Inwardly shaking my head, I put my mind back in the game. “Raven’s water broke,” I inform my brothers.
Murmured curses surround me as do Matthew’s whimpers. Glancing to Shadow, I see him trying to sooth the little man.
Raven gasps and she reaches for me with one hand while the other goes to her stomach.
“Hold on, Little Bird, ambulance is on the way. Just breathe for me, baby,” I murmur encouragingly.
“The baby, he’s coming, Liam, Mark’s coming,” she pants.
Oh shit.
“Hold on, Raven, we’ll get you to the hospital,” I state, not knowing what else to do.
“No, I need him out, Liam. He’s coming now.” My eyes widen at this. It’s our first child together that she’s carrying, isn’t it too soon for her to have to push? I don’t know about this shit. I thought labor was supposed to go on for hours.
“Brother?” At the sound of Ranger’s voice, I lift my head to find the rest of my brothers joining us. I hadn’t even heard them coming. “Ambulance is pulling in.”
Nodding, I focus back on Raven. “Raven, ambulance is here, they’ll help with the baby,” I say reassuringly as she squeezes my hand and groans.
One good thing is she’s not screaming in agony as my daughter’s mother did when she was in labor. She’d caused my head to throb before it was all over and done with.
“Sir, let us get to your wife,” a paramedic states, kneeling across from me as another comes and kneels down by me.
“Don’t leave me,” Raven pants through a contraction.
“Not gonna happen, babe. I’m right here with you.” And I’m not. She’s my everything and I’m not about to leave her in the hands of anyone without me being right there with her.
Raven finally opens her eyes and I’m able to see the majestic purple staring at me with tears shimmering in them. “I’m scared,” she murmurs.
“Don’t be, I’m right here,” I mutter, as the paramedics work on Raven. My attention is on her and not on what they’re doing.
When the gurney is brought over, I’m the one who lifts Raven off the ground. Placing her down on the gurney, I took Matthew from Shadow. He needed to be checked out as well due to smoke inhalation and I wasn’t about to have him away from me either.
Everything seems to blur in front of my eyes with all that is happening. Raven’s groans and need to push. Matthew’s whimpers turning into a coughing spell. Him being hooked to oxygen on the trip to the hospital. One of the paramedics checks Raven and yells she can see the head. As we pull the doors open, Raven’s rushed into the building and taken to the Labor and Delivery Unit while I’m asked to stay in the ER with Matthew. Raven was insistent I stay with him at this point even though she was scared out of her mind.
This is not how I wanted our child to enter the world. Least of all without me at my woman’s side and for that it’s another reason for hurting those who attacked my ol’ lady and son.
Chapter Three
Raven
“Have courage in the dark of night. Never fear the shadows ready to pop out from nowhere and anywhere. Your anchor will keep you safe and sane, even in the depths of despair.” My mother’s words filter out the fear that is engulfing me.
Blaze had to stay with Matthew in the ER and I wouldn’t want it any other way as I’m wheeled away. Our other child was demanding to make his entrance into the world. Quickly the nurses switch me over from the gurney onto one of the special hospital beds meant for pregnant women who are about to give birth.
Alverez rushes into the room just as another sharp contraction hits me. I don’t know if he was already on shift or what but from the flush of his face, I’m thinking someone called him. To which I’m grateful for. I didn’t want any other doctor. I trusted him to take care of me and my child. Alverez wasn’t just my doctor he’s a friend. Him and his significant other both are. “Okay, Raven, we need to get you situated in order to push,” he says.
Nodding, I do as he says with one of the nurse’s help. My mind becomes dizzy when another nurse places an IV into my hand.
“You ready for this, Raven?” Alverez asks, a look of concern crossing his facial features.
“Not by a long shot,” I mutter through clenched teeth. The need to push becomes even stronger as another contraction hits. God this shit is more painful than I thought it would be. No wonder people demand the drugs when in labor. It feels as if my vagina is about to be torn apart at the seams.
“Well whether you are or not, Ray, it’s time to get this kid out of you.” Alverez chuckles, situating himself at the bottom of the bed. Once my knees are placed where he needs them, he gives me instructions to push when he says to.
Over the next hour, I continue to do as Alverez instructs me to do. There’s a quick knock on the door before it opens to Blaze standing there looking wild.
“You’re just in time, Dad,” Alverez says without looking to my ol’ man.
Moving to me, Blaze grabs hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. Neither of us need words between us. He wouldn’t be here now if Matthew wasn’t okay.
“Alright, Raven, give me one last big push,” Alverez informs me.
Doing as he says, I push as hard as I can and it’s as if a huge pressure is taken away at the same time a loud wailing cry fills the room.
“It’s a boy,” Alverez states, putting Blaze’s and my son on my chest.
Blaze leans down pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “You did good, Little Bird. He’s beautiful,” he murmurs, placing a hand against Mark’s back.
Glancing at our son’s face a smile crosses my face. “Hey, little guy, you look so much like your daddy already,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to his forehead as the dizziness grows more apparent.
“Raven, I need you to hand the baby to one of the nurses,” Alverez commands, gently yet firmly.
“What? Why?” Blaze demands, even in the haze of my mind the words seem harsh.
“He needs to be cleaned up but I need him out of the way and you to step back away from Raven,” Alverez orders.
A nurse comes up to the side of the bed across from Blaze, at that moment I wish Harlow were here. I don’t like the fact a stranger I don’t know is touching my son as she cradles him to her chest.
“Go with him,” I say weakly. My eyes grow heavy and my head slumps to the side.
“Her heart rate’s dropping,” Alverez states loudly. “We need to get her to the OR now.”
Commotion stirs around me yet I’m unable to focus on what’s going on.
Blaze’s voice penetrates the fuzz. “You better not leave me, Little Bird. You can’t when we have our boys to take care of. They need their momma,” he states, sounding as if he were in pain.
The heaviness of it hurts. A wave of desperation rolls from him slamming through me like a bat connecting with a baseball as I realize what’s happening.
Please don’t take me from him. Or my boys.
Alverez
I knew something was wrong besides smoke inhalation upon arrival. Raven never looked as pale as she did when she was rolled into the Labor and Delivery Unit. As my friend, it kills me to see her like this.