“It was nothing.” Jared growled as he started the car.
“I know my sister, Jared. It must have been something for her to disappear like this. I warned you not to hurt my sister.” Adam glared over at him. “You know I’m on her side, no matter what.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else, Adam.” Jared pulled out of the garage, coming too close to a few reporters who still sat outside of the compound. “There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, going on between me and Vicky.”
“You better hope not,” Adam warned. “After everything Tessa has been through, she deserves happiness, not another loser who’s going to break her heart.”
Jared didn’t answer. He just needed to find Tessa and put this whole thing behind them. He would not accept it was over between them. She was his life, and without her, he was nothing.
*****
Waking up next to Duncan had been wonderful. The way he had woken her was mind blowing. Turning the bacon that was frying and popping, Pam smiled. After last night, she knew she was going to be okay. Duncan’s touches had brought her so much pleasure, making her yearn for more, so much more. Not once was she disgusted or humiliated. Kenny had been so far from her mind that she had felt liberated, so much so that she had been brought to tears.
“Smells good,” Duncan said, warning her that it was him behind her before he wrapped his arms around her bulging stomach.
Just the little things like the warnings that he was coming up behind her showed her how lucky she was to have someone like Duncan in her life. He understood her more than she understood herself sometimes. She hated how she acted yesterday with the baby room and wanted to make it right.
“Listen, about yesterday.” Not facing him at the moment gave her more courage to speak her mind. “I’m sorry that I didn’t act like I appreciate everything everyone has done. I truly am, but I’m just not used to it.”
“I know that,” was Duncan’s only reply.
“I’m going to be okay.” Pam nodded, smiling down at the bacon.
“I know that also.” Duncan grinned.
Pam snorted, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “Is there anything you don’t know?”
His face turned serious. “Yeah, can you cook?”
“Actually, I can cook very well,” she informed him. “You hungry?”
“Starved.” He leaned down kissing her neck, his hands roaming to her breasts.
Pam smiled happily. She loved the feel of his hands on her body. She leaned back into him, savoring the feelings that rushed through her body. She felt him hardening against her lower back. Turning, she went for the waistband of his jeans. “Let me take care of you.”
“Honey, you have done more than take care of me. I’m a patient man, and you are so worth the wait.” He turned her back around. “And the bacon is burning.”
“Oh!” Pam grabbed the fork she had been using, saving the burning bacon from the skillet just as someone pounded on the door.
“Stay here.” Duncan turned Warrior in an instant, heading out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, Sid walked in behind Duncan.
“Hey Sid,” Pam smiled. “You hungry? Just don’t critique my cooking please.”
“I would never.” He smirked. “I’ll just have some coffee.”
“There’s plenty.” Pam poured him a cup, pushing the sugar and cream toward him.
“Thanks.” He added a little sugar, but no cream. “Have you guys heard from Jared or Tessa?”
“No,” Duncan replied, sitting down resting his elbows on the counter. “She saw the picture I take it?”
Sid nodded. “She left last night after Slade stitched up her fingers. Adam said they tracked her and Jill to her place. She won’t talk to anyone or answer her phone.”
“What picture?” Pam sat the plate of food in front of Duncan and picked up his coffee cup refilling it.
“You didn’t tell her?” Sid glanced at Duncan.
“No. Didn’t really have a chance to.” Duncan winked his thanks for the food and coffee.
“Well you do now, so tell me.” Pam grabbed some toast and orange juice, sitting down next to Duncan.
“Someone is taking pictures of us all, and one of the pictures was of Jared talking with Vicky.” Duncan took a long drink of coffee. “It looked like more than it was. It’s kind of hard to explain, but Tessa saw it and obviously thought the worse.”
“Is there anything between Jared and this Vicky, or has there ever been?” Pam took a bite of bacon not really feeling hungry.
“There was, but it was actually kind of over before Tessa came on the scene,” Sid replied when Duncan kept quiet.
“Didn’t her ex treat her pretty crappy?” Pam glanced between the two men. “He cheated on her, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was a real asshole,” Sid hissed. “Almost got us killed.”
“Listen, I don’t know Tessa real well, but I don’t think it’s Jared.” Figuring they had no clue what she meant since they were staring at her with vacant eyes, she tried to explain a woman’s thought process. “A few times she’s mentioned her weight in different ways. I’ve seen her pulling her shirts down or pulling them out from her body. I also noticed she dresses down, wearing large shirts and things to hide herself.”
“But she’s a gorgeous woman,” Sid replied looking confused.
Pam pushed her half-eaten piece of toast away. “We women are more self-conscious than men. It’s a fact, and it sucks, but that’s the way it is. We will never be happy with our looks. We will either be too large, too thin, too short…you get the picture?”
“None of that matters to us.” Duncan rolled his eyes. “Maybe human men, but not Warriors. We see what we want, and we go after it. It doesn’t matter what size or shape the woman is if we love her.”
“But it matters to her.” Pam sighed. “I haven’t seen the picture, but if I had, and it was me, I would probably be upset, just like any of you would if there was a picture of your woman and another man.”
Both their eyes narrowed. “Good thing there would be a picture,” Duncan replied with a growl.
“Yeah, need something to remember the dead son of a bitch by,” Sid finished with a sneer.
Pam rolled her eyes at their macho mumbling. “What other pictures were there?” Pam asked, even knowing there were probably tons of her with her big belly.
Sid and Duncan shared a glance. “Sloan had the pictures Kenny had of us analyzed.” Duncan looked at her. “They were faked.”
Pam’s forehead wrinkled in confusion until her eyes narrowed in anger. “Fake?” Her expression changed to anger as soon as what that meant sunk in. She stood up knocking her stool over. “You mean I went through hell to keep you safe over fake pictures.”
“Calm down, babe.” Duncan stood, picking up the stool so she wouldn’t fall over it.
“That son of a bitch.” Pam didn’t hear anything, just kept stomping around cursing. “That goddamn bastard son of a bitch.” Pam grabbed a knife throwing it.
Both Sid and Duncan watched as the knife stuck in the wall, the handle vibrating.
“Damn.” Sid glanced at Pam then back to the knife. “Impressive.”
“Pam.” Duncan walked toward her still looking at the knife, also impressed as hell and actually turned on. How fucked up was that.
She reached for another knife, but Duncan stopped her. Her eyes flared up at him. “How could I have been so stupid?”
“You had no way of knowing they were fake.” Duncan reassured her.
Sid walked over pulling the knife out of the wall. “The pictures were of high quality. We couldn’t even tell. That’s why we sent them out to have them analyzed.”
Pam pulled away from Duncan, walking to the hole the knife left. “Oh my God,” she cringed. “I’m sorry.” She put her finger in the hole.
“Actually, I’m pretty damn impressed.” Duncan smiled. “A little putty and paint will fix that right up.”
Pam looked from th
e hole back to Duncan. “I can’t believe I did that.” She took two steps back toward the island but stopped suddenly. Grabbing her stomach, her eyes widened, and a splashing noise on tile filled the room. “I think my water just broke.”
Chapter 21
“You think your what just broke?” Sid eyed her funny.
“My water.” Pam looked down with a grimace, still holding her stomach. “It just broke all over your floor.”
“Our floor.” Duncan automatically corrected her then snapped out of his stunned state. “Shit!” He ran up to her, slipping in the wetness on the floor.
“Get me something to clean this up.” Pam looked at the mess horrified. “I’m here for a day, and I’m already tearing your house up.”
Sid went for the paper towels, but stopped when Duncan yelled.
“Fuck the floor,” Duncan growled. “We need to get her to the hospital,” he yelled at Sid.
“We can’t leave this on the floor.” Pam looked a little panicky. “I’m fine. Get something, Sid.”
Sid started to go for the paper towels again, but stopped when he heard a God awful moan.
“Oh shit. Not again,” Sid moaned right along with her. “I’m having flashbacks from before.”
Feeling an uncomfortable ache start in her lower back, Pam frowned. Within seconds, the ache radiated into a full-blown pain, spreading around to her stomach. A surprised scream poured from her mouth.
“Sid, come here, dammit,” Duncan yelled. Picking up Pam, he rushed to the living room and put her on the couch. “I have to call Slade. Do not leave her side.”
Running over, Sid stood next to Pam, who held her stomach. “Okay, we’ve been through this before,” Sid assured her, but his eyes were wide with panic. “Just hold that thing in until help arrives. Aren’t you supposed to be breathing funny or something to help with the pain?” Sid started breathing like he had seen in a movie of a woman giving birth.
Pam glanced at him and started breathing along with him. Then after a few minutes, stopped. “Okay, I think I’m hyperventilating,” Pam panted, sweat beading her face. Her eyes finding Duncan, who only stood a few feet away from her on the phone, talking frantically, but his eyes never left her.
“She’s okay,” Sid yelled over to Duncan. “I don’t know about me, but she’s okay. Dammit, why am I always around you when that thing is getting ready to pop out.”
“It’s not a thing, and he isn’t going to pop…” Feeling the dull ache start again, Pam gritted her teeth. “Oh, God.”
“Again?” Sid sounded panicked. “Are you serious?”
“No.” Pam glared at him. “I’m fucking with you, just for the hell of it.” The old smart-ass Pam was back in the flesh. This contraction was worse. She grabbed Sid’s arm squeezing with everything she had.
“Damn.” He looked down at where her hand was about to break his arm. “Come on, breathe like before; it helps and it may keep you from breaking my damn arm.”
“Let me pull your balls…” Pam stopped to grit her teeth, trying to ride the wave of pain, “out through your throat, and tell me if breathing helps.” She glared at him.
Sid’s head snapped back in surprise, but he moved his lower body a little further away from her. “You don’t have to be vicious.”
Pam raised her head when the pain eased, letting go of Sid’s arm which he started rubbing vigorously.
Duncan came over kneeling beside her. “Slade will be here any minute.”
“Why not the hospital?” Sid and Pam said at the same time.
“The contractions are too close, and he doesn’t think we’ll make it.” Duncan had grabbed a cold washcloth and dabbed it across her forehead. “He wants to be here just in case we didn’t make it to the hospital, and I think that’s smart. He’s close.”
“Does he have drugs?” Pam whispered, her voice raspy. “Please tell me he has drugs.”
“I wish I could take your pain.” Duncan frowned, still running the cool washcloth across her face.
“So do I.” Pam gave a weak grin. Her eyes shot open as the pain hit again. She gritted her teeth as a low moan began building in the back of her throat.
“Watch your balls, man,” Sid warned Duncan. “Trust me on that one.”
Duncan ignored him, his focus on Pam. “Come on, babe. Hold on just a few more minutes.”
“Hold on?” Pam yelled in the peak of her pain, sitting up with on hand on the back of the couch and the other on Duncan’s leg. “You have a seven-pound baby come out of your penis and then tell me about holding on. I have to get him out.”
“Is she pushing?” Sid leaned back in horror. “She can’t push. Pam, don’t you fucking push.”
“Sid, shut the hell up and go wait for Slade.” Duncan held on to Pam. “Come on, babe, just a few more minutes and he’ll be here.”
Sid jumped up from the couch running for the door. He could face the biggest fuckers in hand-to-hand combat, but this shit sent him running like a little bitch, and he wasn’t ashamed of it.
“You’re doing great. I know it hurts, but just think of the little guy,” Duncan whispered calmly. “You are going to be such a great mom.”
Pam’s breathing slowed as the pain once again subsided. “Do you really think I’m going to be a good mom?” She turned her head to look at him.
“The best.” He kissed her softly. “You have a name picked out?”
She shook her head. “What’s your middle name?”
“Daniel.” Duncan replied.
Pam raised her hand to touch his cheek. She started to say something, but the pain started again, but this time it felt different. “Duncan!” she cried out. “I feel a lot of pressure,” she panted, her breathing coming in fast hard gasps.
“He’s here!” Sid yelled from the door.
“Tell him to hurry the fuck up,” Duncan yelled back. “Come on, babe, hold on.”
Sid practically tossed Slade into the room. Slade was taking in the situation in one quick glance. “How far apart are the contractions?”
“Pretty much back-to-back,” Duncan answered, his eyes never leaving Pam’s face. “She says she feels pressure.”
“Call an ambulance,” Slade ordered not caring who did it. “We need to get her to a bed. I need sheets and towels.”
Duncan picked Pam up as carefully as possible, heading for the steps.
“Did you bring drugs?” Pam gritted through her teeth.
“Honey, you are too far along for that.” Slade followed them up. “This little guy is ready to come now.”
Hurrying to the bed, Duncan started to lay her down.
“No, I need her toward the end.” Slade ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. “Is Sid getting the sheets and towels?”
“Yeah, I got them.” Sid ran in. “The ambulance is on the way.”
Slade came out putting on gloves. “Duncan, I need you behind her to support and help her push.” He looked at Sid. “I need you on my right next to Duncan.”
“Fuck that.” Sid started to head out to wait for the ambulance. “There’s only one reason I look between a woman’s legs, and this is definitely not it.”
“I might need your help Sid. You need to stay.” Slade glared at him before turning back to Pam.
Sid stopped and sighed long and loud. “What do you want me to do?” Sid asked, looking nervous for once.
“Just be ready,” Slade said, not really paying attention. His focus was totally on Pam.
“Ah…okay,” Sid sighed with a roll of his eyes. “Just be ready, he says….”
Once everyone was in position, Slade pushed up her skirt. Taking the scissors, he cut her soaked panties off. “Well I have good news.” Slade glanced up at Pam. “The baby is in position and I can see the head.”
Sid made a gagging face, then frowned when Duncan punched him in the leg.
Pam nodded, her eyes closed. “So he’s okay?”
“He’s more than okay. He’s ready to meet the world,” Slade replied. “
You having any pain right now?”
“No, I feel it building though,” she sighed, preparing herself for the pain that would seize her tired body.
“You are going to want to push, but you need to wait until I tell you to.” Slade looked up when she didn’t answer. “Pam, this is important. Do you understand me? Do not push until I tell you to push.”
Pam nodded with a moan. “It hurts so badly!” she cried out, biting her lower lip.
“I know, but you’re doing great,” Slade reassured. “Just hold on for a few more seconds.”
“I love you.” Duncan whispered, but his eyes watched Slade’s reaction to everything. “It won’t be long now.”
Pam’s moans turned into screeches of pain.
“Now Pam.” Slade looked up. “Push.”
Duncan grabbed her hands, so she could hold onto something and squeeze. He used his upper body to push her forward. “That’s it.”
“Okay, good. Relax,” Slade instructed as he checked. “Next time, I need you to push a little harder.” Slade didn’t have the luxury of a monitor. He had to guess at the right time for her to push. Seeing her face scrunch in pain, he waited for a few seconds.
“The ambulance is here,” Sid announced in relief, even though everyone in the room could hear the sirens.
“Pam this is it.” Slade’s voice took a totally different tone. “You have to push like you’ve never pushed before, and keep pushing.”
“I’ll try.” Pam’s voice sounded weak with exhaustion.
“Listen to me.” Slade’s face was stern. “You have got to do this. There is no trying to it. Do you understand?”
“Pam?” Duncan shook her.
The paramedics entered the room assessing the situation, and then stood at the head of the bed ready if needed. Slade acknowledged them quickly. “Be ready for transport.”
“We’re ready,” one of the paramedics answered. “Do you need assistance?”
Slade shook his head at the paramedic. He put his hand on her stomach and felt another contraction building. “Pam you need to start pushing.” When she didn’t respond, Slade yelled. “Push!”
“Okay, dammit!” she hissed, using Duncan’s chest to push herself forward. “Anyone with a penis needs to die.”
Duncan Page 16
