Reckless Redemption: A Bad Blooded Rebel Novel (Bad Blooded Rebel Series)

by Mellie George

  I hugged him again and kissed his cheek.

  “Thank you, Jude. I will do that right now. Thank you for staying with me while Beau ran out.”

  “Hey, it was no trouble at all. I better go. Sadie will rip my balls off if she has to wait too long,” he laughed.

  “That is true. You drive carefully, okay?”

  “I will. Take care, Danni,” he said as he walked through the house and out the door.

  “Bye Jude,” I called after him.

  As soon as he left, I decided to take a nap because I was already starting to feel tired. Thank goodness I only had a few more days of the pregnancy because carrying my baby girl around was really starting to wear on my body.

  I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the bedroom so I opted for the sofa in the living room.

  As I stood up and began to walk, I felt a strong tightening in my stomach and pain like I’d never felt.

  “Oh shit!” I yelled out, grabbing my stomach…something was obviously wrong.

  I reached for the kitchen counter to steady myself and knocked a glass onto the floor where it shattered into a million pieces. I know it’s normal to have aches and pains during pregnancy but this didn’t feel right. I didn’t know what contractions felt like but this had to be close to it. I waited for it to start to taper off like Dr. Mitchell said it would but it wasn’t letting up and I was becoming more scared by the second.

  I guided myself over to the kitchen counter and found my cell phone, picking it up with a shaking hand. I tried to navigate through my phone to call Beau but I was having a hard time concentrating through the pain. My eyes started to blur with tears and I was terrified now. I couldn’t make out the numbers or letters on the phone display no matter how hard I squinted. I just needed to call Beau…as soon as he picked up he’d come rushing back home.

  Just as I made out Beau’s name and was about to push the call button, I felt the excruciating stabbing pain in my stomach get ten times stronger. I screamed out and dropped my phone as I felt wetness rolling down my legs. I didn’t know if my water had broken or not and there was no way I’d be able to see anything…why couldn’t I see anything? I cradled my belly with one hand and I felt between my legs with the other. My leggings were soaking wet already. I pulled my hand up, expecting to see wetness but instead I saw blood…a lot of it.

  “No, no, no…this can’t be happening,” I cried, tears pouring down my face. I was fine just a few minutes ago…what was happening?

  I had to protect the baby, no matter what. I just needed to find my phone and call an ambulance. Once Beau came home and saw them here he’d know what to do…he always knew how to calm me. I needed my husband with me now more than ever before. Please hurry, I thought to myself.

  I tried to bend down and find my phone but as soon as I moved, my legs gave out and I could feel myself falling to the floor. Protect the baby was the last thing I thought before I hit the tile and blacked out.

  Chapter 16

  Beau

  “Danni? I’m home!” I called from the foyer.

  I closed the door and slid out of my coat.

  “I hope you still want ice cream because your man went above and beyond. I can’t remember the last time I spent twenty bucks on a banana split!” I laughed.

  This pregnancy had turned Danni into an ice cream pregzilla so I made sure to get the biggest sundae they had and added every topping the place carried.

  I walked into the kitchen, expecting her to still be there with Jude.

  “Baby, where are you?” I called out.

  I turned on the lights in the kitchen and when I looked down I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. I saw Danni lying on the floor in a pool of blood, cradling her stomach.

  “Fuck!” I screamed. I dropped the ice cream to the floor and rushed to her side.

  Lifting her head, I patted her cheek and said, “Danni? Danni, wake up, baby!”

  She was limp and seemingly lifeless. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and called an ambulance. Thankfully they were close by and they said it would only be about five minutes, but to me that was five minutes too long.

  As I tried to wake her I wondered what the hell happened. Where was Jude? He was supposed to be here with her!

  “Danni, sweetheart, you have to wake up. I’m here, I’ve got you, please wake up,” I begged.

  I put my hand on her belly to see if our baby was still moving and I panicked when I felt nothing. What the fuck was taking the God damned ambulance so long?

  I heard knocking on the door and I yelled for them to come in. The paramedics rushed to where I was holding Danni on the kitchen floor.

  “Sir, can you tell us what happened?” one of them asked me.

  “I-I don’t know. I went to get her some ice cream and came back home and found her like this. I wasn’t even gone twenty minutes,” I answered.

  I was going to fucking kill Jude when I saw him…why the hell would he leave my heavily pregnant wife all alone?

  “You are going to need to step back so we can help her, Mr. Cavanaugh,” another paramedic stated.

  I didn’t want to let her go but I knew that they needed to be able to take care of her so I reluctantly let go and handed my wife over to them. “How far along is she?”

  “She’s thirty eight weeks. We just scheduled her induction two days ago,” I said, my voice breaking.

  I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand and I noticed blood on my hands…Danni’s blood.

  My heart sank down into my stomach as I watched the paramedics working on her. They told me more things and asked me more questions but at that point I was numb. I came home to my pregnant wife lying in her own blood on our kitchen floor and our baby wasn’t moving. I prayed to whatever gods there were that my girls would be okay…I’d die without them.

  The paramedics quickly loaded Danni onto a stretcher and started to take her out of the house. As I followed them out to the ambulance I heard someone shouting my name.

  “Beau! What the hell is going on?” I turned to see Jessie running toward me with Kris following close behind.

  “I-I don’t know, I went to get her ice cream and I came back and found her lying on the kitchen floor,” I said, my voice cracking. “Jude was supposed to be with her. Do either of you know where the fuck he is?”

  Kris placed a hand on my shoulder and said, “He asked us to come over and check on Danni. Sadie’s car died and she was stranded on the side of the road.”

  “Hasn’t either of them heard of fucking AAA?” I shouted.

  “Beau, calm down, okay? She called them and was told it was going to be a while and it’s cold out here. Jude didn’t want to go but Danni insisted he didn’t leave Sadie stranded. That’s why he called us,” Jessie answered.

  “Sir, we need to go. Are you coming?” one of the paramedics asked.

  I glared at him and barked, “Of course I’m coming!”

  Jessie gave me a quick hug and said, “We’ll be there soon. I’ll call everyone for you. Just go.”

  I didn’t say another word and ran to the ambulance, climbing inside next to Danni. I heard the sirens and as we started to move I took her frail, clammy hand in mine. I toyed with her wedding ring and looked at her lying on the stretcher. She was pale and had a little sweat on her forehead that was dampening her hair. Despite all of that she was still so beautiful. I choked back a sob as I looked at my love, my heart, my everything lying on a stretcher with an IV in her arm and an oxygen mask covering her face.

  I sat holding her hand and tried to be as calm as I could be. I was suddenly crushed with guilt…this was my fault. She was pregnant and now her life was hanging in the balance because of me. If I hadn’t been caught up in our reunion and had remembered to wear a condom none of this would be happening. Danni and this innocent baby’s life wouldn’t be in danger right now if it weren’t for me. I know I was mad at Jude for leaving her alone but in all honesty if Danni and our little girl didn’t make it
I had no one to blame but myself.

  As soon as we reached the hospital, Danni was taken straight into the emergency room. I wanted to be with her but the nurses made me wait outside while they examined her. I felt like I was going to come out of my skin while I waited in the hall and watched countless doctors and medical staff flow in and out of her room.

  I was pacing like a mad man and just as I was about to barge into her room and demand an update, a doctor came out and walked toward me.

  “Are you Beau Cavanaugh?”

  My head snapped to him and I walked toward him.

  “Yes, I’m Danni’s husband. What’s the matter with her? Is she going to be okay? Is the baby all right?”

  The doctor’s eyes were soft and kind as he looked at me.

  He said, “I’m Doctor Fields and I’m the attending physician working on your wife’s case. Unfortunately Dr. Mitchell is out of town this week for the holiday.”

  “That’s nice, I don’t fucking care! Tell me what’s wrong with my wife!” I shouted.

  He raised his hand to try and calm me.

  “You’re wife is stable for now but the situation is dire. Danni lost a lot of blood and the baby is in distress.”

  “Distress? Oh fuck, what does that mean? How did this happen?” I asked frantically.

  “When your wife was brought in, her blood count was dangerously low and we had to start a transfusion. We believe the placenta is detaching from the womb and the baby isn’t receiving the proper oxygen it needs. We need to do an emergency caesarian as soon as possible to be able to save them both and we need your signature on some papers.”

  “Why the fuck do you need my signature to do surgery? Save them!” I shouted.

  “We just need your consent in case we have to do an emergency hysterectomy in a worse case scenario.”

  I felt like my legs were going to buckle beneath me. Danni had to have emergency surgery and could possibly lose the ability to have more children…she was going to be heartbroken. She wanted to be able to push the baby out. She wanted to be able to hold our little girl in her arms right after she was born and bond with her and now that wasn’t going to happen.

  I felt my eyes burning with tears and I choked out, “Sure, I’ll sign whatever you want me to. Do whatever you can to save my wife and daughter. Can I see her before she goes in?”

  “Sure. She’s actually awake but her blood pressure is starting to rise. I’m sure seeing you will calm her down.”

  “Thank you doctor. Sorry about being a dick,” I said.

  Doctor Fields smiled sympathetically and said, “It’s quite all right. I’ll have the papers printed for you to sign as soon as possible. Go see your wife.”

  That was all I needed to hear before I ran to her room and pulled back the curtain. My eyes landed on Danni lying helpless in the hospital bed and the tears that were burning my eyes started to fall. She looked so frail and terrified.

  “Beau?” she croaked out weakly. “What happened? Is our little girl okay?”

  I walked to her and placed a kiss on her forehead. As I combed through her hair with my fingers I answered, “She’s going to be okay, Danni.”

  “Please tell me what’s going on. Why did I pass out? The last thing I remember is Jude leaving to help Sadie and then feeling pain in my stomach. I tried to call you but my vision went blurry and I passed out,” she cried.

  “I just talked to the doctor and they said the placenta is detaching. You have to have an emergency C-section,” I explained and she openly sobbed.

  “No, this can’t be happening! They need to save her now!”

  I heard a loud beeping coming from a monitor next to her bed and a nurse came rushing to her side.

  “Try to calm down, Mrs. Cavanaugh. Your blood pressure is rising. They are prepping an OR and as soon as your husband signs a few things we will take you up for the surgery.”

  Tears continued to fall down her cheeks and she asked, “C-can he come with me? He can’t miss our daughter being born. I need him with me, please.”

  “Your husband will have to step out while we prep you but we will make sure he’s with you for the surgery,” said the nurse.

  “Why don’t you two spend a few moments together while we get everything ready to go?”

  I nodded at the nurse as she left the room. I continued to play with Danni’s hair, trying my best to calm her, which was almost impossible because I was fucking terrified.

  “Danni, it’s going to be okay,” I whispered roughly, feeling a hot tear shoot down my cheek.

  “We are going to meet our daughter soon.” I tried my best to sound reassuring but it was breaking my heart to see how scared she was and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to make it stop.

  “We aren’t ready, the nursery isn’t set up! The family isn’t here yet,” Danni cried.

  “Baby, I will make sure the nursery is ready before we bring our little girl home, okay? Even if I have to force Ryder, Kris, and Jude to help me put it all together, it will get done, I promise. As for the family…Jess and Kris showed up right as we were rushing you to the hospital. She’s going to call everyone and they should be here soon, okay?”

  I ran my thumb over her cheek and caught a fresh tear.

  “Beau, I’m so scared. What if they don’t get her out in time?”

  “They will or I’ll kill all of them myself. Don’t you know by now not to fuck with a Rebel?”

  I was trying my best to make her smile. I placed my large hand over her swollen belly.

  “That goes for this little angel in here. She’s going to be one hell of a fighter, I can tell.”

  “Don’t let anything happen to her, no matter what happens, okay? Promise me Beau,” she begged. She had tears pouring down her face.

  “Please.”

  I felt a lump in my throat. She was trying to tell me goodbye…fuck that! I wasn’t about to lose the love of my life.

  “Why are you telling me that? You’ll be here to guide her and teach her about all that girly shit while I’ll be in the background with a loaded shot gun ready to point it at the first asshole that even looks at her twice.”

  “I love you so, so much, Beau Cavanaugh. I hope you know that.”

  I leaned in and kissed her damp forehead.

  “I know, beautiful, I know. I love you too…my heart beats for you, Danni. I hope you know that.”

  The nurses and doctors came into the tiny room and told us it was time for her to go into the OR to be prepped. I signed the papers they had waiting for me and took a deep unsteady breath as I saw how truly terrified she was.

  “I love you,” she said one last time as they wheeled her out.

  I held her hand as long as I could before we broke apart and I called out, “I love you more, baby. I’ll be there soon.”

  As I watched my wife being taken into the operating room, I stood in the hallway alone and felt more terrified than I’d ever felt in my entire life. Please God don’t take them from me…

  I found a chair to sit in and collapsed down onto it. It seemed like hours while I waited for them to come tell me it was time to get into scrubs. I was silently praying to whoever would listen when I suddenly remembered there were two people I needed to call. I pulled my phone out and after I dialed the number, I waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Dan, it’s Beau.”

  “Oh well, hey there, Beau. How’s my favorite son-in-law?” he asked.

  “Not good. Listen, I’m calling about Danni.”

  “You sound serious, son. What’s happened?”

  “She’s being prepped for an emergency C-section right now. The doctor said the placenta is detaching and they need to deliver the baby tonight.”

  “Oh my lord…Brenda and I are on our way there.”

  “You probably won’t make it here before the baby is born but just get here as soon as you can, okay?”

  “You take care of our girls until I get
there, okay son?”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and answered, “I will. I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t-”

  “She’ll get through this because she has you. My daughter loves you more than anyone and she doesn’t just give that love away to someone undeserving of it. You fought hard for her before, Beau. It’s time to fight hard again. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

  I nodded to myself and said, “Okay. Drive safe.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Goodbye, son,” he answered and the line went dead.

  I held my phone in one hand and ran pulled at my hair in frustration with the other. I sat in the chair waiting for someone to come tell me I could go to Danni. I was about to go and tear down the doors to the OR when I heard someone call my name from down the hall. “Beau!”

  I looked up and saw everyone coming toward me…Ryder, Everleigh, Jude, Sadie, Kris, and Jessie. Ev was practically running and Ryder trailed behind her holding Max in his carrier.

  “Beau, what the hell happened?” she asked me, throwing her arms around my neck.

  I hugged her back and said, “She’s in the OR being prepped for an emergency C-section.”

  Ev gasped and everyone looked tense and as scared as I felt.

  “Do they know what happened, man?” Ryder asked. I weakly repeated the situation to everyone as best as I could. Why the hell hadn’t they called me back there yet?

  Sadie moved to me and hugged me tight.

  “She’s going to be okay, big brother. Don’t be scared.”

  “I’m not scared,” I lied. I was fucking terrified.

  “Come on, it’s okay to be freaked out but you don’t need to be. Danni’s a tough girl, but I have a feeling your little baby girl will be just like her daddy…stubborn as fuck and not willing to go out without a fight.”

  I wiped my face with my hand and hugged Sadie back.

  “I hope so, kid.”

  I looked up at Jude who looked as white as a ghost.

  “Beau, man, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to leave her but she made me go and help Sadie out.”