Page 20 of A Hatchling for Valentine’s

Every once in a while, Kellan and Vic would exchange glances, but for the most part, they kept their attention on the progress of their unborn child’s attempt at hatching. Kellan plucked his phone from the nightstand, not only to check the time but to give Dr. Arthur another call. He let out a yelp and dropped the cell at the sound of a knock on the bedroom door.

“Who is it?”

Vic’s voice held a no-nonsense tone. He clearly didn’t want them to be disturbed either.

“It’s Dr. Arthur.”

Kellan slapped a hand to his chest. Oh, thank gods.

A low growl rumbled in Vic’s chest. “Then come in.”

As if in response to the doctor’s arrival, a tiny bit of shell poked up from the top of the egg. Kellan’s stomach clenched.

“Hurry!”

Dr. Arthur strolled into the room with a smile on his face as if there wasn’t the most important thing in the world going on right then.

“Oh my.” His smile broadened as he moved closer to the nest. “This is wonderful.” He regarded Kellan. “When did the first crack appear?”

Kellan blinked several times as he willed his brain to work. He had nothing. Instead, he reached down to retrieve his phone from where it had landed on the rug. After checking the time, he answered the doctor, “Close to an hour ago.”

Dr. Arthur’s eyes widened. “Well, now. You have a very anxious baby. They’re clearly ready to get out of that egg after all this time!”

Kellan wrung his hands. “That’s good, right?”

Dr. Arthur had the nerve to chuckle when Kellan was so worried. “Very good. I’ll check the heartbeat as well as the health of the membrane, but judging from the progress of the hatching so far, I’d say we’re looking at only a few more hours.”

Kellan bounced on the bed before catching himself when Vic gasped then grabbed the egg to steady it.

“Oops, sorry.” Kellan petted the base of the egg. “Your daddy’s just really excited to see you.”

Vic let out a long exhale. “Just curious. How long do swan eggs usually take to hatch?”

Dr. Arthur was already removing his stethoscope from this bag. “Of course, it depends, but typically it’s about twelve to fifteen hours.” He placed the metal disc on the egg, then slowly moved it around the shell, pausing in different spots as he continued, “But I suspect that the combination of the wolf DNA and how long the baby has been incubating has sped up the progress.” Dr. Arthur straightened. “This is a tough one you’ve got here, from the sounds of it. Not only do we have a strong heartbeat, but I can hear some small cries. They want out of there bad.”

Kellan grinned. His fears were morphing into yet more excitement. “What should we be doing now? Anything else?”

“No hurry, but I’d at least make sure you have a clean basin so you can add warm water once the egg is open all the way and the membrane is off. That way, any residue can be cleaned off. Don’t interfere with the membrane unless the baby can’t get out of it themselves, since they’ll need to be breathing air at that point.” He chuckled. “Although, with this feisty one, it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ll head over to the inn, grab a bite and relax while we wait. Call me once the baby is here so I can give them a check-up, get them washed off and so on.” He patted Kellan’s shoulder. “Everything’s fine. The only thing you can do is keep an eye on the egg and maybe get some blankets to wrap your new arrival in.”

At last Kellan felt as if he could breathe. “Thank you, doctor. I appreciate it.” He drew his eyebrows together. “And we can’t have anyone else in here until they’re hatched, right?”

“Correct. I’ll let the excited crowd that’s gathered outside know they can go about their business for now.” He winked then left the room.

Kellan turned to Vic, tears springing to his eyes at the expression of pure love he saw there. Their family was about to expand, and he no longer held any doubt that Vic was filled with the same joy as he. Kellan returned his gaze to their egg, picturing in his mind the moment when they would get the first glimpse of the new addition to their family.

Of our sweet baby.