She breathes in and out. “Yeah, just give me a moment, Peg.”
I may not have experience with pregnant women, but something doesn’t seem right. A cold hand clutches at my heart, remembering how we’ve just been discussing there’s no way anyone can leave. Despite my apprehension, I keep my voice calm. “Marcia, come and sit down in the clubroom. I need to go and get Heart.”
She tries to wave me away. “I’m fine, Peg. Just these two babies playing games. Think they’re determined to try to kick their way out.” She pauses, and flushes again, then deliberately straightens and waves her hand. “Heart and you will have enough to do with keeping the fire from the compound. That’s the most important thing now.”
The important thing is making sure she and the babies are alright. I purse my lips. We’ve got a raging fire preventing us from getting her off the compound, and another bearing down on us fast. Even though all the doors and windows are shut, smoke’s still edging its way into the clubhouse. It can’t be good for mother or those unborn kids. As Marcia’s eyes flit toward me, I see the flicker of fear she’s trying to hide. I bite back my warning words. She’s not stupid. She knows exactly what we’re facing, and that this will be the worst possible time for those babies to put in an appearance.
I’m the sergeant-at-arms, and it’s my job to keep everyone in the club safe. That includes old ladies and children, even those which haven’t yet breathed on their own.
Whatever she wants, I’m going to get Heart. He needs to be with his old lady. I’ve got a strong suspicion that while she’s trying to hide, or deny it to herself, she’s going into labour.
Fuck.
Stepping smartly out of the kitchen, I make my way up to the top of the compound where some of my brothers are waiting, poised to jump into action, Shooter’s driving a rotavator, digging up the ground, and Paladin’s moving combustible material onto the opposite side, all eyes watching the relentless orange threat bearing down on us. The fire’s drawn so much closer you can feel the heat coming off it now, and the noise is tremendous. Pulling my bandana up over my nose, I squint to see through the billowing smoke.
“Prez.” As Drummer turns to me, he must see the look on my face.
“What is it, Peg?”
“Where’s Heart? I think Marcia needs him.”
I don’t need to explain the situation. One look at the serious expression on my face must have alerted him. His eyes open wide. “Not now.” He shakes his head. “Not fuckin’ now.”
I grit my teeth. “’Fraid so. Well, hopefully it’s just a false alarm.”
Drummer takes off, going to Wraith’s timber frame where Heart is manning a hose. He runs up beside him, and I watch as he gesticulates, pointing back down to the clubroom.
Heart’s face, reddened by the heat and exertion, seems to go white. I clutch at his arm as he goes past me. “Calm yourself down before you see her, Brother. If this is her time, then she’ll be scared witless.”
“She’s down for a caesarean, Peg. Due to her problems…”
“And she’ll know that just as well as you. I know you’re worried, Heart, but you’ve got to keep your concerns to yourself. You’ve got to be the strong one here, not go off half-cocked.” I place my hand around his arm, holding him back. Marcia obviously needs him, but he won’t do her any good if she’s got to be strong for him.
Heart takes as deep a breath as he can, and nods. My brother’s quick to anger, but just as quick to calm down. Knowing I’ve got through to him, I uncurl my fingers and release him.
“What can I tell her, Peg?”
I rack my brains for what I know, which isn’t a lot. Really just what I’ve absorbed from watching films—oh, and the stories that Wraith and Drum have told me about their horrific experiences in the delivery room. “Labour takes a long time, particularly in first pregnancies.” Well, it did for Sophie and Sam. “And it could be those things Sam was havin’. You know, the false alarm when Drum lost his shit. She wasn’t havin’ contractions…it was…what was it called? Braxton Hicks.”
Heart’s eyes, rimmed red from the smoke, stare at me. “I can’t lose her, Peg. Not her, and not the babies.”
It’s easy to see what’s going through his head, after he went off the rails, unable to cope with losing his wife, Crystal. I can’t even begin to think how he’d recover if anything happened to his old lady. He knows better than any of us how someone you love can so quickly be taken away. I put all the strength I possess into my voice as I try to reassure him. “You got this, Brother.”
He raises his chin and squares his shoulders. “Not got a choice, have I, Peg?” Then he turns and walks off in the direction of the clubhouse.
“Hey!” I call out, and when he pauses and turns, say, “Sparks and Flame. Good names for babies if they come early.”
His middle finger raised shows there’s no chance he agrees, but the huffed, strangled laugh suggests I may have lightened his mood. Which is what I’d been trying to do. Marcia needs her man strong, someone she can lean on. The last thing she needs is to have to hold him up too.
The heat’s getting unbearable. I wave Shooter and Paladin to come back, having assessed we’ve done about all we can now when I see engines approaching and firefighters appearing. As Drummer goes to greet them, I tag along too. And fuck me, there’s Flash. I almost stumble in my relief to see her. While I’m not pleased she’s on the front line of this particular fire, I’m happy to see that, so far, she’s safe. I school my features to show only my pleasure at seeing her and none of my concern, I approach but can’t resist giving her a hug, mindful of her colleagues watching, and knowing she’ll want to remain professional.
Like Drum, I was prepared to fight the fire as it approached, but seeing the fire crews are better prepared, we finally agree to do our part inside the compound and leave the firefighters to do what they’re trained for. Particularly when I realise they’ve got a vested interest in keeping the fire at bay—the compound is now their only safe route of retreat.
As Drum and I head back inside, burning ash carried by the wind starts falling around me. Irritated, I brush some off my cut, inhaling the smell of burning leather, then glance back up and check. Already, Flash and her crew have disappeared, swallowed up by the smoke. The fire is fast approaching our cleared area now and has already started burning through the trees where Road’s race track is. It’s nearing the time when we find out whether we’ve done enough.
“Drum!” Suddenly I see flames burning, and my fears for Flash have to be put on the back burner, as now I need to fight for the compound. Grabbing a broom, I go to the back of his house where the Prez’s veranda is smouldering, but the fireproof paint seems to be doing its stuff. “Bring water. Get all the wood damped down, now!”
A hose appears in Joker’s hands, Lady running beside him to help. Drummer’s there, one look at his face and I know he’s thinking of what he can do to prevent his house from burning to the ground.
Firefighters have started flooding onto the compound, tired looking crews obviously having been working flat out for hours, if not days. Some remain outside, driving dozers to deepen the trench we’d started in front of the line of trees to enforce our firebreak.
As one of the men entering the compound passes, I slap him on the back and mouth my thanks. The roaring of the fire is so loud now, it’s hard to communicate using words. He looks up in acknowledgment, then sees the smouldering on Drum’s porch and goes over to help.
Leaving them to it, I call Beef and Rock, and we grab another hose and go to the sweet butts’ residence. A large fragment of burning material lands on the concrete tile roof, but the roof being resistant to fire, soon burns itself out.
Around us the sound’s getting ever louder, as if it’s a wild beast hungry for food, and the sky is dark, black tinged with red, the air so thick it’s hard to breathe.
“Peg!” Wraith shouts and tears past. I follow as fast as I can, cursing for once my prosthetic leg as the ground’s uneven, and while I can do m
ost things, the lack of feeling in my foot means I have to go slower and take care.
As soon as I catch up with the VP, I see where he’s pointing. “Fuckin’ useless whores!” I berate them in their absence, while knowing the lack of foresight is down to me. I should have checked. “Out. Back up, now.” There’s been bags of garbage left to the rear of their house, garbage which is now merrily burning, right up beside the propane tank.
Wraith grabs Beef and Rock and pulls them back, Jekyll’s running up, but gets shoved away.
A firefighter and is talking to Drum. I interrupt them. “There’s garbage sacks burning around the,” I remember my audience, “girls’ house. The propane tank’s right next to them.”
“Where?” The firefighter says grimly. “Show me.”
I take him back, but careful to keep my distance. “Hear that whistling? That’s the sound you want to hear. It’s venting. The gas is blowing off into the air. It will keep doing that until it runs out of fuel.” He places a call on his radio, and suddenly more firefighters appear through the gate and go forward with rakes to pull the burning trash bags away.
Brave men. And somewhere, Darcy’s out there, doing the same job as them. Watching them move around, no panic, just putting their trade into practice, carrying all their equipment in this raging heat, without complaint. I’m full of respect all over again for my woman. Take care of yourself, Flash.
It’s only minutes later that they report the garbage bags have been put out and removed, and they’re pretty certain all the gas has been dispelled. Drummer’s been swearing up a storm about the laziness of the club whores but turns when he sees his old lady running up the slope.
“Drum. Is there a medic around?”
“What is it, Sam? Who’s hurt?”
Fuck no. I hope that feeling in my gut isn’t right.
But her next words prove that it is.
“It’s Marcia. Looks like the babies are coming.”
Chapter 24
Darcy
We’re right down at the head of the fire, making use of the wide break the bikers had made. Around us the fire’s still raging, rearing up into the tree canopy and spreading out on the flanks as it’s forward advance here has been halted. The bikers have done well, and we’re reinforcing what they’ve already done, pulling up roots and digging out a dozer line. Fleetingly, I realise it’s our job to protect life, whosesoever it might be, but we’ve also got an interest in keeping the compound fire free. Apart from protecting the bikers, it’s going to be our refuge as well. Seeing the fire looping around on either side, there’s no other escape route for us now.
Anything combustible is burning, pockets of scrub they were unable to remove keep catching alight, and we attack fast to put those out. Above us, burning ash carried on the fierce winds is heading straight for the compound.
“Hey, Hammer. You’re needed.” I hear Slade’s voice on the radio, and anxiously turn around fast. A call for the EMT normally means someone is hurt.
“Yo, Captain. What is it?” Hammer’s immediately on the alert.
Slade appears through the smoke, jerking his head back toward the compound, and for a second I have an irrational fear something’s happened to Peg. “One of the women at the bikers’ place has gone into labour. We can’t get her out, as the fire’s got the compound surrounded.
Relieved no one’s been hurt, then I realise it must be Marcia, and warn him grimly, “It’s twins, Ham.”
Hammer puts a hand to his chin as he gives me a sharp look followed by a nod as he digests my additional information. Then he stands straighter. “Christ, I’m no obstetrician. Are we sure we can’t get her out? What about a helicopter?”
Slade points to the fire that’s surrounding us on all sides. “The wind has increased again. It’s well above twenty-five knots.” We’d been lucky there’d been a lull to get Nicole out. The captain’s shaking his head, showing how little he likes the situation. “You better go too, Flash. If you know her it will do her some good to see someone familiar. And Hammer will need all the help he can get. Bad fucking timing.”
That’s putting it mildly. I don’t even want to think about all the problems we might face.
Hammer rubs his chin again. “I’ve handled births before, but not a multiple birth. Fuck, I hope it’s a false alarm.”
We exchange glances, both knowing how much is riding on this, the life of a woman and her two babies. Without having to speak, we waste no more time, pointing our feet in the direction of the compound behind us. As we head through the gate we pass bikers, all looking concerned. I see Peg, and he raises his chin toward me and throws me a weak smile. Sam, who’ve I met before, is hovering close by with a scarf wrapped around her face. Seeing us, waves us down the slope in the direction of the clubhouse.
Inside we find Marcia, who’s breathing heavily. Her man, Heart, has his arm around her and they’re surrounded by a group of concerned women. An old woman I don’t recognise is barking instructions.
Taking in the scene quickly, Hammer immediately steps up and takes charge. “Can you give us some space, please?”
The women step away, Heart stays where he is. Hammer throws him a nod, then speaks to Marcia. “You’re having contractions?”
“I think so, yes.” She gasps and clasps her stomach as another one hits.
“Can you do something to help her?” Heart sounds panicked.
Hammer takes hold of Marcia’s hand. “We got this, okay?” he tells her in a confident voice. “Not the way you planned it, but we got this.”
As the contraction passes, she raises her eyes to meet his and gives a little nod of determination.
“Good girl. Now, can you give me the name of your doctor?”
Heart provides the information on Marcia’s behalf. As Hammer steps away, he takes out his phone, frowning when he sees there’s no signal.
“Phones are out,” another man says, his hair and features giving away he’s at least part Native American. “You’ll have to use your radio.”
“I’ll be back in a minute, Marcia. Flash, can you start to time the contractions?”
Nodding, I take out my own phone and select the timer.
After a few minutes, Hammer returns and pulls me to one side, speaking quietly so no one else can hear. “Right. Got good and bad news. The bad is that due to her medical history she was going to have a caesarean. She’s got another three and half weeks to go, and the good is that babies should be fine to be delivered now.”
“What we looking at here, Hammer?”
He takes a deep breath. “The caesarean was going to be a precaution, but now she’s got no choice. Those babies want out, and she’ll have to have a natural birth. We treat it as we would normally. After the first baby comes out the second should follow quickly. The doc’s going to keep in close contact to talk us through any complications. How far apart are the contractions?” He pauses to smile confidently at Marcia, who, out of earshot, is looking at him, worried.
“Four minutes.”
“Shit. It’s getting close.” He lifts the radio and relays that piece of information, and then we move back to Marcia’s side.
Sam’s hovering. “What can I do to help?”
Hammer answers immediately. “I need a room. Preferably with a bed. Have you got a plastic sheet?”
Heart overhears. “Got sheeting up in the storeroom.” Without missing a beat, he yells out, “Prospect!”
“On it, Heart.” Everyone seems to be eavesdropping today.
“We’ll also need clean sheets, towels. Whatever you can find.”
Sam frowns. “It would be best if we could get her up to her suite.”
Hammer shakes his head. “Have you anywhere inside the clubhouse? There’s too much smoke outside, and I don’t want her breathing more in than she has to, it’s already bad enough in here.” He’s right. The doors and windows are shut, the power’s gone off, and the room’s stifling, but overheating is better than the poisonous air.
“Then we’ll set up one of the crash rooms,” Sam says without missing a beat, then beckons to the other women, and they all disappear.
One of them takes the handles of the wheelchair and takes the strange old woman along with them. I see her bending down and saying, “Ma, how about you and I sort out some food. Gonna be a lot of hungry people here soon.”
I don’t hear a reply, getting back to the matter in hand and seeing Hammer looking at Marcia. “Let’s get you up on your feet. Walking around will be better for you.”
Heart helps Marcia up, and slowly they start walking around the clubroom. Hammer moves away, and I hear murmuring as he talks to the doctor on the radio. In a very short time the prospect is back, and Heart sends him on back to where the women are preparing a room.
“Room’s done.” Sam reappears.
“Heart. Can you take Marcia back there, and I’ll join you in a moment?” Hammer waits until we’re alone, and then looks at me. “The twins each have their own gestational sac, but it looks like they share a placenta.”
That’s one bit of good news at least. If they were in one sac, there would be a danger of the cords getting tangled during the birth process.
Hammer’s on his radio, switching frequencies. “Slade. How’s it looking? I’d still rather we get this woman to the hospital.”
“Still not possible for the helicopter to land?” When he gets the answer, I can see his hand clenching. “Damn. Okay. We’ll do what we can.”
Hammer closes his eyes as if summoning up strength for the ordeal ahead, then when he opens them, speaks with new resolve. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
As he marches away in the direction Marcia had gone, I follow behind, hoping to God we’ll not lose either woman or babies today. That we’re in for a challenging time is certain. I glance over to where Heart’s still encouraging Marcia to stand and keep moving, her face twisting in pain, and sweat running down her face, which isn’t all from the heat.
“How are you doing?” Hammer asks in his best bedside manner, but only sounds a little gentler than his gruff firefighter self.
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