Banded Together (Rebel Walking #2.5) (5 page)

"Hey, can we
get something to eat first?"

"Sure!
 
Ivy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm
just hungry."

"How does
Italian sound?"

"Great."
 
I manage to get the word out before the Braxton
Hicks contraction tightens everything again.
 
Shit, these are a lot harder than
they've been in the past.

This one forces me
to lean back in the seat and breathe through it.

"Ivy.
 
You're scaring me.
 
Are you in labor?"

"I don't
think so, just go through the drive-thru somewhere and get me some water and
chicken strips real fast."
 

She orders quickly
and I manage to get some water in me before it starts to happen again.

"Shit, Ivy,
I'm calling
Taron
."

"No.
 
Just wait and see if it stops.
 
It usually does."
 
I'm not going to tell her this is the worst
I've ever had it.
 
I have no desire to
see
Taron
right now.
 
I just know he's hiding something from me.
 

"I'm going to
time them."
 
We sit in Talon's truck
and count the contractions.
 
One after
the other they continue until I finally agree she can take me to the hospital.

We get to the
hospital and the nurses attach me to the monitor to watch the contractions.
 
One of the nurses checks to see how dilated
my cervix is.
 
Eavan
and I are both completely shocked when the nurse says I'm already dilated to a
four.
 

"I'm calling
Taron
now."
 
I
can't deny him this.
 
No matter what
happens between us, he loves this baby and he deserves to be here to see her
when she enters the world.

Chapter Five

Taron

She's finally out
of the house.
 
I have so much to do and
not much time at all.
 

"Luke, can
you and Lilly start painting?
 
Holden,
this crib needs to be put together.
 
Where the hell is Talon?"

"He's coming,
just chill your shit."
 
Holden
has
to be tired of my hyper ass
today.
 
I've been going non-stop since I
left Ivy this morning.
 
It wouldn't be so
bad if I hadn't chosen to get my new ink today.
 
I can't help it, some days I just have to have a new one; today is one
of those days.
 

I grab a paint
roller and begin to roll on the paint I chose for Heaven's room.
 
It's a special paint that looks almost silver
with a bunch of glitter-like specks in it.
 
It'll be perfect with the black furniture and dark pink everything
else.
 
I hope Ivy likes it.

It doesn't take us
long to paint the entire room.
 
Lilly has
been edging the whole time, so we manage to get the paint on rather quickly.
 
Ivy has been texting, and I hate being vague
with her, but she doesn't need to be dealing with all of this.
 
I want her to relax and enjoy her time with
Eaven
.

My phone rings and
I struggle with it because of the damn paint all over my hands.
 

"
Taron
,
it's
Ev
.
 
Get to the hospital, Ivy is in labor."

"On
my way."
 
I don’t wait for her
to say anything else; those words are all I need.
 
My brother meets me at the door with more of
the guys who were coming to help with the nursery.

"Ivy is in
labor.
 
Got to go.
 
NOW."

"Let me drive
you."
 
Talon turns immediately to
follow.
 
He takes for-fucking-ever to get
me to the hospital and I don't even let him completely stop the truck before
I'm out and running.
 

The nurse leads me
to Ivy and I take in all of the machines strapped to her as well as the scared
look on her face.
 
Another nurse is
moving an elastic strap around on her belly.

"We'll keep
and eye on her heart rate.
 
I want you to
lie on your left side for a little while.
 
I'm going to call the doctor and make sure he’s nearby."

My heart begins to
panic.
 
What's happening?
 
Why
is this happening so early and why
are they worried about
heart rates?
 
My eyes meet Ivy's tear-filled
gorgeous blue eyes and all I see is panic.
 
I need to get my shit together and be here for her.
 
Eaven
begins to talk
to Ivy.

"Everything
will be just fine.
 
Dr. Simon is a great
doctor and your baby is a fighter.
 
She
has no choice because it's in her blood."
 
Ivy nods her head and grabs her lower back.
 
I move in close and rub my hand over her
belly, trying to reach around to rub her back for her.
 

"Did they
give her anything for pain?"

"She told
them she doesn't want any and no epidural."
 
This is something we talked about.
 
Ivy wants to do this naturally, but I told
her to see how she feels during labor.
 

Eaven
moves to let me sit right next to Ivy.
 
I take her hand and try to think of the words
to say.

"I love
you."
 
Those three words are the one
only ones that come out.

"You lied,
you fucking
asssssssshole
."
 
Asshole comes out through a crying
scream.
 
What the hell?
 
Her grip
becomes so tight and I'm not sure when the fuck she gained the strength of a
bodybuilder, but she did.

"What are you
talking about?"

"You said you
were with Luke."

"I was!"

"Liar!
 
And what the hell is with all the
fucking glitter?"

"Just a
project I'm working on."

"There you go
again.
 
I can't take it.
 
Just leave me alone!"
 
She starts to roll onto her back when the
nurse walks in and reminds her to stay on her left side.

"I'm not
leaving you, so get over yourself."
 
I grab her hand with both of mine and pull hers to my lips.

"What did you
do to your finger?"
 
Shit.
 
This is definitely not the time to show her what I've done.
 
I talk to the nurse and try to avoid her
question.
 

"
Taron
, why do you have a fresh tattoo on your finger?"

"Because
I wanted a new one."

"Let me
see."

"I will when
you get out of here."
 
I watch the
monitor as her discomfort sets in again.
 
Her pain is getting stronger with each contraction.
 

"SHOW ME
NOW!"

How do you deny
the woman delivering your baby anything in the world she wants?
 
You
know,
the one who
looks like she could reach out and rip your throat out with one hand?
 
You don't.

I slide the wrap
off and hold up my left hand to show her my new ink.

"Don't
overreact.
 
You can decide when you're
ready.
 
Until then, I want you to know
that I'll wait for you no matter how long it takes.

"You
ASS!
 
You're making me cry when a fucking
watermelon is about to squeeze out of my vagina hole.
 
Taron
, that's not
fair.
 
You're not allowed to have my name
wrapped around your finger without my permission."

"Baby, if I
wait until
you're
ready, I'll
never
have you around my
finger."
 
This time her hand
squeezes even harder than before.
 
The
nurse comes in and talks about checking her dilation again.
 
If this were any other situation, I'd think it
was hot, but seriously, my girl is hurting while the nurse tries to check her
tonsils through her vagina.

"Already
a nine.
 
You're moving very
fast.
 
The doctor is in the building so
he'll be in shortly.
 
Her heart rate
looks much better now that you're on your side, so keep lying in that position."
 
The nurse leaves quickly and I take my last
chance to remind Ivy that I'm here.

"Baby, I love
you.
 
There is no one else I'd want to
share this with.
 
You are
it
for me.
 
I'll prove that to you for the rest of my
life if that's what you need.
 
I won’t
rush you anymore.
 
You just let me know
when you're ready."
 
Tears fill her
eyes.

"I won’t trap
you."
 

"Don't you
see?
 
I'm already trapped.
 
You trapped me a long time ago.
 
Do you see me trying to break away?
 
I'm
exactly
where I want to be.
 
We are so much
better together than we
ever
were
apart."

Her contraction
hits harder this time so I hold her as much as I can and take in how important
this moment is for us.
 
Seeing her in
pain kills me, but knowing she's choosing to go through this to protect the
baby helps.
 

"I think my
water just broke."
 
I pull away and
look at her confused face.
 

"Um... I'll
get a nurse."
 
We both laugh at the
situation.
 
I have no idea what to do
about her water breaking and I can only suspect there is one hell of a mess in
that bed.
 
I find the call button and
page the nurse.
 
When one shows up, they
quickly change the padding on the bed and begin to prep her for delivery.

"Looks
like we're about to have a baby in here."
 
Dr. Simon opens the door and begins talking
to the nurses following him in.
 
"Let's get everything prepped.
 
I'm going to check her again and see if she's ready."

I watch Ivy as the
doctor checks her and I place a kiss her forehead just as she starts to cry out
from another contraction.
 
I'm about to
lose my shit because I can't do anything to help her.
 
Her cries pierce through me and I'm trying
not to yell at the doctor while his hand is inside her.

"She's fully dilated.
 
Let's do some preliminary pushes to get the
baby into position."
 
At this point
everything feels like it’s moving in fast-forward.
 
Nurses surround her, Ivy's legs get shoved up
to her face, machines and carts get wheeled in and I get lost in all of the
commotion.

"Here, Dad, you
get in on this side and help her hold this leg up when she pushes.
 
Sister, you take the other side.
 
I catch a glimpse of Ivy's swollen...... I'm
not even sure what to call it right now.... and don't even recognize it.
 
My girl is going through hell and all I can
do is hold her leg.
 
Fuck my life.

"Baby, you
are so important to me.
 
I want you to do
this without complications because I need you.
 
Our baby needs you
."
 
She nods her head and continues to cry out as
quietly as she can.

"Okay, it's
time to push."

The nurse talks
Ivy through her first push and counts it down for her.
 
The doctor is in position to catch the baby and
I just stare in awe as my beautiful baby girl is born into this world.
 
Dr. Simon hands me the scissors to cut the
cord and I proudly do the honors.
 
He
sets Heaven across Ivy's stomach and I get to see my daughter for the first
time.
 
She has a full head of dark hair
and doesn't hesitate to protest the second she makes her appearance.
 
Her little hands are shaking and she is so pissed
off.

I turn to look at
Ivy and see that she's as teary-eyed as I am.
 
Words can't really describe the feeling of meeting your daughter for the
first time.
 
"Look at her.
 
She's beautiful!"
 
Her little cry starts to sound pitiful and
cute at the same time.

"Let's get
her cleaned up a little and finish up with mom.
 
Dad, you come with baby and keep her company."
 
I follow this tiny thing that already has me
completely wrapped around her pinky finger.

"Hey, baby
girl!
 
Don't cry.
 
Daddy’s here!"
 
Her cries stop when she hears the sound of my
voice and I set the tip of my finger inside her hand.
 
She starts to cry again so I decide to sing
my song to her.
 
She’s already heard it
many times and I don't care if people think I'm crazy.
 
I wrote this song for my daughter and it's
time she gets a front row seat to hear it.