by T. O. Smith
“I think I need a doctor,” I whispered, knowing this cramp all too well.
I only prayed that it wasn’t what I thought it was – that I wasn’t miscarrying. Not this late in my pregnancy.
I whimpered, tears filling my eyes. I couldn’t lose Jaxon. I wouldn’t survive the heartache.
Sam instantly took Axel from River. River lifted me into his arms, striding to the nurse’s station. My eyes met Joey’s. He watched helplessly, pain for me shining in his dark eyes.
Hold me with you, he mouthed.
I sobbed. River clutched my body tighter to his chest. “I need a doctor.” River snapped at the nurse working the desk.
“I’m having contractions,” I informed her when she opened her mouth to inform him that he would have to wait, as was normal protocol.
Her eyes widened, and she instantly paged for someone from labor and delivery. I whimpered as I got another strong contraction. River’s jaw clenched as he pressed his lips to my forehead, trying to console me as much as console himself.
We were both terrified that I was losing our baby.
“They’ll pay for all of this hell, Adelaide.” River promised me as he laid me on the stretcher that a nurse brought over to us. “They’ll pay.” He swore.
I resisted the urge to wail as another contraction tightened my belly. The pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. I was terrified.
“River,” I cried, “stay with me,” I begged him. “Fuck, please stay with me.”
He brought my hand up to his lips as he hurriedly walked with the nurses beside the stretcher. “Always, Darlin’.” He promised. “For as long as you’ll have me.”
TWENTY-SIX
RIVER
I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the back of the chair that I was sitting in as I held Axel’s sleeping form in my arms. Adelaide was passed out on the hospital bed. She had gone into labor, and the doctor had to give her a shot to stop her contractions.
I wanted to fucking drop bodies for the hell that she was going through right now – for making us almost lose our son.
Axel yawned as he came awake, his blue eyes locking onto my own instantly. “Hey, kid,” I murmured.
He smiled his adorable, toothless smile at me in response. Adelaide whimpered, her features twisting with pain. I instantly got up from the chair and strode over to her. She whimpered out a ‘no’ before I gently shook her awake. Her beautiful, dark eyes snapped open, locking on my own. “You’re okay.” She breathed, her eyes welling up with tears.
I reached out and gently ran my thumb over her cheek. “I’m alright, Darlin’.” I gently assured her. “You okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I just had a nightmare.” She said quietly. She held her arms out for Axel, and I handed him over, watching with soft eyes as she lifted Axel and blew on his belly, making him giggle.
She was a fucking incredible mom.
“How’s Zyla and Reina?” Adelaide asked me, not taking her eyes off of Axel as he smiled up at her, his hands reaching for her hair.
“Zyla woke up for a little while,” I told her. A tiny bit of tension left her shoulders. “She took a damn good beating, but she’ll be alright. Her doctor is keeping her overnight for observation, but she’ll be released sometime tomorrow morning most likely. Reina is awake, and she did fine in surgery. Sam is with her.”
Adelaide’s lips twitched with a smile as all of the tension finally left her shoulders, making her look so much more relaxed. “Think Sam will come around finally?” She asked me, not having missed the way my VP was with her friend.
I snorted. “The way he’s ready to fucking bury Ink in a shallow grave for Reina being hurt? Pretty sure he’s already come around, Darlin’.”
“Tell me what happened at Tristan’s.” She ordered as she finally drew those beautiful, brown eyes over to me.
“Tank saw everything go down – Dirk and Winston met up with a man named Calhoun a couple of nights ago. Tank caught them. They threatened you if Tank told anyone, so Tank kept his mouth shut – wanting to protect you the best that he could.”
“He always had a soft spot for me.” She noted.
“I know, Darlin’,” I told her. “Tank is back at the clubhouse doing some clean up with some of my other men. I’m patching him over.” She smiled up at me for a moment before she suddenly frowned.
“What’s going to happen to Tristan’s club?” She asked me.
“Not much of a club anymore,” I admitted to her. Her frown deepened. “So, we’ll see what happens.”
Someone knocked on the door, and I walked over to open it, a scowl settling on my features as my eyes met Tristan’s.
Hadn’t he done enough shit to her as it was? Couldn’t my woman have one goddamn moment of peace before he came and destroyed it all?
“If I let you in this room, you need to watch what the fuck comes out of your mouth.” I snapped at him. “She’s going through enough shit without you adding onto it.”
I wanted to send him away. Fuck, I didn’t want him anywhere around her, but Adelaide would want to talk to him, especially after he’d just had his entire world flipped upside down.
She would want to comfort him.
I hated that she wanted to when she was the least of his concerns anymore.
Tristan nodded in understanding, but I knew him well enough to know that he was going to do something fucking stupid – just like he always seemed to do around her.
Nonetheless, I allowed him into the room, shutting the door behind him. Adelaide watched him with guarded eyes as she held Axel against her chest a little tighter. I stepped next to her bed on instinct. She was uneasy around him, and that had bells ringing in my head – bells of alarm. She knew something was wrong.
It was both an advantage and a disadvantage of her knowing him so well.
“What do you want, Tristan?” Adelaide asked him.
“I’ve fucking lost everything,” Tristan told her. I growled softly. I knew he wouldn’t keep his fucking word. “I’ve lost you, the club – every fucking thing. I don’t even have my fucking sister anymore.”
Adelaide swallowed hard, flinching at the mention of his sister – her best friend. Axel whimpered, picking up on her stress instantly. She bounced him gently in her arms, quieting him almost immediately. “Tristan . . .” She trailed off, her tone giving off how nervous she was.
“I’ve got nothing to live for, Adelaide.”
She snapped her eyes up to his, fear shining in their depths – fear that she was going to lose him, too. “Tristan, don’t do anything stupid.” She snapped as she clutched Axel to her, her breathing picking up speed as she began to panic. “River, don’t let him do anything stupid.” She desperately choked out, her eyes never leaving Tristan.
I ran my eyes over Tristan, watching as his fingers twitched. “Tristan, if you touch that fucking gun in your cut, I’ll beat your fucking ass.” I snarled at him as I stepped towards him, watching his hands for more movement.
“You’ve got her, River. What fucking more do you want from me?!” Tristan roared at me, completely losing his composure.
If Joey and I had our way, he’d no longer be a part of her life. But goddammit, she wanted him here with her, so he had to stay alive.
“I want you alive because you fucking mean something to her, dammit!” I snapped at him. “If you fucking kill yourself, Tristan, it’ll fucking destroy her. She lost your sister; don’t make her fucking lose you, too.”
He barked out a humorless laugh as he threw his hands up in the air before letting them drop back to his sides. “Doesn’t matter how I go out.” Tristan snapped at me. “I’ve got the same fucking cancer my sister had.” Adelaide sobbed. My heart broke for her. She was going to lose him, no matter how hard she tried to keep him alive. “I’ve got fucking cross hairs on my back. I’m going out soon no matter what.”
“I can give you fucking protection in my club, Tristan,” I told him, no matter how
much I didn’t fucking like it. “I can pay for your treatments. Shit doesn’t have to end like this.” I tried reasoning with him.
Tristan shook his head at me. “I wish it were that easy. I caught it too late. I’m on borrowed time. The cancer wasn’t detected until I got shot. With something that sensitive and since the chances of me surviving were already slim to none, the doctor didn’t inform anyone, though he did make note of what he found. I’m in stage five. It won’t be long before my lungs collapse.”
“No.” Adelaide choked out.
We both turned to look at her. My heart shattered. Her expression was completely broken, tears pouring down her beautiful face. “I’m sorry, Addy baby,” Tristan whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry. I fucked up everything between us. You’ve been trying to hold me with you, and I’ve destroyed all of that. I’m so fucking sorry.”
A sob ripped from her lips. The machine that was monitoring her baby and her belly began to print out lines indicating a contraction, and the baby’s heart rate spiked up – dangerously high. Adelaide cried out in pain, and I instantly rushed forward and took Axel from her. “River -” She gasped, fear filling her eyes.
I was lost. I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t know how the fuck to help her.
“We need you gentleman to leave the room.” The doctor stated as he rushed into the room to help her.
Adelaide cried out in pain again. Axel wailed, and I quickly bounced him. I pressed a kiss to Adelaide’s forehead. “Live for me, Darlin’,” I whispered. “Hold Joey with you.”
She only screamed as I was shoved out of the room.
■ ■ ■
I held Axel to my chest as I paced the floor out in front of Adelaide’s room. I’d never been a religious man, but at that moment, with her wails sounding out of the room through the closed door, I found myself praying for a fucking miracle.
God, please, don’t take her from me.
Tristan was sitting on the floor, his head back against the wall. Joey was standing against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His jaw was clenched as he stared at the door, almost as if he were trying to will her pain away.
I only wished it were that fucking easy.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, and the doctor stepped out. “Mr. Boris?” He asked.
“Is she okay?” I asked him, so fucking nervous that I was actually sweating. I needed to know that she and Jaxon were both alive. If she lost him but survived, I would lose her. Joey wouldn’t be able to breathe life back into her. She would be lost to both of us.
He smiled at me and nodded. “She’s going to be just fine, Mr. Boris.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Joey stood up from his leaning position and scrubbed his hands down his face, his shoulders deflating. “She’s asleep right now, but she should be waking up in a little while. She went into premature labor, and I’m assuming she had an anxiety attack because she was saying that her chest was hurting – that she couldn’t breathe, but we were able to stop her contractions and place an oxygen mask over her face. She’s fine now.” He assured me when I gave him a worried look. “I just ask that you keep visitors out of her room until we feel that her blood pressure won’t spike again, which I’m inclined to think are causing the contractions.”
I pointed to Joey. “Can he see her for a few minutes?” I asked the doctor. “You don’t have to worry about him; I promise,” I assured the doctor.
“Only for a few minutes.” The doctor ordered. “If she wakes up while he’s in there, try to keep it light-hearted. She’s been under way too much stress.”
Joey nodded his head at the doctor before he quicky slipped into the room. I stepped into Adelaide’s hospital room with him, leaving Tristan on the floor in the hallway. If he had just fucking listened to me, this shit wouldn’t have happened to her again.
My eyes instantly landed on Adelaide’s pale form. I could tell that she had been crying before she passed out, and her hair was an absolute mess.
“Mommy’s okay,” I whispered to Axel. “Fucking hell, she’s okay.”
Joey’s hands shook as he reached down to grab her face in his hands. I knew he was going to kiss her. I only gritted my teeth. Adelaide needed this.
“Breathe,” Joey whispered. He soothed his lips over hers, barely letting them touch.
She slowly woke up, her eyes locking on his. He cupped her cheek, letting his other hand drop. “I need you to breathe, pretty girl, so you can live for River.” He softly spoke. “Can you do that, pretty girl?”
She nodded, her bottom lip trembling. “He’s leaving me.” She choked out, referring to Tristan.
“Easy.” Joey coaxed. “I know it’s hard, but try not to think about it. Just focus on staying healthy for your family. River and I will do whatever we can to try to keep him here with you. We can’t make promises, but we will try.” He promised her. “Just hold me with you.”
She nodded. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “The doc doesn’t want you to have any visitors except for River, so I have to go, but I’ll come to see you soon – I promise.”
She nodded at him again. He pressed his lips to her temple. “Live for him.” He whispered.
I dragged a chair over to her bed as Joey quietly slipped out of the room. Holding Axel in one arm, I held Adelaide’s hand in the other, pressing my lips to the back of her hand. “Hold him with you,” I whispered to her.
“I’m sorry he kissed me again.”
I shrugged. “He does it to remind you that you can live,” I told her. “When shit gets this bad for you, Darlin’, you start dying inside. We both just want you to live.”
“I’ll always live for you.” She told me.
I pressed my lips to the back of her hand again as I slouched down in my chair, getting comfortable. “That’s all I ever ask, Darlin’.”
I finally allowed my eyes to shut for a little while.
Thank you, God.
■ ■ ■
REINA
I groaned in pain as I slowly ripped my eyes open, wincing at the bright light in the room. My shoulder and my thigh were burning in excruciating pain. Was this what hell felt like? I was pretty sure it was.
“Fuck, you’re awake,” Sam grumbled from across the room.
I slowly turned my head to look at him, wincing when the movement only made pain flare up all over my body. I was both shocked and excited to see him here. I’d wanted Sam from the moment I laid my eyes on him, but he tended to avoid me like the plague.
He was coming out of the bathroom. He didn’t have his cut on, and his hair was a mess, like he’d been running his fingers through it for the past few hours. “How are you feeling?” He gently asked as he came closer to me, running his dark eyes over me.
“Like hell,” I muttered, a thrill running through me that he seemed to at least care about how I was feeling. “I’m in a tremendous amount of pain.”
He brushed some of my hair out of my face in a tender gesture that had my heart rate spiking on the heart monitor. My lips softly parted. He glanced at the heart monitor for a moment before he looked back down at me. There was no amusement in his eyes to my reaction to his touch – ever the serious one.
It was one of the things that drew me to him. He seemed strong – capable of protecting me from the demons that haunted my soul. The real ones were dead, but the ones inside of me? They would never go away.
“To be expected.” He said quietly. “You had to go through surgery for both of your gunshot wounds.” He informed me.
I winced. That explained the burning, excruciating pain that I was feeling.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Adelaide is facing some trouble.” I frowned. Sam brushed his thumb over my cheek. “Too much stress. River is with her. Tristan has tipped over the fucking edge.” I shrugged one shoulder at that, making him laugh huskily. I had never really liked Tristan. He was a complete dick, and he treated Adelaide like shit. “Jesup is with Zyla
. She’ll be released later on today.”
“Why are you here with me?” I asked him quietly, asking the question that I was dying to know the answer to. Sam normally only interacted with me if he absolutely had to. I was ecstatic that he was here, finally showing me some attention, but I was curious, too, about why he suddenly decided to be around me.
Unless he was only following River’s orders. That made me frown, dampening my mood.
He sighed. “When I got here and found out that you’d been shot – that you were in fucking surgery and no one had heard anything about you yet,” he shook his head as he grabbed my hand in his, playing with my fingers, “I fucking saw red. I wanted blood for what had happened to you, and had I not been held back, Ink would be in a room here instead of walking around.”
