Dating Two Dragons (94 page)

Finally, there was complete silence.  Unable to wait any longer to see if Tommy was okay, Charlie crept out of the pantry and made his way to the bedroom.  It was completely destroyed.  The furniture was all broken and the bed was flattened against the floor.  One were bear lay across it and the other was sprawled out nearby on the floor.  He was unable to tell which was which or if either was alive.  For a moment, he stood frozen in place looking at both of them.

Much to his surprise, they finally began returning to human form.  Both were bloody with bruises and cuts all over them.  Making his way quickly to Tommy, he put his fingers on his neck and found a pulse.  He was alive, but whether he would recover remained to be seen.  Harrison was still not moving and Charlie could see an extremely large, deep gash now across his chest.  He could only assume it was fatal, but couldn’t bring himself to get close enough to find out.

He started to call 911 to get help for Tommy, not knowing what else to do.  Much to his surprise, he heard Tommy speaking in a very low voice.

“No.  Just give me a moment.  Stay away from him.”

Charlie watched in amazement as the cuts and marks on Tommy’s skin began to clear up before his eyes.  After a few moments, he wasn’t even able to tell that he had been injured other than the tattered clothing that was left on his mostly naked body.  Tommy slowly sat up and looked toward Harrison.  He looked forlorn as he crawled toward him and checked his pulse.

“He’s gone.  I didn’t want to do this.  He left me no choice.”

“What do we do?  How do we explain this to the police?”

“We don’t.  This is a matter for the club to handle.  Tommy climbed up from the floor and walked toward the kitchen to retrieve his cell phone.

“Hey, Joshua.  I need some of the guys over at my place to clean up a mess.  Harrison showed up intent on making sure Charlie didn’t give birth to our child.  I had to put him down.  He needs to be taken out to the burial grounds and given proper rights.”

Charlie was busy listening to the conversation from the open bedroom door when he felt a hand on his ankle, pulling him backwards.  He lost his balance and fell, crying out as he hit the floor.

“I’m not leaving this world with you in in it,” Harrison hissed at him through broken teeth.  There was a terrible sound that let Charlie know he was bound to have a punctured lung as well.  He kicked at him with his feet as he dragged him closer to him.

Suddenly his ears were ringing as the sound of a shot was fired and blood began pouring from Harrison’s forehead.  Charlie was dimly aware that Tommy had shot him and was standing over him with a cell phone in one hand and the glock in the other.  He rushed toward Charlie and helped him up.

“Are you okay, Charlie?  Are you hurt?  Is the baby hurt?”

“I don’t know.  I think so.  I think we’re both okay.”

Tommy picked up the phone again and spoke to Joshua. 

“Bring the doctor with you to check on Charlie.  Seems Harrison had a bit of life left in him yet.  He pulled Charlie down and I want to make sure both he and the baby are fine.”

Moments later he was off the phone and holding Charlie to him.  Charlie felt completely bewildered by everything that had happened in the last few days.  What had he gotten myself into?  Not so long ago he had looked forward to coming to school to have fun away from his parents, doing his own thing, sewing some wild oats while getting his degree.  Now, here he was, pregnant with the baby of a bear shifter.  It didn’t get more bizarre than that.

Tommy waited for the members of his clan to get there to clean up the mess and then they left to go to Charlie’s place.  He wasn’t sure what he would think about it compared to his own.  His was less glamourous, but decidedly more cozy than Charlie’s modern style place.  Still, there was no way they could stay in the mess that the fight with Harrison had left behind. 

“This is very nice, Charlie.”

“Not quite as warm as yours, but I haven’t really had a chance to add any personal touches between one night stands and supernatural pregnancies.”

“I know this must all seem so crazy to you, Charlie.  You have to be wondering what you did to deserve getting dragged into such an unbelievable situation.  Just know that I will never leave you.  We are mated for life.  I can’t make you stay with me if you choose not to, but know that I will never betray you if you stay with me.  I’m yours forever.  It is how things are in my clan.”

They spent the following week getting to know one another like a real couple would and Charlie quickly found that, despite their different backgrounds, they had quite a lot in common.  His belly continued to grow until he could no longer hide it and was forced to call out from his classes and hide at home.  With the pending delivery date looming near, he found that he was terrified of what would happen when the time came.  And then it was there.  He awoke one morning to find himself in incredible pain that wouldn’t let up.

“It’s time.  I’m going to call in the doctor.  He’ll need to make preparations.”

“Here?  Will he deliver the baby here?”

“Yes.  Don’t be scared.  I know you are, but I promise you that this will not be as bad as you think it will.  He will take care of everything.”

“I can’t believe we are about to be parents.  I can’t believe I’m about to give birth to a child.  How many men get to say that?”

“As far as I know, this generation, only you.”

A few hours later, Charlie lay stretched out on a hospital bed brought in by the doctor and some of the clan members.

“Charlie, do you want full anesthesia or a local?”

“What do you mean?  I assumed you would knock me out for surgery.”

“I will after the baby is born so that I can make the repairs your body will need from this unexpected birth, but I can give you a local while I do the initial delivery so that you can be alert to see the baby before you are put under.”

“Really?  And it won’t hurt?”

“There will be some pain, some discomfort, but nothing you can’t handle.”

Charlie looked at Tommy as if to ask what he thought, but Tommy shrugged and shook his head.

“It’s your body, Charlie.  You haven’t had a lot of say in this whole thing.  You should at least be able to choose how you want to play out the birth.”

“Let’s do the local, Doc.  I want to see my baby before you put me under.”

“Good enough.  There are going to be some pinches.”

Charlie nodded and gritted his teeth as the doctor began a series of shots along his abdomen where the incision would be made.  All of the helpers that had brought in the medical equipment were sent away except for one that acted as the doctor’s assistant.  She stood by handing him whatever he requested to assist with the process. 

“Okay, Charlie.  It’s time.  Are you ready?”

“Ready as I will ever be, Doc.”

Tommy held Charlie’s hand and smoothed his hair as the doctor began making a long incision along his belly.  He looked at Tommy rather than at what the doctor was doing, not wanting to see what he was doing to his body.  It seemed like it took him only moments to open him up and pull forward what he needed to achieve his goal.  Charlie was aware of some discomfort that felt like a horrible pressure as he pushed into the opening and made another incision.  Before Charlie knew it, he was seeing the biggest miracle of his young life.  A baby boy was rising into the air from his midriff, cradled in the capable arms of the doctor.  He watched in disbelief as the baby was turned and then began to cry loudly.

“We have a healthy baby boy!” the doctor said happily.  It was the last thing Charlie remembered before a needle slipped into his arm and rendered him unconscious.  When he awoke several hours later, he found Tommy sitting nearby cradling their son in his arms.  He expected to be in pain, but there was none.  When he looked down at his body, there were no visible signs of the surgery or stretching from carrying the baby.  Other than the child in Tommy’s arms, there was no evidence that any of it had happened.

“Can I hold him?”

“You’re awake!  Of course you can hold him.”

Tommy handled Charlie the baby and smiled as he held it close to him.

“He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is, Charlie.”

“Thomas Harper Browning.  It’s almost a poetic name, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I think it is.”

The couple cuddled together with their baby as the clan members removed the medical equipment and others showed up to pay their new leader and his child a visit.  Charlie could already tell they were a tight knit group and found himself feeling a bit envious of the reception being received.  He was quite sure that he was not going to get the same from his parents, who he knew he would never even be able to tell the entire truth about the origins of his son.  When the time came a few months later, he tried to prepare Tommy for the worst.

“I hope they aren’t too rough on you Tommy.  I can only apologize in advance if they treat you poorly.  I need to at least try to have a relationship with them and their grandson, but if they don’t want to then it is ultimately their loss.”

“I’m sure it will be fine, Charlie.  We’ll just take it as it comes.”

Arriving at his parents’ house a few days later, it was obvious how nervous Charlie was.  There was a lot he hadn’t yet told his parents, thinking it best to do so in person.  He paused at the front door and looked at Tommy, who only smiled and nodded for him to go ahead inside.  He reached out and touched his hand, soothing him in the way that he always did.

“Charlie, you’re home!”

“Mom, Dad.  It’s good to see you.”

“And you brought a guest,” his father observed, looking uncertainly at Tommy, holding baby Harper in his arms.

“He’s not exactly just a guest.  He’s my husband.”

Both parents looked stricken, as if he had slapped them, but he continued before they could speak further.

“We got married last Saturday in a small civil ceremony.  Also, this is our son, Harper . . . your grandson.”

His parents exchanged bewildered glances as they looked from him to Tommy and the baby.  Charlie’s face was like stone as he waited for what they would have to say about it all.  Instead, he found his mother walking toward Tommy and taking the baby from his arms to look at him.  It was if she was drawn to the child in a way she couldn’t resist.  Charlie looked at Tommy, who only smiled knowingly.

“A grandson.  I never thought I would have one of these,” she said quietly, letting Harper squeeze her finger as she looked at his tiny face.  “He’s so strong to be so little.”

Charlie’s father wasn’t quite as welcoming, standing over them with a scowl on his face.

“How could you be so irresponsible son?  I sent you away to college and you come home with a husband and a baby by the end of your first semester?  What is wrong with you?”

“I expected that sort of attitude from you, Dad.  I didn’t come here to ask your permission or for anything from you.  I am here because it is the holidays and I wanted you to meet my family.  We can be a part of your lives or we cannot.  It makes no difference to me, but I will not apologize for my choices.”

“Don’t listen to your father, Charlie.  The baby is beautiful and so is your young man here.  You make a handsome family.  Why don’t the two of you come help me with Thanksgiving dinner while your father sorts himself out.”

Charlie and Tommy followed her to the kitchen where she handed the baby back to Tommy and continued with the food preparation she had been working on prior to their arrival.  They all chatted lightly about things and shared a bottle of wine.  Still, Charlie’s father steered clear of them.  Once his mom had everything started in the kitchen, she took the baby back.

“Why don’t you kids go get settled into your room.  I’ll tend the baby for a while.  I’m sure that like most new parents, you could use the break.”

“Thanks, Mom.  We are a bit jet lagged.  If you don’t mind watching him, we could really stand a nap.”

“Of course, son.  I’ll see you when you wake up.  Don’t worry about a thing.”

Up in Charlie’s room, Tommy commented on how well his mom seemed to be taking things.

“I know.  I hadn’t counted on her need for a grandchild outweighing her outrage at my same sex marriage.  I hate that Dad is so upset, but maybe he will come around eventually.”

“Nothing you can do if he doesn’t.  We will be okay either way.”

“Yes, I know we will.  I love you so much, Tommy.”

“I love you too.  You have no idea how happy you make me.”

“Feel free to show me.”

“What?  With your disapproving father downstairs?  You naughty little boy you.”

Charlie laughed as Tommy pulled him to him.  They slipped out of their clothes and climbed into bed for a nap, but it was delayed by their need for one another.  Tommy took his time exploring Charlie’ body before flipping him over and holding him flat on the bed.  His hands held Charlie’ hands down on the bed as he took him from behind, sliding his heavy cock between his cheeks and into his ass, fucking him slowly and deeply.  Charlie moaned quietly, careful not to make too much noise but secretly pleased at finally being able to explore his own sexuality without having to go far away to another city to feel comfortable with it.