Mark jerks his chin in agreement and the rest follow suit.
“Micky should be back in a few hours, fill him in, yeah,” Mark yells back.
I jerk my chin and leave them to it. Watching them ride out isn’t something I want to witness without me.
It’s nearly dinner time and Micky is still a no show. I begin to think I’ll have something useful to do like go look for his punk ass when I see Rayna sitting at the kitchen table.
“Christ, Ray, you look like death,” I murmur.
She has lost her glow as they girls call it and her eyes are dark and heavy. She looks nothing like the Rayna I knew. I’m shocked to the core that Mark left her, even with me watching over her, she does not look good at all.
“Thanks, Michael. That’s all a girl wants to hear.”
Even her voice is thick and heavy sounding tired and down.
“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” I mutter, “Seriously, should I call for a doctor?”
She rolls her eyes and she immediately reminds me of Mark. A habit she has long ago picked up from him. No doubt the kid will soon pick it up and it will be another one rolling their eyes at me.
“Stop worrying, you’re beginning to sound like your brother,” she smiles, weakly.
“Wouldn’t want that would we,” I smile back.
She shakes her head and rubs her stomach.
“I already love her but I can’t wait for her to get out and get my body back.”
The love in her voice is evident and warm. A brief image of my own mother flashes to mind and makes me miss her all that much more.
A soft, warm hand squeezes my shoulder and I find Kitty smiling down at me.
“Dinner’s ready.”
“Thanks babe.”
“She’s been busy cooking all afternoon, it smells delicious doesn’t it,” Rayna says, trying to position herself closer to the table.
“Always does,” I agree, getting up to help set the table.
“Mark wouldn’t give me a straight answer, how long do you think this run will take?”
I look to Rayna and study her, she doesn’t normally ask questions. I know she’s worrying about Mark not being around for the birth but she knows Mark will get back as soon as he can. He won’t hang around.
“He’ll be back when he’s back,” I say, shrugging it off.
It’s the truth and if I knew more, I’d tell her.
I sit back down as Kitty places our plates in front of us and she takes the seat next to me.
“Michael’s right Ray, you don’t look too good,” Kitty murmurs, seeing the same paleness I do.
The contrast between these two women are clear as water on a normal day, today Kitty is the epitome of health and like I said, Rayna looks like death.
“Wow, Kit. Wait until you’re nearly about to pop, I’ll be there to fill your days with compliments.”
Tucking into my food, I tune out their baby chit chat. I said I’d watch out for her but listening to women talk wasn’t a part of the deal.
Thankfully, Micky barrels through the front door with Flo in tow, her heels tapping against the wooden floor getting louder the closer they get to us.
Yet again, when they enter the kitchen Micky’s arm is slung across Flo’s shoulder and she is cuddling into him. I can’t remember the last time I saw them apart.
“Guess what?” Flo beams, obviously dying to tell us what as she doesn’t give us a chance to guess.
“We got married,” she squeaks, bouncing on her toes and thrusting her left hand at us.
Kitty’s face falls slightly hearing their news and seeing their wedding bands gleaming under the kitchen lighting.
I know her, she’s putting on a front and smiling her way through the news. Underneath she is jealous as fuck. I reach over and squeeze her hand. She briefly shows me her jealousy and shrugs my hand off.
“Congratulations Flo,” she smiles, standing to hug Flo and then Micky. I shake Micky’s hand and pull him in.
“Congrats brother, took you longer than you wanted,” I laugh, letting him go.
“I know brother, finally did it through.”
“Guys a little help here,” Rayna moans, trying to heave herself out of the chair.
“Don’t move, I’ll come to you,” Micky offers, making her life a little easier.
Leaning over her, she wraps her arms around Micky with joy and jealousy creeps over my skin like a rash. I bet it feels good being in her arms.
“I can’t believe you got married without us,” she scolds him.
“We didn’t plan it, we thought why not when we were in Vegas.”
Now Micky is back, I don’t mind leaving for a few. I’m at my bike and riding away before any of them notice I’m gone.
With no destination in mind, I aimlessly ride until I stop and realize I’m outside the church in town. The preacher is walking to his car and on impulse I call out for him to wait. His snotty glance at me doesn’t go unnoticed but I haven’t got the time or patience to deal with Mark over punching a man of God.
Night has fallen and the club is quiet when I return. The roar of my engine has Kitty and Flo running out of the house and flat out running towards me. Masks of terror cover their faces and I’m immediately on full alert.
Flo reaches me first and hangs onto my cut while she tries to talk through her lost breath.
“Slow down and tell me what’s going on,” I demand.
Kitty reaches us and has tears in her eyes.
“Kitty, talk to me,” I urge, unable to get anything out of Flo.
“It’s Rayna, she said something didn’t feel right then she collapsed.”
I push Flo off me and run for the house.
“Michael, she’s not there,” she calls out.
I skid to a stop and turn around, backtracking to where they stand by my bike.
“Where is she then?”
Blood surges through my body and my focus slips thinking all sorts.
“Micky’s taken her in the truck to the hospital, he said it would be faster than calling nine-one-one,” Flo says.
I climb on my bike and bring it back to life. I hear the girls shouting at me but I can’t stay long enough to listen. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have left her. Now who knows what is happening to her and she has no one but fucking Micky with her.
I push my bike as fast as it can go and ride flat out wanting to punch myself. I knew she didn’t look right. She’s looked like something has been wrong for days. She assured us she didn’t agree with pregnancy and Mark even joked that they will only be having the one kid because he isn’t letting her go through this again.
Halfway down the highway I see taillights in the distance. The moment I recognize the truck as one of ours I slow down until I’m right behind them.
Why the fuck has he stopped?
As soon as I cut the engine, I hear her cries and Micky trying to calm her down. Throwing my helmet to the ground, I run to Micky and force my way between him and the open door he was leaning in.
Rayna is laid out on the back seat, gripping the seats so tight her tiny hands have turned white.
“What’s going on? Why have you stopped?” I ask, roughly.
“She was out of it then woke up screaming the truck down, she told me to stop because the kid is coming,” Micky says, in a full out panic.
“Move.”
He wisely does as he’s told and I take his place.
“Hey darlin’, can you wait till I get you to the hospital?”
“Michael? Is that you?” she asks, her voice full of pain.
“Yeah, it’s me darlin’. I’m here now.”
Her eyes find mine and my throat constricts when I see her belief in me to help her.
I turn to Micky and find him looking paler than Ray.
“Take my bike, Mark should be calling soon from the halfway point. Tell him to get to the hospital as soon as he can. Oak will have to do the run. Don’t tell him how bad she i
s, just tell him the baby is coming.”
Knowing my brother, he will get himself killed in an accident trying to get to her and she needs him in one piece now, not splattered over the highway.
Rayna screams out again, Micky and I both jump and a red rage consumes me.
“You shouldn’t have stopped you fucking moron, get on my bike and get a hold of Mark,” I yell, springing him into action.
I lean back in the truck and drape an old blanket over Rayna’s legs, her dress leaving her lower half bare and open to the chill of the night.
“Help me, the baby’s coming, Michael,” she screams out and I whip the blanket back off of her.
Her legs unconsciously open and the sight of blood between her thighs brings on my own bout of panic.
I want to her ask her if blood is normal in this situation, but if it isn’t I don’t want her to worry.
“Oh God, it’s coming,” she growls, in the freakiest, deepest voice I’ve heard come from her mouth.
“Let me get you to the hospital.”
“No, there’s no time.”
“You sure you can’t wait till we get to the hospital?” I ask, terrified of the baby being born on the side of the road.
“No,” she screams out, her face a bright shade of pink from the pain.
“Okay, let’s see,” I mutter, climbing further into the truck.
“I really don’t know what I’m doing here, Ray. Just do whatever you feel you have to do. Okay?”
“I feel it coming, I can’t stop it,” she cries.
Before I can say anything or try to think of what the hell to do, she’s grabbing for my hand and squeezing the shit of it.
The more she pushes the harder her grip becomes.
Oh fuck, this is really happening.
Looking down to a place I thought I would never see, every feeling I’ve ever harboured for this woman vanishes. The head crowns the entrance and after another few pushes a tiny bundle of arms and legs come sliding out. It looks like something out of a horror movie covered in blood and mucus.
A tiny, shrill cry fills the truck and Rayna begins to laugh.
Shrugging out of my cut and ripping my tee over my head, it’s the cleanest thing to hand, I wipe the baby’s face and it wrap up.
Rayna crying out again gets my attention.
“What now?” I ask, holding the baby tight in one arm, giving Rayna my free hand.
Much to my horror, she begins pushing again.
“You having twins or something?” I ask.
I get my answer when she digs her nails in and pierces the skin.
“It’s the after birth, jackass,” she screams.
The baby in my arms is crying, Rayna is crying, there’s blood everywhere and no fucker on the road to stop and help. Never before have I ever felt so out of my depth.
The minutes must be passing, but to me time is standing still. Once again, she starts pushing but this time nothing is coming out.
“Ray, you must be wrong.”
“I’m not,” she calls out in a feral bite my fucking head off tone and releases her grip on my hand.
Her body falls slack against the door she was leaning against and pants with exhaustion. Fuck this, she needs help far beyond just me on the road side.
Leaning over, I lay the baby wrapped in my tee in between her arm and her chest against the back seat and cover them with the old blanket.
“Hold on, Ray. Don’t let go of that baby,” I tell her, climbing out of the truck.
Running around, I jump in the driver’s seat and start the truck. As soon as it’s ready, I tailspin onto the road and put my foot down on the gas until I feel like it can’t go any faster.
The city lights come into view and I breathe slightly easier knowing she will have the help she needs very soon.
“Not long, darlin’,” I say over my shoulder.
“I need Mark, I knew this would happen when he went away,” Rayna cries.
“He’ll meet us at the hospital, Micky’s getting word to him now,” I promise her.
A fresh set of screams fill the truck.
“Talk to me, Ray, what’s going on darlin’?” I beg, pushing the truck as fast as it can go.
“Pain, Michael. Pain everywhere.”
“Hold on, please, Ray. Just fucking hold on five more minutes.”
The first set of lights we come to are red. It’s too busy, even at this time of night to risk running them. I’d put her in more danger.
Turning in my seat, I don’t realize Rayna and the baby aren’t crying until I see Rayna dozing in and out of consciousness and the baby slipping out of her arms.
Reaching round, I slap Rayna harder than I intended to.
“Wake up, we’re nearly there,” I shout at her.
“Hold that baby, Ray. You’ll end up squashing her.”
This brings her around and I turn back around in my seat to find company has just arrived. As if this night couldn’t get any fucking worse, Chase Carson pulls up next to the truck. In slow fucking motion I watch his head turn in my direction and the moment it registers on his face who he is looking at.
He gets over it quickly and looks in the back of the truck. With Rayna slumped down on the back seat it looks like I’m on my own and in this heap of junk the smirk that covers his face tells me he knows I can’t out run him.
Glancing in the rear view mirror I see he is with two of his brothers. Any other time I would love to be in this situation. My chance to take out Hunter’s VP and brother by blood, not tonight though. Tonight, Rayna needs me.
“Michael, I don’t think she’s breathing,” Rayna cries out.
Breaking eye contact with Chase, I quickly turn to look at Rayna and the baby.
Fuck. Shit. Fuck.
Looking back to Chase, he is reaching into his side. I know what’s coming next. My hand itches to do the same but Mark’s voice stops me.
‘Know your fights.’
Slamming my fist against the wheel, I push my foot down and pull out into traffic before Chase manages to get his gun out.
Cars honk and swerve to get out of my way leaving me free to speed up and clear the junction. Chase soon catches up and is right behind us.
“Rayna, are you still lying down?” I shout, keeping my eyes on the road.
She doesn’t answer.
“Ray, fuckin’ answer me.”
Still nothing.
“Rayna Blake, wake the fuck up and talk to me,” I shout, glancing in the rear view mirror keeping an eye on Chase at the same time.
Turning onto the road leading up to the hospital, shots are fired and the back window smashes in.
Never has running away burnt me so bad. Flickers of already plots of revenge course through me. Rayna doesn’t make a sound at the noise and it scares the shit out me.
The hospital comes into sight but I take a left turn. If I stop outside the hospital, Chase will no doubt shoot wherever the fuck he wants and Rayna and the baby wouldn’t stand a chance. The Raging Riders have no standards when it comes to their own women, I can’t bring myself to think about how they would treat our women, especially Rayna and my niece.
I take turn after turn and I pray I’m not heading too far away from the hospital. After making another turn, the sound of motorcycle engines fade away. I don’t give myself time to think if they’re planning to trap me in these web of back streets. I head for the hospital at the fastest speed the truck can manage and skid to a stop right outside the doors.
Security come running out.
“Get help, there’s a woman and baby who needs help now,” I yell to them both.
Jumping out of the truck, I head around and climb back in with Rayna.
Shaking her shoulders, I scream for her to open her eyes.
Lazily, she does and she becomes more alert when she hears the baby makes a muffled sound.
“The nurses are coming, darlin’,” I smile.
“Save my baby girl, Michael,” Rayna whispers, closi
ng her eyes again.
Oh no.
“Nothing is going to happen to her, Ray. Open your eyes,” I plead.
“Alannah.”
“Huh?”
“That’s her name, tell Mark her name.”
“You can tell him yourself,” I shout, angry at her for thinking she won’t be here herself to tell him.
“Move out of the way, sir.”
Hands grapple at my back and I let them pull me out so they can help her.
The baby makes an awful choking sound causing Rayna to yell with everything she has to get the nurses to help her first.
The cord is still connected to the baby and within seconds one of the nurses has it cut and both nurses try to get both Rayna and Alannah out of the truck together. Rayna pushes them away and thrusts the baby at them.
“Help her first, she wasn’t breathing at all. Help her, now.”
“Ray, let them help you,” I shout, stunned.
“Save her,” she cries, weakly, “She’s turning blue.”
“We’ll send help straight out.”
The nurses disappear with the baby and Rayna slumps down, having used up her energy getting the nurses to save the baby.
Fuck this, I’m not waiting for the doctors to come out. I open the door she is leaning against and carry her in myself.
The stark lighting illuminates her pale face and I frantically call out for help. Three doctors running along with a gurney comes towards us and I lay Rayna on it.
“She had a baby about twenty minutes ago, she was bleeding before and after,” I manage to tell them before they are wheeling her through two large double doors and one doctor stays behind to stop me from following.
One brief image of her arm sliding off the bed and hanging limply will forever be etched into my mind. The doors swing closed, leaving me standing alone with her blood covering me.
“Wait here and I’ll come back out when we know more.”
The doctor goes to leave me standing alone when I grab her arm.
“Make her better.”
She nods once and then disappears through the double doors too.
Moving to the side of the corridor, I don’t stop moving until my back hits the cold wall and I remember I took my tee off to wrap the baby up.
They better fucking save her or there is going to be a whole storm of revenge savaged upon everyone in this hospital until it rains blood.
Biker Born: The Lost Souls MC Series (The Lost Souls Series Book 4) Page 16
