Page 52 of Consequences

Chapter Seventeen

Black Valley

Colt

Screams fill the air as Lex and Colt rush down the hallway towards them rather than away. The hospital in Black Valley is significantly smaller than Griffin’s Beach, where Lacey planned to have her baby, but from the sounds of her screams, she wouldn’t have made it before the baby decided to make her debut.

“Oh God,” Psycho says, his eyes wide and frantic. “Do something!”

“She’s too far along for any type of pain medication or an epidural,” the doctor says.

His trembling hands are the only indication he’s frightened because his voice comes out assertive and confident. No matterhow confident a man may be, Colt knows from firsthand experience that one look from Psycho can knock that away like others swat at flies.

“Argh!” Lacey screams, her hands gripping the handrails of the bed. “Jesus, fuck, this baby is going to tear me in half!”

“She’s in pain!” Psycho shouts.

The scene before them feels more than a little familiar, and Lex jumps into action as the doctor appears to have completely frozen.So much for that confidence, huh?

“Hey! Hey, look at me. Deep breath in. Good. Now blow it out slowly. Focus on me, not the pain. You can do this,” Lex says.

Colt knows from experience that pain meds at this stage would affect not only Lacey but the baby, but the doctor’s still too scared to move.

“Hey, Psycho, let’s not alienate the guy helping your wife pop out a little baby, huh?” Colt offers. “Just a suggestion.”

Lacey follows Lex’s directions, and her screaming stops as she better handles the pain. Until she shakes her head. “I can’t do this, Lex. I can’t. It’s… ARGH!” Her head flies back as another contraction takes hold, her red hair sticking to her sweat-covered face. “I can’t!”

“You can do this. Our bodies were built for this. It’s also something you can hang over Psycho’s head for the rest of your lives, which is pretty fun. He’ll never experience pain like this, let alone be able to say he brought your beautiful baby girl into the world. This is just a temporary pain to get your daughter into your arms.”

“My baby girl,” she says, breathing in the way Lex mimics in front of her. “I can do this.”

“You definitely can do this, sweetheart,” Colt says.

“You all can’t be in here right now,” The doctor says, finally finding his voice.

Laughing, Lex shakes her head. “Good luck enforcing that one. Just do your job, and we’ll do ours.”

“It’s against—”

“They’re staying,” Psycho growls. “Got it?”

His head bobs quickly as he sits on the rolling stool and slides closer to Lacey. “We’re crowning.”

“What does that mean?” he asks, his eyes flashing all around the room in pure panic.

“It means you gotta get around to the other side and hold her hand like I am,” Lex says. “Come on, babe, you can do this.”

The doctor tells her to push, and she screams out in what Colt remembers learning was also referred to as the ring of fire. The amount of respect he has for the pain women go through grew so much after watching his wife give birth twice.

To his credit, Psycho looks determined but terrified at the same time. He watches Lex and repeats her actions, and when she reaches down to grab Lacey’s thigh to lift it and give her better leverage, he does the same.

“You’re doing so good,” Lex says. “Colt, get that cool rag and wipe her forehead.”

Glad to have something to do that doesn’t risk accidentally seeing Psycho’s wife’s lady bits, Colt jumps right into the task. As much as he loves the redhead, he knows he’ll never be able to look her in the eyes if he sees her giving birth. He only saw Noah’s birth before deciding he was good and didn’t need to watch Calla’s.

If I did catch a glimpse, I’d know if the carpet matches the drapes. Fuck, what is wrong with me? I don’t need to know that!

“One last big push,” the doctor says.

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