“I need you here,” she said fiercely, squeezing his hand into her own. “Don’t you dare leave me now.” She had no idea how to have a baby on her own, but with Jace by her side, she might actually make it through all of this.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jace promised, brushing her damp hair back from her forehead. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of the vow that he was making to her. Another contraction ripped through her, and she cried out this time, unable to hold it back. Jace shifted closer, bracing her, his handfirm against her back, offering her his support. It was his way of letting her know that he was sticking by her side for the long haul, and that gave her some comfort.
“Do you think that we can do this here?” she almost whispered. Winter wasn’t sure if she and Jace could handle bringing their son into the world alone. They’d need help, but that would put all of them in even more danger, and she didn’t want to do that to her soon-to-be-born son or Jace.
“Well, we can do this here, but we can’t do it alone. I’m calling Banshee and having her send Ruby over here to help you through this,” Jace insisted. She wanted to protest—to tell him that it wasn’t safe, but she knew that if something went wrong with the delivery, they’d need Ruby there.
Winter shook her head, sweat dampening her hairline. “She left hours ago. She’s miles away by now—probably at the hospital. We don’t have time?—”
“I don’t care if she’s halfway across the state,” Jace cut in, already reaching for the burner phone on the nightstand. His hands trembled, but his voice was iron. “I’m not letting you go through this without someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. I’ve never delivered a baby.”
Another contraction ripped through her, and Winter cried out, gripping his wrist. “Jace?—”
He leaned close, pressing his forehead to hers, grounding her even as his thumb dialed Banshee’s number. “I promised you I’d keep you safe. That means our son, too. I can fight a war, Winter, but I can’t deliver a baby alone. Ruby’s coming back—that’s not negotiable.” The line rang, each tone stretching on, feeling like a lifetime. Winter’s chest rose and fell in shallow bursts; her eyes locked on his. She wanted to argue, to tell him they couldn’t risk drawing anyone back into danger, but the truth was she needed Ruby, too.
Finally, a voice answered, groggy but alert. “Jace?” Banshee said.
“It’s happening,” he said, no hesitation. “Winter’s in labor. I need Ruby here, now.”
There was silence on the other end of the call, then Banshee’s voice sharpened, becoming all business. “Keep her calm. Keep her hydrated. I’ll call Ruby now and have her there as fast as I can.”
Jace ended the call, tossing the phone aside, and cupped Winter’s face in his hands. “She’s coming. You’re not alone in this.”
Winter’s tears spilled over her cheeks, hot and unrelenting, but she nodded. “I hope that she hurries, then,” she whispered, clutching his hand as another wave of pain tore through her. “I just hope that we didn’t put her and ourselves in danger, Jace.”
Jace held her tighter, his vow echoing in the quiet safehouse. “We’ll get through this together, Winter. Ruby will help us bring him into the world. I just need you to hold on for me.” She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to make him that promise. Winter felt as though she was being ripped in two by the contractions. Ruby couldn’t get there soon enough, and all she could do was close her eyes and say a little prayer that the Harlot’s new doctor would hurry.
Ruby arrived just before dawn, her hair pulled back in a messy knot, her hot pink notebook tucked under one arm, and a duffel bag of supplies slung over her shoulder. Jace nearly dragged her inside, his face tight with worry. Winter could see how tired the doctor looked, and she worried that she had pulled her away from something important. She knew that Banshee couldbe persuasive—especially when it came to convincing the new members to do what she wanted. But when a fresh wave of contractions ran through her body, she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Winter’s pajamas were sweat-soaked as she gripped the sheets when Ruby knelt beside her. She worked quickly, checking vitals, listening to heartbeats, and measuring how far along her labor was. For a moment, Ruby’s expression was calm and clinical. Then her mouth pressed into a thin line, and Winter knew that there was something that she wasn’t telling them.
“What is it?” Jace demanded, his voice sharp. He seemed to pick up on her distress, too, and Winter was so happy to have him by her side to ask the questions that she just couldn’t at the moment.
Ruby hesitated, then looked him straight in the eye. “She’s progressing, but the baby’s breech. He’s turned the wrong way. I can’t deliver him here—not safely.”
Winter’s breath caught. “What does that mean? Is he going to be okay? I don’t care about myself—just make sure that my son is safe.”
Ruby’s hand squeezed hers, firm but gentle. “It means this delivery is going to be complicated. It’s too complicated for me to handle safely here. If we try to do this in the safehouse, there’s a real risk to both you and the baby, Winter.”
Jace’s jaw clenched. “You’re saying we have to move her.”
“I’m saying she needs a hospital,” Ruby replied. “With the right equipment, the right team. I can keep her stable for now, but if those contractions keep coming—and they will—you won’t have long. I’m an ER doctor, and I’ve delivered babies in the past, but it’s not my specialty. You need an OB to deliver this baby safely and to keep Winter safe and comfortable.”
Winter shook her head, panic rising. “The Dead Rabbits—if we leave the safehouse, they’ll find us. You’ll be in danger too.”
Ruby leaned closer, her voice steady but urgent. “If you stay, you risk losing the baby. I know the danger outside, but I also know what happens when a breech birth goes wrong. You need more than me, and a bag of supplies can do for you.”
“I need you to make this decision for us,” Winter said to Jace. “I can’t decide this alone right now. Please.” She knew that Jace was trained to handle the Dead Rabbits and that he’d make the right decision for the three of them. His hand tightened around Winter’s. His stormy eyes flicked between her and Ruby as though he was torn between fear and resolve. Finally, he nodded once; the decision settled heavily in his chest.
“Then we’re going to the hospital,” he said. “I’ll get her there. No matter what’s waiting outside.”
“I’ll go with you both,” Ruby insisted. “I can take care of Winter while you concentrate on getting us to the emergency room.”
“Thank you,” Winter said, “for everything.” She closed her eyes, tears slipping freely down her face. She hated the thought of leaving the safehouse, hated the risk, especially after everything that had happened at Savage Hell when she begged Jace to take her to the clubhouse. But she knew Ruby was right. The fight wasn’t just about survival from the Dead Rabbits anymore—it was about bringing their son into the world safely. And that meant stepping back into danger.
JACE
The fluorescent lights in the hospital hallway buzzed faintly, too bright and too sterile. Winter had been wheeled away, her pale face disappearing behind swinging doors as the surgical team rushed her into the operating room. Ruby was with her the whole way, filling in the nurses and doctors about the baby being breech. Jace felt a bit relieved having the doctor there with them, and he knew that he had made the right call bringing Winter to the emergency room.
