Page 74 of Wild Card (Men of Action #4)

TALON

“Good job out there today, rookies.” A senior member of our task force flicks us a wave on his way around the corner.

“What a fucking day. What is it with stash houses and the stench?” Ace slips off his vest and reaches for his phone. His eyes scan the screen and come to mine.

“Shit,” Ford hisses, eying his own phone.

Their shared glances and following silence answer my unspoken question.

A glacial chill slithers through my system.

In less than a second, I’m on the move, bolting through the building and out to the parking lot, with them on my tail.

“Let’s roll.” Major jumps in one of the armored SUVs reserved for SWAT.

I yank my phone out of my vest, noting the only message is a text from Willow this morning.

Her cell goes straight to voicemail.

Same with Sterling, Stacy, Bex, and Rosie.

“Someone needs to answer their fucking phone.”

Chase finally answers on the fourth ring.

“Talk to me,” I demand.

“We’ve got her in a room. She made it in time for an epidural. Another ten minutes and?—”

“Why didn’t anyone fucking call me?”

“Willow refused until your raid was over.”

“That’s fucking bullshit!”

“I agree, Talon, but she thought she had time. No one expected this.”

My anger looms, but the dip in his voice makes my stomach roll.

“What is happening?”

“Her water broke, but her body had already gone into labor. She’s almost fully dilated and the doctor is with her now.”

“Is she alright?”

“She’s holding out for you.”

“I’ll be there. Tell her I’m on my way.”

“Hurry, man. This is going fast. She’s in room…”

I disconnect after he spouts the room number, the roaring in my ears tuning everything else out.

Major swerves in and out of traffic, the sirens and lights blaring.

Two minutes later, the hospital comes into view and he drives straight into the emergency entrance. I’m out of the vehicle before it stops and on the move.

The lady at the registration desk pales when she sees the four of us racing in. We bypass the elevators, taking the stairs two at a time to the maternity ward.

More stunned faces and a few shrieks sound when we burst through the door.

“Really? You guys are going to send the hospital into a shutdown acting like lunatics.” Jewls greets us from the waiting room couch.

Harley, Rowan, and Wyatt are at a table playing cards. At the sight of me, Wyatt leaps up and launches himself at my legs. “They kicked me out of Aunt Lo’s room. She was crying.”

The thought of her hurting is like a fiery blade through my chest.

“Hey, buddy, I will take care of her.”

“Can I come?”

I set him down and rumple his hair. “Let me check on her and see what’s happening. Stay with the guys.”

He’s heartbroken, but I’ll deal with that later.

Without another word, I run to her room, taking a second to compose myself before barging in.

“Here’s another contraction,” Stacy says soothingly.

“This baby has to wait a little bit longer,” Willow grinds out.

I step around the partition and my world stops. Willow is perched in the bed, her hands gripping the sheets, her face a mask of pain.

Her head shoots up and relief floods her expression. “You made it.”

Stacy steps away from the machine at the bedside, making room for me. I crawl in beside Willow and cup her stomach.

“What do you need?”

“Just you.”

“Someone should have fucking called me,” I say to the room, my gaze passing over Bex, Chase, Sterling, and Stacy.

“I asked them not to. You didn’t need the distraction.”

“Distraction? You think raiding a drug ring is more important than you going into labor?”

“Yes, especially if there are flying bullets and exploding cars.”

Stacy gasps at Willow’s flippant remarks. I’m rethinking my pledge to relay the specifics of my job to my wife.

“Princess, bullets and explosions are part of the job. Still not an excuse.”

“Exactly, you need to stay focused.” She bares down on my hand, cringing in pain.

“I’ll get the doctor.” Chase makes a move as the door opens and Willow’s OB waltzes in.

“Heard the dad arrived.” She grins. “You and your friends made quite the spectacle of your arrival. Half this hospital went on lockdown protocol.”

It’s then I realize exactly why people were reacting.

Four large men, still in our SWAT gear, racing into a hospital could raise suspicion.

“Can everyone step out so I can check my patient?”

They all pile out the door and I slide off the bed and step to the side, removing my vest, belt, and firearms, while the doctor examines Willow’s progress.

“Ooowwwwww,” Willow cries out painfully, the monitor showing a spike that lasts forty-six seconds.”

“This baby is in place and eager.”

“Not as eager as me. I really need to push.”

I watch helplessly as Willow writhes, her face twisting agonizingly.

“Shit, do something.”

The grin on the doctor’s face ratchets up my irritation. “Knew you’d be one of those.”

“Oh yeah, he’s totally going to be your nightmare.” Willow’s morphed back into herself.

“We’ve had his type in here before. Let me warn my staff.”

The doctor winks at Willow and leaves with a snicker.

“What can I do?” I take her hand.

“Don’t get us banned from the hospital.”

“You are hurting.”

“It’s childbirth, honey. There is a baby coming out of my body. It’s not supposed to be pleasant.”

“You show any signs of distress, we’re going with option two.”

“Mmhmm,” she hums without an ounce of sincerity.

“Serious, Princess. This takes a turn, I’m making the call.”

“No, the doctor makes the call. And seeing as this boy is already in position and I’m in active labor, it’s probably a good thing you removed your taser and gun.”

“Why?”

“Because if you piss me off, the impulse to neutralize you may take over.”

I can’t help but chuckle at her lingo. “Not happening.”

“Then behave. Hold my hand, rub my head, let me scream at you, and don’t hold it against me.”

“I can do that.”

A nurse comes in, rolling the portable baby bed. “Sounds like we’re ready to have a baby.”

Willow’s eyes mist over, the glistening green orbs shooting straight into my soul.

“We’re ready,” I answer, bending to kiss her gently.

“We can arrange the recliner for your comfort.”

I glance at the nurse in confusion. “I’m not leaving her side.”

Her eyebrows shoot up and she does a once-over of my body. “Sir, our concern is for your wife.”

“As it should be.”

“Which means we shouldn’t worry about you.”

“Why the fuck would you worry about me?”

“Oh no,” Willow whispers before bursting into giggles, hurling forward.

The poor nurse looks between us with alarm. “Mrs. Simms, please don’t push yet.”

“This is too too much.” Willow holds her vibrating stomach.

“What is happening?”

Willow motions for the nurse to go on, wiping her eyes.

“Your friends warned us you have a tendency to faint, so we’d prefer if you weren’t in the vicinity of the mother in case of an episode.”

A growl rumbles low in my chest at the same time Willow cackles again.

First up: help my wife deliver our son.

Second: kill my friends.

I drop my keys on the table and secure my gun in the drawer as Wolf comes barreling through to greet me.

“Hey, buddy, let’s get to our girl.”

He takes back off, leaving me to trail behind him.

I stop in the living room to review the pile of boxes delivered earlier today. The security monitors showed four trucks coming and going. I have picture proof each box was placed on the porch.

Which means Willow hauled them in herself.

Another half-dozen shopping bags sit close, all courtesy of Stacy’s earlier visit.

The smell of Italian grows stronger the closer I get to the kitchen, but Willow is not in her usual spot by the fireplace with Beckett.

A faint thumping comes from above, and I follow the sound to the only room up the stairs. Willow added this room to the original plans, explaining she thought we may want the extra space.

She rattled on about a playroom, game room, or whatever else we chose to do with it.

We were barely in the house two weeks before Beckett came and hadn’t discussed any plans for it since.

I stop dead when I find Willow on a ladder, hammering a picture hanger. My eyes go to our son who’s bundled in his little chair, his eyes darting around the room. Wolf lies protectively beside him, staring at me with understanding in his doggy gaze.

He knows Willow is in trouble.

“Princess, what the hell are you doing?”

She jumps, swaying haphazardly. I get to her in one stride, steadying the ladder.

“You scared me.”

“Don’t know how since we have a security alert system.”

Her eyes widen and she pulls her bottom lip through her teeth. “I must not have heard it over the hammering. You’re home early.”

“That’s what you have to say to me?”

“Damn you, Talon, this is supposed to be a surprise!” She tries to push me away, but I catch her under the arms and haul her into me

“We have a deal, and you’ve broken it multiple times today.”

“No, you have an archaic opinion that I am not allowed to do anything worthwhile.”

“You agreed to take it easy.”

“I do take it easy. It’s been seven weeks. I’m healed.”

“Not part of the deal.”

“Your deal. Carrying in a few boxes from the porch and decorating aren’t crimes against humanity.”

“Taking care of yourself and our son is your job right now.”

“We’re both fine. I wanted to work on my house today.”

“Then you wait until I get home.”

“This was supposed to be done to surprise you,” she huffs out. “But no, Captain America decides to come home early.”

My lips twitch at the reference.

“Nothing is worth you endangering yourself.”

“It’s a ladder! Barely four feet off the ground.”

“Lose the sass, Princess.”

“Ugh! Fine. Since you’ve already ruined it, you can help.”

She ducks out of my hold and goes across the room, turning a large frame my way. Not much shocks me, but damn if I don’t stand there stunned.

My first Little League and my LSU jerseys, side by side.

“I had your mom send these to my mom, and we had them framed. She brought it over today.”

“Shit, babe, it’s been a while since I’ve seen those.”