17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Black Valley Colt
S creams fill the air as Lex and Colt rush down the hallway towards them rather than away.
The hospital in Black Valley is significantly smaller than Griffin’s Beach, where Lacey planned to have her baby, but from the sounds of her screams, she wouldn’t have made it before the baby decided to make her debut.
“Oh God,” Psycho says, his eyes wide and frantic. “Do something!”
“She’s too far along for any type of pain medication or an epidural,” the doctor says.
His trembling hands are the only indication he’s frightened because his voice comes out assertive and confident. No matter how confident a man may be, Colt knows from firsthand experience that one look from Psycho can knock that away like others swat at flies.
“Argh!” Lacey screams, her hands gripping the handrails of the bed. “Jesus, fuck, this baby is going to tear me in half!”
“She’s in pain!” Psycho shouts.
The scene before them feels more than a little familiar, and Lex jumps into action as the doctor appears to have completely frozen. So much for that confidence, huh?
“Hey! Hey, look at me. Deep breath in. Good. Now blow it out slowly. Focus on me, not the pain. You can do this,” Lex says.
Colt knows from experience that pain meds at this stage would affect not only Lacey but the baby, but the doctor’s still too scared to move.
“Hey, Psycho, let’s not alienate the guy helping your wife pop out a little baby, huh?” Colt offers. “Just a suggestion.”
Lacey follows Lex’s directions, and her screaming stops as she better handles the pain. Until she shakes her head. “I can’t do this, Lex. I can’t. It’s… ARGH!” Her head flies back as another contraction takes hold, her red hair sticking to her sweat-covered face. “I can’t!”
“You can do this. Our bodies were built for this. It’s also something you can hang over Psycho’s head for the rest of your lives, which is pretty fun.
He’ll never experience pain like this, let alone be able to say he brought your beautiful baby girl into the world.
This is just a temporary pain to get your daughter into your arms.”
“My baby girl,” she says, breathing in the way Lex mimics in front of her. “I can do this.”
“You definitely can do this, sweetheart,” Colt says.
“You all can’t be in here right now,” The doctor says, finally finding his voice.
Laughing, Lex shakes her head. “Good luck enforcing that one. Just do your job, and we’ll do ours.”
“It’s against—”
“They’re staying,” Psycho growls. “Got it?”
His head bobs quickly as he sits on the rolling stool and slides closer to Lacey. “We’re crowning.”
“What does that mean?” he asks, his eyes flashing all around the room in pure panic.
“It means you gotta get around to the other side and hold her hand like I am,” Lex says. “Come on, babe, you can do this.”
The doctor tells her to push, and she screams out in what Colt remembers learning was also referred to as the ring of fire. The amount of respect he has for the pain women go through grew so much after watching his wife give birth twice.
To his credit, Psycho looks determined but terrified at the same time. He watches Lex and repeats her actions, and when she reaches down to grab Lacey’s thigh to lift it and give her better leverage, he does the same.
“You’re doing so good,” Lex says. “Colt, get that cool rag and wipe her forehead.”
Glad to have something to do that doesn’t risk accidentally seeing Psycho’s wife’s lady bits, Colt jumps right into the task.
As much as he loves the redhead, he knows he’ll never be able to look her in the eyes if he sees her giving birth.
He only saw Noah’s birth before deciding he was good and didn’t need to watch Calla’s.
If I did catch a glimpse, I’d know if the carpet matches the drapes. Fuck, what is wrong with me? I don’t need to know that!
“One last big push,” the doctor says.
Lacey screams loud enough to make everyone wince, and she pushes so hard she nearly pops off the bed. Her head falls back onto the pillow when they’re rewarded with the cry of a little, wriggling baby with a full head of red hair. Girl’s got her mama’s hair and her pipes.
“Holy shit,” Psycho gasps, his hand still clutching Lacey’s as he watches the doctors suction the gunk out of her nose and mouth in complete amazement.
“Do you want to cut the umbilical cord?” the nurse asks with a smile and offers him a surgical instrument.
He looks horrified and shakes his head. “Fuck no.”
The smile falls, and she cuts it. Lex releases Lacey’s hand and laughs at Psycho’s reaction. “You did it.”
“I did it?” she asks, tears falling down her face. “She’s okay?”
“She’s perfect,” Lex whispers and wraps an arm around Colt’s waist.
The baby’s brought over and set on her chest while Lacey sobs. “Hi, baby. I’ve been waiting forever to meet you.”
“Holy fuck,” Psycho mutters, his hand shaking as he reaches out to touch her little head. “That’s our baby.”
“That’s your baby,” Colt says with a laugh. “Look what you two did.”
“We can give you some time alone,” Lex says. “She wanted to meet you as much as you wanted to meet her based on how fast that labor went. I almost hate you a little bit.”
Holding out his free hand, Psycho stops them. “No, don’t go.”
“Are you sure?” Colt asks.
He takes the baby from Lacey while they finish stitching her up, something Colt feels nauseous just thinking about. The craziness that is labor both amazes and sickens him.
Smiling down at his daughter, he offers her to Lex. “Would you like to hold her?”
“I have plenty of time to hold her, Psycho. This is your time.”
“Please?”
Giving Colt a confused glance, she takes the baby. “If you insist. Oh, look at that red hair. Aren’t you just a beautiful little mermaid? Yes, you are.”
Colt gently runs a finger of the baby’s hand, smiling when she grasps it. It reminds him of the first time he held Calla. There’s just something different about a little girl holding onto his finger. A deep-rooted desire to protect her comes out, and in this moment, Colt almost wants another one.
“She’s gorgeous, guys. Really, great job.”
“We know you’re already godparents to… well, everyone’s kids at this point, but we’d be honored of you’d be her godparents, too,” Lacey says, a love-drunk smile on her face with all the pain forgotten.
“Of course,” Lex says with a smile.
She does the typical mommy bounce as she holds the baby, and Colt knows she has the same feeling he does. The sting of longing for the child they should have had this experience with. The child that never came to be.
“Have you picked out a name?” he asks, pushing the painful memories away. He’ll never get over learning they were pregnant at the same time he learned they lost it.
“Lex kind of inspired it,” Psycho says. “Ariel Grace Todd.”
“You are a little mermaid, aren’t you?” Lex coos.
Both parents stare with more love than either have ever felt before, and Colt knows it without anyone needing to say a word. It’s a feeling he’s very familiar with, and the look is unmistakable.
“Where does Grace come from?” he asks.
“Oddly enough, both of our mothers were named Grace. Kind of a no-brainer,” Lacey says.
“Ariel Grace has a beautiful ring to it, doesn’t it?” Lex says and looks up. “Okay, someone better take this baby away from me before I make a break for it. Because I totally will.”
The sing-song way she speaks to Ariel makes Colt smile, and he takes his turn. “She’s beautiful, guys. Really. But you really should take her back because I know that look in Lex’s eyes. She’s telling me to make a run for it, and I just might.”
Walking over, he places the baby in Lacey’s waiting arms, and tears continue to stream freely down her cheeks. “I never thought I’d have this.”
“I did,” Lex whispers. “You did it, babe.”
“Thank you,” she says, glancing up before looking back down at the baby asleep in her arms. “And thank you for in advance for the numerous frantic calls I’m sure I’ll be making at two in the morning when I’m more than confident I’ve screwed up. Or broken her. Or both.”
Laughing, she shakes her head. “Everything you have is already in you. It’s instinctual. Listen to your gut, and you’ll be just fine.”
“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” Psycho says, his gaze fixed on his child.
“Just remember this time when she falls into sleep regression and cockblocks you,” Colt says, laughing as Lex smacks him in the stomach. “Still adorable, but just a bit less amazing.”
Lex rolls her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”
His phone rings, and he backs away to answer it the corner while Lex moves to fuss over the baby some more. “Yeah?”
“Colt, it’s Grayson. We got a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“I just got a call from someone in the department. Brock and Beckett were arrested last night for breaking and entering.”
“What?” he snaps, turning to look at all three now focused on him. “Why hasn’t Lily called yet?”
Sighing, Grayson Tate pauses. The former police officer turned PI has become invaluable to the club. Luckily, he seems to still have a few contacts in the department.
“They broke into Donald Ramsey’s house.”
“Who the fuck is that?”
“A really big wig in Griffin’s Beach, but you’d never know because he keeps a low profile.
Works with Sebastian Griffin. Lots of money and even more connections.
I’m not sure what they were doing, but they royally fucked up.
This Ramsey guy is going to fuck them. And I mean that in pretty much every way it can be taken.
His power runs deep enough that having their rights infringed upon means nothing to anyone. ”
Colt tries to understand what Grayson’s saying. “I don’t get it.”
“They’re already in prison.”
“How the fuck—”
“I don’t know, but this guy is not someone they should have fucked with. There will be no arraignment hearing, and they probably won’t get a trial. If I had to guess, they’re going to be killed in prison.”
“Lily’s good, she’ll—”
“He has connections as far up as the senate. Supreme court judges. That tells you there’s no limit to the strings he can pull with the circuit judges. Hell, he probably owns the prosecutor, too.”
Closing his eyes, he looks up at the ceiling. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m calling Lily, and then I’ll need someone to talk me out of breaking Travis and Julian’s necks.”
“What happened?” Psycho asks when Colt hangs up.
“Brock and Beckett were arrested last night for breaking and entering into some powerful guy’s house. They’ve basically been locked up with the key thrown away. Lily doesn’t even know yet. This guy owns everyone, I guess.”
“Why would they break into someone’s house?”
Shaking his head, he lets out an annoyed sigh. “I don’t fucking know.”
“Shannon,” Lex says. “Beckett would do that for Shannon. I don’t really know how Brock fits in, but I bet this is the guy after her.”
“Be the President, you said. It’s a great opportunity, you said. Fuck me in the ass, why don’t you?”
“That’s not really my thing, but we can give it shot if you really want,” she says with a shrug.
He narrows his eyes but can’t help but chuckle as Psycho and Lacey laugh. “This is serious.”
“Oh, come on. You know that as soon as Lily gets word of this, she’s going to rip everyone a new asshole.
Speaking of, then we can revisit the topic of you wanting to get fucked in the ass.
I’ll just need to make a stop at the sex shop.
Or I could probably ask Mel to borrow hers.
We know she and Jace have probably done it. ”
“Okay, too far.”
“Or no far enough?” she asks with a wicked smirk. “No, you’re right. This is serious. Let’s get Lily, and we’ll get it all squared away.”
They might be safer behind bars because I plan to ring both of their fucking necks for this.