The Lion’s Mate

Chapter 7

The case against the university had hit a standstill; the earliest date Mark could get with the judge had been a month after their original meeting with the dean and the lawyer. Annie had, at first worried over it constantly, but eventually it moved to the back of her mind. Mark wasn’t concerned at all over the delay; he told her it was part of being a lawyer. She had rolled her eyes and left the room. 

Three weeks after the meeting, Leah was the size of an elephant, or so she kept repeating to Mark and Annie, who assured her every time that she did not look like an elephant. Mark had joked about her being cow-size, and she hadn’t spoken to him for two days. He’d brought her flowers, candy, even a lovely pair of earrings, but nothing had worked. Until he brought home her favorite pasta dish from her favorite restaurant. He was completely forgiven after that.

She was humming to herself as she hung a framed landscape painting she had painted specifically for the baby’s room. A week ago the doctor had told them she was having a girl, so after some argument over Chloe versus Calista, they had finally settled on Chloe. Leah had painted the letters of her baby’s name in bright primary colors and was planning to hang them on the wall over the crib. The walls were an eggshell white so she could accessorize in any colors she chose, and Mark had commented more than once that she’d picked every color. But she liked the variety, the uniqueness of the room. Her sweet baby Chloe would be unique, possibly the only lion shifter/human cross species born in the US and definitely the only one on record. She deserved unique.

She and Mark had decided that marriage wasn’t the answer right now, and she had agreed that he should move in with her. She had discussed the decision with Annie first, who loved the idea. Besides, she’d be leaving in December to go to a college two hundred miles away, so they would have the house to themselves most of the time. Mark had moved in, and together they’d turned the third bedroom into the baby’s room.

Leah heard the door open and Annie calling out her name. “I’m in the baby’s room!”

Annie walked in and looked around. “You’ve done a lot today,” she remarked, plopping down in a wooden rocking chair that boasted a muted orange cushion. The walls had been bare this morning when she’d left; now there were two paintings, a mirror, and some bookshelves hanging about. “Are you supposed to be lifting heavy things?”

“I didn’t lift the bookshelves. Mark was still here to help me.”

“Oh, ok. Well, it looks really cute.”

Leah grinned and glanced around at her baby’s room. “Wait until I get the letters of her name up and her bed stuff done. You’ll want to move in here.”

“Nah. Look at that bed. I’d hang off both ends,” Annie chuckled. “Is it time for a break?”

Leah sighed and shook her head. “I really do want to get the letters up today. The bedding won’t be in until later this week, so I can’t do anything about that.”

“Let me help.”

“That’d be great.” Leah smiled at her as she grabbed a hammer and some nails.

Annie looked at the wall, then at the letters, the hammer in one hand, nails in the other. “How are we hanging them?”

Leah picked up the C and showed Annie the ribbon she’d fastened to the back. “They’ll hang by the ribbons.”

“That is so freaking cute!” Annie gushed. “And the giant sunflowers in the corner are my favorite, by the way.”

“I’m going to get some purple ones to add more color.”

“More color?” Annie asked, surprised. “Don’t you think there’s enough color in here?”

“Not yet,” Leah said. Annie laughed and set to work. “I want them spaced evenly, please.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Shut up.”

As Annie hammered, Leah sat down in the rocking chair. Out of nowhere, she’d felt a little faint. She had eaten, she knew, enough for a football player, so that wasn’t the cause. She frowned as another wave hit her, and she closed her eyes and willed it to go away. No luck.

Annie turned around to ask her if the letter looked straight and gasped. “Leah! You’re as white as the walls! What’s the matter?”

“I’m not sure. I felt faint all of a sudden, and it won’t go away.” As she spoke, a pain stabbed through her abdomen, and she doubled over with a cry. She looked up at Annie. “Something is wrong.”

Annie dropped the H and the hammer and hurried to her side. “Ambulance? Or can I drive you?”

“You drive me. You can call Mark on the way to the hospital.”

“Let’s go.”

Annie put one arm around Leah’s waist and the other held her arm as she guided her to the jeep. She put her into the passenger side of the jeep and ran around to the driver’s door, which refused to open for her clumsy hand. She cursed, jerked the door open, and slammed it. As she jammed the key into the ignition, she cursed again when she missed.

“Annie, calm down. I’m not bleeding, so it’s ok right now,” Leah soothed as Annie gunned the engine and did a 180 at a much faster speed than necessary. “I’d rather have a baby, not go to my own funeral.”

Annie glanced in both directions when she reached the end of the driveway. “Get my phone out and dial Mark. I’ll talk to him.”

Leah sighed and dug through Annie’s enormous bag for nearly a minute before locating the phone. She hissed when Annie took a corner at an unusually high rate. “Dammit, girl. Slow down.”

“Ok. Call Mark and give me the phone,” Annie said. The needle on the speedometer lowered by a fraction. Annie held her hand out for the phone.

“I’ll talk to him. You concentrate on your driving,” Leah ordered as she pressed the phone to her ear and closed her eyes. When he answered after the third rang, Leah said calmly, “Mark –”

“Hey, babe. Why are you on Annie’s phone?”

“Mark, Annie and I are on the way to the hospital.”

“What? Why? What’s wrong? I’m on my way,” Mark said in a flash, and she could hear jostling as he gathered his things. He had rented an office downtown earlier in the month and planned to set up his base practice here. He’d been handling the business of moving his office and his things from his apartment in the city since Leah had told him she was pregnant. “How far out are you?”

“Mark, calm down. Geez. We’re about fifteen minutes away, unless Annie breaks a speed record. Of course, we may not make it,” Leah joked. Annie glared at her, and she glared right back.

“What’s wrong?” The sound of his car door slamming came through the phone and hurt Leah’s ear. “You’re not due for another two weeks.”