by Erin Osborne
We’ve shared meals on an almost daily basis with them. Now, while I work as long as I possibly can until I go into labor, she watches Colt for me while I’m at the salon. She’s also going to help me out because it’s Blood’s week to leave and I’m freaking out. We’ve gotten into a fight about him leaving because I am so close I could go into labor any day now. He insists there’s no way he can get out of going on this run because his contacts won’t deal with anyone else. If he’s on the run, they know it won’t get messed-up. So, he left last night to head to the clubhouse while I’m here at the house alone.
“Tonya, you up?” Martha calls out, walking in the house with the key I gave her.
“Yeah. I’m in the kitchen.”
Pouring her a cup of coffee, I set it down on the table while I pick up my tea. Soon, I’ll be able to taste the sweet nectar of coffee again. I’ve been feeling off, so I know it’s going to happen any second now. It seems right on cue; tears fill my eyes because I don’t want to be alone when I go into labor. I want to have my man at the hospital with me so he can be the first one to hold our little peanut. We’ve picked out names in case he’s not here. I wanted to be surprised this time, so we don’t even know what we’re having yet.
Martha sits down at the table with me and takes a drink of her coffee. With her eyes locked on me, I turn to face her. I don’t care about trying to hide the tears from her, I’ve cried since Blood left last night. She knows me better than I’d like most days.
“Where’s Colt?” Martha asks, her gaze leaving me to look around the house.
“In his room playing. He misses his daddy already,” I respond, lifting my mug so I can let the warmth seep into my skin.
“You’re not doing much better,” she states.
“No. I could go into labor any second and Blood’s not here. He’s gonna be gone for a week, he’ll more than likely miss me going into labor and delivering our child,” I inform her, not that she needs to know this because it’s written all over my face.
“I know, sweetheart. But you got me. Maddox will watch Colt while you’re in the hospital, I’ll be by your side. I’m not Blood, but it’s better than being alone,” Martha says, while I reach over holding her hand in appreciation.
“Thank you,” I respond, my voice weak, almost a whisper.
“Nothing to thank me for, honey,” she answers, finishing her coffee. “Anything else have to be done in the nursery?”
“No. Blood helped me before he left. Everything is put together; the clothes and blankets are washed. Do you want to see it?” I question her.
Nodding her head, we stand up making our way into the hallway with the bedrooms. Opening the door, Martha walks in ahead of me. There’s one window in here where we have a rocking chair set up. The crib is across the room against the opposite wall. Right now, the walls are painted a pale yellow since we don’t know if we’re having a boy or girl yet. Pictures of the ultrasounds sit on the wall above a changing table while pictures of motorcycles, Blood, Colt, and me lay on either side of the window. Little clothes fill the small dresser already and hangers wait for other clothes to be hung on them. A toy box sits at the bottom of the closet for any toys we have to put into it. Bath stuff, lotions, powder, diapers, and wipes fill the changing table along with diaper rash cream and other little items. For the most part, we don’t need anything else for the baby. I simply need Blood here with me for the birth and I don’t believe that’s going to happen.
“It’s so adorable in here,” Martha states, looking around the room some more before turning to me. “You’ve been busy. The whole house looks as if you’ve scrubbed it with a toothbrush.”
My face heats with a blush because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I can’t sleep without my man in bed with me, so I’ve been up for a while. Cleaning while Colt was sleeping was my only option, so I had to do it quietly.
Nesting, that’s what I’m doing, but I don’t think it was this bad with Colt. The kitchen was my first stop. I cleaned out the cupboards, rearranged them before doing dishes, making breakfast for Colt, and then baking a few casseroles to freeze. As those were cooking, I used the mop bucket to clean the floor with a toothbrush. Every imaginable speck of dirt or dust was scrubbed clean off that floor. I’m surprised I didn’t take the paint off the tiles with how hard I was brushing.
From there, I moved onto the living room. Other than moving the furniture, I dusted every surface, cleaned the TV, arranged the DVDs…first by series, then alphabetized…on the shelf again, moved around the candles and little decorations on the fireplace and end tables. I still need to vacuum the floor, but I didn’t get to that just yet. I’ve done four loads of laundry, changed my bed, cleaned the bathrooms, and finally worked in the nursery again. I’ve had a busy day and I’m exhausted. Colt’s up now, I’ll take a nap after lunch with him. But for now, I’ll hang out with Martha and try to relax. I just can’t seem to get comfortable, no matter what I do, at this point in my pregnancy.
“You look done in, Mama,” Martha says as we walk into the living room.
“I am. Not a lot of sleep, because I always worry about him when he’s gone,” I answer honestly, sitting on the couch.
“You relax, lay down, take a nap. I’ve got Colt. I’ll make him lunch, keep him entertained until his nap. Do you have to work today?” she asks me.
“No. They had me take off work. They don’t want me to go into labor while I’m working,” I laugh.
Martha laughs along with me. I lay back on the couch while she puts a movie on. As my eyes close, I feel a blanket cover me. I’m warm and snuggle down into the warmth while Martha sits at the opposite end of the couch. Sleep soon claims me, but it’s not a restful sleep.
Waking up, I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. Moaning out, my eyes fly open as I feel a wetness between my legs. Oh no!
“Martha!” I yell out, trying to sit up on the couch.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, rushing to my side on the couch.
“I’m quite sure my water just broke. I woke up to a sharp pain in my stomach,” I respond as another pain hits me.
“Okay. Colt’s sleeping. I’ll call Maddox to come over to stay with him while you change and we get you to the hospital,” she states matter-of-factly.
Martha helps me up off the couch and grabs the blanket to put in the washer. There’s nothing I can do about the couch right now. I’ll have to worry about that later. Standing up, I go to take a step, but a contraction hits and stops me in my tracks. I can hear Martha on the phone as I breathe through the pain. Colt runs out to the living room, rumpled from his nap, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“Momma, okay?” he asks, his little voice penetrating the fog in my head.
“Mommy’s okay,” Martha responds to my son, picking him up in her arms. “She’s gonna go get changed and leave with Aunt Martha for a little bit. Uncle Maddox will be here in a minute to play with you. How does that sound?”
“Yay!” he yells from her arms, wiggling to get down.
“Let’s go to the bathroom,” I hear her as she ushers him to the bathroom down the hall.
Finally, I’m able to walk to my room so I can change my pants and shirt. There isn’t time for me to take a shower. By the time I’m in my room, another contraction hits me. These are coming fast and hard. It’s not going to be long before I’m pushing this baby out of me. The second my contraction passes, I’m at the dresser pulling a pair of sweats out along with one of Blood’s shirts. Removing my clothes, I have my sweats on when another one hits. This is absolutely insane. I don’t remember the pain being this bad when I had Colt. That’s two things now that I didn’t really remember; the things you forget after you have a baby.
“You doing okay?” Martha questions, walking in my room as I’m doubled over in pain once more.
She rubs my back while talking me through the pain. I watch as she pulls her phone out, placing another call. Listening to her voice, I know she’s calling Blood to let him
know what’s going on. He’s probably on the road so he won’t get his message until they stop for gas or something else. Hanging up, Martha talks to me once again.
“I’ve left Blood a message. I’m not sure when he’ll get it, but you know that,” she says, pulling his shirt over my head.
Maddox walks in the room when she opens the door. He pulls me up off the bed and leads me to the front of the house. Colt isn’t anywhere in sight, so I’m hoping he’s in his own room, so he doesn’t see me in pain. Maddox stops when I have a contraction before helping me continue my way outside to their waiting car. Martha is already in the driver’s seat as he helps get me settled in the passenger side.
“I’ll see you guys soon,” Maddox tells us. “Let me know when the baby’s born so I can bring Colt over to meet his new brother or sister.”
“Will do, honey,” Martha responds to him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he responds.
Martha backs out of my driveway as soon as the door is shut. She speeds to the hospital, cutting through traffic and barely stopping for anyone. I’d be scared to death if I weren’t in so much pain. She gets us there safely and parks the car directly in front of the emergency room doors. Martha races around the front of the car, she opens my door, helping me from my seat before rushing inside to get help. My friend is back quicker than anyone else, helping me stand upright and not fall to the ground with the pain shooting through my body.
“What’s going on?” a woman asks, rushing from the hospital with a wheelchair.
“In. Labor,” I pant out, taking a seat so I don’t fall over on my face.
“How far along are you?”
“Thirty-eight weeks. Martha’s coming with me,” I growl as another one hits.
Everything happens quickly from that point. I’m whisked to the maternity ward of the hospital with Martha running after us. Once I’m in a room, she helps me change into a gown so I can get in the bed where the monitors are strapped to my stomach. No sooner are they on than another contraction hits me. Martha begins to talk to me, so I know when I hit the peak. Nurses and a doctor rush in and out of my room, making sure everything is ready to go when it’s time to push. When I got to the hospital, I was already at eight centimeters so it’s not going to be long with the way I’m progressing, and my contractions are going.
“Do you want some ice chips?” Martha asks, using a wet washcloth to wipe the sweat from my brow.
“No, thank you,” I respond. “I just want this baby out, so I can go to sleep. And so, I don’t want to beat the shit out of Blood for knocking me up and not being here. Has he called you back, yet?”
“No, honey, he hasn’t. I’m sorry. If he does, I’ll hand the phone right over to you. Or, at least put it on speaker so you can hear him,” she informs me, regret filling her eyes as she wishes he were here for me too.
“It’s okay. Just my luck he’s not here for the birth. Stupid fucking club,” I grit out as another contraction takes hold of me.
When it’s over, they check me once again and tell me I can start pushing. That’s great news because the feeling to do so is overwhelming. While I’m lying against the stark white pillows and sheets, the bottom half of the bed is removed, and Martha is on one side of me while a nurse is on the opposite side. They raise my legs as the nurse reads the machine, letting me know another contraction is coming and for me to push. Gritting my teeth together, I push with everything I have in me. The doctor is standing at the end of the bed, getting gowned up and gloves placed on his hands.
“You’re doing great,” Martha encourages me. “Keep it up and your little one will be here in no time.”
Nodding my head, I wait for the feeling of pain to engulf me so I can push again. This time, it hurts even worse as I bear down and push with everything in me once more. Martha and the nurse are offering me encouraging words as I grunt, yell, push, cuss, and scream. I can barely hear them over everything I’m doing as pain constantly wracks my body. My head is pounding as blood rushes through my entire body. Finally, I hear those magical words from the doctor.
“I see the head!”
As the next contraction hits, I give a final push and my little baby is out in the world.
“It’s a boy!” the doctor exclaims. “Congratulations.”
Martha goes up to cut the cord while the doctor finishes working on me. After showing my son to me the nurse lays him on my chest. He’s so precious and tiny as I look down at him, counting his ten little finger and ten little toes. His tiny body is a mess, but he’s beautiful all the same to me. A nurse takes my baby boy, followed by Martha. She knows I won’t want him out of my sight. Since I can’t move around right now, she’s going to make sure she follows wherever he goes. I slump back against the bed, drenched in sweat, my hair plastered to my forehead and various parts of my face, and exhaustion quickly taking over. Vaguely I hear conversations going on around the room as sleep begins to claim me.
“Where’s my baby boy?” I question everyone in my room as I jump awake before I’ve even really fallen asleep.
“He’s in the nursery getting cleaned up. Your friend is with him. Get some rest while he’s being checked over,” one of the nurses tells me, giving me a sympathetic look.
Nodding my head, I take her advice and lay back against the bed so sleep can claim me. I’m more than ready to take a short nap while mine and Axel’s son is being cleaned, checked, and then brought back to me.
Chapter Five
Blood
IT ABSOLUTLEY KILLED me to leave Tonya and Colt for multiple reasons. The first and main reason is my woman could go into labor at any second. I was there for Colt’s birth and want to be there for this baby’s birth. It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen this time, but I’ll cross my fingers and everything else I have to that I’m there for the birth.
We’ve been on the road for hours. I told my dad we weren’t stopping whenever he wanted to because this isn’t his damn show. He’s pissed as fuck with me because without me, this run wouldn’t be happening. He knows it, he also knows if I walk away completely, the club and him are done. The only money they’ll have coming in is what they make at the few businesses they have and from the women they’re supposedly pimping out while dealing on the side. It’s not enough to keep the club running, the businesses going, or ensure they have enough money to keep their asses in alcohol and drugs. Since that’s the last thing they want as a club, he keeps his mouth shut letting me lead this how I want.
This run is slightly different from the other ones I’ve done in the past. We’ll be taking a shipment of guns to one location and leaving the van there. At the same location, we’re picking up a different van holding guns and taking it back closer to the clubhouse. While it’s not going to the clubhouse, it’s close enough for me to make the drop-off then head there for the money drop. It should only take me an hour at the clubhouse so I can count all the money, then separate it into the different piles so everyone who deserves it gets a share. Then, I’m out of there for a month until the next drop off takes place.
I’m the lead bike, with my father next to me. Prospects are driving the van behind us, with two more men following them. I’ve got another prospect ahead of us, making sure there’s no police or other traps. The last thing I want is for someone to ambush us during this transport. I want to make it home to my woman and son in one damn piece. Seeing a gas station up ahead, I hold my hand in the air to let the prospects and my father know we’re pulling over. On top of needing gas, I need to check my phone. If I missed anything from Tonya, I’ll be pissed.
I pull up to the pumps while my dad parks in front of the building. He’s barely talked to me since I showed up at the clubhouse late last night to make sure the first load was there and taken care of properly. I wasn’t about to leave that shit to the men currently at the clubhouse. Tonya and I got into a fight before I left, but I still kissed her goodbye and told her I loved her. Colt was already sleeping, still I went
into his room to kiss him and whisper that I loved him too. Those two are my entire world and once again I’m pushing them away for the fucking club. It’s one thing to know I have to leave once a month, but a completely different story when it comes time to leave. Still, I don’t blame Tonya one bit for being upset, angry, or whatever else she’s feeling. Hopefully, this isn’t the one time I push her away for good.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I see several missed calls from Martha and Maddox. My gut instantly begins to churn with a bad feeling. Instead of listening to the voice mails I have waiting for me, I call Martha. If my woman’s at the hospital, she’ll be the one with her while Maddox stays home with my son. We already put a plan in place in case I wasn’t home when Tonya went into labor.
“Hello. Blood, is that you?” Martha questions as she answers the phone.
“Yeah. What’s goin’ on?”
“Tonya just had the baby. I’m following him to the nursery right now while they get her taken care of,” she responds, excitement in her voice.
“Is she okay? Is the baby okay? You said ‘him’. We have another son?” I throw out question after question to her as my heart shatters into a million pieces.
“Tonya’s okay. She’s exhausted right now as you can imagine. The baby is doing good. He’s got the lungs of a beast already. They’re cleaning him up so they can take him back to her. Maddox will be bringing Colt by in a little while,” she states. “Blood, he’s gorgeous. The most perfect little baby I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Tears fill my eyes and I’m not ashamed to admit that shit. I’ve missed the birth of my second son all because of this fucking club. When am I ever going to get a fucking thing right when it comes to my family? Wiping my eyes, I sit on my bike and listen to Martha gush about my new son. I already know his name, Logan Johns. The men on the run with me give me a wide berth as I listen for almost ten minutes to my woman’s best friend. It’s not as good as being there in person, but it’s something. More than I deserve at this point.