Page 54 of Stealing a Kilted Heart

“Dinnae ye dare drop me bairn!” Caitriona shouted.

“He willnae drop the bairn,” Fia assured her and then turned her stern gaze to Knox, hissing through clenched teeth. “Ye willnae drop the bairn.”

“But all the blood⁠—”

“Ye’ve killed people but now ye mind the blood?” she asked.

“He’s killed people?” Caitriona cried, her eyes wide as she stared at Knox in fear.

“As a soldier!” he was quick to assure her. “I’m nae a killer, dinnae fash.”

“That is what a mercenary would say!”

“I’m nae a mercenary!”

“He’s nae a mercenary,” Fia assured her and Caitriona seemed more open to accept that as the truth when it came from her. “Look at me, Caitriona… are ye ready? Are ye ready tae push?”

Caitriona nodded and with Fia’s help, squatted a little as she gave the first push. Knox tried to keep his breathing calm and controlled, reminding himself that his was perhaps the easiest job in there. All he had to do was grab the baby; he could do that. If he could stomach the violence of a battle, then he could do this, as well. What he could not do was retch, which was all he wanted to do.

As Caitriona pushed, her screams piercing Knox’s ears, Fia guided her through her labor, reassuring her again and again that everything would be fine and that she was doing well. Soon, Knox came to find out just how much blood was involved in the birth of a child, and once again, he had to force himself to breathe, to keep himself from getting lightheaded. Blood had never bothered him like this before, perhaps because it had never come from an innocent woman who was in so much pain. But now Caitriona’s wails as she tried to push her baby out, coupled with the blood and the sheer strangeness of birth shocked him in a way few things in his life had. What if her fears were true? What if she died?

He couldn’t understand how women could go through with this and not only once, but multiple times. The thought that Caitriona had already done this once gave him pause and he couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would choose to go through it again.

But then, just as he began to question everyone’s sanity, the last of the baby’s body – the little feet – fell in Knox’s hands and he cradled the tiny human in his arms. It was a little girl, her wails as loud as her mother’s, so small that Knox could barely believe she was real.

Above him, Caitriona sobbed with relief and joy as Fia took the baby from Knox and handed it to her. After that, there was a blur of movement as Fia clamped the chord and checked the little girl, making sure she was breathing properly, swaddling her, and handing her once more to Knox, much to his surprise.

“Yer wee girl is fine. Time tae deliver the rest,” she said and Caitriona nodded, bracing herself once more.

“The… what?” Knox asked, but his question was drowned out by another wave of encouragements from Fia’s side. Confused, he stepped back now that Fia hadn’t requested his assistance, watching as the two women worked together to finish the process of labor, with Fia pressing on Caitriona’s stomach as Caitriona pushed.

The sight that followed was one that Knox wished he had never seen in his life. After everything, it was that which made him lightheaded enough for him to seek a chair, collapsing in it as he held onto the baby securely, fearful that he would, in fact, drop her now.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Fia finally came to him, her hands now clean of blood, and took the little girl from his arms to return her to her mother. Belatedly, Knox realized that his own hands were still coated in blood and several other things which he would rather not think about, and he was quick to go to the basin and scrub them clean.

“See?” Fia said. “That wasnae so bad.”

Knox wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to Caitriona, but he nodded anyway. But if that was the process by which he was going to have his heirs, then he didn’t know if it was truly worth it—at least until he turned to look at Caitriona on the bed, cradling her newborn with the biggest smile on her face, while tears were falling down her cheeks.

When Fia left to call Baird and Hamish back into the room, she had made sure everything was clean, no traces of blood to be found. Knox watched as father and son barreled through the door, both of them rushing to Caitriona and the new addition to their family, excited to meet her. With a pleased smile on her lips, Fia joined Knox by the chair and he stood, pulling her into his arms to give her a soft, sweet kiss.

“I told ye bein’ a midwife is harder than goin’ tae battle,” he said. She, too, was still covered in sweat, her honey blonde hair a mess on top of her head and her clothes a little stained, but she was beaming with joy and pride.

“Caitriona did all the work,” said Fia bashfully. “I was only there tae help.”

“An’ if ye hadnae been here, nae one o’ us would have kenned what tae dae,” Knox pointed out. “When will ye realize that what ye dae is the most important thing in the world?”

Fia only huffed out a short laugh, shaking her head, before she kissed him again. It was little more than a quick peck, but Knox liked that they could be open with their love in front of others, even if it was only because this family didn’t know who they truly were.

Now, Knox was more determined than ever to let the council know he was going to marry Fia. There was no other woman in the world for him, no one who could make him feel like she did. She was beautiful, clever, compassionate, everything that the Lady of the Clan needed to be in order to be adored by her people. What other clan could claim to have a lady who had experienced firsthand the hardships of its common folk? That would set Fia apart from anyone else, and Knox didn’t care anymore if his council would be against it.

He had already made up his mind. Now all that was left was for him to ask for her hand in marriage.