Page 67 of July 27

He pocketed his cell phone. Inside the hospital, the woman at the desk ushered him beyond the doors into the room where Cora sat propped up in a bed.

A nurse hung a saline bag and smiled at him. "Looks like your baby is going to arrive at any time. She's fully dilated—"

"She's my sister." He went to the head of the bed and put his hand on her forehead, smoothing back her hair. "You ready?"

Cora nodded, fear in her eyes but strength in her jaw.

"Wire will be here soon." He leaned over her. "He's on his way."

He had no idea where his MC brother was, but he better get his ass over here if he wanted to experience his wife giving birth.

"Okay, we'll roll you up to the next floor and put you in delivery." The nurse unlocked the wheels on the bed. "Once we get up there, we can ask the doctor about an epidural. But he might not want to do that and delay the birth. Your little one is ready to come out and greet the world."

In the elevator, a contraction gripped Cora.

Pressed against the wall, he could only keep Cora's hair from falling on her face. The doors opened. He followed beside the gurney, never letting go of his sister.

Taken into a bigger room, he stood beside Cora as they hooked up a monitor around her belly and put her feet in stirrups. It took him back to when Katrina's mom had given birth. Sheila couldn't handle the relationship with him, much less the idea of having a baby that would stop her from partying. It should've surprised him that Katrina was left at the hospital, and he was called to come pick her up.

He'd held on to her abandoning them for years, blaming her for the hardships and tacking her name on the list of yet another person who couldn't love him. But the truth was, he hadn't missed her. Katrina was the one who missed out on having a mom. He was angry because of what it'd done to his daughter.

"I need to push." Cora panted.

He grabbed her hand and looked toward the end of the bed. Another nurse had joined the first one.

"The doctor is two minutes away." The nurse put on gloves. "Mom, you're doing great."

Cora gritted down. Her face turned bright red.

Ruger kissed the top of Cora's head. "That's it, sis. You've got it."

When the contraction let up, and Cora could breathe again, the doctor swept into the room and sat on a stool at the end of the hospital bed. "Congratulations, Mom. I can see the crown of the head. You are doing everything you can do to see this little...Do we know what we're having? A boy or a girl?"

Cora sobbed. "A girl."

"Right on." The doctor lifted his head above the sheet. "I'm Dr. Mendez. You probably expected your OB/GYN, but you got me since you're in a hurry to deliver this little girl. I've delivered over a thousand babies in my career, and we're going to get you through this so you can hold your little one."

Cora groaned with a contraction, pulling her head up off the bed. Ruger ignored the doctor.

"You're doing great," he whispered. "It won't be long now."

He wanted to ask if the baby was going to be okay. Was it too early? Would Cora be okay?

He shifted his body sideways, keeping the outline of the pistol tucked under his belt out of view. He had no time to prepare for a hospital visit.

Cora grabbed his vest. "Wire. Get. Him."

"I'm not going to leave you."

"Where the hell is he?" Cora's brows lowered. "Damnit. I'm not supposed to do this alone."

"He'll come," he said, hoping his promise was good.

The next contraction came. Cora screamed for her husband in the throes of pain.

"Everyone stand by. The next contraction, I'm going to have Mom push." The doctor lowered his head. "We'll work together to get your baby out."

Ruger gripped her hand. "You've got this, sis."

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