I nodded. “Yes, I promise to love, honor and cherish her for as long as we both shall live.”
“Well. That won’t be long.” A snarling voice said from the back of the room.
I turned to find the man we’d apprehended, not even an hour ago, at the back of the chapel.
He was wearing a white and green hospital gown, and on his wrist was a pair of cuffs.
He had a small .22 pistol in his hand, and he had it aimed directly at Georgia and I.
The room exploded into motion, and nine SWAT team members all had their weapons out and pointing at Andre Fima.
“You ruined my life. I’ll never get to meet my daughter. And since I don’t get to meet my child, you shouldn’t get to meet yours,” Andre snarled, hands shaking badly as he started to tighten his finger on the trigger.
I gritted my teeth and started to pull the trigger, but it proved unnecessary as the door behind Andre pulled open, causing the man to lose his balance.
A round from his .22 shot into the ceiling as he fell, and Georgia’s brother, Darby, startled face turned pale as he saw the man that’d fallen as he’d entered the chapel.
I never thought I’d be happy to see that little shit head, but I was, in that instant.
He didn’t spare the guy that’d just fallen backwards and slammed his head into the tiled floor a second glance as he stomped up the aisle, uncaring of the guns still trained on the creep that was out cold on the floor.
“I cannot fuckin’ believe you wouldn’t invite me to your wedding. Jesus Christ, I feel like I’m the red headed stepchild or somethin’,” he said as he passed Downy. “No offense.”
Downy nodded his head. “None taken,” he rumbled.
“Code black. Code black.” The loud speaker announced as the staff and police officers that were supposed to be taking care of Andre finally realized he was missing.
Andre groaned on the floor, and then suddenly I had a hundred and some odd pounds (‘cause Lord knows I wasn’t going for an exact estimate, she might very well castrate me!) collapse into my arms.
She clutched her stomach and I lurched forward.
The nurse squeaked and grabbed her around the arms long enough for me to get a better grip.
“And I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss your bride,” Father Matthew said shakily.
I was fairly sure he’d never stopped talking during the entire thing, so I was sure he’d said a few prayers over us like what was supposed to happen, but I couldn’t scrounge up the effort to care.
“She needs to get up to the floor, now. She was at a nine when we left. There’s no telling what she’s at now, and we don’t have the babies on the monitor anymore,” the nurse said desperately.
I’d been in the process of scooping up Georgia into my arms, but I froze with one hand at her lower back, and the other hand under her knees.
The nurse looked at me like I was crazy. “Aren’t you the father?”
I nodded, pulling Georgia up into my arms in time for her to pant, “Surprise!”
I looked down at my woman and said, “Baby love, you’ve got some ‘splainin to do.”
She grinned painfully up at me, looping her arms around my neck and said, “I was going to tell you.”
I glowered down at her. “Honey,” I hesitated at the door, but Chief Rhodes opened it for me and allowed me to slip out sideways before I started heading to the elevator. “I’ve been at your side every night for going on two months now. There was time.”
She shrugged. “I was holding a grudge.”
Her brothers and my sisters, parents, as well as the nurse, got into the elevator car with us as the nurse pressed the number two button on the instrument panel.
“I see,” I murmured, keeping my eyes straight ahead. “We’ll talk about this later.”
She snorted. “Whatever.”
“Them’s fightin’ words,” one of the brothers murmured from somewhere towards the front.
My sisters laughed, and I wanted to smack them. Alas, my hands were filled with precious cargo, and I settled for stomping on the nearest one’s foot.
Which happened to be Nikki.
“You knew, didn’t you?” I glared.
She glared back. “What would it matter if I did? You’ve been dead for nine months. What’d you want me to do? Tell your grave? Wasn’t it enough that I sent you prayers in heaven?”
I was a smart man. Or at least I’d thought I was. Then I went and said something stupid like that, and just like that all my anger evaporated. “I love you, Nikki Whicki.”
Her glare dimmed, and her eyes started to fill with tears. “It’s a miracle. I won’t complain. Just don’t ever die on me again. I don’t think my heart can handle that again.”
I heard sniffles from down below me, and I looked down to see Georgia silently crying. “What is it, mi amor?”
She sniffled as she said, “I want to have your babies.”
And she did, only a few moments later.
“Put me down, put me down!” She screeched.
I hurriedly put her down on the first thing I saw once we exited the elevator, which happened to be a gurney with no sheet.
“Not on that. You don’t know what’s been on that!” The nurse yelled, stripping the first thing she saw, which happened to be Ace’s suit jacket.
Ace, surprised, didn’t fight as the nurse laid the jacket down, silk insides up. Then she grabbed the second nearest thing, which happened to be the Kevlar vest that was dangling from one shoulder where Georgia had shown how much a contraction had hurt only moments before.
I didn’t have much of a choice about laying her down, because Georgia started to do some acrobats and she landed on the gurney on her hands and knees.
“Whoa, I don’t think that’s the way…” Nikki cried, but Georgia was beyond listening.
“If you don’t want to see the goods, I suggest you go the fuck away!” Georgia screamed frenziedly as she started bearing down.