“When I say push, you push as hard as you can. With all your might. Do it for your baby, Mia, pushhardwhen I tell you.”
Mia nodded and shot me a look of fear.
“We got this,” I told her. “I’m not going anywhere. You can do this. Do what the doctor says.”
“Okay, Mia,” the doctor said. “Now!”
Mia pushed and then let out a scream that chilled my blood.
“Give me one more good push, and she’ll be here. Come on, push!”
Mia clamped down and gave it her all, and moments later, her daughter was born. With a cry of relief, Mia fell back against the bed, her eyes on the doctor as she placed the newborn child against Mia’s chest so they could bond for a few moments before the umbilical cord was cut.
“How do you feel?” I asked her when the nurse took the baby to be cleaned and swaddled.
“Exhausted,” Mia said with a tired laugh. “And elated.”
“What’s her name, Mom?” the doctor asked, removing her gloves and tossing them in the trash and then pulling down her surgical mask to smile at Mia.
“Scarlett,” Mia said immediately. “Scarlett O’Banion Weston.”
“Beautiful,” the doctor said.
When we were back in Mia’s recovery room, she said, “I miss her. Is that weird? She was just inside me, and I actually miss her already.” She began to cry, so I did the only thing I could do. I crawled into her hospital bed and hugged her.
Mia fell asleep, and I quietly padded from the hospital room, in desperate need of caffeine. I went to the waiting room and told South Paw all was well and that there was a new Blue Angel baby.
He swept me into his arms and spun me around. The pressure on my bandage made my brand twinge, but I couldn’t stop the gurgle of laughter from escaping my lips.
And just like that, a new life had begun.
Chapter 35
I fellasleep in the chair next to Mia’s hospital bed, only to be awakened by the opening of the door. The nurse wheeled in the baby to be fed.
“I’ll leave,” I said, rising. “To give you some privacy.”
“Stay,” Mia insisted. “I don’t mind. Really.”
I sat back down, a tender smile creeping across my face when I saw Mia’s enraptured gaze peering at her newborn daughter.
After a few moments of quiet while Scarlett nursed, Mia said, “I know what you’re going through.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion.
“Aftermath. From your trauma.”
“How can you know about aftermath? Were you tortured? Did all your dreams go up in smoke?”
She looked up to meet my gaze. “No. Nothing like that. But Idoknow what it’s like to lose something important. And I know what it’s like to want revenge. Like you do.”
My blood ran cold as she stared at me, seeing below the surface.
“How do you—”
“Boxer.”
“He told you? After all that crap about Old Ladies not allowed to know anything about club business?”