Psycho (The Line Walkers #2)

36. Chapter 36 – Maddox

Chapter 36 – Maddox

W hen we got to the hospital, the nurses and doctors instantly tried to whisk Olivia and our daughter away to the maternity ward and send me to the ER to have my stab wound examined. Thankfully, Dane already made friends, in his own weird way, with the head of surgery at the hospital during his stay with Peyton. Dr. Debois happily agreed to allow me to stay with Olivia and even stitched me up himself as Liv received the care she deserved from the maternity nurses.

However, when they tried to take the baby out of her arms so they could stitch the gash on her collarbone, something switched in Liv’s brain. I watched from the other side of the room, while Dr. Debois finished the last stitch as my pretty little Storm snarled at the nurse who tried to take the baby, baring her teeth and everything.

The room froze, with wide eye glances and whispered breaths as Liv clutched our daughter tighter in her arms. I grinned like a fucking lunatic as I crossed the room, drawing a few more startled glances, while I moved toward them, shirtless and blood covered from head to toe, some mine, some Liv’s, a lot of others we weren’t going to talk about. “Storm.” I warned lightly, holding my arms out, “I think it’s my turn to hold our baby.”

She swallowed and looked around the room, almost as if she was judging each medical professional near us, weighing if they were her friend or foe. “I don’t think I can.”

“You can. Because you know no one will get near her if she’s in my arms.” I spoke to the fear in her heart that was controlling her emotions even now that Damon was dead. The man had tried to physically take the baby from Liv’s womb, of course she was going to be possessive.

“You promise you won’t—” She started, and I shook my head, silencing her fears.

“I won’t let her out of my sight. We’ll be right here.” Liv’s eyes scanned the room again, and she looked down at our daughter, who was snuggled in against her bare chest, wrapped up in the towels Tamen wrangled for us. “Besides, we should get her out of these wet towels and into warm blankets. Then you’ll both be fresh and you can have her back.”

“Okay.” Liv took a deep breath and gently raised our daughter up for me to take.

I didn’t have a fucking clue how to hold a newborn, but I’d studied the new parent books endlessly over the last few months enough that I was able to tuck the tiny infant against my chest and settle her down when she fussed at the change of smells. She knew her mommy, but it was time for her to familiarize herself with her daddy, too.

The nurses moved quickly, stripping Liv of the gown she wore and helped her into the bathroom to shower everything off her skin. They quickly checked the baby over, re-clamping her umbilical stump and weighing her after listening to her lungs and giving her a passing grade in all areas. Even though she was small at only six pounds, she was strong. And she would be just fine.

I sat down in the chair facing the bathroom door, holding our daughter so Liv could see us at any time while she took care of her own needs. She deserved to see to her own needs after everything she had been through.

I didn’t even know what Liv went through completely, but I could fill in some gaps on our way to the hospital.

However, I was still missing a huge part of the story, and only Tamen could fill that gap. But he was conveniently missing since we left the factory.

After showering and getting the laceration on her collarbone stitched, Liv gingerly settled back into the hospital bed and expectantly held out her hands to me. “Give me that baby, Maddox.”

I knew better than to deny her of her demands, and it seemed our daughter was ready for her first feeding if the way she was rubbing her face against everything she could reach was any sign.

“Good, because she’s hungry.” I nestled her into Liv’s open arms and helped her pull her fresh gown out of the way so she could start feeding her. It was such a surreal experience to watch the woman of my dreams nurturing our daughter from her own body in the most basic, yet empowering, way. “You’re an incredible mom.” I spoke after a while, after the nurses and doctors had all cleared out to leave us in peace.

“I nearly got her killed.” Liv whispered, staring down at our daughter as she suckled like she was starving. “I nearly lost you both.” Her icy green eyes finally looked away from the babe and up at me, and my heart ached, finding tears pooling in her lashes. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, Maddox.”

“I’m so sorry.” Sitting at the foot of the bed, I apologized and ran my fingers along her cheek. “I never should have let you go out—”

“No.” Liv closed her eyes, shaking her head as the tears spilled. “I am responsible; you were hurt because of me. Damon almost took her,” She gasped and shuddered at the words alone, “He was going to sell her.”

“He’s dead.” I reassured her firmly, holding her stare when her eyes opened back up, “He can’t hurt you anymore. There are no men left from that list that can hurt you, Storm.”

“Except Tamen.” She replied. “How does he fit into all of it? How is he the money man?”

“I don’t know.” I answered her questions honestly. “I know little about his dealings anymore, but I plan to find out. And I’d wager to say that he wishes you no harm, now that he knows you’re Peyton’s sister.”

She scoffed and kissed my palm before looking back down at our daughter. “I need to see her, Maddox. I can’t breathe, knowing she’s hurt because of me.”

“Shh,” I soothed, kissing her forehead as our daughter pulled back and stretched like she was finally full and content. “Peyton doesn’t feel that way about all of it, and neither should you. We’ll go see her in the morning, Dane said he’d come get us after everyone got some rest.”

“We need to name our baby.” Liv settled back into bed, bringing the baby up to her shoulder as she started burping her. “But we have to do it right and give her one worthy of her story.”

I snorted and winked at Liv, trying to break through some of the tension in her body, “Hostage doesn’t have the ring to it I was leaning towards.”

“Funny guy.” She deadpanned and looked out the window at the dark city skyline for a minute before looking back at me. “What about Aurora?”

“Aurora?” I repeated, trying it out. “As in the northern lights?”

A small smile pulled at her lips as she nodded gently, “Exactly.”

“I think that sounds perfect.”

“What do you think, little one?” She brought the baby down and talked to her in a sugary sweet voice, “Do you like Aurora?”

The baby burped and covered Liv’s fresh blanket with a layer of spit up milk and I tipped my head back to laugh at the comical response. “I think she approves.”