by Margaret Kay
The front of Elizabeth’s shorts got saturated with liquid. It ran down her legs and splashed to the floor. “My water just broke!” Then she screamed out and clutched her abdomen, drooping to the left in his grasp. The assailant’s eyes focused on her.
Doc took the opportunity the distraction provided and unholstered his weapon from the small of his back. In less than a second, he brought it up and centered the gunman in his sights. He squeezed the trigger once. The round tore through the man’s forehead; his lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
The three who were face down on the floor jumped up after the assailant hit the floor. Elizabeth screamed.
“You shot him!” The clerk exclaimed.
“Go call the police,” Doc ordered as he moved to where the assailant laid on the floor. He kicked his gun away from him. Then felt for a pulse. As expected, there wasn’t one.
The clerk took off towards the front of the store. One of the women who had been on the floor came up to help Elizabeth.
“Are you okay?” Doc asked Elizabeth as he took her into an embrace.
Her eyes were focused on the dead man. She couldn’t look away. He would have killed her. In those few minutes he held her with the gun pressed into her, all she could think about was how heartbroken Alexander would be if anything happened to her or their baby. She prayed he wouldn’t have to go through losing his family again.
“Elizabeth, right here,” he commanded, turning her so she no longer gazed at the dead man. She had tears in her eyes. “Are you okay?” He repeated.
She nodded; her eyes locked with his. She was so thankful he was armed, that he was who he was. He saved her, again. He was her hero, and she loved him with all her heart.
“Elizabeth, that was genius peeing your pants and saying your water broke!” He hugged her tightly.
“I didn’t pee my pants,” she argued. Then another contraction hit, and she grabbed her abdomen again grunting out.
“Breathe, honey, breathe,” Doc said, coaching her, his face leaning into hers. He checked his watch. The two contractions were less than three minutes apart. He pulled his phone from his belt and dialed Ops.
The woman who was beside them saw a chair in the back corner near the doors to the restrooms. She got it for Elizabeth and prompted her to sit. “I’ve had three kids. I can help.”
“Ops, go,” BT answered.
“I’ve been involved in a shooting. Elizabeth and I walked into a robbery at a convenience store. I killed the perp. Local LEOs have been called. I need DC to be aware of the situation. And I need an ambulance stat. Elizabeth is in labor and her contractions are about three minutes apart.”
“Oh shit,” BT swore as he typed commands into his console. Two minutes later, he spoke again. “Okay, DC has been notified and I’ve tapped in to the local 9-1-1 center requesting an ambulance for a woman in labor. I made an update to advise this was an officer involved shooting so the local LEOs will be aware when they get on site. I’ve also just dispatched Miller with her creds to be on site to interface with the LEOs while you go with Elizabeth to the hospital.”
“Thanks BT.” Doc heard the sirens approach.
“Let me know if you need anything else.”
Doc pulled his badge and FBI credentials out to have them ready. He had re-holstered his gun. The sirens got closer until he could identify that they were right outside. Elizabeth had another contraction. It appeared to be stronger than the last. He knelt in front of her and coached her through it. He heard the police talking with the clerk in the front of the store, their voices getting louder as they approached.
“He’s the one who shot the robber,” the clerk said pointing at Doc.
Doc held his badge and credentials up. “Agent Williams, FBI.”
One of the two uniformed officers bent down and checked the perp. The other came in close and examined Doc’s credentials. Then his gaze focused on Elizabeth. “Your wife is in labor? We got notified and a second ambulance is en route for her.”
“You won’t need the ambulance for the perp,” Doc said. “Just the coroner.”
The officer who knelt by the robber’s body nodded. He spoke into his radio, cancelling one of the ambulances and summoning the coroner. “The detective is on his way.”
“Her contractions are less than three minutes apart,” Doc said. “When the ambulance arrives, we’re leaving. The detective can get our statements at the hospital after our baby is born. One of my counterparts will arrive to interface with your office.”
“And if he doesn’t arrive before the ambulance?”
“She, Agent Madison Miller. And if she doesn’t get here by the time we’re loaded on the ambulance, we’re leaving.”
The uniformed officers recorded the ID from everyone, beginning with Doc and Elizabeth. By the time sirens wailed out again, Doc was coaching Elizabeth through another contraction. She was still panting and following Doc’s breathing directions when the detective came around the end cap of the aisle. Doc barely glanced at him.
“Agent Williams,” the plainclothes detective announced as he stepped up to him. “The ambulance for your wife is two minutes out.”
Doc looked up at him. He looked familiar. They’d crossed paths before. “Thanks. The contractions are holding at just under three minutes apart, but she doesn’t have the urge to push yet.” Doc told him the hospital they would be at. “Give me your card and I’ll call you when we can give our statements. That bastard had a gun to her head and was getting agitated. It was a clean shoot. Ask any of these people.”
The three others who stood around, all nodded their heads. “He was going to kill us all, I’m sure,” the clerk said. “And he was jacked up on something. His eyes were wild.”
The detective nodded. The coroner would confirm that.
Madison came around the corner, badge and creds in hand. Her eyes took in the situation. “The ambulance is a block out. How are you doing, Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth blew out a few breaths. “Okay.”
The detective smiled. “I know you. The condo shooting downtown last year.”
Madison smiled too. “Detective Russell, it’s nice to see you again.” She extended her hand towards him. “Madison Miller, FBI.”
Russell nodded. He looked back at Doc. “You were there that night too.”
Doc nodded. Another contraction gripped Elizabeth. The ambulance arrived, and the EMTs were coming through the aisle with a stretcher by the time the contraction ended.
“Contractions are two minutes apart and lasting ninety seconds,” Doc advised them. “Water broke approximately twenty minutes ago. I’m a former EMT, and Army Medic.”
The two men wasted no time getting Elizabeth onto the stretcher. Doc followed them to the front of the store.
“Madison, a minute!” Doc yelled from the front door. Madison met him there. Doc handed her his car keys. “Have someone from the office bring it to me at the hospital later, will you?”
“Of course. Good luck. Let us know when your baby girl arrives.” She took the keys and gave him a quick hug.
Doc climbed into the ambulance and it sped away, lights and sirens on, all the way to the hospital.
Zulu
“Are you ready to do this, honey?”
Elizabeth forced a smile. She blew out three quick puffs. The contractions were nearly continuous. The pressure of the baby crowning was horrendous. She gripped Alexander’s hand more tightly. “Ready.”
“Okay, on this next contraction, Elizabeth, push, with everything that you’ve got,” Doctor Norman said, his brown eyes locked with Elizabeth’s. Then he nodded at Doc.
It only took five minutes for Elizabeth to push the baby out. Doctor Norman suctioned out her nose and mouth, loosely wrapped her in a pink blanket, and then laid her on Elizabeth’s chest.
“Meet your daughter,” one of the nurses said, patting Elizabeth on the shoulder. “You did it, momma, and she looks perfect.”
Elizabeth cried tears of pure joy
. Their baby girl was beautiful, breathing, and the most precious baby she’d ever seen. She had a barely there coating of blond hair on her tiny head. She had bright blue eyes, that were open and staring into Elizabeth’s and the cutest little heart-shaped mouth. She had perfect little fingers that were long and slender with fingernails.
“You did it, Elizabeth,” Doc whispered. “You brought our baby into the world.” Tears streamed down his cheeks. “She’s beautiful. She looks just like you.”
Elizabeth’s gaze shifted to Alexander. She saw the tears on his face. She’d never seen him cry. “We did it. We did it together,” she said with a soft crackling voice. “I love you so much. Thank you for being here, and for saving me from that man in the store. I’ve never been so afraid in my life.”
“I would have died before I let anything happen to the two of you.” Doc shook his head, shaking the image of that gun to Elizabeth’s head from his mind. “I love you more than you will ever know, Elizabeth and I love her like I never thought was possible, just meeting her. Thank you for this gift. I love you, honey.”
He kissed her and then his eyes returned to the eight-pound, three-ounce miracle cuddled on her mother’s chest.
“Do you have a name for your daughter yet?” The nurse asked.
Elizabeth’s eyes met Alexander’s. “So, you’re really okay with Olivia Bernice?”
“Yeah, she’ll be a tough cookie like her mom.”
Elizabeth laughed. “You’ll teach her to fight. She’ll be her daddy’s little girl in all ways, I’m sure.”
“Does Angel know you planned to name her after both your mothers?” Doc asked.
“No, but it’s only right. Thank you for letting me name her. Bernice John is such a wonderful woman, so loving and full of faith. And Olivia, my mom, she did the best she could. She was strong in her own way and she left this world way too young.” She teared up.
Doc pressed a kiss to Elizabeth’s forehead. “It’s okay.” It was only natural she would be thinking about her mom after just giving birth to her own daughter. Doc flashed a smile at her. “Besides, you did all the work. But I get to name the next one, okay?”
Elizabeth laughed again. “Great, our next kid will probably be named trout, pike or walleye.”
Now Doc laughed. “Pike Williams, sounds good.”
They spent another half hour just staring at their little girl as the medical staff did all they needed to do post-delivery.
“I want to call the team and let them know she is here and that you are okay,” Doc said.
Within the hour the maternity floor waiting room was filled with Shepherd Security personnel, including Shepherd, himself.
“I’m sorry,” the nurse said. “The rules for visitation allow immediate family only in the new mother’s room.”
“This group is our immediate family,” Doc told her. “We both have very large families.” He stared her down.
She glanced over the many who gathered in the waiting room, counting ten, and then back at Doc. There was no way this group of people were related. His jaw was set, and his eyes were fixed on her with determination. She had a moment that she looked undecided. “Fine,” she finally said. “But no more than two visitors at a time.”
Doc grinned, his eyes shifting to his team. “Shep, why don’t you and Lassiter come back first.”
Shepherd rolled past the nurse. “Thank you.”
His tone was pleasant. She had the distinct feeling he could be anything but, if he wanted to be. The nurse who attended this couple during the delivery told her this new father was armed. He was some sort of law enforcement. She figured most of these people in the waiting room were cops too, she could always tell. Her ex-husband was a cop. After living with him for ten years and hanging out with his coworkers, it was like she had an innate cop-radar.
Elizabeth still stared into her sleeping daughter’s face, cradled in her arms. It would be a long time before she laid the baby in the bassinet beside her bed. The tidal wave of emotions had just about receded. The fear from the convenience store, the exhilaration of her water breaking and knowing she was in labor, and the pain and exhaustion of going through labor, culminating with the elation of her daughter being born and sat in her arms brought her highs and lows unlike she’d ever known. And the intense love she felt for Alexander, her hero yet again, saving her from that gunman in the store, as well as the instant all-consuming love for this baby, surprised her that they were such strong emotions.
The curtain by the door swept open and Alexander followed by Shepherd and Dr. Lassiter came into the room. Elizabeth smiled wide. She was hoping Angel or Sienna would be the first in, but she was fine with it being these two men.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” Shepherd greeted. His eyes went back to Doc. “She’s definitely tough enough to be married to a Shepherd Security Operator. Look at her, just hours after being held by an armed crack-head, labor, and delivery, and she looks great!” He smiled at Elizabeth. “You are a true champ. Now let me get a look at this little one.”
He rolled closer. Elizabeth tipped the baby so he could get a good look.
“May I hold her?”
An irrational fear swept over Elizabeth. She knew it was irrational. “Of course.” She handed her over. She watched this powerful man hold her little baby so gently. It was an insane contradiction.
“She’s beautiful. What did you name her?” His eyes glanced up into Elizabeth’s.
“Olivia Bernice.”
Shepherd nodded. “That’s nice. I know Olivia was your mother’s name. Does Angel know you were also naming her after her mother?”
Elizabeth shook her head no.
“Then she and Jackson should be the next to come in and meet her. You have a full waiting room out there. They’ll only let us in two at a time.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of the baby’s head. “You’ve got a hell of a set of parents, little one. You’ll do great in this world.”
Doctor Lassiter came in close. He smiled at the baby and then at Elizabeth. “Well done. If you need to work out any issues from being held at gunpoint, just let me know. But I’d say just focus on this little sweetie and you will be fine.”
Elizabeth smiled. “Thank you.”
Lassiter took the baby from Shepherds arms, cradled her for a few seconds and then returned her to her mother. Both men congratulated Doc. “Touch bases with me towards the end of your two-week leave,” Shepherd told Doc. “Or sooner if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Shep,” Doc said, gripping his hand and drawing himself down to Shepherd for a shoulder bump.
Jackson and Angel came in next. “Oh, she’s beautiful,” Angel gushed.
“Meet Olivia Bernice,” Elizabeth told her with a proud grin.
“Oh, you named her after my mom too!” Angel’s eyes leaked tears. She had known Olivia, Elizabeth’s mother’s name, was in the top two names being considered. She hugged Elizabeth. “My mom will be so thrilled and honored to know you think this much of her.”
“Of course, I do. If it weren’t for your mom, I wouldn’t be the person I am. She was like a second mother to me.”
“That makes us sisters,” Angel said with a smile.
“Congrats, man,” Jackson said, embracing Doc. “It’s incredible, isn’t it? Knowing you created that little being.”
Doc shook his head. “I had no idea how I’d feel, seeing my child for the first time. Indescribable!”
Jackson smiled knowingly. “Angel and I are talking about when we should try for baby number two. I’m sure her holding your little newborn is going to make her want to do it right away,” he whispered. “I’m so screwed.”
Doc laughed. He could think of a lot of ways to be screwed that would be worse. He also realized he was in the perfect place in his life, surrounded by the best people, to be beginning this parenting, family man thing. He was one lucky man.
Sienna and Garcia came in next. Hugs all around and coos over the baby, a congratulatory shoulder bump, followed
by a hug passed between Garcia and Doc.
“Man, she’s so tiny,” Garcia said as he held the tiny blanket-wrapped bundle in his large hands. “I didn’t see Sammy till he was three months old and damn I thought he was small, but she is like half of what his size was.”
Doc chuckled. “Not quite half.”
Garcia laid his hand to Sienna’s abdomen. A knowing smile passed between them. Then he nodded.
Sienna took hold of Elizabeth’s hand. “We haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m pregnant.” She smiled wide, her adoring eyes then flickering to Anthony.
“You are?” Elizabeth exclaimed.