Chapter 30
Violet
“Do you think if I go to the hospital and ask them to pull her out of me, they would do it?” I groan, trying my best to shift my body into a more comfortable position and failing miserably.
“No.” Jenny laughs, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, baby.”
“I want her out!” I whine at my best friends.
We’re on video call, the three of them lounging around Jenny’s house. A pang of longing hits me. I wish I was there. I miss our weekend movie nights.
They made sure to put me on video chat while I watched the same thing they had on, but it wasn’t the same.
Having them here for a month was amazing. They were here from mid-July to mid-August. Sadly, they went back a little over two weeks ago. I wasn’t able to do much with them. With the heat, this pregnancy kicking my ass, and this belly–that's now as big as an oversized watermelon–the time they spent with me was spent inside the house, just lounging around.
I made sure they went out and had fun, even if I couldn’t go with them. But they didn’t feel right about making memories without me there and said we would do something next summer... if I wasn’t pregnant.
As I lay here contemplating everything, I realize that I don’t know if I want to be jumping back on the pregnancy train any time soon.
“Four more weeks,” Rylee squeals. “You got this, babe. You’ve done so amazing. You're so damn strong. And that little girl is totally worth it.”
“I know,” I sigh. “But does she have to be a beast like her daddies?”
“She’s not even that big,” Jenna points out. “Didn’t the doctor say she was expected to be around seven pounds? That's average, isn’t it?”
“Then why the hell does it look like I swallowed an elephant?” I mutter. “Just my luck, the ultrasound was wrong, and I’m going to push a fifteen-pound baby out of my cooter.”
“Oh my god.” Rylee bursts into laughter. “Don’t even wish that into existence.”
“I’m not!” I protest. “I’m just saying.”
I’m thirty-six weeks pregnant, and I feel like it’s been years. I don’t know how some women have babies one after the other. I know I wanted to give the guys each a biological child of their own, but I think maybe three years apart is just fine. Because I need a few years in between, or I’m gonna go crazy.
I love this sweet baby girl more than life, but holy fuck, I’m so over being pregnant. Also, to avoid being pregnant in summer, get knocked up around the end of August. Thank me later.
A sharp pain shoots through my abdomen, and I suck in a breath. “Shit,” I groan.
“Letty, are you okay?” Jenny asks, voice thick with concern.
My eyes squeeze shut as I struggle to breathe through the pain. “I’m fine,” I say eventually as I let out a breath, relaxing back into the couch. “It’s the damn Braxton Hicks contractions again.” I blink at the screen through blurry eyes, my friends staring back at me with furrowed brows. “They’ve been pretty bad this morning.”
“Babe,” Jenna speaks up. “How long have you been having them this morning?”
“On and off since I woke up. But the past hour, they’ve been every ten minutes,” I whine. “If this is what the real thing is going to feel like, I don’t think I’m ready. I heard you could be in labor for days. Days!” I shout. “I’ve had the fake ones for most of the day, and I’m already over this shit. I heard it gets worse. Any chance they might put me to sleep and take her out of me?”
“Babe, that's called a C-section,” Rylee points out.
“Why wasn’t I offered that?” I huff out. “I might have taken that option if I knew it was going to hurt this bad.”
“Letty, focus.” Jenna gets my attention again. “How long have the Braxton Hicks lasted for when it hits you.”
“I don’t know. Like a minute for so.”
Jenna whispers something to Jenny, the two of them are talking low enough that I can’t hear them. Worry spikes through me. “What's going on? Why are you talking so I can’t hear you?”
Jenna’s face pops back into view. “Babe, I don’t think what you’re experiencing is Braxton Hicks anymore.”
“What do you mean?” my voice comes out panicked.
“Letty, where are the guys?” Jenny asks.
My breathing starts to pick up. “Aiden and Thomas are at work. Nolan is out back doing some yard work. Why? What's going on? I’m freaking out now!” I grunt, struggling to sit up.
“Don’t panic. Just breathe,” Jenny coaches.
“Breathe for what?” I shout at the phone when I’m finally in a sitting position. I’m panting like crazy as if I just bench-pressed a truck. Sad that I’m breaking out in a sweat from just sitting up.
“Braxton Hicks are meant to be very uncomfortable but bearable. They’re not supposed to be painful. And with how frequently you’ve been getting them, I think this is the real deal, babe,” Jenna answers me.
My eyes widen, and fear rushes over me. “No.” I shake my head. “No, I’m not ready. I know I said I wanted her out. But fuck that. No.” I shake my head.
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think you at least need to go in just to be safe. Because if this is the real thing, that would mean you’ve been in labor for hours now, and you don’t know how dilated you are. The baby could come any moment.”
“Why would you say that?!” I start to cry. Yup, I’m on the verge of a panic attack . “You're telling me I’ve been in labor all day, at home when I should have been in a hospital?”
“Actually, a lot of hospitals send laboring women home if they’re not anywhere near dilated enough and their contractions are far apart.”
Another blinding pain shoots through my stomach, and I cry out. “Ooooooohhh!” I sob. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“That wasn’t even ten minutes,” I hear Jenny’s frantic voice.
“You're not helping.” I’m crying now.
The girls talk me through it, but all I want is my pack. I need my pack. I can’t do it without them.
“I’m okay.” I suck in a few breaths. “It’s passed.”
“Okay. This is what I want you to do. Letty, are you listening to me?” Jenny asks.
“Yes.” I nod.
“Hang up with us and call Nolan, get him in here. Have him bring you to the hospital and call the others to meet you there. Then I want him to update us, okay?”
Just as I’m about to answer, there's a pounding on the door. “What the hell?”
“What's that?” Jenna asks.
“Someone’s at the door.” I think for a moment, wondering who it could be. Then I remember that Tessa was going to stop by with some old baby clothes. “I think it’s Aiden’s sister.”
“Good. Good. Have her go get Nolan. Keep us on the phone until after you answer the door, okay?”
“Yeah. okay.” I place the phone on the back of the couch and, with all my strength, manage to get to my feet. “Fucking hell, this walking bullshit sucks,” I mutter as I waddle my ass towards the door.
The knocking on the door starts again. “I’m coming!” I shout. “Hold on.” It feels like I’ve ran a marathon by the time I reach the door. “You know, you can just come in. You don’t have to–” I start but snap my mouth shut when I see that it’s not Tessa on the other side of the door. Nope. It’s literally my worst nightmare.
“What are you doing here?” I growl. Of all the times for this bitch to show up on my doorstep, now is not the time. I’m in pain, I’m pissed off, and I’m not gonna hold back this time.
“You!” Sylvia spits, stepping forward, taking me by surprise and forcing me to step back. “I’ve had enough of you.”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I shout.
“Violet!” I hear Jenny shout through the phone. “Violet, what's going on?”
“Your house?” Sylvia snorts. “This is meant to be my house! You come into my town, take my pack, my house, my everything, and I’m the one who’s being treated like the bad guy!” she shouts in my face.
I honestly thought we were done with this crazy bitch. The guys took me to file a restraining order, and it was granted not too long after.
None of us heard from her since that day at the party supply store. From what the guys heard, she left town, leaving her son behind.
Of all the fucking days she decides to pop back up in our lives, why today?
“How many times do you have to be told,” I say back, raising my voice. “They are not your Alphas! They are mine. My scent matches. My mated pack. The fathers of my children.”
“They were the fathers of my son first!” she spits, chest heaving in anger. “And they left him to play daddies to your kid. I’m done sitting around and letting you take everything from me.”
Slowly, I back up towards the kitchen island. She takes advantage of the open space, following me in. The look on her face is twisted and cruel. She thinks she’s scaring me, but she doesn’t know that I’m making my way to the pistol the guys have hidden in the drawer.
“And what the fuck are you going to do about it? Because I’m not leaving. I’m not giving them up. There’s nothing you can say or do that will make me.”
She grins, and it’s downright sinister. “If you don’t leave, I will hurt everyone you love. I’ll frame them for crimes, drain their bank accounts, and make them look like bad, bad people. Then, I'll come for you. I’ll ruin you, Violet.”
I laugh. And laugh. And laugh. My friends are shouting in the background, my heart is racing like a drum, and I have a batshit crazy woman in my living room.
Then there's a gush, and wetness trickles down my legs.
“Oh my god!” Sylvia gags. “Did you just piss yourself? God, you are so disgusting. How the fuck can they pick an Omega like you over me!” she yells. “You’re trash, Violet, right from the gutter, and I’ll be damned if I lose to someone like you.”
Finally, I reached the island. Pulling the drawer open, I take the gun and pull it on her.
“How many times do I have to point a fucking gun at you before you take the fucking hint and back off!” I scream as another contraction hits me.
I double over in pain, the gun shaking in my hand.
“Are you having the baby?” Sylvia asks.
“Fuck you.” I look up at her with a sneer, breathing heavily through my nose.
She laughs, the crazy bitch. “I hope you have the baby right here on the kitchen floor, and it dies. One less thing to worry about. Without you and that baby... ”
Oh, that's it. That’s fucking it. All fucks are gone, and I pull the trigger, sending a few wild shots flying through the air.
Sylvia screams, but I keep shooting until the clip is empty, watching the bitch run out of the house. I hear the sound of a car starting up and pulling away from the house.
“What the fuck!” Nolan shouts. “Violet, baby, oh my god.”
I let out another gut-wrenching scream as another contraction hits me. They’re too close together. This can’t be good; this can’t be good at all.
“I’m having the baby,” I rasp out. “Nolan, get me to the hospital.”
“Shit. Fuck. Shit.” He scoops me up. I sob in pain as I wrap my arms around his neck, my eyes squeezing shut. I can’t see anything, I don't know what's going on anymore, but I trust him. My Beta is here.
Now I need my Alphas. But first, I need to breathe through the pain before I pass out. “What the fuck is going on!” Jenny’s voice fills the air.
“My phone,” I groan. “Grab it.”
Nolan rushes over with me, snatching the phone up and handing it to me. He doesn’t stop, doesn’t speak as he brings us out of the house and to his car.
“I’m okay,” I tell the girls once I’m buckled in, but no one believes that.
“Okay?” Jenna shouts. “There were gunshots!”
“I just scared her away. I’m fine.”
“Scared who?” Nolan asks. “Because, baby, I’m so fucking confused right now. I was out back chopping up a dead tree, and the next thing I hear are gunshots going off.”
“Sylvia,” I spit.
“Fucking hell!” he roars. “That crazy bitch. That fucking crazy bitch. Did you shoot her?”
“No idea,” I groan, my head spinning. My eyes are still closed, a pounding headache making me feel like I’m going to puke.
“I hope so. And if you didn’t, I’ll fucking do it when I get there,” Jenny growls.
“Not if I beat you to it.” Nolan offers up. “Fuck, Sweets, are you okay?”
“No!” I shout, eyes snapping open as I shoot him a death glare. “I’m not okay. I’m about to push a fucking baby out of my vagina, and your batshit crazy ex just showed up telling me she’s going to ruin my life. So no, I’m not okay!”
Am I being a little bit of a bitch? Yes, but I think I have every right to at this moment.
“Babe, we’re going to let you go. I’m glad you're safe. We love you so fucking much. You're amazing and a badass bitch. You’ve got this. And I’m so happy you're okay. We’re hopping on the next plane and if we can’t get one, we’re driving. We’re coming to you, Letty.”
“Okay,” I sob out, another wave of pain hitting me. “I love you.”
They say their goodbyes and hang up as I grip the side of the door and the seat. “Violet, baby girl.”
Thomas' voice has a sob ripping from my chest. “Alpha,” I cry out. “I need you.”
“I know, baby girl. I know. We’re on our way, okay? I’m grabbing Aiden, and we’re going to meet you at the hospital. But I need you to be brave for me, okay?”
“Okay,” I whimper. The adrenaline from before is starting to slip away, but I can't be weak. I need to stay strong. I’ve got this. I can do this. My baby girl is depending on me.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” I rasp out, screaming as another contraction hits me.
“We’re almost there, Sweets. Fuck, Violet, baby, you’re doing so good. Breathe, you got this,” Nolan coaches.
I feel like I’m out of my own body like I’ve detached from myself. I can feel the pain, but it’s like I’m not there.
There's this pressure added to the pain, the sudden need to shit. If I crap my pants right now, I’ll... I don't even know. I don’t even care. I have no fucking idea what’s going on right now.
“Almost there, Sweets, almost there,” Nolan says, voice panicked.
“I–I think I need to push,” I tell him.
“What!” he shouts. “No. No, Violet, don’t do that. Please, don’t do that.”
“I have to.” I take the seat belt off. “I have to. I don’t have control over it!” I shout.
“Wait!” he shouts, yanking the car to the side. “We’re here. Violet, we’re here. Just wait a minute longer.”
No joke, I have no control over my body. I’m not the one in the driver's seat here. It’s like I know what to do without thinking. The car comes to a stop, and I’m shoving the door open. The moment my feet are on the ground, I’m pulling my panties down, hiking up my dress, and squatting.
“Shit, Violet!” I hear Aiden’s voice somewhere nearby, but I’m not paying attention to him. I’m reaching between my legs and giving one hard push, screaming like a banshee out of hell.
“I got her!” I hear Thomas shout.
And then she’s sliding out.
I gasp, nearly passing out and staggering backward into Nolan’s arms.
My eyes are wide, pure shock at what the fuck just happened. This sweet little garbled baby cry leaves her, and I blink down at the gooey naked baby in Thomas’s arms.
“Holy shit,” he whispers.
“Holy fucking shit,” Aiden laughs.
A sob of joy slips out. I just gave birth to our daughter. In the car. Or in front of the hospital?
Either way, I just gave birth. She’s here. Our sweet little baby is here.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, Little One,” Aiden praises, causing tears to spill down my face. I’m a sweaty, gross mess. I’m pretty sure I’m covered in blood and other bodily fluids, but my pack looks at me like I’m the most beautiful thing in the world.
Then they all look down at our little girl, and I wish I could capture the looks on their faces as they stare down at our pride and joy.
Aiden presses a kiss to my sweaty forehead. “I love you, Omega.”
“I love you too,” I croke out.
A flurry of activity happens as nurses rush out of the hospital, one with a wheelchair for me. Once they carefully help me into the wheelchair, they place a blanket down on my lap and instruct Thomas to place the baby in my arms because the placenta is still inside me.
Tears continue to spill down my cheeks as the adrenaline fades from my body, and I stare at my sweet daughter. My everything. “Hi, baby,” I coo. Even if she’s covered in gunk, she’s still perfect. “I’m your mama. And I know life is crazy right now, but I promise you everything is going to be okay.” I brush my finger along her little cheek.
I don’t care how much money Sylvia has or what kind of connections she could use, I will not stop until she’s locked up where she belongs, where she can’t hurt anyone anymore. She’s a danger, and she needs to be stopped.