"Coach?” Xavier echoed blankly, jerking his head up to look at the woman.
"I'm not doing Lamaze,” Danika informed the woman. “I want drugs!"
The woman gave her a reproachful look. “It isn't good for the babies ... but he'll give you a little something."
"Can't you just knock me out?” Danika whined.
"No. It'll knock the babies out, too, and that's not good for them."
She pouted about it a while, but the pain just kept getting worse and worse until she didn't have the strength to spare for anger. Every time she thought she'd reached the absolute peak of pain she discovered she hadn't. She clung to Xavier's hand like a lifeline.
"She's crowning,” Dr. Billings said after a while. “The perspective fathers should be in here—particularly the prince. If they're his, the others can stand as witnesses."
Xavier leaned down and kissed her forehead and pulled free of her grip. “I have to go, baby."
"Don't leave me!"
"Balin will be with you."
She managed to pry her eyelids up at that, watching Xavier forlornly as he left. Her gaze caught on Balin as Xavier reached the door. Behind him stood Con and Dakota, looking as if they wanted to be anywhere else. Balin took Xavier's place, squeezing her hand reassuringly.
"Almost here, Danika,” the doctor said reassuringly. “The first is starting to crown."
Con and Dakota, in a better position for viewing, looked.
Dakota turned green, gagged, and snatched the door open, stumbling out to puke.
Con stared hard, as if he was focusing, his face draining of color. He blinked a couple of times and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell back against the wall, sliding down to the floor like a rock. Danika sucked in a sharp breath and screamed, struggling to sit up.
"Gods damn it!” the doctor roared. “Hold her down! Somebody get him up! And somebody clean up that mess out there!"
"Is he hurt?” Danika gasped when Balin had pressed her back against the bed.
Balin glanced over at him. “Nope,” he said curtly.
"Focus on me, Danika,” the doctor said. “I want you to push but stop when I tell you to."
Danika nodded hopefully. “It's coming? It's almost over?"
"Almost there."
She squeezed Balin's hand more tightly, following the doctor's directions until she heard the thin wail of a new born. Con, who'd come around in the meantime, lifted his head and struggled to his feet, leaning weakly against the wall but focused intently on the baby.
Dakota, alerted by the same sound, inched back into the room and stayed against the wall next to Con. The nurse rushed to take the squalling infant, moving to the other side of the room with him. Danika gasped as another pain hit her.
"Male,” the doctor announced, “the second one's crowning."
Con and Dakota carefully trained their gazes on the nurse. Balin flicked a quick look up at the mirror above the table and looked away again, swaying slightly. “Don't even think about it!” the doctor growled.
Glancing around, Balin spotted a chair behind him, hooked a foot in it, and dragged it close enough to sit down without releasing Danika's hand. Danika strained and finally fell back when the second child left her. “Male,” the doctor announced. “One more Danika and we're done."
Danika nodded weakly and struggled to comply when he directed her to push. A look of astonishment washed over the doctor's face when the third infant set up a thin wail of indignation. “Female."
Everyone in the room went still.
Danika, exhausted, basking in blessed relief, felt a sudden chill of fear. “She's alright?"
The doctor glanced at her sharply. “Perfect!” He looked at Balin after the nurse carried baby away. “How are you holding up, your highness?"
Balin stared at him, coloring faintly, and started to get up.
"I think you should sit there. You look a little pale. I wouldn't want you breaking the royal crown in my delivery room,” he said dryly. “Let's get finished up with the mother. You did good, Danika, very good."
Danika, drifting in and out of a haze of exhaustion, managed to smile. “They're alright?"
"In my professional opinion,” the doctor said absently while he attended the afterbirth, “they're as close to perfect as I've ever seen."
Danika chuckled happily, as weak with relief as she was weary. “Can I see them?"
"Give the nurse a few minutes to finish up with them and she'll bring them over."
Danika struggled to stay awake long enough to see them. She roused when Balin kissed the back of her hand, turning to look at him sleepily. “Did you see them?"
He shook his head, looking up when he heard the nurse pushing the incubators around the bed. “Inspection time,” the nurse said brightly.
Balin dragged in a ragged breath, stood up, and reached into the first, lifting the baby from the bed to study it and finally bringing it close to his face. He swallowed a little sickly and carefully settled him again.
Danika watched him anxiously as he reached for the next and performed a similar ritual. Finally, he picked up the last born and brought her close to his face. He sat back in the chair a little abruptly, jarring the baby enough her face screwed up and she started to cry again. He brought her to his chest, cupping her tiny head in the palm of his hand.
Everyone in the room seemed to relax—except Danika, who didn't have a clue of what was going on. She searched his face anxiously when he finally dragged his gaze from the baby and looked at her. He grinned at her abruptly. “She's mine."
The nurse and the doctor both uttered a whoop that startled Danika, Balin, and the infant. She flailed her arms and began wailing in earnest.
Con and Dakota, who'd seemed frozen, surged away from the wall, moved to the other two incubators, studied the babies as Balin had, and then switched places. They looked up at her and grinned. “Mine. This one's mine!"
Danika grinned at them a little distractedly, too busy examining her baby girl once Balin had settled the baby in her arms to actually grasp what they'd said.
"She's beautiful,” Balin breathed raggedly.
Danika looked up at him, unsettled by the sheen of tears in his eyes. “Balin?"
He rubbed his eyes, grinning at her.
"A perfect little princess!” the nurse said enthusiastically.
"Beautiful!” the doctor agreed.
Danika kissed her forehead and reluctantly handed her back to Balin. “Let me see the others."
Grinning shakily, Con moved to the chair the moment Balin strolled across the room, cuddling the baby girl against his chest. Lifting the baby he'd brought, he displayed it proudly. “He's a handsome fellow, isn't he?"
Danika looked at the baby's sour expression and laughed, thoroughly charmed. “He's adorable!"
"Big, too!"
"A whopping three pounds, eight ounces,” the doctor agreed.
Con glared at him. “He's the biggest of the litter!” he growled.
Danika lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. “He's yours?"
He caught her hand, kissing the palm. “Yep. Mine!” he said proudly.
Kissing the baby, she handed him back to Con and looked up at Dakota. He switched places with Con. Sliding a glare in Con's direction, he informed her that his was the next biggest.
Balin, on the other side of the room, cuddled his daughter and smiled down at her sleeping face. “Don't pay them any attention, princess. Daddy don't mind if you're the runt."
Danika chuckled, feeling her heart swell with love as she watched the big, bad wolfens cuddling their babies and talking baby talk to them.
* * * *
"It's about time you got around to bringing them to see,” Grandma fussed as Danika pushed her wheel chair toward the exit of the building.
"They were really little, Grandma. We just got them home a few days ago or I would've come sooner."
Grandma hitched a shoulder at her but leaned forward in the chair eagerly as soon as they cleared the building and she spied the group in the garden. “Let me see the little darlings!” she demanded as soon as reached them.
Flicking a smiling look at Danika, Balin brought his daughter forward and knelt down to present the old woman with her great granddaughter. He frowned faintly when she took the infant and cradled her in one arm.
"A girl!” Grandma exclaimed with a mixture of pride and pleasure. “Lord and she's beautiful!” She lifted her head and looked Balin over frankly. “You don't see many of these, do you?"
"I've never seen but one of those,” he said, grinning. “I'm Balin ... her father."
She smiled at him, holding out her hand. “Prince Balin."
He flicked a sharp look at Danika, who shrugged and shook her head.
"She didn't tell me,” Grandma said testily. “I recognized you. You father.... “She stopped, frowning. “It's so hard to realize so many years have gone by. Your great grandfather, I guess—or maybe that would be great, great?—came to visit my grandfather when I was a little girl. You look like him."
Balin sent her a startled look and glanced at Danika again. “You remember that?"
She snorted. “I remember when I was little girl better than yesterday. That's how it gets. Anyway, he was named Balin, too."
Balin frowned curiously. “Do you remember why he came to visit your grandfather?"
She shrugged. “They were brothers. I was just a little girl, then. I don't know if they ever told me. Let me see the others."
Balin took his daughter back and moved aside so that Con could show off his son.
Danika looked at him questioningly when he moved to her, handing the baby to her almost mechanically. “What is it?"
He frowned. “I was thinking about what your grandmother said."
Danika shook her head, leaning closer. “She doesn't remember things very well."
"I heard that, Danika Marie Whitney! I might be old, but I ain't deaf!"
"I'm sorry, Grandma."
Balin took her arm, leading her a little away from the others. “She's part wolfen."
"Really?"
"You didn't know?"