Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
brIDGET
“Bridget!”
The sounds of more gunshots, screams, and flesh hitting flesh meet my ears. An alarm goes off, ringing into the darkness. I've been hit somewhere. My leg hurts. Where's Declan?
Then Declan's beside me, holding my hand. I'm dizzy and confused. “Where am I?”
“On the floor, love,” he says. “You'll be fine. You just fell.”
“And what's that—what's that noise?”
“Seamus has sounded the family alarm. He's calling in everyone.”
“Is anybody hurt?” I say, even as my stomach is caving in.
“Don’t know yet. Came straight to you.”
I feel nauseous. My head and both feet hurt. It’s too much—the whole of it, right there in the middle of the McCarthy family living room.
The baby.
“Medics!”
“Here!” Declan shouts. “In here!”
Why won’t the ringing in my ears stop?
They arrive in uniforms, with stretchers and medical supplies.
“Are you hurt?”
“She fell,” Declan says. “There was a bomb. And she’s—she’s pregnant.”
“Right, then. We’ll get her seen immediately.”
There’s no going back now. Everyone could’ve heard. I close my eyes, thankful I wasn’t shot but eager to see if all is well with the baby. If after all this time and everything we’ve been through…
“You’re alright, love,” Declan says, holding my hand. I know then that whatever happens, we’ll weather it together, even if he’s made a promise he can’t take back. Even if I have to forge a new destiny on my own—we’ll make it through.
We already have.
There was a time when I was the one at his bedside. Now we've switched places again.
Even at my sickest, I never saw so many doctors in my life. I thought we’d finally be able to rest.
“You’ll be alright,” the doctor says at my bedside. “The numbers are very good. We can tell you’ve had an infusion. You have a preexisting condition?”
“Aplastic anemia.” Declan stands beside me, holding my hand fiercely.
I swallow hard as Seamus’s shadow appears.
“She's pregnant,” Declan tells the doctor. “We need to make sure the baby's okay.”
Seamus stands in the doorway, watching us both curiously.
“You're doing great,” the doctor says. “We'll get an ultrasound, but I'd bet good money your baby's fine, with all those layers of protection.” She smiles. “Mam's body and skin, and uncles standing sentry.”
Seamus and Keenan share a look. I don't care. I don't care who knows what. I want to make sure the baby's okay.
“Get an ultrasound tech in here right away.” Declan isn’t playing either.
I'm holding my breath. He's holding my hand. In the hallway now, Seamus is making phone calls and sending texts as people are running by on stretchers. Declan says no one was seriously injured, but I want to see for myself.
And then, a few minutes later, we are looking at the kidney-bean shape of a baby with a heartbeat.
My eyes fill with tears.
Oh my god.
“Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?” the technician asks.
“No,” Declan says, at the exact same moment I say, “Yes.”
We look at each other.
“Aye,” he says. “She's the one having the baby.”
“Good answer,” she says with a wink. “Alright, let’s see here. You’re far enough along, it should be an easy tell…” She smiles. “You’re having a baby boy.”
He bends and kisses me.
They finish the scan and check my vital signs. It seems I’m as good as gold.
“What happened back at the house?” I ask him.
“Esposito has custody of her. He’ll be back in touch.”
I sigh and shake my head. “So, not the alliance you’d planned with the Espositos, but it might work in everyone’s favor in the end?”
“Aye.”
Someone clears his throat. When I look up, Seamus and Keenan are standing in the doorway of the hospital room.
“Declan,” Seamus says, arms crossed over his chest. “A word.”