Page 103 of Debt to the Mafia King
“I’m not—” Her face twisted again.
“How long have the pains been coming? How far apart are they?” Stephen hovered around her like a mother hen.
“I’ve been in pain for the last few days. It’s nothing,” she groaned. “It’s just been getting worse. I think something’s wrong.” There was pure panic in her voice.
“You’re in labor, Leah. I think you have been for a while.” Stephen looked at me.
“How do you know this?” My voice was tight.
He shrugged. “I have two sisters. I have been in the house both times they have gone into labor. I know the signs.”
She was in labor. My beautiful Printsessa was about to have my child. She would be in pain, and again, there was nothing I could do to stop it or take it away.
“Ok, let’s get you into the car and get you to the hospital,” Ivan stepped forward. “I’ll takecare of her, Viktor.”
It was amazing how easily he took charge sometimes. Another guttural moan escaped her lips. Clutching her stomach, she looked up at me with a begging look. Like I was the only person who could take that pain away from her.
And I would in a heartbeat if I could. “It’s going to be ok, oh.”
Her water broke, soaking the front of her dress and pooling around her feet.
“Shit. Shit, Leah, we need to get you to the hospital.” Dion tried to take her out of my arms, and I pushed him back hard with one hand.
“Don’t fucking touch her,” I growled out, sweeping her into my arms. I cradled her. “Ivan, get a doctor here, now. We don’t have time to get her to the hospital. The baby is coming now.”
I moved toward the car. The sooner I got her to the house, the better.
“Viktor?”
“It’s going to be fine, Printsessa. It’s all going to be fine. Our baby is coming, and you are both going to be fine.”
Maybe if I said fine enough, I would start to believe it, because right now I didn’t. There was too much blood on her legs for everything to be fine.
“Help her.” There was more of a scream in my voice than there was in hers. “Help her or get the hell out so I can get her to someone who can.”
Clutching Leah’s hand, I leaned over her and kissed her forehead over and over again. Her skin was clammy, but I just couldn’t stop.
“You’re doing so good, Printsessa. So good. You are so brave.” I’d been saying the same thing over and over again for the last twenty minutes, and I didn’t believe any of it. I just needed her to believe them.
“Even if you got a helicopter here, it wouldn’t do any good,” The doctor said from between her legs. “Leah?”
Blearily, she blinked at him. Her face was red andscrewed up.
“I’m going to need you to push harder now. I know you are tired, but try as hard as you can. Push now.”
She tucked her chin into her chest and bore down. The bones in my hand cracked because she squeezed so hard.
“Keep it going, Leah,” he urged, and she screamed.
“Fucking help her,” I yelled. I was wild with panic because that scream wasn’t natural. It sounded like she was being torn in two, and I couldn’t stand it.
“It’s killing her, give her something for the pain.”
The doctor looked at me like I was a blithering idiot, and maybe I was. I could be calm in the face of a firefight, even in the face of torture and death, but this was too much.
Anything that caused Leah to be in pain made me panic.
“I’m usually here sewing up men, Viktor. I don’t have anything safe to give her. Now stop freaking her out more and support her or get the fuck out.”
