“Is she hurting? Why is she not answering her phone?” Maverik asked, his focus switching to his Mate.
“I haven’t seen her yet, but Delilah and Avaleigh are with her. And I’m sure if she’s hurting, Delilah’s making sure the staff here tend to her. And when we were here, they made Delilah put her phone away. It doesn't always work while you’re in the hospital anyway.”
“Alright. Well, tell her I’m coming. I’m on my way. I’m only about an hour out. I’m coming!”
“I will. I’ll tell her. Drive safe, see you then,” Kaid said, preparing to end the call.
“Wait!!” Maverik yelled.
“What?” Kaid asked.
“Vince is hurt? What happened?”
“Long story, but he got shot. He’s gonna live. Natalie is fixing him up, you know, his real Mate, the nurse? Anyway, she got the bullet out, but he lost a lot of blood. Bam has been healing him, and she’s got him on antibiotics and some kind of I.V.”
“Who shot him?” Maverik growled.
“Brandi’s husband. He beat Brandi and forced her to leave with him. Vince went after them.”
“How’s Brandi?”
“She’s shook up, but she’s okay. Resting.”
“Where’s the husband?”
“Nobody’s said exactly, but Brandi remarked that she didn’t have to worry about him anymore. I’m pretty sure Vince took care of it.”
“Alright. I’m coming. Keep Valerie calm, as much as you can, please. I’m on my way.”
“I will. Just be careful. Better you get here late, than need a room yourself when you get here,” Kaid answered.
“True!” Maverik agreed, before he hit the red button to end the call.
Kaid slipped his phone into his back pocket and looked at Delilah’s Camaro still parked right in front of the ER entrance. He took out his keyring and used his set of keys to her car to unlock the doors. He slid into the driver’s seat and started her up. “Damn woman, thinks she can do whatever she wants,” he mumbled as he parked her car beside his truck in an actual parking place. He chuckled when his Bear answered nodding his head in agreement. Can!, Bear said.
“Yeah, I suppose she can,” Kaid answered Bear, still smiling.
Chapter 26
Vince opened his eyes and realized he was resting in a bed, in a dark room. He could hear the floor heater going and see the sunlight framing the outside edges of the shade pulled down over the windows. He could smell baby powder, baby shampoo and baby lotion. That confused him.
Then he felt someone move against his right side. He turned his head scenting the person whose body was pressed against his. It damn well better be Natalie, he didn’t want anyone else’s body against him. His lungs filled with her scent, and he smiled slightly. His Natalie.
He stretched his legs and started trying to move his body to wake up sore muscles.
“Don’t move too much,” Natalie’s sleepy voice said. “You’ve got stitches in your shoulder, both inside and out, and an I.V. in your arm. You might pull them out.”
“Okay,” he answered. “Have I been out long?”
“A few hours. How do you feel? Do you need something for the pain?” she asked.
Vince tested just barely moving his left shoulder. The pain seared like he was on fire. He hissed his breath through his teeth.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said, sliding off the bed and turning on a lamp sitting on a side table.
Vince blinked his eyes against the soft light. “Is it going to knock me out again?”
“Probably. But if it’s hurting you, why let yourself suffer?” she asked, pausing in reaching for the syringe and vial of pain medication.
“I don’t want to be out again. I’d rather deal with the pain.”
“You sure?” Natalie asked.
“For now? Yes. I’ll let you know if it gets to be too much.”
“Okay.” Natalie turned back to the bed and curled one leg under her as she sat back down.
“I’m sorry about the way I left things,” Vince admitted. “That note was so wrong. I could have worded it better, but I was in a rage. I was pissed that Brandi had been hurt, taken against her will, and I was pissed that I’d have to leave you when we were just getting to know each other. I just scribbled the basics and rushed out of the hotel. I’m sorry.”
Natalie smiled halfheartedly. “I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t drop when I read it. I thought for a moment, maybe two, that you’d gone back to her because she needed you.”
“Never,” Vince said, licking his dry lips.
“Then I thought about all the things we said and shared the night before. And I knew you’d be back. I knew something had to be wrong or you’d not have left. So I waited. I decided to have faith in you. Especially after I heard from Delilah and Valerie,” Natalie explained as she walked across the room to fill a glass with water from the small glass pitcher Ms. Sadie had left for her.
Natalie walked back over to the bed and set the glass on the bedside table. She fluffed the pillows and pushed them down toward the middle of Vince's back to help him sit up a little. Then she held the glass to his lips while he drank from the water glass.
He drank down a third of the glass of water before licking his lips again. “I feel so dried out.”
“It’s the medication. The pain medication will do that to you. And the antibiotics can, too.”
“You brought all that from the hospital?” he asked.
“Yes. I did.”
“You won’t get in trouble for it, will you?” he asked, worried that she’d jeopardized her job for him.
“Probably not. Doesn’t really matter.”
“Why doesn’t it matter?” he asked, leaning back, tiring quickly.
“I quit my job. I won’t be going back there unless it’s just to serve my two weeks notice, then I’m out of there.”
“Because of me?” he asked, opening his eyes and looking at her.
“Not really. I mean, I don’t want to be so far away anymore if we’re going to do this.”
“We are doing this!” he said as forcefully as he could manage.
Natalie smiled at him. “But mostly, I quit because the doctor I was renting a room from became very jealous when he realized that I was seeing you. He started giving me a hard time, behaving completely inappropriately. And I just don’t have the time to deal with that. I deserve a safe place to work and respect from my colleagues.”
A weak rumble had started in Vince’s chest. “He put his hands on you?” he asked, his lips pulling back over his teeth.
“No. And even if he did, don’t you think you’ve risked yourself enough? You’re lying there with a damn bullet hole through your shoulder. It could easily have been your chest or your head. You could be dead, Vince. Dead! Where would that leave me? Did you think of that even once?” she finished, her voice having risen to almost shout level.
Vince lifted his head from the pillow with no small amount of effort and watched her as she became more and more upset. She was right. He’d not thought about her, them, or even himself. He’d just reacted.
“I’m sorry, Natalie. You’re right. I should have used my head. I’m not sorry I saved Brandi, but I should have thought it through. I could have called the police, I could have taken someone with me. I should have at the very least thought it through and spoken to you before I left.”
“Yes, you should have,” she answered, trying to get her emotions back under control.
“I will be rethinking my decisions in the future. I’m not used to considering another’s feelings or welfare. But I will be sure that I always do in the future.”
Vince’s head wobbled a bit and she hurried to his side. She took his head gently in her hands and laid it back, smoothing his hair from his face. “I know the last thing you need is me yelling at you. I’m sorry.”
Vince turned his head just enough to reach her wrist. He kissed it. “You can yell at me all day and night as long you’re h
ere with me.”
Natalie huffed a laugh. “I may hold you to that if you pull another stunt like this one.”
Vince closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing her hands stroking his forehead and hair to calm him. “Am I still at Kaid’s?”
“Yes, in the baby’s room.”
“That explains the smells,” he said smiling.
There was a soft knock on the door.
“Come in,” Natalie called.
The door opened and Bam peeked around it. “Hey, thought I heard her chewing you a new one,” Bam said, grinning.
“Bam. Thank you, man. I don’t know how to ever repay you,” Vince said.
“You could stop fighting me when I try to heal you,” Bam answered, crooked smile on his face.
“Sorry. He’s a proud, stubborn Lion. But now that I’m in control again, I will not fight.”
“Good, ‘cause I ate, and I rested, and I’m ready to try again,” Bam said rubbing his hands together. “You ready?” Bam asked.
“Can I go to the bathroom first?” Vince asked.
Bam looked at Natalie who nodded. “I think we can manage that,” Bam answered.
Natalie uncovered Vince, then walked around to the I.V. bag hanging on a nail that Goldy had driven into the wall for her to hang it on. “Okay, Bam you help him up, and I’ll get the I.V. bag and follow along.”
“You got it, Doc,” he answered. He was surprisingly gentle as he helped Vince get upright. “I’m your crutch. Just lean on me as needed,” Bam said.
“I’m sorry for all the trouble,” Vince said, the room spinning around him as he stood and grabbed onto Bam with his good arm. “I can’t believe a shoulder wound can cause all this.”
“It’s not the shoulder wound itself, it’s all the blood you lost. That’s why you’re feeling so weak. That and all the medicine I pumped you full of,” Natalie answered.
They got him to the bathroom and back. Once he was lying down, his I.V. had been rehung on the nail Goldy had provided, and Natalie was covering him, he spoke. “Maybe you should give me a little more pain medicine before Bam tries to heal me.”
“It’s really hurting, huh?” she asked, biting her lip.
Vince opened his eyes and watched her. “And please stop biting your lip. Makes me want to bite your lip. Then I’ll be all kinds of messed up and hurting even more.”
Natalie tried to hide it, but she smiled at his admission. “Let’s start with half the dose, and you should just sleep, not be knocked out.”
“Sounds good,” Vince answered.
Natalie gave him the shot, then sat beside him on the bed. “If the pain is still too much after Bam is done, I’ll give you a little more.”
“Okay,” Vince answered, closing his eyes. Suddenly they popped open. “Hey, was Valerie here? Does she know?”
Bam and Natalie shared a quick conspiratorial glance. “Yeah, she knows. And she yelled at you quite a bit. But she’s good.”
“She’s resting now?” Vince asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure she is, or she will be soon,” Bam said, not totally lying, looking up at the ceiling. “Come on, let me get some of the energy into you. Get you up and around sooner.”
“Go ahead, I’m ready,” Vince answered, settling back into the pillows. “Natalie? Baby, could you come nearer? This damn baby stuff is messing with my sinuses. I can’t smell you, and your scent calms my Lion.”
Vince felt the mattress depress beside him where she was napping with him earlier. Then she kissed his temple. “I’m right here,” she whispered.
“Love you,” Vince said, as Bam leaned over and pressed his hands against Vince’s chest.
“Aww, I love you, too. But I don’t think Everly is gonna be happy about having to share me,” Bam teased.
“Asshole,” Vince mumbled.
Natalie snickered. Then she kissed Vince’s temple again. “Love you, too,” she said softly.
Vince opened his eyes and stared right into hers. “Mine,” he said quietly. He didn’t need to demand that she was his, she’d already proven it.
Natalie nodded. “Yours.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The door to Valerie’s labor room opened, and the end of her bed was wheeled through it — one nurse at the foot of the bed pulling it, another at the head of the bed pushing it. Both Delilah and Avaleigh followed closely.
“I don’t care!” Valerie insisted. “I’m not having either one of them until Maverik is here. Not happening. I’ll cross my legs if I have to. They are waiting for their father, damnit!” she shouted.
“Mrs. McCullen, the babies don’t care who is here, as long as you’re here. They’re ready. They’re coming and they’re not waiting any longer.”
“I’m waiting,” Valerie said stubbornly.
“When you arrived, you said you thought one of them was crowning. They weren’t, not quite at least. They were moving into the birth canal. And now the first is there, waiting to come out. If she’s left in there too long, it can be detrimental to the baby’s health. You can’t stop the birth, they are ready.”
Valerie’s lip trembled. She didn’t want to put her babies in danger, but she wanted Maverik. She took a deep breath. “Fine! We’ll have them now.”
As they wheeled her down the hall toward the same double doors they’d taken Delilah through, she yelled to Kaid. “But when Maverik gets here, kick his ass for not being here!”
“Will do!” Kaid promised. “Don’t worry, Valerie, you got this, honey!”
They’d just pushed the doors open and started to roll her bed through when she heard a voice shouting down the hall toward her.
“What? Kick my ass? Who’s gonna kick my ass?” he yelled as he ran down the hall toward her like something was chasing him.
Valerie slammed her hands down on the mattress, pushing herself up. “Maverik!”
“I’m here, darlin’. I drove like a bat out of hell, and probably have a couple dozen highway patrol officers gonna show up here shortly, but I’m here, darlin’. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He got to her side and leaned over her, gently putting his arms around her, and then using his thumbs to wipe her tears off her face. “I’m sorry I’m so late. But I made it. I get extra points for making it, though, right?” he teased.
“Yes, you do,” Valerie answered, eagerly accepting his kisses.
“You’re Dad?” one of the nurses asked.
“I am!” he said proudly.
“Come with me, let’s get you washed up and gowned up,” the nurse said.
“I’m not leaving her,” Maverik said, indicating Valerie.
“No, you’re not. You’re getting scrubbed and gowned so you can go into the delivery room with her. You’re going to be there every step of the way.”
“Well, alright, then. Let’s get this show on the road. Babies! Daddy has arrived. Get ready to come out and meet us!” Maverik announced, his hands held out to his sides, palms up, strutting behind the nurse who was taking him to get ready for the delivery room.
“Hey, don’t put her to sleep until I get there,” he called out to the nurse who rolled Valerie’s bed away from him.
“Oh, she’s not going to sleep. She’ll be awake for the whole thing,” the nurse with him answered.
“She what? She’s gonna be awake? But won’t that hurt? She can’t hurt!” Maverik objected.
The doors swung closed behind them, and Kaid and his clan stood there, watching the doors slowly stop swinging.
“Lord help those nurses!” Daniel said, hugging Avaleigh to him.
Everybody started laughing.
“Oh yeah, they’re gonna have to deal with Maverik, and two mini Maveriks, all at once.”
Janie lovingly caressed Bane’s arm then retook her seat. Bane looked at her questioningly. “I’m okay,” she assured him.
“Want something to drink or snack on?” Bane asked.
“Maybe a Sprite?” she said.
“Done. I’ll be
right back,” Bane answered.
“Well, we may as well get comfortable. We’ll probably be here a while,” Kaid said.
“I’ll get us all some snacks,” Daniel offered, settling Avaleigh into the seat beside his.
“Kaid, I need to speak with you,” Delilah said, the look on her face intense.
“Okay. What’s wrong, Monster?” he answered.
“Nothing is wrong. I wish to work in the medical field. I have spoken with the anesthesiologist, and I watched him perform an epidural on Valerie. I wish to do these things.”
Kaid just looked at Delilah, his mouth hanging open. This was the last thing he could have ever dreamed up for her to want to do. “Well, if you’re serious, we can look into it. I mean, I have no doubt you’re smart enough to do it. It’s a lot of hours, though.”
“I am serious.” She answered. Then she cut her eyes to Avaleigh, and a little uncertainty could be read there. “I will not be cold and intolerant. I will be very patient and caring. I wish to do this. Can I do this?” she begged earnestly.
“Oh, Delilah!” Avaleigh said, getting to her feet.
Kaid reached for Delilah and pulled her into him, so they were standing almost nose to nose. “Delilah, you are the smartest, strongest, most loyal and dedicated woman I’ve ever known. You can do anything you want to do. If you really want to do this. We’ll look into it. We’ll find out all that’s required and where you can go for training. We’ll make it happen. It’s a lot of work, and lot of time, I’m sure. But if it will make you happy, then we’ll make it happen.”
“Delilah, we were only teasing because you are so strong. We didn’t mean any harm, and I believe the same thing Kaid said. If you want to do it, you can. You can do anything,” Avaleigh said emotionally.
“You are not lying,” Delilah said quietly.
“No, I’m not,” Avaleigh answered. “And I’m so sorry that we hurt your feelings. I know Valerie will agree with me. You will be wonderful at anything you do. Whether you want to stay home and raise your son, or go to school and work in a hospital.”
Delilah nodded. “I will like to look into it. I will like to learn more about it.”
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