gowned up and gloves on, like he was expecting a blood bath, ‘let’s hope not’, I thought. “Okay Ellis, I want you to take a deep breath and push, alright, on the count of three… one… two… three… push.”
I took a deep breath and pushed while Mathias counted to ten. I suddenly had a burst of energy, I would need every ounce in order to finish this journey.
“Good, good Ellis, the baby is coming, I can see the head. A few more of those and you should be a mommy.”
I gave it all my might over and over and over and after about half an hour of pushing I heard the cries of our baby and they sounded like the most beautiful thing on earth. When I gave my last push, I fell back to the bed, completely drained of any energy that I might have had left.
“Mathias, would you like to cut the cord?” I heard Jackson ask. He handed the scissors to my husband and Mathias carefully cut between the two clamps.
The nurse whisked the baby off to the warming table where they measured, weighed and cleaned it up. I still didn’t know if I had a boy or a girl. We had an understanding that Mathias was going to be the one to tell me, no one else.
She then handed the baby over to Mathias who carefully came over to my bedside. “Mama, say happy birthday to Jeffrey Mathias Cooper.”
My eyes went wide and I felt tears streaking down as he handed our son to me. “A boy… Mathias we have a boy?”
He nodded in response and I pulled the blanket away from the babes’ tiny face. He had blue eyes, like all newborns and his hair was jet black, like his daddies. I had no doubt in my mind that he was going to be just as handsome, if no more so than Mathias and that he was going to have green eyes, like the both of us.
“You did amazing honey.” Mathias praised as he sat on the edge of the bed while I nursed Jeffrey for the first time. He was a natural at it and it helped me feel like I had a special bond with him.
When I finished, the rest of the family came in and greeted their new nephew and grandson. There were probably hundreds of pictures taken and everyone had a turn at holding him. I took in the happiness of everyone around me and contained it all to memory. I didn’t want to forget how happy everyone is right now, because we knew that in our world, that could all change at the drop of the hat.
***Thank you all again for reading and hopefully enjoying Finding Me... please check out my other books, Guilty of Love, Black & Blue and my newest one, Overcoming for the Alpha... Also check out books by Sage Taylor, her writing is quite lovely...
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO... IrishEyez.... ***
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