Tears welled in Deacon's eyes. "I'm sorry. Jesus, I’m so sorry."
"Get out! Get out of my sight, you lying bastard!" When Deacon reached for her hand to try to calm her, she slung him away. "I said get out!" she screamed before she broke down into hysterical sobs so hard they shook the bed.
With an expression of defeated agony, Deacon fled from the room, the door slamming behind him. Kim and I exchanged a look of horror and loss at what we were to do next. Although my experience was completely limited to animals, I knew it wasn’t good for Alexandra to be so emotional.
I went to her side and took her hand. “Alex, look at me.”
It took her a few moments to calm down enough to stare into my eyes. I held her gaze, stroking her forehead with my other hand. “It’s going to be all right. You’re going to be all right, and the baby is going to be all right.”
At my words and touch, her entire body seemed to relax. She sighed deeply and squeezed my hand. “Thank you, Annabel.”
Breakneck blew through the door followed by Rev. The good doctor had his standard black medical bag, along with a rolling suitcase. I guess he had raided the maternity ward at the hospital for all the necessary supplies.
He then went to work, assessing Alexandra and barking orders to me and Kim.
Breakneck handed me a basin. “Go fill this with boiling water. Tell the women to keep a pot constantly boiling.”
With a nod of my head, I hurried out of the room. When I got outside, I almost tripped over Deacon who was sitting with his back against the wall.
He raised his haunted eyes to mine. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Breakneck is with her, and things are progressing as they should.”
Deacon nodded and then hung his head. I knelt down beside him and took his hand. “She isn’t going to stay mad at you, Deacon. Pain does things to you, makes you say and do things you don’t mean.”
“If something happens to her or the baby because of me, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
“Listen to me. Alexandra is young and strong. She’s had a perfectly healthy pregnancy. She will be fine.” I rose to my feet. “I have to go get the water.”
Without another word to him, I sprinted to the kitchen. Thankfully, Boone’s wife, Mary, had the presence of mind to have a pot already boiling.
When I returned with the boiling water, Rev was seated beside Deacon, his arm slung over his brother’s shoulder. I gave him a fleeting smile before hurrying back into the room. Mama Beth had replaced Kim at the bedside. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding Alexandra’s hand and keeping her as calm as she could.
Everything seemed to start happening at a whirlwind pace. I tried to help Breakneck when he asked me, but I felt completely and totally clueless. Some moments felt like the hands on the clock were spinning out of control and others seemed to drag by.
"And there's the head. You need to keep pushing now." A beaming smile lit up Breakneck's face. "He's got a gorgeous head full of hair."
"He does?" Alexandra questioned.
"Yes, dark hair just like you and Deacon."
At the mention of Deacon's name, Alexandra's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Deacon," she murmured before she turned to me. "Please get him for me! He didn’t get to be there when Willow was born, and I don’t want him to miss seeing his son come into the world."
I spun on my feet and hurried to the door. As I flung it open, I prayed Deacon was still just outside and hadn’t gone to do something stupid like get drunk. My heart leapt at the sight of him still sitting beside Rev with his head buried in his hands. "Deacon, come quick. Alexandra is asking for you."
I had never seensomeone move so fast. He was on his feet in a flash and by my side. He didn’t wait for me. Instead, he barreled on inside and went to Alexandra’s side. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” he murmured over and over again as he bestowed tender kisses all over her face.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I’ll give Rev my cut right now if you want me to leave the club.”
My head spun over to the doorway where Rev stood in open-mouthed disbelief at his brother’s suggestion. We then both looked back to the bed to await Alexandra’s response.
She gazed up at Deacon. “How could I ask you to do that? This club is your life.”
“You and our children mean more to me than anything in the world,” he argued.
“Let’s just leave things as they are for right now. How’s that?”
