by Lynn Hagen
Walker knew for a fact that Corky had stopped smoking that crap about two months ago. For one, he’d run out of his supply, and no one had been willing to take him into Grizzly Ridge to get more.
Two, Jesse had threatened to break Deloris’s door down and drag Corky kicking and screaming from the house if Corky touched that stuff again. Walker wasn’t sure the threat was responsible, or the fact Corky couldn’t get his hands on any more of that stuff, but he’d lived life with a clear mind for eight weeks.
Bailey’s scream brought Walker out of his thoughts. He glanced at his mate’s stomach as his heart pounded against his ribs. The line had opened even farther.
“It’s time,” Deloris said as she rested a hand on Walker’s shoulder. “Get your cub out.”
Blowing out a long breath, Walker nodded. He slid his hands inside Bailey’s stomach and felt the head of his son or daughter.
Corky slapped a hand over his mouth and raced to the bathroom. Walker ignored him as he moved one hand under his cub’s butt, the other behind his head, then began to pull him out.
When Bailey began to shout and thrash, Clint held his shoulders still. Benny moved to the end of the bed and grabbed Bailey’s ankles. Elijah moved to the side of the bed and gripped Bailey’s hand.
“Just breathe,” Elijah said. “It’ll be over soon.”
Walker steadied his breathing, moving so slowly that seconds felt like hours. He didn’t want to make any mistakes.
“You’re doing great,” Deloris said in a soothing voice. “Slow and steady, Walker. That’s it.”
Bailey wasn’t the only one sweating. Walker’s heartbeat had yet to return to normal. Tears gathered in his eyes when the cub’s head emerged. Once the shoulders were clear, the cub’s extraction went fairly quickly.
“Put him on the bed,” Deloris said in a tight tone.
Walker had no idea why she sounded so urgent. Then he noticed how blue the cub was. Fear froze Walker. He held his child in his hands, and the cub wasn’t moving.
“Lay him down,” Deloris said in a firmer tone.
He laid the baby on the covers, and Deloris moved Walker out of the way. She massaged the tiny chest, turned the cub over, and patted the small back. Walker didn’t breathe the entire time. He stood there with his heart in his throat.
“What’s wrong?” Bailey asked. He tried to sit up, but Clint still had his shoulders and forced him to stay in his supine position. “What’s wrong?” Bailey shouted.
Corky came out of the bathroom, hurrying to the side of the bed. “Nothing’s wrong.” He brushed a hand through Bailey’s hair. “I promise.”
Walker coaxed Corky out of the way and pulled Bailey into his arms. He wasn’t sure what would happen, but if things turned bad, he wanted to give Bailey all the support he needed.
Though Walker felt as if his entire world would fall apart if his cub didn’t start breathing soon.
Then the wail of the newborn filled the room. Tears fell from Walker’s eyes as he hugged Bailey tightly. “See, nothing’s wrong, Shorty.”
Walker had been so terrified that he hadn’t looked to see if he had a son or daughter. He turned and gathered the cub from the covers as Deloris stepped back, and Walker presented the newborn to Bailey.
He smiled as the tears kept flowing. “We have a daughter, Shorty.”
Walker wasn’t the only one crying. Fat tears rolled down Bailey’s face as he held his arms out. Cheers rang out, and more than one brother clapped Walker on his back.
“Never had a doubt for a second,” Wade said.
“She’s beautiful,” Bobby Ray said.
“You did good.” Clint gave Walker a quick hug. “But the scare isn’t going to save you from getting your ass whooped tonight.”
“Party tonight!” Duane chuckled.
“She’s a cutie, little brother.” Trigger squeezed Walker’s shoulders.
Walker sat on the bed and brushed his hand over Bailey’s hair. “We did real good, Shorty.” He pressed a kiss to Bailey’s head. “I love you.”
As Bailey tucked their daughter in his arms, he smiled up at Walker with exhaustion in his eyes. “I love you, too.”
“That wasn’t so bad,” Corky said from behind Walker. “I’d imagined his stomach exploding and guts all over the wall.”
Walker turned and grimaced. “You really need to stop playing those zombies games.”
“What’s her name?” Corky asked, ignoring Walker’s comment.
Walker and Bailey looked at one another. They hadn’t said anything about names because they wanted to save that for a surprise—if the cub turned out to be a girl.
With a pride-filled grin, Walker said, “Victoria.”
It had been his mother’s name.
The room grew silent. His brothers looked his way. Clint gave a warm smile and nodded. “Mom would have loved that.”
Walker and Bailey spent the rest of the day getting to know their daughter, lavishing her with all the love they had.
Later that night, the Rising men held on to their tradition and built a bonfire. Rock music played, and each took a turn trying to best Walker in a fight.
Life on the mountains wasn’t easy, but it was well worth it. All the Rising men had finally found their own little slices of heaven, and life couldn’t get any more perfect than that.
THE END
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