He grabbed his jeans off the floor. He barely had time to zip them up before they heard the creak of a door down the hall open. Next came the sound of four little paws hitting the floor followed by two small feet. And then the doorbell rang. Crow opened the door of the bedroom to divert Jett to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and to welcome in the midwife.
Crow told himself to get his shit together. Melissa made sure that they had a plan.
He just couldn’t remember what it was.
“You gonna go let Angie in?” Jett had climbed onto the counter to reach for a cereal bowl while the puppy jumped up and tried to nip at his pajama bottoms. “Then you’re supposed to call Mrs. Brightwood and she’s supposed to come get me until Mom has the baby. After that you're supposed to call and bring me back home. Remember?"
“Yeah. Right. That’s it,” Crow threw his stepson a look of gratitude before he moved into the living room. There he stumbled headlong over the new baby swing and landed with a thud against the door.
“Hey Angie,” Crow, still slightly off balance, opened the door wide to greet the amused-looking midwife.
"You okay?" She put out a hand to steady him.
“Baby’s coming,” he choked out.
“That’s why I’m here. Melissa upstairs?”
Angie, a tall, willowy woman, spoke in soft reassuring tones and moved up the stairs with an air of efficiency. When Melissa saw her, she greeted the midwife with a look of relief, but sent Crow down to check on Jett, feed the dog and call the babysitter.
“The contractions are strong. And getting closer,” Melissa told her.
Angie looked at Melissa with experienced eyes. “A warm shower might relax you and alleviate a bit of the pain. Would you like that?”
“No, I just need to walk."
Melissa spent the next few minutes leaning on Angie has they walked circles around the bedroom. When Crow came back, he went to Melissa and ran his hands over her back, massaging it in long slow circles like they had practiced.
Angie prepared the bed with some towels and a waterproof sheet. When she had Melissa lie down on the bed to be examined, Crow stood at Melissa's head and tried not to freak out.
“You’re doing great, Melissa. The baby is coming soon,” Angie looked at Melissa knowingly. “You’ve been in labor a while.”
Melissa began to pant through the next contraction. “I had a backache all day, but I wasn't sure. It was so different with Jett. I just thought..."
Melissa gripped the edge of the bed as a very productive wave of pain caused her belly to roll and gyrate.
“Crow, it’s time to get behind Melissa and anchor her. Give her something to lean against as she pushes.”
The midwife was a study in calm, reassuring efficiency.
Crow, on the other hand, was close to passing out. Thank God Melissa wasn't screaming. But her body was hot and flushed from the effort of pushing, and that was bad enough.
The midwife’s voice came out from under the sheet that covered Melissa’s spread knees.
"Okay, Melissa. It's time. I want you to bear down with each contraction. Rest in between. It's going to go like this… push, rest, and push, rest. Okay?" Angie's voice carried a soft air of practiced authority.
Melissa let out a streak of cuss words that made the words she’d scolded Crow for sound tame in comparison. The contraction was long and harder and contorted Melissa’s belly in a strange kind of tight roll. Crow had never felt so helpless in his life.
“You’re doing great, Melissa. Just great. We’re almost there. I see the head. You’re going to give me one long push now. Crow, it’s time. Come down this end,” Angie commanded.
Crow hesitated at the thought of leaving Melissa even if it was just to go to the foot of the bed. Melissa turned a sweaty reddened face towards him and said through panting breaths. "I want your hands to be the first that our baby feels. I swear to God that I am ….AAAAAHHHH…not having this baby until you…AHHHHHHHH…"
At the sound of Melissa’s screams, Crow moved like lightening to the end of the bed, and not a minute too soon because there it was. A tiny head covered with what looked like dark wet fuzz was poised to come out of Melissa's body. He listened as Angie told him exactly what to do to prepare to catch the baby.
And suddenly out it came.
Sliding out of its mother’s body and into his father’s waiting hands.
Their baby.
Crow looked down at the perfect tiny body that lay wet and slippery in his arms.
And for a moment everything faded away until there was only Crow and the tiny miracle that he held in his big strong hands.
“Is the baby all right, Crow? Why isn't it crying?” Melissa's exhausted, worried voice split the air.
Crow glanced helplessly at her and then back to the newborn. Then Melissa and Crow both looked fearfully at Angie.
Angie frowned slightly and moved towards the small, still body in Crow's now trembling hands.
The room filled with a deadly, dark quiet.
And then suddenly, as if on cue, the infant screwed up its little face, opened its eyes wide, looked right at its father and let out a loud I have arrived howl.
Melissa began to laugh with relief at the sound and stretched out her arms to receive her child.
The new father held the baby tight to his chest before giving it over to its mother. Then Crow grinned at Melissa and said, “You haven’t asked what it is yet.”
Melissa answered him with that teasing smile of hers that he had come to love so much. “My best guess is that it’s a… baby?”
Crow laughed and brought the precious bundle over to Melissa.
Then he leaned over, kissed his wife full on the lips. “Say hello to Jett’s little brother.”
Melissa held out her arms to cradle the baby. Suddenly sunlight streamed through the beveled glass windows. Melissa and Crow gazed in awe as what seemed to be a million sunbeams filtered through the room and danced magically on the walls all around them. It seemed to Melissa as if that the whole universe had come together to shelter them in this perfect moment of time and space.
Melissa shifted herself high up on the bed as she suddenly remembered the majestic bird that had perched in the yard for days heralding Crow’s arrival.
According to some beliefs, the appearance of this species is meant to ensure that everything is positioned exactly in the right place at the right time. The bird’s visit is all about recovery, rebirth, and transitioning from the light to the darkness. Apparently, if you are lucky enough to get a visit from this creature, it means that magic is afoot.
“What do you think we should name him?” Crow whispered to her.
“Raven.” Melissa smiled. “I would like to name him Raven.”
Acknowledgements
Thanks to all of you who fell in love with the Hells Saints family as much as I did. I so appreciate you spending your hard- earned money and hard- won leisure time getting to know Prosper and his crew. Every time I struggled with a story line or had a bump in the editing road your warm emails of encouragement, praise and humor got me through. I cannot imagine taking this journey without you!
Thanks to my husband, Pasquale, for truly being the kind of man that every woman dreams of. His wisdom, generosity, humor and unbelievable humanity sustains and strengthens me. He is the best part of all the Hells Saints brothers. Without his guiding influence, they would simply be characters on a page.
Thanks to my son Jake for his insight, competence and sound advice. And for allowing me to stretch his patience way past his comfort zone. We call him the Professor for a reason. He is the smartest guy I know.
Thanks to my daughter, Leah, who allowed me to share two of her childhood stories.
Yes, the bumper car incident did happen almost exactly as I describe it to my daughter when she was just about Jett’s age. Not our best carnival memory! On a brighter note, the candy kiss incident also happened when my daughter offered her schoolmate a “kiss” on t
he bus. No Jeffery…not that kind of kiss …this kind of kiss! Needless to say I crafted the spunky, blue- eyed, blonde- haired Rosie after Leah!
Thanks to my very talented daughter-in-law, graphic artist, Dawne Brundige who tirelessly worked on the Taming Crow cover with me. She asked all the right questions and listened carefully to the all the answers. I love the simple, understated beauty of the image and I think it is just beautifully done. Dawne is a treasured addition to our family in many, many ways.
Thanks to Krista Stroever who continues to challenge me to stretch my writer’s wings. It amazes me how with a single well-placed word she can nail an idea that I have taken three pages to write.
And last but never least…my girls. You know who you are…the shared desserts at Rileys, the hour- plus long phone conversations, the Miss Quamicut beach crew, Live on the Lake, bonfires, friends and family night, and all the other things that keep me sane.
And of course to my best pal of all Donna J…who is the kind of friend who sends me the same birthday card two years in a row just because it was so funny the first time around.
Best. Friend. Ever.
About the Author
Paula Marinaro was born and raised on the North Shore of Boston. She currently lives with her husband in a cozy little house on a lake in Western Massachusetts.
She holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and a master’s degree in education. When she is not writing, she is teaching writing to a delightful group of elementary students!
Paula considers herself to be a lifelong learner and enjoys international travel. She is extremely proud to be the mother of two children, Jake and Leah.
Taming Crow (Hells Saints Motorcycle Club) Page 26
