Page 18 of Savage Boss

“I think the baby’s coming,” she whispered, her voice worried.

“Impossible,” he replied immediately, replacing the gun on the nightstand now that he knew they weren’t under imminent attack. “The baby has another 32 days to go.”

“I don’t think anyone told the baby,” Jane said dryly.

Vlad felt the bed shift as she swung her legs over the side, then pushed herself to her feet. She groaned and, in the dim light coming from the hallway, Vlad could see her clutch her middle. He was immediately on his feet, moving around the side of the bed. He flipped the light switch on and hunched in front of her, resting his hands on her belly. In his opinion, it was still a fairly small bump, but more noticeable now. Jane was just under eight months along and she still wasn’t wearing maternity clothes.

“What’s happening, malysh?” he demanded.

He’d managed to become the perfect husband over the past several weeks. Giving Jane everything she needed to keep her comfortable and happy. He’d even encouraged her female friends to drop by often, which helped keep Jane happy while on bed rest. Lucy specifically had been a godsend, coming to visit her sister almost daily, bringing fresh flowers with her and a smile that quickly became infectious. Vlad knew that Jane had missed her sister terribly and seeing her again helped get her through the final trimester without too much fuss. Lucy was a calming influence on her older sister, one that Vlad very much appreciated.

“I… I… it just hurts. There’s a lot of pressure and cramping.”

The fear in Jane’s voice helped center Vlad. She needed him to be the mature voice in the room. “Has your water broken?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Okay, good job, malysh,” he tried to reassure her. He shoved a hand through his already disheveled hair and forced his half-asleep brain to wake up and start thinking. He glanced at the alarm clock. It was 5:27 AM.

Vlad urged her to sit back down on the edge of the bed, which she did with his help. He knelt in front of her, holding both of her hands in his, warming them. He reached for her phone and unlocked it. Vlad had a phone, but he rarely used it and never used it to conduct business. Too much risk that law enforcement could get hold of it. Instead he used landlines and old-fashioned face-to-face meetings to communicate. His memory was a vault of information since he refused to put anything incriminating in writing.

He found her clock app. “Tell me when your next contraction starts.”

Jane waited about thirty seconds, then nodded. “Now.”

Vlad started the stopwatch. As soon as the contraction was over, he stopped it and then reset it. They sat in silence together until the next contraction hit, which was 9 minutes and 15 seconds later. The next one was 8 minutes and 53 seconds. Each contraction lasted from between 35 and 45 seconds.

“You’re doing great, malysh. Everything seems normal.”

“Don’t you baby me,” she grumbled, insisting on getting back to her feet. She told him the cramping eased when she was moving.

Vlad called the hospital, the doula and their obstetrician letting them know that labour had started. The doctor reiterated that they were to stay home until the contractions were five minutes apart. Vlad didn’t like the idea of staying home where anything could happen. He much preferred the thought of Jane in the hands of medical professionals. So far, they’d done an excellent job of patching up her gunshot wounds and caring for her through her pregnancy. He wanted them involved now that labour was upon them.

“I’d rather be at home and comfortable, Vlad,” Jane pleaded, pacing their bedroom. “Besides, the doula said she would come over as soon as she could and drive with us to the hospital.”

Jane had insisted on having a doula to help her through the birth, while Vlad insisted she have the presence of a doctor with medical degrees and at least 30 years of experience. This was one area where they had immediately compromised. Neither wanted to fuck around with the life of their unborn child.

As soon as the next cramp hit, she doubled over and Vlad reached for her, gathering her against his chest and silently pushing his energy at her, giving her as much strength as he could. He felt helpless in the face of her pain. If he could take her burden, he would, without hesitation.

“Tell me what I can do,” he begged after a particularly painful contraction that left her breathless and had him rushing her back to the bed.

She looked up at him, her face pale and her lips trembling. Still, she tried to smile. She reached up and traced his unshaven jaw with her fingertip. “You’re doing it.”

The doula arrived half an hour later to help Jane through her contractions. The older woman was a picture of calm, which helped keep Vlad in check. She walked with Jane and encouraged her to talk about baby names, supplies, family, anything that would keep Jane from losing her shit. Vlad was impressed, Jane didn’t once threaten to shoot the woman.

The minute her contractions reached five minutes apart Vlad rushed her down to a waiting car. He didn’t tell her, but it had been idling in the driveway for two hours while Jane’s contractions gradually grew closer together and became more painful. He wasn’t going to waste a second.

“Did you tell Lucy?” Jane asked him, her brown eyes wide with fear.

Vlad hated that expression. It was the one thing about her that could bring him to his knees. She was such a fierce little thing, it gutted him to think of her in pain, fearing for her health or that of their child.

“I called your sister a few hours ago. She’s going to meet us at the hospital,” he assured her.

“What about Tawny and Abel?” she demanded, naming Mack’s family as Vlad helped her move slowly down their wide staircase.

“Mack called them.” Vlad wasn’t positive that Mack had called his family, but he was willing to say anything to get Jane into the car faster.

“And Claudia?” she asked, groaning as another contraction hit her.

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