Luna

26

November 15, 1977

Stevie was sat up in bed and she had her hands plastered to her stomach and she was trying not to cry. 

"Steph it's the middle of the night, what's wrong Angel?" Lindsey questions rolling over and looking at her.

"I don't want to go to sleep because I'm scared Lindsey." her lips wobble. 

"Scared of what?" He asks.

"I'm twenty-five weeks today Lindsey..." She tells him.

"Oh baby, Hey...she's okay. I promise you she's okay." Lindsey coos.

"All I can think about is how I went to bed as three essentially and I woke up with the sharpest pain and I...I can't...I'm scared to go to sleep." She cries into his chest. 

"Alright...come on." Lindsey sighs. 

"Where are we going?" She asks seeing him stand up and put his jeans and a sweatshirt on.

"We're going to see Eli...come on, get some clothes on. I'm going to go collect Ella." Lindsey tells her. 

She nods before pulling on a pair of leggings and one of Lindsey's plaid shirts. When they get to the clearing Lindsey hands Ella to her and then he pitches a tent. Stevie gives him a questioning glance but he just leads the girls into the tent. 

"We're going to sleep in here tonight. We've got about three hours until sunrise and we're going to camp out It's their birthday Steph..you need to get some sleep because your day is going to be filled with bouncy castles and little kids running around our house and our back yard and you need to be really rested up and energetic for the kiddos." Lindsey tells her.

"But Lindsey I can't sleep because..." She starts.

"Angel yes you...alright that's how we're doing this." Lindsey looks at her and Ella. 

"Do What?" She asks squeezing her sound asleep, now five-year-old tighter. 

All he does is a shift and then walks into the tent. Stevie rolls her eyes and then sets Ella in a little makeshift bed among blankets and pillows she didn't even realize that Lindsey had brought. She walks back out of the tent and shifts herself before nosing back into the tent and she could hear Lindsey cackling in her mind link.

"What?" She questions digging at the blankets to make her own little bed. She's never camped in the woods before.

"Your wolves belly is massive." He tells her.

"I can't see it." She shrugs trying to peer between her two front legs. 

"But can you hear Ginger's heart beating?" He asks.

"Yeah, I can hear her. She's also moving around a lot." Stevie curls up in a ball around her child. Children as Ella's head is on her wolf's bump. 

Lindsey smiles and Curls himself around Stevie and they do fall asleep in that position. 

***

Stevie wakes up to the sound of light chatter coming from outside the tent and then she peers around and she doesn't See Lindsey. Deciding against shifting she walks out of the tent and she can see Lindsey sitting on a rock and Ella talking to her brother. 

"Momma your belly is really big...it's not that big in Human form," Ella tells her. 

Stevie shifts and then she collects her daughter in her arms. 

"I wonder why that is?" She asks showing her daughter her belly. 

"I don't know...Come on mom, talk to Eli with me." Ella cheers.

"Alright, come on...Happy Birthday." Stevie kisses her daughter's temple going over to talk to her son with her husband and her daughter. 

That afternoon as Stevie and Lindsey watch their daughter running around their fenced in back yard with her friends. He wraps his arms around her and they interlock their hands on her stomach and she smiles up and him.

"Thank you, Lindsey." She tells him.

"For what?" He asks.

"Last night." She tells him.

"What camping in the woods at our son's grave?" He asks.

"Yes camping in the woods at our son's grave and sleeping in our wolves so that I can hear her heartbeat. I appreciate it immensely. And I'm glad that you gave me three babies." Stevie tells him. 

"Coming from the woman that didn't want pups," Lindsey smirks kissing the back of her head. 

"I'm scared shitless because I don't want to lose her but I'm excited to have another baby," Stevie tells him. 

"We're not going to lose her Angel," Lindsey assures her. 

"I hope your right, Lindsey." She looks at him. 

"Hey, place your hand on your stomach she's moving around a lot she's alive and she's letting her momma know that," Lindsey tells her. 

"I know, there's just an underlining feeling of dread because I lost Eli. I couldn't keep him alive and I'm scared I'm not going to be able to keep her alive." She slumps down in his arms. 

"Dr. Harris said that you guys were healthy." He tries to reassure.

"I know, but I'm not going to be totally convinced until I'm holding her in my arms and she's crying." Stevie sighs as Ella comes bounding over to her parents. 

"Momma, can we do cake and presents now?" Ella questions. 

"Yes, pumpkin...we can do cake and presents now." Stevie nods pulling away from Lindsey and going into the house. 

She returns moments later with her daughter's pretty pink strawberry princess cake and Lindsey flicks the lighter lighting the candles. They sing the birthday song and then Ella quickly and happily blows out her candles. The presents are brought over to her and she opens them expressing her happiness at all of the gifts and as they're getting her ready for bed that night, Stevie is laying slightly uncomfortably on her stomach and Lindsey's sat up by Ella's head. 

"Did you have a good birthday baby?" Lindsey asks.

"Yeah...but like every year I wish that Eli was with us. Will Ginger get to celebrate with me next year?" Ella questions.

"Well she'll be...eight or nine months old so she won't be able to play with you, play with you, but she'll get to be there with you," Lindsey tells her. 

"Alright, I guess that's okay...am I going to wake up by my brother again tomorrow?" She asks.

"I don't think so kiddo...but hey, did you like doing that?" Lindsey questions.

"I did like doing that. It was fun and I got to feel close to Eli again." Ella nods.

"Would you like to do it more often. Sometimes with both mom and dad, sometimes with just dad and sometimes with dad, Uncle Greg, and Uncle Jeff?" Lindsey rubs her back. 

"Yeah, that would be fun!" Ella cheers.

"Alright, we'll plan something out." Lindsey kisses her forehead. 

"Goodnight baby." Stevie tucks her in and the gratefully rolls off of her stomach to relieve a little bit of that uncomfortable ache that was bubbling from laying on her stomach.