Whelping

Ahmose Inarus

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds, nor do I make any financial profit off of writing this.

SLASH AND MPREG WARNING! Morgan/Reid

Written for Buka2000. Congratulations on your brand new baby boy!

Chapter 1

Quantico, VA

Approximately 4 AM

Clooney was making a late night trip to the water dish when it happened. One moment the house was dark and quiet… the next moment, there was a sudden commotion coming from the bedroom. The lights were on. Clooney hurried the door and stared once he got there. Master was running around frantically. The scent of anxiety was incredible. Clooney whined. What was happening?! Master hurried to the Mate when he let out a groan, bearing his teeth and closing his eyes.

He placed his long, spindly paws onto his belly, which had become very swollen in the last few months. Clooney didn't know how, or why, but somehow, he KNEW that the Mate was going to have pups. Master's pups. And so he had spent the last several months carefully guarding and protecting Master's Mate, and Master's pups.

The Mate had been nesting lately. Master may not have seen it but Clooney had, some deep ingrained instinct letting him recognize the behavior for what it was… but he had yet to see the Mate prepare a den for the whelping… He had begun to grow concerned about this. He knew that the Mate was close to whelping, he should have had a den prepared a long time ago.

The Mate was on his feet now, and the Master was assisting him to the bathroom. They were in there for a long time. Clooney heard the Mate whine in pain. He pranced on the spot and whined back, letting Master and the Mate know that he was here!

When they finally emerged, Clooney immediately made his way over, thrusting his head under the Mate's hand and nudging his swollen belly with his nose.

Spencer Reid smiled down at the dog and scratched his ears. "That's right, Clooney." He said, his voice breathless and lined in pain. "The baby's coming. You be a good boy while we're gone."

But Clooney didn't understand. All he knew was that the Mate had to find a safe den quickly. There were three places he knew of… The laundry room was safe! And he had a bed there that the mate could use! And when the dryer was on, it got nice and warm. Perfect for the Mate and the pups! Then there was the closet under the stairs! Master had put a dog door on it and made it Clooney's special spot. It was CLOONEY'S den! It was dark and quiet, and the perfect sanctuary when the sky outside turned dark, then flashed and roared while it poured water down upon the world… Clooney had a bed in there too, and Master always made sure that there were toys and fresh water in there… It was Clooney's safe place, but he would be willing to give it up to the Mate and his pups… the last place…

They were LEAVING it! The Master Bedroom! What better place for the arrival of the pups than THERE?! Why were they leaving?! Did Master not understand?! Could he not smell it on the Mate?! He was whelping! He needed to get to a den NOW! Everything would be fine! The Mate would know what to do! They needed to just get him into a den and then he and Master would wait outside until it was all over.

He followed them down the stairs, whining frantically, trying to tell them that they were doing it wrong, oh so wrong!

And Master was carrying bags! Were they going somewhere?! They couldn't be LEAVING! You did NOT leave when your mate is whelping! And the Mate WAS WHELPING! Clooney barked sharply, seizing the end of the bag in Morgan's hands in his teeth.

"Clooney!" Morgan howled. "Not now, boy! We gotta go to the hospital!"

Clooney began whining frantically. Master had said 'Go'!

NO! This was wrong! Oh it was wrong, wrong, wrong… The Mate couldn't leave, he was going to be delivering the pups! And Master couldn't leave, he had to stand guard with Clooney and watch over the Mate while he was helpless! But oh, they were LEAVING!

Clooney let out a bark of distress seeing the Mate opening the front door, he released the bag and lunged, determined to drag Master's mate to the safety of his den under the stairs if he had to!

But Morgan seized Clooney's collar and dragged him away.

"NO!" Morgan said firmly, and Clooney froze.

No?

He stared up at Master.

But… the Mate! The pups!

"Stay." Morgan said, and Clooney whined, but obeyed… Morgan picked up the bags and walked out the door, closing it and locking it behind him. Clooney paused, then rushed to the front window and poked his head through the curtains, peering out. He whined anxiously. Master was taking the Mate for a 'Car Ride'!

Clooney began barking frantically.

No, Master! Now was NOT the time to take the Mate to the 'Groomer' or… oh no… the 'Vet'… NOT THE VET!

He began pawing at the window desperately, howling.

Those were NOT safe places for the Mate to be when he was whelping! Surely Master knew that!

But the car backed out of the driveway, and then they were gone. Clooney stared after them in disbelief. And then he sat down, threw his head back and let out a mournful howl…

"Wow… Clooney was really upset…" Reid said from the passenger seat as he hung up the phone after notifying the hospital that they were on their way in.

"He'll live." Morgan said, speeding down the road.

"Speed limit, Derek."

"When you're having a baby, you're exempt." Morgan stated, and Reid gave him a look.

"Tell that to the cop behind you."

"WHAT?!"

"… Made you look."

"Not now, Reid!" Morgan cried, and Reid grinned and chuckled to himself, but that was cut short by a sudden hiss and grimace. Morgan shot him a worried glance, and sped up.

"Do not… play with your phone… while speeding…" Reid scolded between gasps, pressing the heel of his hand against the side of his belly.

"… Hey Mama." Morgan said into the phone, putting it on speaker and setting in on the dashboard to get Reid to calm down.

"Derek, baby, it's three am…" Fran Morgan slurred into the phone. "Is everything alright?" Then she let out a little gasp. "Is Spencer having the baby?!" She suddenly sounded MUCH more alert.

"We're on our way in to the hospital now." Morgan said with a smile. "Reid already called in to let them know we're coming, and we'll be there in about… ten minutes."

"Five with the way you're driving." Reid snorted.

"Oh! Spencer? How are you doing, sweetheart?"

Reid smiled and relaxed as the contraction passed.

"So far everything seems normal, Fran." He said, rubbing his swollen middle. "I started labor several hours ago…"

"Why didn't you TELL me?!"

"I wasn't sure." Reid confessed. "I thought it might be from Derek's cooking."

"Boy, if you weren't in labor, I would smack you!" Morgan snapped.

"Honestly, it could have been both." Reid added, goading Morgan. Fran just chuckled as she heard her son snarl "Oh, just you wait…"

"Behave, boys." She scolded playfully. "I'll let you go. I'm heading to the airport now."

"What?! Mama, it's the middle of the night!"

"And with luck, I might actually be there when the baby is born!"

"It's very likely. As far apart as the contractions are right now—"

"I'm on my way!" Fran squealed, and hung up. Reid and Morgan blinked, and then shared a grin.

"… I wish my mom could be here…" Reid murmured, his smile fading slightly. "But your mom is almost as good." And he sent Derek a warm smile.

"Spencer… I—"

"Don't." Reid said, reaching out and taking his husband's hand. "It's okay." And he closed his eyes and sucked in his breath as a ripple passed over his belly. Morgan held his hand tightly, gently talking him through the pain.

When they arrived at the hospital, Reid insisted that Morgan park and not just leave the car on the curb to be towed away. Morgan got the bags from the trunk and helped Reid as the young man gingerly walked towards the Emergency Room. Morgan took him straight to the desk and told the nurse "My husband's in labor. We called in for Spencer Reid?"

And before he knew it, Reid was being settled into the wheelchair and rolled down the hall. Morgan trotted after him, carrying their bags.

"How is the pain level, Dr. Reid?" A nurse was asking.

"Um… on a scale of one to ten, about a seven… with being shot in the knee a nine and being brought back to life with CPR after being beaten to death by a sadist in a psychotic break about a ten…" Reid answered thoughtfully. The nurses all paused and just STARED. Reid blinked back, innocently.

Morgan sighed and shook his head. "Seven out of ten, that's all you need to know." He said to the nurses, who got back to work. They got Reid to a room and left while Morgan helped Reid undress and get into a hospital gown. When the nurses returned, Reid was bending over the bathroom sink, pale and trembling as another contraction ripped through him. Morgan was by his side, running and hand up and down Reid's back and pressing his palm against his belly. Reid whimpered and let his head fall to the side to rest on Morgan's shoulder. The man stepped closer and buried his nose into his husband's curls, still slightly damp from the shower he had taken before bed.

When it had passed, the nurses guided Reid into the bed that was waiting for him and Reid lay back and closed his eyes lightly, very tired. Morgan moved to the corner of the room and pulled out his cell phone, lifting it to his ear.

"… Derek Morgan, this had better be a matter of life and death…" Came the growl. Morgan grinned.

"Hey there, Princess."

"Do NOT 'Princess' me, it is—"

"Baby time!" Morgan sang, making Reid wince in annoying at the volume of his voice.

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, and then a strange hybrid of a squeal and a shriek exploded. Even Reid from across the room turned his head and leveled a look of confusion on the phone.

"We're at the hospital now, Garcia." Morgan said, still grinning. Then he turned the phone on speaker and walked over to the bed. Reid smiled at the excitement in Garcia's voice.

"Oh my God oh my God oh my God!" She was squealing. "When did you get there?! When did it start?! How is he doing?!"

"Hi Garcia." Reid called, closing his eyes again and snuggling down into the blankets. Morgan moved to sit on the bedside.

"Oh, baby genius, how are you doing?!"

"Sleepy, mostly." Reid said. "We got here not too long ago and everything is fine. They're probably getting the doctor changed and they'll be running some tests and doing a sonogram to see how things are looking."

"When did your labor start?"

"It started at around four pm, I think." Reid replied.

"That long?! Why didn't you call sooner?!"

"I hadn't eaten, I thought it was hunger pains. We had dinner at around six and they got worse after that, so I thought my stomach wasn't agreeing with what I had eaten so I just took some Pepcid and went to bed. They woke me up at around three am and that's when it hit me."

"Oh wow… so you've been in labor for over twelve hours already."

"It started slow and easy." Reid said. "And it's been progressing steadily, I think. It will still be a while yet before I'll be ready to buckle down and push, but you wanted us to call you right away."

"Oh yes, I'm getting dressed now and—"

"Garcia, no." Reid laughed, and Morgan stepped in.

"It's going to be hours, gorgeous. We just wanted to let you know. You go back to sleep. We'll call you when things look like they're about to start happening. And hey… my mom is flying in early this morning… can you pick her up and bring her to the hospital when she arrives?"

"Of course." Garcia said eagerly. "Oh, I'm too excited to sleep!"

"And here Reid is, dozing off on me." Morgan chuckled.

"Let him rest. He's going to need his strength." Garcia chided gently.

"Yeah. I know." Morgan replied, reaching out and smoothing Reid's hair down with his hand. "I'll call you when I hear from Mama."

"You got it Big Daddy!"

"Get some sleep, silly girl." Morgan chuckled, and hung up. Then he sent out a group text to Hotch, Rossi, Emily and JJ.

Reid's in labor. At hospital now. Still long time to go, will update as we get them. Reid sleeping.

As soon as he sent the text, the door to the room opened and Reid's OB, Valerie Tsai, stepped in. She was already in scrubs and her hair was messy, but she had gone to the effort to pull it back in a ponytail.

"Well… Good morning." She greeted Morgan softly, not wanting to disturb Reid until necessary. Her breath smelt strongly of coffee. "How's he doing?"

"Good." Morgan replied in a hushed tone. They moved away from the bed and over to stand by the window. Morgan repeated what Reid had told Garcia.

"He started getting what he thought were hunger pangs at around four pm… he didn't eat lunch." Dr. Tsai frowned at that, and Morgan shrugged. "I know, I know… I cooked dinner and we ate at six, and Reid thought that the food just wasn't settling well. He was tired so we turned in early, about nine thirty, ten… It was about three, three thirty this morning when the contractions woke him up and he realized what was going on. We were in the car on our way by four."

"Okay, and it's almost five, now…" She murmured, checking her watch. "How far apart are the contractions?"

"Um, I'm not sure…" Morgan frowned. "About…"

"Every twenty minutes or so…" Reid groaned from across the room. The pair turned and moved to his side as he grit his teeth against the pain.

"Hey, Pretty Boy…" Morgan soothed, resting a hand on his lover's belly and feeling the trembling.

"You're holding your breath, Dr. Reid. Breathe." Dr. Tsai instructed firmly.

Reid let out a whoosh of air with a nod and proceeded to take slow, deep breaths until the contraction faded. Then Dr. Tsai got to work. She checked his temperature, pulse and blood pressure, then listened to the baby with her stethoscope. Then she pulled on a pair of latex gloves, asking Reid to spread his legs and bend his knees, and then she folded back the sheets. Morgan leaned down and kissed Reid's forehead when the woman checked Reid.

"Well… you're still going to be quite a while, Dr. Reid." Dr. Tsai sighed after a moment, stripping off the gloves and covering Reid with the blankets again. "Honestly, if you want to go home and come back when you're closer—"

"No." Reid said, shaking his head. "The dog hardly let us out of the house last time!"

"No kidding." Morgan snorted, and Dr. Tsai quirked a brow, but sighed and nodded.

"Alright. Well, you do what you need to do to stay as comfortable as possible. Are you… sure you don't want the epidural when it's time?"

"Absolutely." Reid said firmly. Dr. Tsai looked concerned, but nodded. "I might take a walk, though." Reid mumbled. "Restless."

"Spencer… baby, a few minutes ago you were sleeping!"

"I know. I'm tired, but… I'm really antsy."

"Alright. If you want to take a walk, we'll take a walk."

And so they did. Four times over the next four hours to be precise.

It was nearly nine am on their fourth walk, and as they were returning to the room, they ran into Fran Morgan and Garcia. Reid offered them a tired smile when he saw them. They hurried over, all smiles, to hug him.

"How are you doing, cupcake?" Garcia asked before Fran could open her mouth.

"I'm alright. Tired." Reid said.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Asked another voice. Reid turned and grinned.

"JJ. Hi. Oh! Emily! Hotch! Rossi!"

"Hey Reid." Emily said, grinning and hugging him, JJ soon after her.

"Uh, they're about seven minutes apart now." Reid said. "They're getting stronger and—oh!" He gasped and stumbled slightly. Rossi moved in quickly to catch Reid as he almost fell over to the side. "Nnnnh…" Reid groaned, grimacing in pain. He felt Morgan's strong arms around him, though Rossi's hand never left his shoulder.

"It's only been five minutes since the last one." Morgan said, anxiously checking his watch. And after watching Reid for a moment he added "and this one is stronger."

"I… I think the amniotic membrane just ruptured…" Reid whined, trembling.

"What ruptured?!" Morgan yelped, now looking on the verge of panic.

"It mean's his water's broken." Fran said, moving in. "Come on, Spencer. Let's get you back to your room and find the doctor. The next contraction will be a lot more intense if your water's broken…"

"I know…" Reid panted, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I knew these walks were a bad idea." Morgan complained, helping Reid stumble back to their room while Hotch calmly went to find someone to clean up the mess that a very embarrassed Reid was leaving behind…

Doctor Tsai was startled at the crowd of people that were crammed into her patient's room when she arrived to check on him. She blinked several times, looking around.

"Morgan's helping Reid get cleaned up." Garcia said, pointing to the bathroom door, which was closed.

"… Ah." She said with a slight nod. "And… you are?"

"The family." Rossi said firmly.

"I see… well… I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to move to the waiting room…" She said.

"Can't we stay with them? Please?" Garcia begged.

"At least until you move Reid to the birthing suite?" JJ asked. Dr. Tsai frowned and glared at them over the rims of her glasses, then sighed and shook her head in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Just… stay out of the way please." She relented, and the door to the bathroom opened. She turned to face her pale-faced patient. Morgan helped him into the bed, and looked at Dr. Tsai.

"He had another contraction while we were cleaning him up." He said, explaining Reid's lined face.

"Had a contraction, when it was over decided to go for a walk." Reid managed to get out, his voice thin. "They had been coming seven minutes apart. Another came after five minutes…"

"His water broke." Morgan jumped in, nearly bouncing in his anxiety.

"How much fluid was there?" Dr. Tsai asked.

"It was a fair sized puddle in the hall." Emily said in a dry tone, and Reid groaned in embarrassment again.

"When did the next contraction come?" Dr. Tsai asked.

"Three and a half minutes." Morgan said. Dr. Tsai nodded, immediately straightening.

"Well, Dr. Reid, that's some rapid progression. It sounds like the little one is done waiting."

"Obviously." Reid snorted, then hissed and pushed himself up onto his elbows, his face contorting as the pain ripped through him. He was unable to bite back a cry of pain.

Morgan immediately took one of the Reid's hands, and Hotch the other and he was closest. Reid gripped their hands tightly, his knuckles turning white, and quickly, so did Hotch and Morgan's fingers as Reid' grip cut off their circulation.

"Breathe, Spence." JJ said calmly, smiling slightly at Garcia's nervous little dance beside her. Rossi looked terrified, and it was hysterical.

Reid nodded and did as he was told, forcing himself to take the slow, deep breaths. He never felt Dr. Tsai's fingers on his wrist taking his pulse or checking his blood pressure. But when it was all over she said, "That lasted a good minute and seventeen seconds, and it looked strong."

Reid couldn't speak; he just nodded and swallowed.

Dr. Tsai reached out and hit the call button, and then turned to the group gathered. "Time to go." She told them, and jerked her head towards the door. And obediently they went, each of them stopping by Reid with words of love, encouragement and assuring him that no one would be going anywhere. Then she turned to the expecting couple.

"Agent Morgan."

"Ma'am?"

"Get changed." She said with a smile as a nurse hurried in. "Rebecca, let's get Dr. Reid prepped, this baby's ready to come out!"

Please review!