Page 38 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Vegas

S ierra was being stubborn about not letting me help her.

I got that she was embarrassed, there were a lot of bodily fluids happening right now, but I didn't want to just sit there if she needed something.

I ended up fussing over her blanket like a mother hen, and when I noticed Noelle doing the same thing on the other side, I chuckled to myself. She smiled and shook her head.

“It’s my first grandbaby. I have a right to fuss.”

“No arguments here, ma’am. As long as I get to do my share of fussing.”

“All good partners do. And none of this ma’am stuff. Call me Noelle or Mama. Or Grammy.”

“Grammy? That’s cute,” Sierra said, a smile finally peeking out. “Did Dad pick out his grandpa name yet?”

She hummed, still fussing with the blankets. “I think he was going more classic with just grandpa. He’s not too creative, that man.”

“Mama!” Sierra scolded with a laugh.

Listening to them bicker was entertaining and when Sierra’s dad showed up with things for Sierra, they both started giggling. He raised an eyebrow at them, but didn’t question it. Smart man.

Mel breezed back into the room, a smile on her face. “Looks like you’re were right. Your water broke. Since you’re a little early, the doctor wants to do a quick ultrasound, then we’ll hook you up to an IV and get this party started.”

I felt a little green at the thought of an IV, but masked it when Mel turned my way. “There’s a bit of paperwork you need to do at the front desk if you’ve got a minute. She’ll be alright here while you’re busy.”

After checking with Sierra, I headed out to do as asked, stopping at the front desk to grab the paperwork. Most of it was payment related, which made me glad Mel asked me to deal with it and not Sierra. She was stressed enough. I didn't want her thinking about paying for all this.

“You should think about getting insurance for the both of them,” Nurse Nora suggested when I handed her back the paperwork. “Babies are expensive.”

I’d already planned on doing so. I could put the baby on mine once he was born, but I needed to be married for Sierra to be covered.

I spoke in length with Prez about after the first few appointments.

I didn't mind paying out of pocket, I could afford it, but I figured it’d make Sierra feel better if she had insurance.

“I will. As soon as I can ask her to marry me,” I winked.

She’d seemed suspicious of me when I first arrived, which was a reaction I was familiar with once people saw the leather and tattoos. She seemed to soften a bit after she spent some time with us, and she was smiling when she rolled her eyes at me.

Before I headed back to Sierra, I stopped in the hallway to call my mom.

It wasn’t a long conversation, just letting her know Sierra was in labor and promising ot keep her in the loop.

I might have forgotten if Noelle hadn’t said anything, I’d been so frazzled when we arrived.

I’d have to buy her a gift for keeping me in my mom’s good graces.

Hurried movement caught my attention and I quickly said goodbye as I watched a couple of nurses rush in and out of Sierra’s room.

When I came in, the old doctor was there, talking directly to Nurse Nora and Mel, with Noelle standing nearby taking in every word.

Sierra looked pale and scared, so I went straight to her side before asking questions.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Sierra whispered. “They said something about the baby being breech. I don’t know what that means.”

Neither did I. No one stopped to talk to us. It was like the room was in chaos and we were just bystanders. They’d probably explain eventually, but I didn't want Sierra sitting here terrified for nothing. They needed to tell us what was going on.

“Hey!”

The room ground to a halt, everyone looking at me like I had two heads. I didn’t give a shit, narrowing my eyes on the little huddle nearby. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re scaring her. What the hell is going on?”

The doc, who I still thought was too damn old to be doing shit like this, moved to the foot of the bed to speak with us.

“As I said before, the baby is in a breech position.”

“And what does that mean?” I demanded. I was being a little bit of a dick, but Sierra looked terrified and I didn't like it.

“It means the baby isn’t head down, like it sould be,” Mel explained. “Most babies turn head down by week 34.”

I raised my eyebrows, waiting for more. “Okay? So?”

She pressed her lips together and sighed. “So, it means we either need to get the baby to turn or we need to do a c-section.”

“Hell no,” I argued, glaring at the room. “You aren’t cutting into her. Can’t she just have it normally?”

Sierra had a death grip on my hand and she looked close to tears. I sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders, while Noelle took up the other side, rubbing Sierra’s arm gently.

“Actually, I’m unwilling to do an ECV on Sierra,” the doctor interrupted. “With the placement of her placenta, the risk is too great.”

It looked like he hadn’t thought to tell that to Mel, because she looked just as surprised as the rest of us. She grabbed the chart from the doctor’s hand without even a by your leave, flipping through it. I knew the minute her shoulders slumped that we weren’t going to get a choice in all this.

“He’s right, Sierra. An ECV, where Doctor O’Malley would turn the baby manually, is too dangerous with how your placenta is placed. A c-section is the safest option.”

Sierra whimpered and sank in on herself, eyes wide and terrified. I hugged her tighter, feeling helpless. “There’s no other option?”

“I’m afraid not,” the doctor said. “I’ll be calling Doctor Wilder. She’ll assist me. Nurse Lawson, please call down to anesthesiology. We’ll also need an OR. I’ll give you all a few minutes to take it all in.”

He nodded at us and left the room, still giving orders to the nurses as they followed him out. The room, which had been loud with all the activity, went quiet until Sierra burst into tears.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay, baby,” Noelle soothed, petting her hair.

Sierra shook her head, her eyes squeezed shut like she wanted to hide from the world. I understood the urge. Like if I shut my eyes, when I opened them again, it’d all be over.

“I don’t want to do it!” she cried. “I’ve never had surgery before! I can’t–” she sobbed, curling around her belly protectively. My heart broke watching her fall apart. I hated myself for putting her through all this. I couldn’t help but feel like it was all my fault.

Noelle shushed and soothed as best she could, while I sat there, staring off into space, trying to figure out some way to fix this. What the hell did I do to fix this?

“Let’s take a walk, son,” Sierra’s dad mumbled. “Give her a minute.”

I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to leave her side for even a second.

But he didn’t give me much of an option, using a strong grip on my shoulder to pull me away.

I passed Sierra off to her mom, feeling my heart try to rip into shreds as she cried and clung to her.

Noelle wasn’t much better. She had silent tears streaming down her cheeks, even while she tried to soothe her daughter.

Facing down a gun would be easier than this.

Sierra’s dad basically frog-marched me out of the room and a little way down the hall.

Once we were out of earshot, I broke. A ball of spikes formed in my throat and my vision blurred.

I wanted to go for a ride, clear my head, but I couldn’t.

I needed to be here for Sierra. There was nothing I could do.

Mr. Martin pulled me into a hug, which surprised me.

It also snapped the last of my resolve. I choked on tears, leaning into him like a lifeline.

My dad had died when I was still a kid. I couldn’t even remember what it felt like when he hugged me.

I didn't even realize how much I needed him until Mr. Martin stepped in to comfort me.

“What the fuck do I do?” I choked out.

He sighed, patting my back. “You be there. That’s all you can do. All any of us can do right now. Ain’t none of us a doctor or a magician. We gotta let the medical professionals handle the hard part now.”

He said that, but his grip tightened a little, like he was hurting at the thought of not being able to help Sierra too.

He just wasn’t vocal about it. I needed to follow his lead.

I couldn’t fall apart now. Not when Sierra needed me.

If I wanted to be a good old man to her, a good father to my kid, I had to pull myself together and support her.

Drawing in a slow, shaky breath, I straightened and rubbed my hands over my face. When I felt a little more in control, I nodded at Mr. Martin.

“Thank you. I needed a minute.”

He chuckled lightly, bobbing his head in agreement. “I know.”

Huffing out a laugh, I turned toward Sierra’s room again with him matching my stride. “Yeah? How?”

“Saw it on your face. Besides, I figured you were feelin’ the same way I was. But son, even when we feel helpless, we gotta stay strong for them. They’re the ones sufferin’ right now. You can cry once she’s no longer scared out of her mind.”

I fought back a smile. He wasn’t saying not to cry. Just to wait so I wasn’t adding to Sierra’s burden. Good dad advice, as far as I was concerned.

“I’ll do better. I promise.”

He clapped my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “I know you will, son.”

Damn. I’d forgotten what it was like to have a dad. It meant more than I’d admit having him call me son.