by Erin Osborne
“What’s going on? How are you? Do you need anything?” she asks a series of rapid-fire questions and I laugh at her. You’d think she was the one in labor with her huffing and puffing going on from running to me.
“Obviously you know what’s going on; I’m having a baby. I’m tired and in pain. You didn’t tell me that these contractions hurt like a motherfucker, bitch. And no, I don’t need anything right now,” I answer her, trying to laugh and calm her down while she tries to catch her breath.
“I know you’re having a damn baby,” she says, getting riled up instead of excited. “How dilated are you and all that shit?”
“Oh, the nurse just checked and I’m about six and a half centimeters,” I answer as another one hits.
Callie takes a chair and pulls it over once the contraction has passed. Psycho hasn’t let up from rubbing my back. That might have something to do with me yelling at him when he did stop for a minute before.
Bear has made the necessary calls and all the guys are here waiting for our son to be born. They’ve come in to say hi and check if we need anything before making their way out to the waiting room. Renegade is right outside the door according to the nurse that keeps coming in my room. I’m not sure if that has to do with me being in labor or Psycho though.
Chapter Six
Psycho
WE’VE BEEN HERE for a while now, and I feel horrible. Hadliegh is in so much pain right now and there’s nothing I can do to take it away from her. So, I’ve been rubbing her back for hours now, and I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
Callie is trying to keep her mind off the pain when a contraction hits, but it’s to the point that it’s not working anymore. I can see the flash in Hadliegh’s eyes, and I know she wants to say something to Callie and roll her eyes. She’s refraining from doing it though and I know if she weren’t in labor, she wouldn’t be feeling the way she is.
“Let’s see how we’re doing,” the doctor says, walking in the room and grabbing a pair of gloves as he makes his way over to the bed Hadliegh’s in.
I watch as the man pulls the blankets out of the way and looks between Hadliegh’s legs. The urge to beat him senseless and rip his eyes from his head is strong. But, I know he’s doing his job and that’s it. Callie smirks in my direction as I watch the man with an eagle eye to make sure that he doesn’t do anything other than check my girl. No matter what, Hadliegh is mine and I’m making moves to ensure that she knows it too.
Once the doctor is done examining her, he tells her it’s not going to be much longer before she can start pushing. I release the breath I’m holding because I know she’s exhausted right now, and I don’t want to see her in pain anymore. Callie grabs the cool washcloth and starts wiping down her face again as I start rubbing her back.
“I’m going to go do a few things and I’ll be right back. If there’s any change, ring for a nurse immediately,” he says, before leaving the room.
Callie and I just continue to support Hadliegh the best we can and let her yell at us, swear, and take her pain out on us. I can hear Renegade’s laughter from the hallway every single time she goes off on one of us. Yeah, I can’t fucking wait to see him in a room with his woman in labor. I’ll be laughing my ass off like there’s no tomorrow when it’s his turn.
“I need to fucking push,” Hadliegh says, grunting as another contraction hits.
“Let me ring the nurse,” Callie says calmly. She’s been through this herself and I’m sure she knows that Hadliegh either does have to start pushing or something else is going on.
A nurse opens the door and Hadliegh yells out at the same time. “She’s tellin’ us that she needs to push,” I tell her, as more grunting and yelling comes from my girl.
“I’ll get the doctor right away,” she answers, shutting the door on Renegade’s smiling face.
For the next few minutes, there’s a flurry of activity as nurses come in the room followed by the doctor. After checking Hadliegh, he tells her that she can begin to push. The time seems to fly by as Callie and I help her hold her legs back while the doctor tells her how good she’s doing. I’m so consumed with Hadliegh, that I’m startled by the loud wailing that suddenly fills the room just as Hadliegh falls back against the bed.
“It’s a boy!” the doctor announces to the room before laying the baby on Hadliegh’s chest.
I watch as she looks down at the baby and tears spill down her cheeks. She puts her hand on his small body as the doctor looks at me and asks if I want to cut the cord. What the fuck?
“You want me to do what?” I ask, shock filling me at the thought of cutting anything on the baby or Hadliegh. “Um . . .”
“It’s something that has to happen. If you want to do it, we’ll help you,” the doctor answers, a smile on his face at my reaction.
“Then I guess it’s up to Hadliegh,” I answer as I look at her and my son still resting on her chest.
“I’d like that,” she says, looking up at me with a smile on her face.
Nodding in response, I turn to find out what I have to do. The nurse shows me how to hold the scissors and where I need to make the cut. I look at everyone in the room before taking a deep breath and cutting through the cord that has kept my son and Hadliegh connected.
As soon as I’m done, I look at my entire world to make sure I didn’t hurt either one of them. Hadliegh is still looking down at our son while the nurse grabs a blanket and picks him up from her chest.
“Where’s she takin’ him?” I ask, letting my voice tell the room that I’m not happy right now.
“She’s going to clean him up, perform some tests, and then bring him back to you,” another nurse answers as they continue to take care of Hadliegh.
“Should I be over there with him?” I ask, not knowing what the protocol is here.
“Go with him. Make sure our boy is good,” Hadliegh says as she turns her face away from me.
I lean over her and place a kiss on her forehead. “You did so good. I’m so proud of you bringin’ our son into this world,” I tell her, before turning away and moving across the room.
The nurses and doctors have done everything they need to do with the baby. After Hadliegh was taken care of, she closed her eyes and took a small nap until we could bring our son back over. She woke up as the nurse walked over with him in her arms and placed him back on her chest. He started crying and we were told that she should try to breastfeed him if that’s what she was going to do.
“I’ll go out and let everyone know he’s here and he’s absolutely perfect,” Callie tells us as she walks toward the door to give us a minute.
“Um, I guess I’ll go out too,” I say, knowing I don’t want to go anywhere, but unsure of what I’m supposed to do now. I’ve never been unsure of anything in my life.
“Stay,” Hadliegh says, looking up at me as she tries to open her gown. “Will you hold him while I get out of this thing?”
I smile at her and reach down to pick my son up. He’s still crying and moving his head around. A smile covers my face as I look down at him and take in every single detail about the little guy. It doesn’t take long for Hadliegh to get the gown undone and expose her chest. Placing the baby in her arms, I watch as she helps him find her nipple so that he can eat. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed.
“His name is Axle Remington Jackson,” she says, looking up at me before turning her attention back to him.
“You put my name as his middle name? Why?” I ask, wondering where her head was at.
“Because I don’t know what’s going on with us, if I’m staying here or going back, and I don’t know if you’re going to actually be a part of his life. This way, he always has a part of you with him, and I know he’ll be stronger for having your name as a part of his,” she answers.
“I’m goin’ to be there every fuckin’ day you let me be there. Don’t go back; not yet,” I tell her, knowing that I have a limited amount of time to convince her to stay here and be my ol’ lady.
“We’ll see,” she says, not committing to anything.
“Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll let the guys in,” I say, knowing that Callie is gonna wanna come back in too.
“I think he’s almost done. By the time you go get them, I should be all put back together. Just make sure you’re the one that comes in first,” she tells me, as I lean down and kiss them both on the head before making my way out to the waiting room.
Every single member of Satan’s Anarchy is filling the waiting room to beyond capacity along with Callie. As soon as Renegade sees me, he stands up and walks toward me. Renegade wraps me in a huge hug and asks if we can go see the baby now.
“Yeah. She’s tired as hell, so let’s keep it quick, yeah?” I say, knowing that Hadliegh won’t say anything about being tired, but she’s more than exhausted from giving birth to our son.
“Gonna tell us his name?” Bear asks, walking up beside me and throwing his arm around my shoulders.
“Nope. Hadliegh can tell you when you all get in the room,” I answer, pushing the door open just enough to stick my head back in.
Hadliegh is burping our son and her gown is back in place as she nods her head that everyone can come in to meet the little guy. I walk in the room as my brothers follow me, and I take up residence in the chair next to Hadliegh’s bed. Our son is sound asleep and I look over at him and just stare at him. He’s so fucking precious, and I know that I’m going to be there for every single moment of his life.
“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Axle Remington Jackson,” Hadliegh says once everyone is in the room.
Renegade looks at me before turning his attention to the woman in the bed holding the other half of my heart. Right now, two people hold my heart; Hadliegh and Axle. I love my family and everything, but these two people are the reason that I breathe, that I have a glimmer of light in my life, and that makes me want to be a better man. Not that I’m going to change all my ways, but I know I can be faithful to my woman, teach my son how to be a good man, and do whatever it takes to protect the ones that I love.
“He know you were doin’ that?” Renegade asks Hadliegh.
“Nope. No one did. I didn’t even tell Callie,” she answers as my brother looks down at his nephew and back to Hadliegh.
“Can I hold him?” he asks, not wanting to upset anyone.
“Of course. Where’s Corrinth?” she asks, suddenly looking around the room for my mom.
“She’ll be here in a little bit. I have to go get the kids from her and then she’ll be here,” Callie answers, standing next to Renegade so she can get a better look at the baby. “We’re gonna head out now so she can get over here and you can get some rest.”
“Okay,” she says as I stand up to walk them out.
I’m sitting in the chair next to Hadliegh dozing when there’s a soft knock on the door. Looking over at the bed and bassinet I stand up and make my way there before they’re woken up by whoever’s here. My mom hasn’t been here yet, so I’m sure it’s her.
“Are they sleeping?” she asks, keeping her voice a whisper.
“Yeah. Come in though. I want you to see Axle,” I tell her, knowing she’s been waiting for this day.
We walk up to the bassinet and she peers over the side. Her hand goes to her mouth and tears form in her eyes. After looking up at me, she says that he looks just like me when I was a baby. Hadliegh begins to wake up and my mom goes to her side and kisses her on the temple.
“Thank you, Hadliegh. He’s absolutely beautiful and I know things will work out the way they’re supposed to. I’ll be back when you’re awake more,” she says, turning to hug me before walking out of the room.
I look at Hadliegh and see a tear slipping down her cheek. Going over to her, I use my thumb to brush it away and lean in to kiss the top of her head. Not where I want to kiss her, but I’ll take what I can get right now. I’m not going to piss her off and have her kick me out of the room.
“I’m sure he’ll be wakin’ up soon. Go back to sleep and I’ll be right here,” I tell her, sitting back down in the chair so that no one can get to them unless they pass me first.
“Always the protector,” she mumbles while her eyes slide closed and she drifts back off to sleep.
Chapter Seven
Psycho
THE LAST FEW days, my time has been spent between Callie’s house and work. I know I’m not pulling my weight at the construction company, but I don’t want to miss a minute with my son either. Today is the first day I’ve spent most of the day at work and not cut out early to go see Hadliegh. It feels weird to know I won’t be over there until just before dinner because we have church tonight and I have to be there.
Hadliegh is an amazing mom. She panicked the day we were to leave the hospital because she didn’t have anything for the baby. I went to the store with Callie and bought everything the baby would need. We brought the diaper bag, car seat, and small things she’d need directly to the hospital while everything else was delivered to the house. Bear and Renegade put it all together before we got there.
In the days she’s been at Callie and Bear’s, she’s rested as much as she can when the baby’s sleeping and then stays up with him while he’s awake. When Callie gets home, she helps with the twins and takes care of Axle when he wakes up again.
Hadliegh has never once excluded me from having anything to do with my son, and I’m grateful for the time I get to spend with both of them. But we need our own space and a place we can call our own without having Bear, Callie, and the kids there all the time.
So, I’m looking for a house for the three of us. I don’t know if Hadliegh will move into it because she’s still pissed as fuck about what I said and how I reacted. I don’t blame her, but she’s going to give the fuck in eventually. I’ll be ready for that day because if she waits too long, I’ll just move her ass in with me and that will be the end of the story.
As I’m getting ready to leave the construction site, I pull out my phone and see that no one has called me. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I thought Hadliegh would message me and let me know how things were going. Debating if I should call her or not, I decide to wait and find out what’s going on at church before calling her. I’m going there as soon as church is over with anyway so it’s not a big deal. Fuck! When the hell did I grow a pussy and worry about this shit?
The drive is short, and I take in my surroundings as I ride through the almost empty streets of Shadowville. About halfway to the clubhouse, I see a for sale sign in the front yard of a house I’ve always loved. It’s big and reminds me of an old farmhouse with the wraparound porch and the long driveway that isn’t paved. I pull over and take down the information so I can call as soon as I get to the clubhouse. My friend Jason is the realtor, and I know that he’ll take the call from me no matter what time it is. This house will be mine one way or another.
Finally pulling into the clubhouse, I see that everyone else is here. Hadliegh’s car is here too. I park my bike in its normal spot and rush inside to make sure that everything is okay with her and the baby. I no sooner step foot inside the door and Nails is on me like we’re in a committed relationship. She jumps up and wraps her arms and legs around me as I try to pry her off of me.
“Baby, I’ve missed you. Where have you been?” she asks, trying to pout but looking like a child instead of grown ass woman.
“Don’t fuckin’ call me baby. I don’t have to tell you a fuckin’ thing about what I do and where I go. I’m not your man and you’ve never had my cock. The fuck you actin’ like this for?” I ask, spying Hadliegh and Callie over her shoulder. They’re staring at me with their mouths hanging open. “One more time I gotta tell you, you’re the fuck outta here.”
I step around Nails and walk directly over to Hadliegh and Axle. She’s holding him to her chest and I can see he’s asleep. Leaning down, I place a soft kiss on his head before looking at her. If I could be six feet under from a look, that’s where I’d be right now
. Hadliegh is pissed and I know that this is going to make shit harder for me. She’s not going to care that I’ve never fucked Nails or let her touch my cock. The only thing she’s going to care about is what she just witnessed.
“Not what you’re thinkin’,” I tell her, placing a kiss on her cheek and taking Axle out of her arms.
He startles but quickly settles back against my chest. “Don’t give a fuck what it looked like. This is why we’ll never work,” Hadliegh tells me, turning and heading toward the hallway with the rooms.
Hadliegh takes my keys from my outstretched hand and unlocks my door before opening it and handing my keys back to me. As we step foot inside the room, it’s trashed. My clothes are flung out of the dresser, ripped to shreds, the mattress is flipped off the bed, and the bassinet I had brought in for Axle is completely destroyed.
“Psycho, what happened in here?” Hadliegh asks, taking in the destruction surrounding us.
“I don’t know. Take Axle so that I can get Renegade,” I say, trying not to take my anger out on her because she had nothing to do with this shit.
I leave the room and go in search of my brother. Nails is standing at the end of the hall and that makes me believe she’s the one that trashed my room. She’s been acting crazy as hell for a while now when it comes to me, and I have no clue what the hell I did to deserve that shit. I’ve never once let her around me.
Maybe she has a jealous streak or some shit because I’m no monk and I haven’t always fucked in my room. Hadliegh is the only one I’ve never fucked in the open or let her suck my dick in front of anyone. Anything we do is all mine; her moans, the way she looks, and the way her body moves as I take her are for my eyes and ears only. She’s not a fucking slut.
“Renegade, need a word,” I say, keeping my eyes on Nails as she leans against the wall. I swear I see a flash of panic fill her eyes before quickly disappearing.