Ruined Castles (The Elite King's Club 8)

“Let him in!” Rebecca calls out from behind.

I stretch the door wide, gesturing for him to enter. “Rebecca, you didn’t tell me that your husband was a midwife too?”

“Because he’s not. He’s a surgeon—and a very good one.” She must see the flash of panic on my face because she smiles reassuringly. “She won’t need that, and you don’t need to worry. She is in very good hands, Bishop. I promise.”

The tension in my muscles relaxes. I do trust her. Madison and I did hours and hours of research to find the perfect candidate to bring our children into the world. Rebecca was by far the best we came across.

Before I can close the door, Tate is walking back in, now wearing a short silk robe to cover her half-nakedness. I swear this girl is way too comfortable around me now.

Her hand comes to my arm. “They’re all on their way. Tillie is having contractions too so there’s a chance they may all just be born together.” Her laughter dies out as she goes back to the bed beside Madison.

I lower myself on the other side of Madison, no fucks given that I don’t have a shirt on, still dressed in my gray sweats. “How you holding up, baby?”

“I’m not,” she moans, twisting to face me while resting her head on the pillow.

“Madison, I’m going to have you lie down on your back for a second so I can do some checks, okay?”

Madison groans, but it’s not one from her contractions, more because she doesn’t want to move—or doesn’t have the energy. I regret giving her shit about these babies being mine and how vicious they’re going to come into the world now that they’re literally doing that.

When she doesn’t move, I lean over her and pick her up from below her ribcage, shuffling us up the bed together and laying her back to rest between my legs with my back against the headboard.

“Shhh.” I move her hair out of her face, rubbing little circles over her cheek.

“Hey, Mad, Tillie and Saint are here,” Tate says, looking down at her phone. “You want me to let them up?”

Madison starts nodding while blowing out deep breaths. I keep my arm over her chest and watch as Rebecca places a little light-hat on her head, covering her hair, and sanitizes her hands before putting on gloves. Roger is gathering out things from their bags and typing into an iPad.

Madison doesn’t move when a clicking sound vibrates out from between her thighs, her groans becoming deeper. More desperate. She squeezes my arm so tightly that her fingernails leave half moons in my skin.

“Well, little lady. You’re eight centimeters, and by the feel of everything—” She continues to press around Madison’s belly. “We have one baby in breech and one in anterior. Thankfully, the baby who has moved down into the canal first is the one in the anterior position which is exactly what we want.”

“What if the other baby doesn’t shift?” I ask, placing my hand on her swollen bump.

“Then I will need to manipulate it into an anterior position or into an occiput posterior by doing an internal. If that doesn’t work, I would usually recommend a C-section—”

“—No!” Madison starts shaking her head.

My eyes fly back to Rebecca. “Why would you suggest that?”

“Well, delivering a baby through the vagina in breech can be very dangerous for both mother and baby. During the birthing process, the baby can get stuck in the—”

“Nope. She can get a C-section if that’s the case.”

“Bishop—” Madison growls through her pain, taking deep breaths as she rolls through another contraction. “Let me make this choice.”

My mouth snaps closed as the door opens and the girls walk through.

“I would usually advise for a C-section and organize the EMTs now to rush her to the hospital, but I believe that this baby will turn in the last minute,” Roger adds, pressing to the side of Madison’s stomach. “After the first baby comes, I will get you onto your knees and we can try to manipulate it this way. The only thing that worries me with this is blood loss.”

I pale, squeezing Madison tighter. I’ve seen death and watched people bleed out all over my very hands, and never once has it ever bothered me, but blood loss and Madison together? Hell fucking no.

“So I’m going to call an ambulance and have them here. Is cost an issue?” he asks me, although I know he already knows the answer to that.

I laugh, almost fucking maniacally. “No, the fuck it ain’t.” I instantly feel bad about snapping at him, and Madison squeezing my leg is an obvious display of how unimpressed she was also.

“Sorry,” I mumble up at him. “I just—I’m never doing this shit again.”

Tillie and Tate sit on one side of Madison, as Saint comes right beside me on the other. Saint kicks her Vans off and slides right up beside me, her hand coming to rest on Madison’s head as she lays hers against my arm.