“Fuck,” I shouted, berating myself for being so fucking stupid. Duh, an ambulance would have solved all my problems. Fucking Maggie had me so fucking twisted up inside that I wasn’t thinking clearly. I pulled out my phone and dialed, all the while listening in to what was happening at the truck.
“I need to check her first,” Rocco said, rushing to Maggie’s side. “Maggie, I need you to lay down on the seat.”
I cringed. “You’re not…on my seats?”
“Do you want me to do this on the concrete?” Rocco snapped.
“How the fuck could you do this?” Cap shouted. His face was red and the vein in his neck was popping out of control.
I groaned, “I don’t have leather seats. Oh, this is so disgusting.”
He pulled on some gloves and then shifted her dress aside. “It’s about to get a little more disgusting.”
“What? What-what-what do you mean?” I rambled.
“Sebastian, now is not the time to yell at me,” Maggie gritted out through clenched teeth.
“Really? And when would the time be?” Cap snapped.
“Yes, I need an ambulance at the service station on Rte 151 west of Pittsburgh. Yeah, about twenty minutes out,” I answered the 911 operator.
“How about we go back and think about how you chased me through the house on Halloween just to impregnate me!” Maggie yelled, then started panting through a contraction.
“You’re right,” he nodded. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“She’s not going to make it to the hospital. We need to get her ready to deliver,” Rocco said urgently.
“You push out babies faster than anyone I know,” Sinner grumbled from behind me.
“Sinner, I need towels. Go to the gas station and get me anything clean they have and lots of water. Tony, go to the back of the SUV and get the bag labeled ‘Maggie’s delivery’.”
I ran for the SUV and found the bag quickly, rushing it back over to him. He opened it and started pulling out all kinds of stuff that I assumed was for delivering babies.
“What is all this stuff?”
“I had all the SUVs outfitted with supplies in case Maggie went into labor,” Cap answered.
“Are you serious?”
“This is Maggie we’re talking about,” he answered, glaring down at his wife, even though I knew he was worried about her.
“Hey,” Maggie snapped.
Cap stared her down. “Really? You want to go there right now?”
“I’ve got what you asked for,” Sinner said as he ran up to the SUV.
“Alright, Tony, you sit behind Maggie and support her from behind,” Rocco instructed.
“Can’t Sinner do that?”
“No, I can’t,” Sinner said. “I’ve already done it once before and that was enough.”
“I need Sinner to take the first baby.”
Sinner nodded, but then did a double take. “What? No. I’m not doing that. I have to support Maggie.”
I took off at a sprint to get around to the other side of the vehicle before him and lifted Maggie to slip underneath her.
“Son of a bitch,” Sinner swore. “You owe me,” he pointed at me. “You have no idea what I’m saving you from.”
“Sinner, get over here. It’s time to start pushing.”
I sat with Maggie propped in my lap and watched as over the next twenty minutes she pushed and screamed. My good ear was going deaf and I was pretty sure that she blew out the hearing aid. My arms had claw marks all over them and I could feel some kind of liquid seeping into my jeans.
“Cap, this may not be the right time, but you’re buying me a new truck tomorrow.” He glared at me, but I just shook my head. “I’m not ever gonna be able to use this truck again. There’s liquid seeping into my jeans. Liquid, Cap. No detailing in the world is good enough to erase this from my memory.”
“Alright, I have a head,” Rocco announced. “Maggie on the next contraction, I want you to really push hard.”
“Really? You want me to really push hard?” she snapped. “Because all this time I was just pushing like I would a shopping cart!”
“Is she always this angry when she’s having babies?” I asked.
“Yes,” both Sinner and Cap answered.
“I’m just saying, maybe it’s time to stop. You know, put the little Captain on hiatus.”
“Would you shut the fuck up, Tacos?” Cap snapped.
“Yeah, and we’re going to have a talk later about my ‘new’ nickname. Your little wifey spilled the beans on that one. Can’t say I’m too happy about that right now.”
“Seriously, shut the fuck up,” Cap snapped. “My wife is having a baby!”
“Actually, she’s having three,” Sinner supplied.
“Yes,” Maggie snapped. “Let’s keep reminding the woman that she has to push three babies out of her vagina without medication!”
“Calm down, Freckles-” Cap started, but Maggie screamed and gripped his shirt, pulling him toward her as she pushed again. My arm was hurting like a son of a bitch from her squeezing it so tight.
“You have no idea how much this hurts,” I cried out as she gave me what felt like an Indian burn on my forearm.
“Here it comes,” Rocco said excitedly. “It’s a girl!”
Maggie slumped back in my arms, sweating and panting and feeling just absolutely gross. This whole baby thing definitely wasn’t for me. Cries from the baby filled the air as Rocco got to work cleaning her up. Cap was staring down at his kid with so much pride that I briefly wondered if that’s what it would feel like if I had a kid with Molly. I immediately scrubbed that thought from my head. There would be no procreating with that insane woman.
“Alright, Maggie, I’m going to have to reach up inside you to make sure the umbilical cord isn’t wrapped around the next baby’s neck.”
“You’re gonna do what?” Sinner asked in shock, paling just slightly as Rocco handed off the baby to him.
“Sinner, pay attention,” Rocco snapped. “I need you to take care of this kid so I can get the next one out.”
Sinner nodded, but his eyes kept darting back to Maggie’s lower regions.
“This is gonna hurt a little, but I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“Okay,” Maggie nodded. “I’m ready.”
I watched Sinner as his eyes widened. “Holy shit!” he shouted as Rocco jostled Maggie around. He looked a little shaky and I knew he wasn’t staying upright.
“Cap, catch your kid!”
Cap spun around just as Sinner started to sway. He snatched the kid out of Sinner’s arms as Sinner hit the door and fell to the ground with a thump.
“All done,” Rocco announced.
I had been so focused on Sinner passing out that I didn’t even realize that Rocco had done what he needed to do.
“Alright, we’re ready for baby number two,” Rocco announced.
That was great and all, but there was just one glaring issue. With Cap holding the first baby and Sinner passed out on the ground, we were short one man. “Uh…who’s gonna hold the kid?”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Molly
“Can I get anything else for you?”
The man at the table in front of me looked downright depressed. He had been in here drinking for hours now, and every once in a while he started crying.
“My girlfriend,” he said sadly. “She died, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know.” I sat down beside him. He sounded like he needed a friend right now. It was the end of the night and we’d be closing soon. The bar was already dead, so I could afford to take the time to talk to this man.
“Yeah.” He huffed and a small smile lit his face. “She was wonderful. The most beautiful girl I’d ever met.”
I reached across the table and gripped his hand in mine. His soft brown eyes flicked up to mine as he squeezed my hand tighter. His dark hair was disheveled and falling in his face, but I could see how this man was very handsome when he wasn’t
drinking himself into a stupor. He was obviously hurting.
“What was her name?”
“Sarah.”
“That’s a very pretty name.”
“Do you want to see her picture?” he asked hopefully.
“Of course.”
I glanced over at the bar. Gus was wiping down counters, but his eyes were lasered in on me. I gave a shrug and my attention went back to the man when he pulled out a picture.
“That’s her. It was taken two years ago before…”
“Before what?”
“Brain tumor. She would get these terrible headaches, but I always thought she was just being dramatic or something. When we took her in a year ago, the tumor was huge.”
Tears filled my eyes and pain filled my chest. The poor man, nobody should have to watch a loved one suffer. “When did she pass?”
“Two months ago. We got her into some trials, and they extended her life, but the side effects were terrible.”
“I’m so sorry. I bet you loved her very much.”
“I did,” he huffed. “But I didn’t show her enough. Not until it was too late.” His glassy eyes lifted to meet mine and his face creased in concern. “Do you have someone?”
I nodded. “Yes, I do.”
He gripped my hand tight, squeezing like what he needed to say was very important. “Stay with him. Whatever happens, make sure that he knows,” he slurred.
“I will.”
“Promise me,” he said urgently. “Because you never know when it’s all gonna slip away.”
I nodded, believing one hundred percent everything that he said. For him to go through something like this, I could only imagine how heavy the guilt would be for him that he was still alive and she was dead. Life was like that though. It’s not like he could have changed what was happening to her, but death didn’t make rational people for the ones left behind, especially at such a young age. The man couldn’t have been more than thirty, and here he was, drowning in his sorrows.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Matt,” he mumbled, laying his head down on the table.
“Matt, let me call you a cab home.”
“I can’t go home,” he said drunkenly. “My home was with her. I just can’t do it. Not tonight.”
I squeezed his hand and stood from the table, making my way back over to Gus. “I’m heading out early tonight.”
“But we still have to close,” he said incredulously.
“I have to take that man home. He’s drunk-”
Gus gripped my hand and pulled me closer to the bar. “Molly, you can’t go around saving every stray that walks into the bar. You don’t know that guy.”
“I know that he’s hurting and he shouldn’t be alone. He lost his girlfriend two months ago to a brain tumor. He’s hurting. I’m just gonna take him back to my place. He can sleep on the couch.”
“Are you fucking crazy? Molls, you can’t just take him home with you. You don’t know if he’s a dangerous person or not.”
I glanced back at the man that was passed out on the table. “Does he look harmful to you? He’s drunk and probably won’t remember anything in the morning. He just needs a place to crash for the night.”
“Molls-”
I held up my hand to stop his tirade. “Trust me, I’m a good judge of character. I’ll be fine.”
“Then call Tony.”
“He’s had a long day. I don’t want to bother him with this.”
“Why not? Because you know I’m right?”
“Fine. If you really want me to call him, I will.” I pulled out my phone and dialed Tony’s number. It went to voicemail, so I left a quick message and hung up. “Satisfied?”
Gus shook his head and threw down the rag. “Molls, please don’t do this. I’ll take him home with me.”
“But he knows me,” I insisted.
“From a three minute conversation,” he snapped. “He’s passed out on the table. He’s not gonna remember you in the morning.”
“Gus, I’ve got this. I promise.”
And I did. I had a lot of experience in dealing with drunks. One of my friends turned into a drunk after his parents died suddenly. He was very close with them, and took it very hard. There were many nights that I had to be the one to make sure that he didn’t choke on his own vomit. He stopped speaking to me the day I took him to rehab. He was thankful for the push when he got out of rehab, but the words he had spoken when I took him to check in just couldn’t be taken back.
I grabbed my purse from behind the bar and hauled the man up from the table. Luckily, he wasn’t passed out, just nodding off at the table. He stumbled to my car with a little help and then promptly passed out in the seat next to me. When I got home, getting him up the stairs was a little more difficult, but after fifteen minutes of struggling, I had him on my couch with his head propped up on some pillows. Despite the fact that there was a stranger in my apartment, it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tony
I walked into Reed Security in a daze. Everyone was mostly gone for the night, but there were still a few stragglers hanging around. I didn’t want to talk to anyone though. I just wanted to go to my suite and forget that anything happened out on that road today. If I thought about it too hard, I would go insane. Sinner and Rocco walked in behind me, just as frazzled as I was. I knew that none of us would ever be the same after what happened out there.
“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at training,” I said nervously as Sinner grabbed his stuff from his locker.
He cleared his throat and nodded. “Uh, yeah, sure.”
It was quiet for a moment and I thought maybe I should say something reassuring. I mean, what we had just been through, that wasn’t something that someone just forgot. Especially someone like Sinner.
“If it makes you feel better, I think you did a really…brave thing-”
“Don’t,” he cut me off. “We swore we would never speak of it again.”
“I know, but I’m here for you, man,” I said, patting his shoulder for just a second before I pulled back with a grimace. His face turned red and he hung his head.
“I don’t ever want to speak of it again,” he said, his voice cracking. “Just leave it.”
“Leave what?” Chance asked as he walked into the locker room. He was all sweaty and must have just finished up a workout. Rocco was even more quiet than Sinner and I. I think the day must have been more than even he could handle. And that was saying something because he was a medic and I knew that he had seen some crazy shit.
“What?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“Sinner said something about not wanting to speak of something again. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Just…stuff,” I said, clearing my throat when my voice cracked.
“What kind of stuff?” he asked.
“None of your goddamn business,” Rocco growled.
Chance held up his hands and took a step back. “Sorry, man. You guys just look like you saw something really bad.”
I cringed and tried not to look at Sinner and Rocco, but it was so automatic that I didn’t even realize I had done it until Chance looked at us all curiously.
“Oh, come on. You guys can’t hold out on me. What happened?”
“Maggie had the babies-” I started, but Sinner interrupted me.
“Knock it off!”
Chance looked between the three of us. “What am I missing? This is a good thing, right? Is everything okay? Are the babies good?”
“The babies are fine,” Rocco said, his voice cracking. “Everything went…fine.”
“Fine,” Chance repeated. “If everything went fine, then why the fuck do you all look like you want to puke?”
My heart rate picked up and I started feeling sick to my stomach. It was so fucking hard to lie about this. And I was already a shit liar. I mean, I could pull it off, but not very well.
“She
tricked me. She…she was in the parking garage waiting for me. She said she was in labor.”
“And you fell for that?” Chance barked out a laugh. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you didn’t question her. So, what happened?”
I glanced at the others again. Sinner minutely shook his head, a warning glare on his face. So, I proceeded with caution.
“Uh…I didn’t realize that she had lied to me until we were twenty minutes outside of Pittsburgh.”
“Yeah?” he chuckled. “How’d that go?”
“She slashed my tires,” I said angrily. “And then she went into labor.”
Chance was laughing hysterically, but he wouldn’t be if he only knew. But I wasn’t about to let him in on what really happened.
“So, what happened?”
“I called Sinner and he came out with Cap and Rocco. She had the babies and that was the end.”
“Wait, that was it? Nothing happened? I mean, come on, she had triplets. How could nothing exciting have happened?”
“Just leave it,” Sinner bit out.
“But, what-”
“I have to go,” Rocco said, turning and walking away.
“Me too,” Sinner said, running his hand nervously along the back of his neck. I started to panic. They were all abandoning me. I wouldn’t hold up under the scrutiny of someone like Chance. I would crack like an egg in a tight fist. I could already feel the bands of panic tightening around my chest.
“Come on,” Chance sighed. “It can’t be that bad.”
Sinner paled, almost like he remembered what had happened and fled the room. That left me alone with Chance. I shook my head slightly, and when he started walking toward me, all I could do was back up.
“Tacos, tell me what I want to know.”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. I would not give in. I was strong. I was an ox. I just had to keep telling myself that.
“You know you want to,” he urged. “Everyone’s doing it.”
He was like a fucking D.A.R.E. ad that we used to have in school, warning us away from the cool kids that would try to use peer pressure to get us to do drugs.
“I…I…”
“Come on. Get it off your chest. You’ll feel so much better.”
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