by Jenna Stone
Quinn smiled as he watched them and raked his hand through his shoulder length chestnut hair. He hastily tied it into a knot at the base of his skull, imagining that he must look like a wild man with his hair unbound and Sarah’s blood staining his fingers.
“She’s perfect,” Sarah cooed, toying with the baby’s delicate fingers. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking up appreciatively at Quinn.
“You’re most welcome,” he responded, pride swelling up in his chest.
He had saved both of their lives.
Reaching for his dagger, Quinn’s heart nearly stopped in his chest. Sarah was bleeding badly. Her crimson blood trickled out, pooling between her legs, staining the forest floor black.
“How much blood is tae be expected?” Quinn asked, breaking Sarah’s contentment.
Sarah shuddered. Her face went white as fear overwhelmed her features. “I don’t know. Is it a lot?” she asked nervously.
“Aye, it’s a lot. I doona ken how much tae expect, but it seems like a lot,” Quinn said, springing into action. He grabbed his clean linen shirt from the bush and hastily ripped it in half, knowing that Anna would forgive him given the circumstances.
“We need tae get help,” he said sternly. “Does yer family live close tae here?” he asked, still wondering why Sarah was all alone.
“No. I was out by myself when…when I want into labor.” she said, worried. “I’d rather not go back to them for this,” she stammered. “They won’t help me,” she said matter-of-factly.
Quinn arched an eyebrow in surprise and then tossed Sarah half of his linen shirt.
“Wrap the baby,” he ordered. “I doona live far from here, but we’ll have tae walk,” Quinn said, hoping that Sarah would be able to make the short journey. She was exhausted from child birth and the amount of blood that she had lost was frightening.
Sarah quickly wrapped the baby in Quinn’s shirt. Screaming out in protest, the babe cried out softly at first, then found her lungs and screamed bloody murder.
“Here, I’ll take her,” Quinn offered, reaching his shaking hands out to take the tiny bundle.
The baby’s eyes locked with his and she stopped crying immediately.
“She likes you,” Sarah said, smiling as she watched her savior hold the tiny infant.
Quinn snapped back to reality and handed the other half of his shirt to Sarah. He tucked the baby in the crook of his arm and helped her to her feet.
“Ball that up and hold it tae yerself. Ye need tae try tae quell the bleeding,” he said, concern heavy in his gray eyes.
Sarah did as she was told and held the shirt between her thighs. Experimentally, she pulled the shirt away slightly and gasped when it was already stained crimson by her freely flowing blood.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, heart racing in her chest as she now understood the gravity of the situation.
“We need tae hurry. Can ye walk?” Quinn asked, already beginning to move in the direction of home.
“I think so. I’m just so weak,” Sarah confessed, testing the strength of her legs as she ambled after Quinn.
She stopped suddenly; feeling light headed and caught onto a nearby tree for support.
Quinn glanced over his shoulder and his heart sank. She might not make it. She was fading fast, loosing so much blood. He closed the distance between them in one stride and thrust the now sleeping baby into her arms. Sarah gathered the bundle against her chest and looked down at her daughter.
In one swift movement, Quinn lifted them both into his powerful arms. Sarah relaxed against him and closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of his chest and the heavy weight of the baby sleeping soundly in her arms.
“Lord, please don’t let me die,” Sarah whispered against Quinn’s chest. Please don’t let me die. Not now. Not now that I have her.
Chapter Two
“Anna, Rowan!” Quinn boomed, pounding against the door of his brother’s small cabin. He cradled Sarah against his chest and his blood pressure rose when he looked down at her. She was so innocent, so trusting as she slept. She was also frighteningly pale from her loss of blood.
“Open up, damn it!” he thundered, urgency ringing in his voice as he regarded the sleeping baby in Sarah’s arms. The innocent baby would die without its mother.
Rowan unbolted the door and prepared to glower at his brother, unhappy at Quinn’s untimely intrusion. Rowan had been in the midst of loving his wife and was perturbed by his brother’s interruption. Clad only in his low slung pants and raking his hand through his disheveled chestnut hair, Rowan opened the door. The scowl fell from his face and his mouth dropped open in shock when he looked outside.
There stood a bare-chested Quinn, eyebrows knit together in anger, holding a beautiful woman in his arms. The woman was clutching a sleeping newborn baby against her chest.
“Doona just stand there!” Quinn barked, charging past his brother and into the cabin. “Where’s Anna?”
“She’s in bed,” Rowan stammered, perplexed.
“Anna!” Quinn hollered, striding purposefully to the only bedroom in the cabin and banging his fist against the door. “Get dressed. We’ve an emergency and I need yer help.”
“I’ll be right out!” Anna called, tossing back the covers and hastily dressing. The tone of Quinn’s voice caused a knot to build in her stomach.
Anna opened the door and bumped into Quinn, who was still holding Sarah and the baby in his arms. Her eyes bulged as she regarded the situation.
“Oh my God! Quinn, what happened?” she asked in disbelief, eyes flitting from the sleeping woman and then back to Quinn.
“I found her laboring while I was out hunting,” he said frankly. “Do ye have an old quilt tae put on the bed?” he asked, brushing past Anna and bringing Sarah into the small bedroom.
“Sure,” Anna said, eyes wild as she grabbed a quilt and folded it on the right side of the bed to protect the sheets.
“She’s still losing blood,” Quinn informed Anna as he gently laid Sarah on the bed. He carefully took the sleeping baby from her arms. “She’s lost tae much blood,” Quinn brooded, large hands holding the sleeping baby, concern heavy on his face. “Is there anything ye can do tae stop it?” he asked, steely eyes searching Anna’s face in desperation.
“Maybe,” Anna said cautiously as she looked at the woman lying on her bed. She was dangerously pale and her pretty face was slack and lifeless. “Rowan?” Anna called, beckoning her husband into the room.
“Yeah, love?” he answered, still shaken from the surprise of what was happening.
“Can you please cook some meat? She’ll need it for strength…and make some broth too.”
“Aye,” he nodded, glad to have something useful to do.
“Here, take her too,” Quinn said, thrusting the sleeping baby into Rowan’s hands.
“No! I…I doona ken what tae do with that!” he protested, eyes wide with fear as he studied the baby that he now clutched in his large hands.
“Ye’ll figure it out. It’ll be good practice” Quinn said dismissively, glancing at Anna’s growing belly. She was nearly four months along with Rowan’s first child.
As if sensing Rowan’s frazzled nerves, the baby’s eyes flew open and she began to scream at the top of her tiny lungs. Her cries were frantic, her breathing sporadic as she gulped for air in between screams.
“I doona ken what tae do!” Rowan protested again, holding the screaming baby at arms length, his green eyes wild with apprehension.
“Pull her tae yer chest. She likes that,” Quinn offered, pushing Rowan from the room and closing the door dismissively behind him.
He would just have to figure it out.
Anna’s pulse quickened. Fear boiled up inside of her. She was pregnant and this could very well be her in a few short months. What if she died during child birth? How would Rowan be able to care for their child? She swallowed hard and tried to push the unpleasant thoughts from her mind. Her hand had involuntarily gone to her swelling b
elly, protecting the precious child within. The child growing within her was part of her and part of Rowan, the husband that she loved so dearly.
Anna jumped into motion. “We need to massage her womb,” she said, settling herself next to the pale, sleeping woman. “Do you know her name?”
“Sarah,” he whispered, swallowing hard.
“Alright, talk to her. Hold her shoulders in case she wakes up suddenly,” Anna coaxed.
Quinn lowered himself onto the bed next to Sarah, worry making heavy lines on his ruggedly handsome face.
“Sarah, we’re going tae help ye,” he whispered, brushing the hair tenderly back from her face.
“This will be painful,” Anna offered, beginning to massage Sarah’s uterus gently by pressing her fingers into the slack skin of her belly. “It should help slow the bleeding, though.”
Sarah moaned in response to Anna’s touch and threw her head to the side in protest. Her green-brown eyes fluttered open and darted frantically around the room, trying to get a bearing on her surroundings.
“Shh…” Quinn soothed, whispering softly into her ear. “This is Anna, my sister. She’s trying tae help ye, trying tae stop the bleeding.”
“Where’s my baby?” Sarah asked, alarmed.
“She’s fine,” Quinn reassured her, smoothing her hair back from her face. “My brother has her.” Quinn bit his lip, hoping that the baby really was fine. His brother’s ineptitude with the child had been painfully obvious.
Sarah relaxed and closed her eyes, too tired to protest further. Her face contorted with pain as the pressure of Anna’s massage intensified. Her uterus was tender and Anna’s small fingers were strong and relentless.
Sarah buried her face against Quinn’s expansive chest. His skin was warm against her cheek and his presence was strangely comforting to her. Quinn had been her protector throughout the ordeal of labor. Having him here by her side now felt right. Sarah fitted her arms around his waist and held onto him for dear life, fighting against the pain that resounded through her small frame.
“Shh…, it’s alright,” Quinn whispered, holding Sarah to his chest and kissing her lightly next to her ear.
Shivers shot down Sarah’s spine due to the sharp contrast between Anna’s tormenting massage and the sweet tickle of Quinn’s stubble against the sensitive skin next to her ear.
He just kissed me.
Anna’s fingers stopped for a split second and then continued to deepen the massage. Seeing Quinn kiss Sarah had been so unexpected! Quinn had not seen her notice the casual kiss and now Anna worked hard to focus her eyes on Sarah’s abdomen. She had never seen Quinn be intimate with a woman. In fact, she had never heard him speak of a woman except for Mairi.
Anna’s heart thundered in her chest as the idea crept into her mind.
Is this your child, Quinn? Do you love this woman?
Anna deepened the pressure of her massage, working with a renewed purpose. If this was indeed Quinn’s child and Sarah was Quinn’s lover, Anna would do everything in her power to save Sarah. Quinn was already broken from the loss of one woman and Anna knew that losing another woman that he loved would kill him.
A deep groan of pain escaped from Sarah’s lips. Anna’s touch was torture. Quinn gathered her in his arms and held her more firmly against his chest. He made gentle shushing noises against her hair. His touch soothed her.
“Can I look to see if the bleeding has slowed?” Anna asked cautiously, letting up on the pressure that she applied to the Sarah’s belly.
“Go ahead,” Sarah whispered breathlessly. At this point, she didn’t care who looked at her.
Anna peered cautiously between the woman’s legs and breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s working, Sarah,” she beamed, nodding her head reassuringly. “The bleeding has almost stopped,” Anna declared, continuing to massage Sarah’s womb for good measure, but now using less pressure.
Quinn kissed Sarah’s hairline, unaware of what he was doing.
“Thank-you,” Sarah whispered, closing her eyes in a combination of relief and exhaustion. She relaxed against Quinn’s warm, naked chest and her eyes glanced up at his strikingly handsome face.
The planes of his face were dotted with stubble, lending him a rugged look. His face was riddled with concern. He was worried about her and hearing Anna’s assessment that her condition was improving had softened his expression.
Rowan knocked gently on the door and then opened it. In one arm, he cradled the sleeping baby and in the other he balanced a mug of steaming broth.
Anna’s heart swelled when she saw her beautiful, shirtless husband holding the sleeping baby. His eyes flashed proudly to her and he gifted her with a fleeting smile.
He had survived.
“There’s one more thing,” Quinn muttered, watching his brother carefully set down the broth on the table next to the bed and smirking at how slowly he accomplished the task.
Rowan was obviously terrified of waking the sleeping baby. Rowan clenched his teeth together in concentration and looked as if he thought the baby might explode in his arms at any second.
“What?” Anna asked, eyes still fixed on her capable husband, her hand now resting protectively over their growing child.
“I had tae cut her,” Quinn confessed, color flushing his face as he thought about how intimately he had touched Sarah.
“You what?” Anna and Rowan exclaimed simultaneously, faces revealing their shock.
“You cut her there?” Anna asked incredulously, hazel eyes bulging in disbelief.
“Aye. The baby was stuck. I had tae…” Quinn explained defensively.
“Jesus, Quinn!” Rowan exclaimed in disbelief, jostling the sleeping baby and then freezing in panic when he realized what he had done.
Her eyes flew open and she let loose a wail fit to bring down the roof. Rowan looked frantically about the room, unsure of how to react.
“Take her!” he said, thrusting her at Quinn.
Quinn settled Sarah gently back against the bed and reached out and took the screaming bundle, chuckling softly at his frazzled brother. Rowan was usually so collected, so rational. Who would have thought that it would be a tiny infant that would cause him to lose his nerve.
“I need to feed her,” Sarah said, reaching to take the screaming bundle from Quinn. She settled the baby and leaned back against his massive frame. Something about Quinn made her feel safe, protected. Sarah hushed the baby and the tiny infant quieted in her mother’s arms.
“I ken that it willna be pleasant for either of ye, but could ye check where I cut her, Anna? She may need a few stitches,” Quinn said, the burn of embarrassment heating his skin.
“I’ll have a look,” Anna responded, wincing slightly. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to be cut there. Quinn had only done what was necessary to get the baby out. Anna said a quiet prayer in hopes that her own baby would be born easily.
“We’ll leave ye be,” Quinn said, helping Sarah settle in the bed and slowly standing up. “Holler if ye need anything,” he said, eyes soft as he looked down at the women. Both Anna and Sarah had been so brave today.
The door closed softly behind the shirtless Murray brothers and Sarah was left alone now with her baby and Anna.
“Thank you again,” Sarah said, smiling at Anna, who still sat next to her on the bed.
“I’m glad that it worked. I heard a woman speaking of such a treatment on the Mary Catherine, the ship that we took over here.”
Sarah loosened the string at the neckline of her dress and exposed a breast for her baby.
“I’ve seen other women do this all my life, but it’s strange to be doing it myself now!” she chuckled nervously, a pang of longing flooded over her as she thought of her mother. If her mother was alive, she would have helped her with this.
“Do you want me to go out?” Anna asked, suddenly feeling like she was intruding on Sarah’s privacy.
“No, stay…please stay. You’ve been so kind to me and in all hones
ty having another woman here makes me feel better,” Sarah confessed, taking her breast in her hand and positioning it for her baby. The baby was frantic with hunger, nuzzling against her skin. “Oh!” Sarah exclaimed as the baby latched on to her breast and began to suckle for the first time. “That feels so strange!” she exclaimed, giggling softly.
Anna laughed quietly, flooded with feelings of contentment from a job well done. Watching Sarah with her baby made Anna long to meet her own baby. Her hand circled lazily over the growing bulge of her belly.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Anna asked whimsically as she watched Sarah feed her baby. “That we can grow such a miracle inside of us, create a new person.”
“Truly amazing,” Sarah said softly, relaxing now as the baby suckled her breast. She stroked her fingers gently over the baby’s head and down her arm. The baby’s fingers latched on to Sarah’s index finger and squeezed.
“Have you named her yet?” Anna asked.
“No, not yet. I want to talk to Quinn about it first,” Sarah said absentmindedly as she toyed with her baby’s tiny fingers.
Lord have mercy. This is Quinn’s baby!
..ooOoo..
“Sae ye just came across her in the forest?” Rowan asked, eyebrows arched as he interrogated his older brother.
“Aye. I was out hunting and I heard her. Nearly shot her with an arrow! I thought that she was an animal,” Quinn revealed, sitting in the rocking chair next to the fire, shoulders slumped as the exhaustion of the day’s events set in.
“Where are her people?” Rowan asked.
“I doona ken. I asked her if I could help her get tae them and she said no. For whatever reason, she doesna want tae go tae them.”
“She’s a savage?”
“I doona ken for sure. She’s wearing their clothes. She looks like them with her dark hair and all, but then again, she speaks perfect English.”
“Do ye think they’ll come looking for her?” Rowan asked, alarmed as he thought of Anna and the baby that grew in her womb. “We canna keep her here if they will come looking for her.”