Chapter Twenty-Six

WESTYN

When Doc’s face goes stone-cold after an emergency, it’s a sure sign that things aren’t looking up. When Axyl spilled the beans about what happened, I was livid. Furious that I wasn’t there for her.

Furious that those bastards managed to infiltrate our clubhouse. I know Axyl’s going to unleash hell on Alex once we leave this place. As for me, I’ll be venting my anger on the prospects.

Waiting didn’t do a thing to soothe my rage or my worry for my little sister. I know Axyl is taking it hard. He might be keeping a poker face, but I know him well enough to know he’s falling apart inside.

We’ve been on tenterhooks for five hours, waiting for some news. I watched as Axyl’s calm facade started to crumble the longer we were kept in the dark.

When Doc finally walked in, his face was a blank slate, and I knew that the news wasn’t going to be good. I knew something was off. I just prayed that my sister and nieces survived this ordeal.

I know we’ll lose Axyl if he loses Aliana, but I also know if she loses even one of those little girls, we’ll lose her too. We’ll lose Axyl just as much. He’s their dad in every sense of the word.

They’ll pull through for the baby, both of them will, but they’ll never be the same and we’ll all lose them. It’ll hit Ali harder because she carried them for eight months, but in the end, it’ll shatter all of us.

My mom isn’t faring any better. She broke down the moment she heard, and I can’t blame her. We all express our emotions differently. My dad is keeping his feelings under wraps, like Axyl, but I can see the pain in his eyes.

He’s comforting my mom, always putting her needs before his own. That’s just how he is, always looking out for others before himself.

That’s what made him a damn good president and an even better dad. Even though the club was his priority in many ways, his family always came first.

If it were any other way, mom would have knocked some sense into him.

Doc walks further into the room before taking a seat and we all follow his lead. Dread and fear are still coursing through my veins. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose those two girls.

I sit in the chair directly across from Doc, my knee bouncing uncontrollably. I wish he would just get it over with. No matter how much I dread hearing it, I need to. We all need to know. “Come on Doc. Spit it the fuck out.”

“Well, it was a close call for a while. When she was brought in, I was with Reaper. A nurse came up and told me that a woman was brought in and I was requested specifically.

“I left Reaper with the nurse and rushed to find out who it was that asked for me. When I saw it was Ali, she was bleeding heavily.

“I rushed her into surgery because I wasn’t sure how long she had been bleeding before she got here. I didn’t get the full story and still haven’t, but she wouldn’t wake up.

“We had to give her a blood transfusion because she had lost about sixty-five percent of her blood by the time we got her into surgery.” Sixty-five percent?!

“How is she though?” My mom and Elaine ask simultaneously.

“Her blood pressure was sky-high, which is what triggered the bleeding. We managed to get it under control. While I was working on her, the OB/GYN was delivering the girls.

“She had to perform a C-Section because the babies were breech. The babies are healthy and loud. Aliana is going to be just fine. She’s going to need some time to recover, but she’s going to pull through.”

My babies and my woman are going to be okay. I can feel the tension in the room lift as everyone starts to relax a little.

“However, she did lose a lot of blood, and it’s up to her when she wakes up.”

“She’s going to be okay. The babies are okay. Can I see my woman and my daughters?”

“They should be moving her to a room soon, but the girls are in the nursery. You can see them. I’m assuming everyone wants to go. I guess we’re lucky that we keep this place busy.”

Doc mutters the last part under his breath, but we all heard it. It lightens the mood a bit, but not by much. I think we’re all just relieved that Ali and the babies are going to be okay.

The dread I was feeling earlier has slowly faded, but the fear is still there. I’m sure it will be until she wakes up and I can look into her beautiful eyes again.

We all follow Doc down the hall and toward the elevators. She’s being moved to labor and delivery. Odd, I know, but they wanted her to be near the babies when she woke up.

Since there are thirteen of us, fifteen if you count the boys, we take two separate elevators to get to the third floor. “Daddy. Is mama going to be okay?”

“Yeah Murdock. She’s going to be okay. She might look a little rough when we get in there, but she’s going to be okay.

I think it would be best if you two stayed out in the hallway, but knowing how much you love your mama, I know that’s not going to happen.”

I don’t want them to see her like that, but convincing them to stay outside in the hallway is going to be like pulling teeth. “We’re going to go see your sisters now.”

The elevator dings, and the doors open. We wait a few minutes for the others to join before following Doc to the nursery. A walk that should take seconds feels like hours. I hope they look like Ali.

Finally, we reach a large window overlooking a room filled with babies. “Macey and Jacey are right here.” Doc points to the front left corner. When I see them through the window, my world comes to a standstill.

They’re the spitting image of their mother. Even though they’re asleep, I’m itching to hold my girls. “Axyl, do you want to hold them? I can only let one of you in at a time.

Unless the boys want to go in. Then I can let two of you in with them.” I nod, my gaze fixed on the girls. I haven’t felt this way since I first laid eyes on my boys.

Doc swings the doors open, and I stride straight to my girls. Up close, they’re even more breathtaking and flawless. “Hey, babies. It’s your daddy.”

I probably look like a total softie right now, but even the toughest guy would melt at the sight of his own kids.

I read the name tags on the clear bin they’re in and see that Jacey is on the right and Macey is on the left. I study them, memorizing their unique features.

Jacey’s hair is so light, it’s almost invisible unless you’re really close, and Macey’s hair is a rich dark color like her mom’s. Jacey has Alex’s nose.

She got his hair and nose, and that’s it. Macey has Aliana’s hair and nose, but she has Alex’s mouth. Nothing too obvious, just subtle hints of who their real dad is.

But that doesn’t matter to me. At first glance, they look so much like Ali that you’d hardly notice unless you were really looking.

I pick up Jacey and cradle her in one arm while Doc hands me Macey, tucking her into my other arm. I walk over to the chair and sit, just looking at them. They’re so tiny.

They weren’t due for another month. “Did being breech cause any damage? Are they healthy?”

“They’re very healthy. Being born breech and a month early hasn’t caused any lasting harm. Dr. Garth had them out in just ten minutes. Macey was born two minutes before Jacey.

“That’s why it took so long to control the bleeding. She had to do a C-Section, which caused more bleeding, but the girls are just fine. They came out screaming their lungs out. Like I said, they’re loud.”

Doc chuckles at that. I can already tell these girls are going to have every man in the club wrapped around their little fingers. Even more so than the boys.

“There are two little boys out there who are eager to meet their little sisters.” I glance toward the window and see that they both have their faces pressed against the glass, their expressions full of wonder.

I nod for them to come in and Elaine brings them in.

“Daddy! Are those my sisters?” Danny exclaims as they enter the room.

“They sure are, but you need to use your inside voice. They’re sleeping.” He apologizes and just stares at them.

“I’ll protect you, sisters.” He kisses each of them on their heads and Elaine comes over. I notice that, even though he was eager to see them, Murdock has stayed by the door.

I hand the girls to their grandma and go over to him.

“Hey, buddy. What’s up?” I crouch down to his level and look him over.

“They’re so small. What if they get hurt? I wasn’t there to help mama. What if I can’t help them?”

“Murdock, it’s not your fault that you weren’t there to help your mama. She won’t blame you. I don’t blame you. No one does. You’re only nine, there wasn’t much you could have done in this situation.”

He drops his gaze to the floor. “Look at me, buddy.” He lifts his tear-filled eyes to meet mine. “I don’t want you to think that you couldn’t help your mama. Uncle Trigger and Uncle Ink were there.

“They got to her in time and got her to the hospital before it was too late. I’m sure you’ll be able to help your sisters when they need it, and there are other ways you can help your mama.

“She’s going to be in pain for a while and you can help with Jacey and Macey. Okay?” He nods and throws himself into my arms. I catch him and let him cry. It kills me to see my son feeling like this.

He felt this way with Danny. He protected him from his mom, but there were times when he couldn’t, and it breaks my fucking heart that I wasn’t there when they needed me most.

“Can I go see them now?” I nod and watch as he runs toward the girls and Elaine. I leave the room and Robert goes in right after I come out. The guys slap me on the back and Westyn hasn’t taken his eyes off them.

“Hey, brother.” Westyn looks at me and I can see our fearless president turning to mush at the sight of his nieces.

“Hey man. They’re something else, aren’t they?”

“Hell, yeah they are. They’ve got every single one of these men wrapped around their little fingers and they’re only a few hours old. Shit, they had me before they were even born.”

“We’re all turning into a bunch of fucking softies at the sight of those girls. We did it when Murdock and Danny were born.” Trigger, the most ferocious of us all, pipes in.

“What man wouldn’t turn into a softie at the sight of a baby?” Reaper joins our conversation, his gaze fixed on the girls.

“Those girls are going to hate being in a biker club with us when they get older. They won’t be able to have anything to do with boys, and they’ll have a personal bodyguard wherever they go.”

“Damn right,” the guys chime in together. Those girls are going to be so protected, they’ll feel suffocated. It’s going to be a damn war when they hit their teen years. Fuck me.

“Good luck with that. If they’re anything like my sister, you’re in for a wild ride just trying to get them to follow the damn rules. You all remember how she was during her teenage years,” Westyn says. I remember it all too well.

So does the spot where she shot me. We all share a laugh, watching as their grandparents fuss over both the girls and the boys. Doc steps out to tell us that Ali has been moved to a room. Robert and Elaine, along with my mom and dad, will stay with the kids while we go see her.

“Alright, let’s do this. I’m not looking forward to seeing her like this, but I need to see my girl. I need to know she’s alive with my own eyes.” Doc nods in understanding, and we all make our way to the elevators.

Each of us is filled with worry for the oldest girl, born in a sea of boys. The one we grew up protecting and loving. I just hope she wakes up soon.