“I am so glad you are alright, ma’am. I am sorry I didn’t protect you.”
“Joel, I really thought you were dead. I am glad that you are not. You did your job; I am sorry you got hurt in the line of duty.”
“It was just a flesh wound,” he says, making me think of Monty Python, laughing again. “But I’d understand if you rather not have me be your bodyguard anymore.”
“Nonsense, Joel. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Maybe this time Hallie could come back?”
“I’d like that,” Joel says before leaving. I bet he would. Hallie is a pretty girl who kicks ass. What’s not to like?
“He took my wedding rings,” I admit to Brendan.
“I know. I found them on a table,” he says, pulling them out of his pocket. He slides them on my finger, where they belong.
“Thank God. I don’t think new ones would mean as much, ya know?”
“I agree,” he says solemnly. He lifts my hand and kisses my bruised knuckles. I don’t even know how that happened to be honest.
Eventually, I get to go home after only eight stitches, where I take the longest, hottest shower in the world. I am careful not to let the water hit my face too much, since it hurts like a motherfucker. Dressed in snuggly, clean pajamas I crawl into our bed, Brendan right beside me. I lie on my side facing him. His hand on my hip, I relish in the solidness of his body.
After saying a quick prayer of thanks to God for keeping me safe, I immediately start to drift off to sleep, ready to put this nightmare behind me.
Chapter 25
Brendan
Six Months Later
I watch in amazement as my wife brings our baby into this world. Our son. Women are extraordinary. Thankfully, they are the ones in charge of this. If men were, the species would have died out long ago. She screams as she pushes, squeezing my hand. She is doing so well; I think as I continue to praise her in what I hope is a soothing way. Soon, our squalling, seven-pound, six-ounce, baby boy is out in the world, making his presence known. His head of hair is thick, dark, and curly. Just like his mother’s.
Thomas Brendan O’Neal is gonna be a heartbreaker, I can feel it. I am watching the nurses clean him up when suddenly Brynn lets out a horrific scream. In an instant, all the overwhelming joy I felt watching him come into the world, drains in a heartbeat.
“Call the OR, STAT,” Doctor Patel shouts and the air in the room changes from lax to urgent. One of the nurse’s hustle to do her bidding as another one ushers me out of the room. Helpless, I pace the floor in the waiting room, wondering what the fuck is going on back there. Eventually, they let me see the baby. For two hours, I am left in the dark until a nurse comes to find me. I am in the nursery holding Thomas. He’s doing great and I am just trying to keep it together. There’s no way we’ve gone through the ordeal we have just to lose now. This is my mantra as I pray and rock my sweet boy.
“She is asking for you,” the nurse says, smiling at me. Immediately, still holding Thomas, I follow her down the hallway until we reach Brynn’s room. She directs me to enter the room before her and when I do, I am not prepared for Brynn to be sitting up.
“What happened?” I ask her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “They would not tell me anything.” I panicked but I can breathe easy now that I see she’s okay. But I swear, I have aged ten years in the last couple of hours. This was even worse than when I rescued her from that sick fuck Aaron and his ridiculously small posse. Her brothers and I busted into their hideout and killed them all. Every fucking one of them, then I walked out of the bullet-riddled warehouse carrying Brynn. This was worse because I didn’t know how to fix it. Fix her.
“I had a minor, very common, complication,” Brynn says, trying to reassure me.
“What kind of complication?” I ask. Why I need to know, I don’t know.
“Excessive bleeding from several perineal tears. Oh my God, it hurt so bad. I am fine now though, I promise. I did need some mega stitches though,” she says, wincing as she moves the wrong way.
“That sucks, but stitches are normal, I think.” I am remembering all the baby books we have read over the course of her pregnancy.
“That is exactly what Doctor Patel said. We should be able to go home in a few days.”
“Let’s just focus on getting you well,” I say, handing Thomas over to her so she can hold him for the first time. The love I feel for this baby overwhelms me. He opens his eyes, looks at his mamma for a few seconds before closing them again. I count his fingers and she puts her hand on her chest, tears filling her eyes.