The alarm in my room started to shriek.
And people poured inside.
Nurses, doctors, techs. Michael.
The sheer amount of people that’d entered the room had overwhelmed Amy, but she was smart and put the gun away before anyone could see her.
Michael’s eyes fell on me, and I started to scream.
“She has a gun!”
Amy was quick, though.
Using the commotion to her advantage, she ran, skirting past multiple nurses who were standing there stunned.
Michael, though, wasn’t stunned.
Far from it.
He was following her out the door almost as quickly as she’d left it.
Lennox walked up to me, placing a towel to the wound at my hand that I just now realized was pouring blood onto the floor.
“You’re a mess,” she whispered soothingly.
A sob caught in my throat, and the pain that I’d somehow been able to disregard in this entire debacle hit me again tenfold.
“God,” I slumped.
Lennox caught me and moved me towards the bed, and I went willingly.
“You’re hand’s a mess,” she said, eyes scanning the wound.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“I should’ve done what Michael wanted and not gotten the epidural. Then we wouldn’t be in this mess right now,” I said worriedly.
Lennox started to clean off my hand with an alcohol swab.
Which was ridiculous since I needed a lot more than an alcohol pad to clean up this mess. Maybe a towel or something.
Then I forgot all about the mess I’d made and started focusing on the massacre that was happening between my legs.
It burned, but it didn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as everything else attached to my body.
“I feel like I need to push,” I said worriedly a few moments later.
Lennox looked up into my eyes.
“Your doctor’s not here yet,” she said worriedly.
I closed my eyes.
“Alright,” Hannah yelled. “This isn’t an exhibit. Everyone out.”
“But that psycho’s got a gun!” A nurse replied worriedly.
I wanted to roll my eyes.
And I would have had I not been worried that I might suddenly make a big move and the baby would fall out of my vagina.
“I really….really need to push,” I urged insistently, ripping the blankets that Lennox had just replaced, off my legs. “Either back off or catch this baby, because it’s about to happen.”
Hannah shooed out the rest of the people and Lennox and her stared at me with worried eyes.
“I’ve never delivered a baby before,” Lennox said helplessly.
“She’s in the custody of the police,” Michael growled, throwing open the door and slamming it shut behind him. It took him a few moments, but it wasn’t long before he realized that my vagina was out for everyone to see. “What?”
I pointed down to my vagina. “Your baby wants me to push.”
He shook his head. “Dr. Mead isn’t here yet.”
If I could have, I would have beaten him.
“Well you tell that to this kid!” I screamed.
Michael’s eyes widened when something between my legs caught his eyes, and I moved my hand down between my legs and felt something that most definitely hadn’t been there before.
“I’m crowning,” I said to the three of them.
I wished I’d had a camera to capture the looks on the three of their faces.
“One of you need to come over here and play catcher, or you need to go get a doctor. Now,” I ordered them.
Still, none of them moved.
A doctor. A PA. And a nurse.
And all three of them stared at me with blank faces.
I can’t believe I was having to do this all myself!
My body started to do what it was made to do, and soon I could do nothing but push and hope they got with the game.
Because seriously, it fucking hurt!
“Ahhhh! Michael get your fucking head out of your ass and catch this fucking kid!” I screamed.
Michael finally came unstuck and put his doctor hat on…or at least his thinking cap anyway.
He moved between my legs, then asked the stupidest question on earth at that point.
“Should I put on gloves?”
I would’ve kicked him had I not been holding onto my legs.
Instead, I closed my eyes, pushed, and daydreamed about shooting our kid out of my vagina and hitting him with her.
Which seemed good in theory, but probably not good for real.
My mind didn’t really care at that point.
“How come nobody waited for your family to arrive…ahhhh! My eyes!” Nico screamed, covering his eyes as he got a good look at my vagina.
I would be embarrassed…later.
Right now, I couldn’t muster up the ability to care, though.
“Move out of the way, hijo. I’ve got to get in there!” My mother yelled.
I didn’t look at her either.
I couldn’t.
My eyes were on Michael as he did things between my legs that I hoped he and I could both forget later on.
Then I swear to you, he stuck his hand into my vagina and I saw stars…and not the good kind.
“Owww! What the ever loving fuck, Michael!” I shrieked.
“The cord was around her neck,” he rumbled softly. “All better now. Push again when you feel the next contraction.”
I pushed again at the next contraction. But not because he’d said to. Because I needed to. My body wouldn’t let me not do it.
“Owww, ow, ow, ow, ow,” I chanted over and over again.
“Would you grow the fuck up, Nico?” Georgia asked, shoving him out of the doorway where he was still covering his eyes and facing the opposite direction of me and my ‘big ‘ol vagina.’
Georgia came to my side and swept my hair back off my face.
“You’re doing good, almost done,” she soothed.
I nodded, panting as the worst pain yet washed over me.
“Fuck!”
“Language, hija,” my mother admonished from my other side.
When had she gotten there?
“The head’s out,” Hannah and Lennox said at the same time, standing at the end of the bed and looking at the humongous child that was trying to come out and being incredibly slow about it. “Your amniotic sac is still intact.”
Then, suddenly, in a great rush of relief, our baby slid out.
Michael made a hook with his finger and broke the amniotic sac, and suddenly I could hear my baby, who was very unhappy with being forced from her comfy, warm home. By her daddy no less.
“Alright, Nikki! Let’s get this baby delivered! Son, move out of the way!” Dr. Mead ordered Nico.
Once Nico moved, though, he came to a stop. “Well, I sure didn’t expect this! For your first child no less!”
I laughed.
What else could I do?
“I’ve never seen that before,” Hannah said in awe.
“Me neither,” Lennox agreed.
“Oh, my God, she’s beautiful!” Georgia cried softly at my side.
“Can I look yet?” Nico whined.
“Alright, let’s get this placenta delivered. Daddy, are you going to cut the cord?” Dr. Mead asked jovially.
I moved my eyes away from our daughter to Michael, who was staring at her in awe.
“Yeah, I think I will,” he rasped.
Lennox handed him the hemostats to clamp the cord, and then a pair of scissors once he’d done that.
Then, with the utmost care, he carried our little girl over to the warmer, where a team of nurses were already set up waiting for her.
When they’d arrived, I don’t know, but they were there.
And I was so happy I could scream.
I delivered the placenta, and wai
ted for them to bring the baby to me.
But I kept waiting and waiting and waiting.
I could see them all looking back at me in concern, then back at the baby.
Michael was busy washing up at the sink, so he didn’t see what was going on, but I knew immediately something was wrong.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked urgently. “Tell me!”
The nurses all looked at each other, and one of them, Lucille, broke off, picking up my daughter and carrying snugly in her arms.
She brought her over to me, and I reached for her, pulling her into my arms like they’d taken the most precious gift away from me without plans of giving her back. They gave me teasing bits and pieces of her until I was a whimpering, needful mess.
The moment she was in my arms I felt at peace.
She was absolutely perfect.
Dark brown hair like me. Cheeks like Michael. Long fingers and toes like Michael. A heart shaped chin like me.
Then she opened her eyes, and I immediately knew something was wrong.
Because the entire iris of her eye was covered in a milky white, circular film. In both eyes.
“What’s wrong with her?” I cried, looking up to Michael for help.
He frowned and walked over, eyes on our baby, and immediately scowled.
“What it looks like is a cataract,” he said, running his thumb over the baby’s cheek lovingly.
His eyes met mine and they’d never looked more serious.
“She’s fine,” he said soothingly.
“A cataract isn’t fine!” I cried. “It’s not fine at all!”
My raised voice must’ve made the baby annoyed because she started to cry.
Michael immediately reached forward and took her out of my arms, and I felt the loss like a punch to the chest.
Michael brought our baby up to his chest and cradled her, brushing his nose along the top of her head as he breathed her in.
“Look at me, Nikki,” he ordered.
I peeled my eyes away from where his hand was holding her under her bottom, and looked at him.
He wasn’t worried.
Not even a little bit.
And that was what I needed to finally gain some control.
“What do we do?” I asked softly.
He leaned forward and took a seat on the side of my bed, running his hand along the length of my cheek.
“We let the pediatrician look at her. We talk to my father. My mother. But we do it all together. Because we can do nothing less,” he whispered.
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I looked down at my hands. Seeing them trembling, I took a deep breath and said, “I love you Michael. I’m sorry for freaking out.”
He pulled me to his chest, and my head rested next to the entire length of our baby’s body, and I just knew everything would be alright.
Why, you ask?
Because Michael said it would, that’s why.
***
Four hours later
“So you’re saying she’ll need to undergo surgery for this within the first three months of her life,” I asked the pediatrician I’d painstakingly chosen out of many in the East Texas area.
He nodded. “Having those taken care of is imperative. If you don’t, it could become malignant. It could stay the same. Or they could mean she’s blind for the rest of her life. And this is an easy fix. It’s relatively painless, but it is something she’ll have to be put to sleep for. Which is always a risk.”
I closed my eyes as tears started to form.
“Thank you, Dr. Rush,” Michael said, offering his hand. “We’ll follow up with the doctor in Dallas next Tuesday, like you said. We really appreciate you coming out and seeing her on your day off.”
I smiled through my tears.
That was awfully nice of Dr. Rush.
Most doctors didn’t do things like that.
Which was why I’d chosen Dr. Rush in the first place.
Bringing my knees up to my chest, I moved Carolina up until she was resting on my upraised legs, and stared at her.
She was so beautiful.
And perfect.
And it broke my heart that she had to have this done at such a young age.
But I didn’t have to worry about that now.
I had five full days with my little beauty, until I had to see that doctor in Dallas with her, and I was going to love her so hard.
Michael put his arms around me and hugged me to his chest, pressing his lips against my cheek.
“I’m going to go home and change my clothes,” he rumbled softly. “And bring up your bag so we can get little miss priss dressed. Anything you need while I’m out?”
I shook my head. “No. Not unless you want to grab me a number one from Whataburger.”
He leaned back and gave me a grin.
“I think I can handle that,” he teased.
Kissing me once more, he moved his lips to our little girl and brushed his lips over her hair.
“The two best things that ever happened to me,” he whispered, then left the room without another word.
Picking up my phone, I started to take a few hundred pictures of my little beauty when a knock sounded at the door.
I looked up, and smiled.
Because at the door was Wolfgang, or Wolf as I liked to call him, and baby Nathan.
Although Baby Nathan wasn’t so much a baby anymore. He was a toddler who was full of mischief and love for all things furry.
“Wolf,” I said softly, smiling at him once he breached the doorway. “Come in, come in.”
Wolf smiled. “I’d have waited to come see you, but I have to be at work in a couple of hours, and I didn’t know if I’d get to see you before you got out. How are you doing?”
He smiled as he looked down at the baby in my lap.
“He did good,” he rasped, a deep seated hurt evident in his voice.
His own child would’ve been six months just a few weeks ago.
“Would you like to hold her, Wolf?” I asked softly.
He swallowed, and looked into my eyes. “Yeah, if that’s okay.”
I held out my hands for Nathan, and he handed him to me.
Nathan immediately wrapped his chubby arms around my neck.
“Take her,” I said softly.
Wolf did, reaching forward and scooping Carolina up with nimble, practiced hands.
“She’s beautiful,” he rumbled, cradling Carolina to his chest.
“She is,” I agreed, turning away from the devastated look that came over Wolf’s face. “How ‘ya doing, Nathan?”
Nathan offered me a slobbery smile as he played with my hair.
“Fish,” he babbled.
“Fish?” I asked him.
“That’s his new favorite word,” Wolf explained. “That and ‘cup’. Seems he only says what he wants.”
I smiled.
I remembered that with Nico’s twins as well.
“How’s work going for you?” I asked softly.
Wolf spoke without looking up from Carolina.
“A lot longer than I realized it’d be,” he muttered. “I find that I miss the hell out of Nathan while I’m there.”
I smiled.
That tended to happen when you had children.
I’d witnessed it with all of the SWAT team, as of late.
They all wanted to get home to their kids and wives.
The parties had gone from all nighters to ‘we need to leave by eight p.m. to get the kids in bed’ kind of parties.
Although, it was nice to see all these reformed bad-boys turned family men.
That’s the way it was supposed to be.
“How do you like the new mayor of Uncertain?” I asked. “Michael said they got a Sheriff and Mayor in the same day. He said it’s been kind of crazy.”
Wolf nodded. “It’s been a clusterfuck. It’s going to take some doing to get things sett
led.”
I wasn’t surprised.
Texas was a true Republican state, and to have two Democrat officials in high positions in the city was really getting on a lot of the city’s nerves. I was still surprised that it’d happened in the first place.
“Cup?” Nathan asked, tapping my face.
I looked to him and smiled. “I don’t have your cup, big guy.”
Nathan frowned, and my eyes were drawn to the barely noticeable scar on his forehead.
He’d had plastic surgery done on his head about eight weeks into his hospital stay. Then four more reconstructions after that.
And they’d done a wonderful job. Such a wonderful job, in fact, that you could only see that something had happened when he frowned or cried.
Wolf got up, drawing my attention to him.
He really was a big man.
Today he was in his leather jacket that I never saw him without.
He had some extensive damage to the back of his head and neck, which made him grow his hair longer than I’d ever seen on any police officer before.
He wore the leather jacket to cover up the scarring on his back and neck.
Another thing I’d heard from Michael.
I’d never seen it myself, but it broke my heart that he wore it.
“I gotta go,” he rumbled. “I just wanted to come see y’all and make sure you were okay.”
So he’d heard.
“Don’t do anything, Wolf,” I reprimanded him.
His eyes looked up to mine, and I could see the determination here.
“We’ll see.” He placed Carolina into my arms and reached for Nathan. “I can’t promise anything, though.”
I looked into the sweet face of my little girl once he left the room, and came to a decision.
I’d do everything in my power to help make that man happy. Even if I had to throw one of my sisters at him.
They were tenacious.
“You and me will get him there, little girl,” I said, running my finger down the bridge of her nose.
She stirred, and my heart filled with just a little bit more joy.
I was so happy I could scream.
I had the man I loved with all my heart.
A baby with that man.
And a life that I loved.
And in a few months, when Carolina’s surgery was behind her, I would be complete.
Coup De Grâce Page 20
