Redemption’s Inferno (Inferno #3)

Chapter 26

T he next hour was a flurry of activity, answering questions as the paramedics tended to his wounds and prepared to take him to the hospital. Emilie didn’t say a word as she, Karl, Jamie and Viggo climbed into Viggo’s SUV and headed to the hospital, with Dante and Becca following in Dante’s Mercedes. Joe stayed behind to deal with Franny and the police .

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Karl asked quietly. “There are police involved and we should know what we’re going to say .”

“Chains has to make that decision,” Emilie whispered. “This goes back to a failed mission with MI6. He left so he could protect me .”

“We were all here to protect you,” Karl mumbled .

“Chains should have come to us,” Viggo agreed. “We would have protected you .”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a macho thing, isn’t it? It’s that whole I’m-a-man-and-I-should-protect-the-little-woman mentality? You know I’m a hardcore dominatrix who can kick your ass, right? Remember our wedding night ?!”

Karl nearly choked, turning away, eyes wide with horror she would go into detail about that .

“She went hardcore on you on your wedding night?” Jamie demanded of Viggo, raising his eyebrows. “How come I don’t know this story? How come she never went hardcore on me when the three of us were together ?!”

Viggo flushed, swallowing hard. “I wasn’t going to kiss and tell!” he muttered. “You’re my husband now , but she was my wife then and I would never talk about something that intimate. Just as I would never talk about our private moments without your permission !”

“But we had threesomes!” Jamie protested .

“Oh, come on!” Karl groaned .

“So you’re not gonna tell me?” Jamie persisted .

“Only if Em wants to,” Viggo shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road .

Emilie smiled to herself, listening to them bicker, glad she’d diverted them from their self-deprecating tirade. Catching his eye in the rearview mirror, Emilie gave Viggo a barely perceptible wink and he winked back .

“What was that?!” Jamie grunted, feigning annoyance. He wasn’t stupid; he knew what was going on and was willing to play along since this was obviously what Emilie wanted. “Do you two have more sexy secrets you don’t want to share ?”

“Of course they do,” Karl shoved his shoulder. “And I don’t want to hear about any of them! If you three want to have pillow talk, do it after you drop me off !”

“Chicken!” Emilie laughed .

“Am not!” he groused, giving her a dirty look. “But you’re my sister— yuck !”

She just laughed more, glad they’d changed subjects and that she’d see Chains in a few minutes, so she could make sure he was okay. He was the toughest man she’d ever known and what he’d endured to protect her made her shudder. They would get through it, though, and once the baby was born, they would start a new life together .

I t was several hours before she could see him, but finally the nurse allowed her into his room, where he was resting on a bed. No one had cleaned him up yet, so she quietly asked for a washcloth and warm water before the nurse left them. Then she walked to the bed and brushed a hand over his forehead. His eyes opened and he smiled .

“Hello, beautiful .”

“Hello, darling.” She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. “How are you feeling ?”

“A’right,” he murmured .

“What did the doctor say ?”

“Broken ribs, bumps and bruises, dislocated shoulder—nothing serious .”

“Gunshot?” she asked dryly .

He gave her a tired smile. “They fixed it up .”

“Your dreads,” she said softly, running her fingers through the short, dirty hair .

“It was time,” he said. “Time to do something new .”

“You’re as handsome as ever.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked into his .

He reached out to put a hand on her stomach. “Did she hurt you ?”

Emilie rolled her eyes. “As if! If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d have put a real hurting on her! Unfortunately, the stomach got in the way…but I handled her. Backstabbing bitch .”

He chuckled. “My feisty love .”

“I had weapons .”

He smiled. “You remembered. Although I’m not sure WD-40 was what I had in mind when we talked about that .”

She gave him a look. “You said to be flexible and improvise—that’s what was available .”

“I’m proud of you, love .”

“Rest, okay? I’m going to clean you up…” She paused as the nurse brought her the items she’d requested .

“You should go home .”

“After I’ve cleaned you up and spoken to the doctor. If they admit you, I’m not leaving until Joe gets here .”

“Yeah, okay.” His eyes closed as she wiped dried blood and dirt from his face and neck. She rinsed the cloth and moved to his hands and forearms, wishing she could immerse him in water to get off the crud that was caked on his skin, under his nails and in his hair .

“Remember when I washed you?” he murmured sleepily .

“Best shower of my life .”

His eyes opened and squinted. “I can’t say this is the best shower of my life, but by far the best bed bath .”

She laughed lightly. “Rest, darling. I’ll be right here. Always .”

T he first pain hit in the middle of the night and it was so strong Emilie sat straight up in the chair next to Chains’ bed, her heart pounding as she clutched her stomach. Shit! She’d been unable to keep her eyes open when Viggo and Jamie had stopped by to say good night, so she’d turned off the TV and gone to sleep. Now she was wide awake and it felt like the baby would be showing up sooner rather than later! With a sigh, she struggled to her feet and went to the bathroom. If the pains weren’t too close together, she wanted to spend as much time as she could without telling anyone what was going on .

She’d just gotten out her phone when another contraction washed over her and she had to hold on to the railing of the bed as she tried to breathe through it. She didn’t remember it hurting so much with Simone. In fact, she’d slept through most of her labor and by the time she realized it was time to go, she’d been 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. She’d pushed for 30 minutes and her sweet baby had come out with no issues. Whatever was going on tonight was for the birds. This nonsense was already hard and painful. The contractions were coming every 10 minutes or so, which meant she wasn’t ready to push but it hurt like she should be .

Taking a few deep breaths, she straightened up and decided to walk. She put her phone in her pocket and made her way out to the hallway as quietly as she could. She began doing laps around the floor, watching the time on her phone to monitor the contractions. The next one came nine minutes after the last and she had to hold on to the back of the nearest chair to ride it out. When it was over, she stood up straight and began walking again. She was getting a little winded and forced herself to breathe evenly and take smaller steps; the last thing she needed was to attract the attention of one of the nurses .

The next contraction came on hard and fast and she gasped. The pain was unlike anything she’d ever felt before and Emilie doubled over, falling to her knees when she couldn’t keep her balance .

“Em!” Jamie appeared out of nowhere and slid down beside her, his hand on her back. “Honey, what is it? Are you in labor ?”

“Shit…” she gasped out the word. “…fucking hurts like hell …”

“Viggo!” Jamie held her against him with one arm while rubbing her stomach with the other. “Viggo, wake up !”

“What are you doing here?” she panted as she leaned against him .

“We couldn’t sleep and Viggo was afraid those pains you’d been complaining about were labor.” He met her eyes. “We weren’t going to let you down again .”

Viggo knelt beside them, shaking his head. “How long between contractions?” he asked in Swedish, knowing it would be easier for her to revert to her native tongue when she was in so much pain .

“Maybe eight—oh!” She cried out as the next one crashed over the last in a never-ending wave of pain .

“That was like two minutes!” Jamie gasped .

“Go get someone to help us!” Viggo said to Jamie. “And have them call her ob- gyn !”

Jamie ran down the hall and Viggo lifted Emilie in his arms. “Did you think you needed this one to be as dramatic as possible since I missed everything when Simone was born ?”

She gritted her teeth. “If I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d smack you !”

“How’s Chains ?”

“Sleeping,” she panted .

“We should wake him,” he said, carrying her towards the nurse’s station. “Even if he can’t be with you, he’s going to be pissed if he wakes up and there’s a baby .”

“You’re right!” Emilie tried to smile but groaned through another contraction. She could barely breathe; the pains were coming so fast. She’d taken birthing classes but couldn’t remember a damn thing about them now and she was squeezing Viggo’s hand for all she was worth .

Jamie came racing back with two nurses and a wheelchair. Viggo set her in it and followed as they headed towards the elevator .

“One of you go tell Chains,” Emilie ground out. “He should be…with…me—ohh!” She practically shouted the end as her stomach clenched tightly and she felt a rush of liquid between her legs. “Shit, my water just broke !”

“Hang on, honey!” one of the nurses said, smiling at her. “We’re almost there !”

“I need to push,” she hissed. “Shit! Shit! Shit !”

“Not yet, love.” Viggo squeezed her shoulder from behind as he dialed Dr. Diaz’s number .

“Go get Chains,” Jamie said to Viggo. “I’ll go with her .”

“Don’t start without me!” Viggo called over his shoulder as he ran towards Chains’ room .

“Which one is the father?” the nurse asked, looking down at Emilie .

“Uh…” They hadn’t planned on an emergency like this and Emilie and Jamie exchanged a look .

“They both are!” Emilie grunted. “And a third will be there too .”

“You have…three fathers for your baby?” The nurse looked confused .

“All three are in my birthing plan,” Emilie nodded, trying to concentrate on what she was saying as a strong contraction ripped across her abdomen and tightened into a hard crescendo between her legs. “Oh-my-fucking-God-he’s-coming- now !”

The nurse was running as she pushed her down the hall, yelling over her shoulder, “This baby is coming !”

“Oh shit!” Jamie muttered to himself .

“Dr. Diaz just called and said she’ll be here in ten minutes!” one of the nurses called out. “Get her prepped and ready !”

“I’m going to call everyone,” Jamie said, paling slightly. He needed to let a few people know; Karl and Kate, Emilie’s mother, and his own. They would call everyone else after the baby was here .

D r. Diaz, Viggo and Chains arrived in the room at the same time. Dr. Diaz looked down with a frown at Chains, who was in a wheelchair .

“Where do you want us?” Viggo asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable now that they were in the middle of everything .

“That’s up to Emilie,” she said, her eyes still on Chains. “Are you sure you’re all right ?”

“I’ll be fine,” he grunted. “But my girl needs me and that’s all there is to it .”

“Jamie should be where he can see,” Emilie panted. “ Chains ?”

“Right here, love.” Chains wheeled to her side and took one of her hands in his, leaning as close to her as he could from the wheelchair .

“Ahhh!” She let out a shriek as the pressure between her legs became unbearable. “I have to push !”

“Just a second, honey,” Dr. Hillary Diaz, who’d delivered the babies of many of Emilie’s friends, smiled at her. “Your contractions are literally one on top of the other, so I’m going to need you to prepare yourself and when I tell you, push .”

“Okay.” Emilie was squeezing Chains’ hand, her eyes shut as she blew out a breath. Damn, this was a thousand times worse than when she’d had Simone !

“You got this, Em,” Viggo said, one of his big hands on her right knee .

“Okay, Emilie,” Dr. Diaz was saying. “ Push !”

“FUCK!” Emilie let out a string of expletives in Swedish that had Viggo trying not to chuckle. She’d used every bad word she could think of and invented a few along the way .

“Good, Emilie,” Dr. Diaz was monitoring something intently. “Get ready for another .”

“How do you know if anything is happening?” Viggo asked, staring down in confusion .

“Because I’m screaming like an idiot?!” Emilie suggested sarcastically .

“The baby should crown on the next push,” Dr. Diaz interjected lightly. “Can you give me another one, Emilie ?”

“Just close your eyes and imagine you’re somewhere else,” Chains whispered against her ear. “When I was being tortured, I let my mind leave my body—imagining I was with you, walking on the beach .”

Her eyes met his briefly before she let them flutter closed and did as he suggested. She thought back to the day they’d spent at Stonehenge, walking around the ancient structure as they’d discussed its historical importance and architectural significance. She was vaguely aware of Dr. Diaz asking her to push and she tried to separate the painful state of her body from the wonderful place her mind had gone .

“Come on, Em, you’ve got to concentrate,” Viggo was saying .

“She knows what her body needs,” Chains said, frowning at him. “Let her go at her own pace .”

“All right, Emilie, another one,” Dr. Diaz said .

“You’ve got this, Em!” Viggo encouraged .

Emilie groaned .

“Come on, once more,” the doctor said .

“Em, you’re not even trying!” Viggo protested .

“Bloody hell, mate, leave her be!” Chains growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously .

“She’ll do better if she focuses,” Viggo said to him .

“She’ll do better without someone telling her how to manage her labor .”

The two stared each other down, oblivious to Emilie’s short pants and Chains’ inability to get up .

“She’ll do better without the two of you acting like dogs trying to mark your territory,” Jamie growled quietly, looking from Viggo to Chains and back again. “Let her labor however she likes, babe.” He looked at his husband meaningfully before glancing down at Chains. “And while she needs your emotional support more than anything, let her find her own rhythm. She did this by herself with Simone, so I’m sure having all three of us here is a little freaky for her. If you need me to go, Em, I will.” He brushed his hand along her calf. “This is about you, not us .”

She locked eyes with the man who’d fathered this child and there was a moment of love between them the likes of which she’d never felt before. It wasn’t the all-encompassing love and passion she felt for Chains, or the fondness of half a lifetime of friendship she shared with Viggo, but rather the bond you felt with someone who’d been part of a life-changing event with you. Amazingly, the pain stopped for a moment, and she reached out her hand to him. He took it without hesitation and she smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered before turning to the others. “And no, I don’t want any of you to go anywhere—I just want everyone except the doctor to be quiet .”

The next contraction slammed through her midsection right at that moment and she shrieked. “FUCK ME LOUD! I need to push !”

Jamie hurried back to his original post by her left knee, glancing at Viggo worriedly. His husband merely gave him a sheepish grin before glancing over at Chains, who looked fairly sheepish as well .

“Okay, time to get serious,” Dr. Diaz said pointedly. “Give me a good one, Emilie. I think you’ll get the head out .”

Emilie nodded, closing her eyes and letting her mind and body separate once again. It was amazing how easy it was when she could concentrate .

“All right, that’s the head,” Dr. Diaz said with a smile. “Let’s have this baby. You ready, Emilie ?”

“Yes!” Emilie squeezed her eyes shut and felt the pressure of Chains’ hand on hers as she prepared herself for another contraction. She was barely aware of her surroundings as she focused all her energy on the pain rolling through her body. A roaring in her ears made everything else in the room disappear and all that was left was the tightness in her abdomen as the baby’s head came out. She couldn’t hear the doctor anymore, lost in that private place in her mind she’d once retreated to when the guilt overwhelmed her; this time all she felt was the incredible relief that followed when the baby’s body slid out. Suddenly the room came alive with shouts of laughter and the wonderful sound of a baby’s cry. Emilie didn’t move, keeping her eyes closed and letting her mind come back from where it had retreated. She was completely spent, but Dr. Diaz’s gentle voice roused her .

“Emilie, say hello to your son .”

“Hello, sweetheart.” Emilie stared in awe at the sweet face of her new baby and put her hands on the tiny body resting against her chest. He had a head full of light hair and the pinkest lips she’d ever seen on a baby. She looked up at Jamie, who was staring at the little bundle with complete adoration in his eyes, and smiled .

“We, uh, holy shit, we did this,” he said in a raspy whisper .

“We did,” she nodded .

“Thank you,” Jamie said, his voice rough with emotion. “Thank you for my son .”

“Our son,” she said with a smile .

“All of ours,” Viggo said lightly .

“He’s beautiful like his mum,” Chains whispered .

“Are you all his father?” a young nurse asked in confusion .

Dr. Diaz opened her mouth to chastise her but Emilie put up a hand to stop her. “Viggo and I used to be married,” she explained softly. “We have a daughter together. He fell in love with Jamie after our divorce and the one thing Jamie wanted was a biological child; I offered to have one with him so their children, and mine, would be related.” She looked over at Chains. “And then I fell in love with Darryl. When we have children, they’ll be related to my other children, of course, but because all of them will share the same mother, that makes all of us…a family. It might seem a bit strange to some people, but there’s so much love and respect between us, we hope others see it as an inspiration instead of an anomaly .”

The nurse blinked for a moment but a smile slowly spread across her face. “That’s actually quite lovely,” she said after a moment. “I’m kind of glad I asked… I’ve never known any other family like this .”

“Neither have we,” Emilie answered. “But we’re going to do our best not to muck it up .”