Forgotten Awakenings (Awakenings #2) (32 page)

“Wow, your shoulders are tight,” he commented. “Do you have a lot of headaches?”

“Not really,” she said, unsure she was telling the truth or not. “I mean, a few, but hello, pregnant.”

“Pregnant or not, the tension on your shoulders isn’t helping,” he chided.

“I’m sure it’s not,” she murmured.

Eddie didn’t press the issue, which she was grateful. Yes, she dealt with a lot of stress, but she had a company to run, a family to take care of, people relying on her.

“Okay, let’s roll you onto your left side first,” Eddie instructed, lowering the top of her bed even more.

Elle placed her hands on the side of the table as she shifted her hips to the side, but she’d barely moved when she felt an excruciating pain wrap around her stomach followed by gush of fluid between her legs, soaking her and the table beneath her.

“Oh, my God!” she cried, looking at her mother. “My water broke and I just had a contraction.”

“What?” Helina snapped, sitting up so fast, the sheet covering her dropped down to her waist.

“I’m . . . I’m in labor,” Elle whimpered. Though she’d taken birthing classes, the sudden realization that today she’d have her baby hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Okay, calm down, sweetheart,” Helina said, covering herself with her sheet as she climbed off the table. “Labor can take —”

Before her mother could finish another band of pain wrapped around Elle’s center of gravity and she screamed.

“Or maybe labor won’t take hours,” Helina muttered. “I think we’d better call an ambulance.”

“On it.” Eddie immediately had his phone out and was making the call before Elle could do anything more than cry.

“Okay, sweetheart, you need to breathe,” Helina said, grabbing her robe and pulling it back on. “Ivy, get our clothes.”

“Yeah, all right,” Ivy muttered, rushing into the bathroom, coming back moments later with their clothing.

“Ambulance is on its way,” Eddie told them. “I’m just going to run out to the front desk and let Ida know to prepare the way for us.”

While Elle tried to breathe through the near constant pain radiating through her body, Helina and Ivy quickly threw their clothes on, neither of them seeming to care that there were two strangers in the room with them.

“Someone needs to call home,” Elle wept, her fist tightening on the sheet as another contraction raged through her.

“You’re okay, sweetheart,” Helina cooed, trying to rub her back, but all Elle wanted was Derek, Callum, and Sadie.

“I need to talk to them!” Elle screamed. “Please, Momma, please!”

“Okay, shh, I’ll call them,” Helina told her. Elle sucked in a lung full of air and blew it out as her mother made the call. “Callum, it’s Helina . . . Well, no, she’s not okay. Her water broke and she’s in labor . . . Okay, hang on.”

Helina held her phone toward Elle. “He wants to talk to you.”

Elle’s hand was shaking as her fingers wrapped around the cell phone and she brought it to her ear. “Lover.”

“We are on our way,” he promised. “Derek, Sadie, and I are on our way to the hospital. You’re going to be okay. We will call Dr. Kemp, you just focus on our beautiful baby girl.”

“I’m trying, but . . .” Elle cried out again as another contraction ripped her insides open. Or at least that’s how it felt.

“Elle!” Callum yelled as she lost her grip on the phone and it fell to the floor.

Ivy scooped it up. “Hurry . . . Yeah, I’ll tell her, just make sure you’re at the hospital.”

As Ivy ended the call, the doors to the suite were thrown open and Eddie led two paramedics into the room. They were by Elle’s side before she could blink.

“How far apart are your contractions?” one of the paramedics asked, sliding his fingers over the inside of her wrist.

“I don’t know,” she said, panting. “Close. A couple minutes at the most.”

He hummed, but didn’t say anything as he pulled on a pair of gloves and pushed her legs apart. Before she could protest, he pushed his fingers inside her, causing her to scream.

“She’s almost eight centimeters dilated,” he said, not caring that he’d caused her pain.

“Let’s get her loaded,” the other paramedic stated, her eyes flickering down to Elle. “We’re going to take care of you and your baby.”

She wanted to believe them, but her body hurt too much and all she wanted was to feel her lovers’ arms around her.

The paramedics wasted no time in getting her strapped to the stretcher and rolling her out of the spa. Dozens of people gathered in the lobby, gawking at Elle as she passed by. Helina and Ivy were right behind them.

“Easy does it,” the male paramedic said as they lifted her stretcher into the back of the ambulance.

Helina grabbed the inside of the door and tried to pull herself up, but the female paramedic grabbed her shoulder, pulling her backward.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but there isn’t room.”

“No, I am going with her. She’s my daughter, and she needs me.”

“I’m sorry, but there just is not enough room,” she said again.

“Please let her come with me,” Elle sobbed, reaching for her mother. “Please don’t leave me.”

The paramedic sighed and shifted her attention to her partner. “Kenny?”

“She can ride up front with you, Janine, but we’ve got to move.”

“All right, Mom, you heard him,” Janine said, pulling Helina away and closing the doors.

A moment later, Elle felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder and she was able to tilt her head back enough to see her mother sitting in the passenger seat.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” Helina assured her. “I promise.”

A tear slipped down Elle’s face as another contraction ripped through her and the ambulance sped off, the sirens blaring.

“Elle, right? That’s your name?” Kenny asked.

She nodded while gritting her teeth.

“Okay, Elle, I know they hurt. I’m not going to lie to you, but you need to breathe or you’re going to pass out.”

Elle tried. She did, but each contraction lasted longer, were more intense, more painful than the last, and there was barely half a minute between each one as they sped down the interstate to UCSF Medical Center.

The ambulance felt like it was barely moving as they crept along. Contraction after contraction after contraction struck, causing her to cry and scream. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to be sitting in a hospital bed with an epidural. Sadie should have been perched up behind her. Derek and Callum on either side, her hands clenched in theirs, pulling her legs backward as she brought their daughter kicking and screaming into the world.

“Oh, my fuck!” Elle screamed, lurching against the straps holding her against the stretcher. Intense pressure pressed against the bottom of her stomach. “I need to push.”

“What?” Helina snarled, turning in her seat to look at Elle. “How much further?”

“Three minutes at least,” Janine replied. “Kenny?”

“Give me a sec,” he said, pulling on a clean pair of gloves before sliding his fingers into Elle again. “Oh, we don’t have three minutes. Pull over. The baby is crowning.”

“All right.”

Elle felt the ambulance stop as Kenny unbuckled the straps from across her legs and arms, pushing them up and outward.

“Push, Elle!” he ordered, grabbing some blanket off a top shelf and stuffing them under her.

“AAHH!” Elle screamed, throwing her hand out for something to grab.

Helina grabbed her hand, wrapping her fingers around Elle’s. “You’ve got this, sweetheart.”

“Momma,” Elle growled, squeezing her mother’s hand as she pushed yet again. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“Heads out,” Kenny announced. “Just a little more, Elle. A little more.”

“I can’t,” Elle whimpered.

“Yes, you can.” Helina shifted so that she was kneeling next to Elle. She slid on arm beneath her, propping her up. “I’ll help.”

“Momma,” Elle cried.

“You can do it, sweetheart. You’re strong enough, brave enough. Now, dig deep and push.”

Elle screamed once more as she lurched forward, pushing as hard as she could. Burning and pain filled her, but seconds later, the sweetest sound she had ever heard filled the ambulance: her daughter’s cry.

“It’s a girl!” Kenny announced, placing the baby in her arms before he clamped and cut her cord. “She’s perfect, Mom.”

“She is,” Elle murmured, kissing her messy head as tears saturated her face.

A few minutes later, Janine pulled up in the ambulance bay of the hospital. The back doors were thrown open and Kenny, holding the baby, leapt out.

“Bring her back!” Elle called, her lips dry.

“She’s fine,” Janine said, climbing into the back. “He’s just handing her to the doctor so we can take you inside.”

“Dr. Hendricks. That’s her doctor,” Elle mumbled, her eyes closing.

“He’s here,” Janine stated.

Just as Elle thought she was drifting to sleep, she was startled awake when her stretcher began to move. And opening her eyes, she saw Kenny at the bottom of her stretcher. As they rolled her into the emergency room, Elle found Derek, Sadie, and Callum waiting with Ivy and Dr. Kemp.

“Oh, my God, baby,” Sadie sobbed, rushing toward her, but stopping when Dr. Kemp stepped in front of her.

“You don’t do anything the easy way, do you?” Dr. Kemp asked.

“Not in my nature.” The adrenaline that had soared through Elle to give her the strength to birth her daughter in the back of an ambulance had been replaced by exhaustion. “Is my baby okay?”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Dr. Kemp assured her. “Dr. Hendricks is with her now.”

“Okay,” Elle slurred, her eyes closing. “I was scared.”

“Elle!” Dr. Kemp called out, but she couldn’t seem to reply. “She’s losing too much blood. Let’s get her to the OR stat!”

“My baby,” Elle mumbled before the darkness wrapped around her and she drifted off into nothing.

Thirty

“Shh, you’re going to wake her,” Sadie hissed, followed by the sound of someone getting hit.

Elle moaned as she shifted in the bed, her entire body aching.

“Way to go, jackass,” Sadie snarled, but a moment later, Elle felt her cool fingers wrap around her hand. “It’s okay, honey. We’re here.”

Elle pried her eyes open — once, twice, and then a third time before she was able to focus on the people gathered around her bed. Her immediate attention was on Sadie, Derek, and Callum, all of whom had a hand on her body. Their eyes were red and puffy, their cheeks stained with dried tears.

“What’s wrong?” she slurred, her mouth dry. “Where’s the baby?”

“She’s in the nursery,” Derek said, quietly. “You’ve been asleep for a while.”

“She okay?” Elle whimpered.

“She’s perfect,” he whispered, bringing his hand up to her face. “But you lost a lot of blood, beautiful. Too much. They had to perform a hysterectomy.”

Elle’s eyes closed as tears gushed over her lids, sliding down the side of her face.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Callum cooed, his hand covering Derek’s.

“I want to see my baby,” she cried, leaning into their touch. “Please, I need to see her.”

“Okay, just calm down,” Sadie said as she reached across the bed and pressed the red button to call for the nurse. It was then that Elle realized that her entire family was inside her room. Ivy and Nick, Lucia and Aaron, Helina and James, Bruce and Claudia, Samuel and Lydia, Carlos and Felicia.

“Yes,” the garbled, annoyed voice of a nurse trickled through the small speaker.

“She’s awake and would like to see our baby,” Sadie stated.

“I’ll let the doctor and the nursery know.”

Sadie shifted so that she was seated on the side of the bed and tilted her attention back to Elle. “You gave us quite the scare.”

“Sorry,” Elle murmured, reaching for her hand. She lobbed her head to the side and looked at her mom. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Helina murmured.

“Not how I intended on spending our day,” Elle said, laughing softly. “I never even got to thank the paramedics.”

“I thanked them for you,” Helina said.

“Oh, okay.” Elle licked her lips, her tongue and mouth dry. “Can I have some water?”

“Just a small sip,” Sadie said, grabbing a foam cup and placing the straw at her lips.

Elle took a small drink, but it did little to help. Before she could ask for more, the door to her room opened and Dr. Kemp walked in. Elle looked past her, hoping that her daughter would soon right behind her, but she wasn’t.

“Where is she?” Elle asked, worry filling her. “You said she was okay.”

“And she is,” Dr. Kemp insisted. “The nursery is bringing her down. I just wanted to check on you before they get here. Are you in a lot of pain?”

Elle nodded, knowing it was pointless to lie. Her body ached, her head hurt, but she’d go through all of it again.

“Okay, I’ll adjust your medication.” Dr. Kemp leaned against the side of her bed. “Did you tell her?”

“I did,” Derek whispered.

She nodded and looked back at Elle. “I’m so sorry. I did everything I could, but —”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” Elle interrupted.

“You are.”

“Then you did your job. Would I have liked to have had more children? Maybe. I don’t know, but I’m here to help raise my girls, and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

Dr. Kemp smiled as the door to her room opened and she looked over her shoulder. “And here is our guest of honor.”

Elle attempted to push herself up, but Derek placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. The nurse pushing the plastic bassinet stopped next to the bed and carefully lifted the tiny bundle.

“Okay, Mom, here you go,” she said, placing the baby in Elle’s arms.

“Oh, my God,” Elle cried, staring down at her. She had a head full of dark hair. “She’s so beautiful.”

“She weighed seven pounds, four ounces. She was twenty inches long, and she’s perfect.” Derek rattled off her stats as he placed his hand under the infant. “Just like you.”

Elle smiled as she looked from the baby to the rest of her family. “I’d like to introduce you to Willow Faith Davis.”

“Willow?” Bruce asked, his grin growing.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Sadie said. “In honor of the William’s side of her family.”

“Thank you,” he whimpered.

“No, thank you,” Elle murmured, shifting her eyes back down to Willow.

—FA—

“Ugh,” Elle moaned, placing one hand on the railing to her bed, while the other cradled her now empty stomach.

“You okay?” Callum asked, his hands twitching at his side and she knew he was trying to keep from reaching for her, but Elle was determined to at least stand up on her own, even if she couldn’t walk without her cane or someone helping her.

“Yeah,” she murmured, blowing out a deep breath before sliding off the bed. Her leg screamed in protest, her stomach ached, her back was sore, and she smelled of sweat and grime. “Give me my cane.”

“Here,” he said, sliding the green cane into her hand. His fingers grazed her back. “You ready to move?”

“No,” she said, smiling. “But let’s do it, anyway.”

Slowly, he helped Elle across her hospital room to the bathroom, where Derek was standing with his fingers under the water of the shower.

“It’s not too hot,” he said, reaching for her.

Elle’s hands shook as she placed her fingers in his palm and allowed him to help her into the bathroom. Three days had passed since Willow’s surprising birth, and Elle was finally getting to take a shower.

Derek helped slide Elle’s hospital gown off as Willow started fussing. A sigh escaped her, the thought of never getting to shower again.

“You shower, I’ll keep her occupied until you’re done,” Callum insisted, releasing his hold on her and turning to tend to their new daughter.

“Okay, beautiful, I’m going to be right here if you need me,” Derek told her, holding onto her as she stepped into the shower.

“Thanks.” Her voice shook, and as the warmth washed over her sticky skin, she couldn’t keep from moaning. “Goddamn, that feels good.”

Derek laughed, but didn’t say anything. Being stuck in bed for the better part of two days hadn’t been easy on Elle. Willow’s birth had gone smoothly, according to Dr. Kemp, but as usual with Elle, she had started running a low grade fever within hours of arriving at the hospital. Dr. Kemp started her on antibiotics, but suggested waiting to get Elle out of bed and walking until the fever broke. Took almost a day and a half, but she’d managed to walk to the end of the hallway and back, passed gas, had a bowel movement, and was now getting to take a shower with the hope of going home in a few hours.

“Elle, honey, are you okay?” Derek asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Did you pack my shampoo?”

“It’s in your bag. Just a second.” Derek returned a moment later with a bottle of her favorite shampoo in his hands.

“Thanks, lover,” she told him, taking the bottle from him and squirting a bit into the palm of her hand. Her hair felt nasty from sweating through the fever, the hormone changes in her body, and from lying in a bed for two days. “Is Sadie back yet?”

“Any minute,” Derek replied. “She texted before leaving the house with Flora. Said your mom wanted to come with her, but she convinced her to wait with the rest of the parents. They’re a little anxious to see Willow again.”

Elle smiled. She never imagined that her mother would be the one holding her up as she gave birth to her daughter, yet in the moment she needed her the most, Helina was there.

“Okay, every time you get quiet, I worry that you’ve drowned.” Derek pulled the shower curtain back and let his eyes roam over her nude body. “Still alive, I see.”

“Not getting rid of me that easily, bub,” she quipped, holding onto the hand rails as she turned off the water. “Towel, please.”

“Can I dry you off?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No!” she laughed, regretting it as soon as every muscle in her body hurt. “That was stupid.”

“Sorry,” he snickered, holding a white towel out to her.

Elle dried off before holding onto his hand and stepping out of the bathroom, taking a seat on the toilet. “Can you grab my clothes, please?”

“Of course.”

Ten minutes later, Elle was seated in the recliner inside her hospital room, a fresh pair of panties, yoga pants, and a T-shirt on. Willow was suckling at her breast, her dark hair sticking out in every direction, and her eyes were clenched shut. The few times her eyes had been open over the last few days, Elle noticed that her eyes were almost a slate-grey color.

“I can’t get over how much hair she has,” Derek said, kneeling next to Elle and placing his hand under Willow’s head.

“Me, either.”

Elle had just covered her breast as the door to her room opened and Sadie rushed in side, carrying Flora in one arm. The almost nine-month old little girl had just started pulling herself up and crawling. Her strawberry-blond hair had been pulled up into pig-tails that stuck straight up.

“Sorry, we’re late,” Sadie muttered, walking over to Elle and kissing her. Flora reached down for Willow. “Oh, looks like she’s ready to meet her sister.”

Elle shifted Willow so that she was facing Flora. “Flora Hope, meet your baby sister, Willow Faith.”

“Babababa,” Flora babbled, once more reaching for her sister. Sadie was able to catch her hands before she could scratch Willow.

“Easy.” Sadie lowered Flora so she could kiss Willow’s head, which she did. “You’re going to be the best of friends, my sweet girls.”

“Or they’ll fight like cats and dogs,” Callum added, causing everyone to laugh. “Just saying.”

“No, they’ll be best friends,” Elle murmured.

“Am I interrupting?” Dr. Kemp asked, leaning against the doorjamb. She was holding a white envelope in her hand; once again, they had done a paternity test on Willow so they’d know who her biological father was.

“Is that what I think it is?” Elle asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Are you sure you want to know? It’s not going to change anything.”

“No, it won’t, but we need to know,” Callum said, sliding his hand in with Derek’s. “We’ve got two beautiful daughters.”

Dr. Kemp smiled as she opened the envelope and pulled out the results. Pausing for a moment, her eyes shifted to each of them before landing on Derek. “You’re Willow’s biological father.”

“Oh, my God,” Derek cried, bringing Callum’s hand up to his mouth. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t praying that she was mine. Just knowing that my blood flows in one of my two daughters.”

“I know, babe.” Callum slid his hand to the back of Derek’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Derek wiped away his tears as he turned back to Elle and Willow, once more kneeling next to the two of them. Leaning in, he placed a kiss on Willow’s head. “Daddy loves you, sweetie. Both your daddies love you.”

“Well, I’m going to leave these on the bed,” Dr. Kemp said, breaking through the emotional moment they were having. “You’re free to leave as soon as you’re ready. Just let the nurses know and they’ll send an orderly up.”

“Thank you, Dr. Kemp,” Elle said. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

Dr. Kemp smiled before she turned and walked out of the room, leaving the six of them alone.

Tears filled Elle’s eyes as her attention was pulled to the newborn resting peacefully in her arms. A year ago, Elle’s life was filled with pain and doubt, fear and worry. But now, her family was stronger, braver than ever.

Love won.

~~The End~~