Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
We listen for voices, and once we have a location, we approach the room slowly, careful not to tip off whoever’s here. But when we arrive, and I take in the sight before me, I fear we are in fact too late.
Ellie’s on a medical table, her eyes closed. A doctor is standing over her with a nurse next to him. Another nurse is standing to the side. And then there’s a man in a suit. I don’t know who he is, but what I do know is that he doesn’t belong, and my suspicions are confirmed when he barks out, “Hurry the fuck up!”
I spot the gun in his hand, aimed at the doctor’s head, and I aim my own gun and shoot, taking the man in the suit out. He flies back, blood and brain matter hitting the wall, and the doctor sucks in a harsh breath.
“Stop!” I demand, but he shakes his head. “Stop, or I’ll shoot you just like I shot him.”
“I-I can’t,” he says. “It’s too late.”
I step further into the room, my gun now aimed at the doctor’s head, and faintly hear someone saying, “All clear,” but my only focus is on the huge gaping hole in Ellie’s stomach.
“What the fuck did you do?” I hiss, ready to blow this fucker to bits.
“Mr. Gutierrez made him,” the nurse rushes out. “The doctor tried to stall, but he forced him to cut her open.”
“Mr...?” I glance at Micah, whose eyes are as wide as mine probably are.
“Eleazar Gutierrez,” the doctor clarifies. “He’s been threatening my family to get me to cooperate. He wanted the baby. I’m so sorry,” he says, his eyes and words pleading with me. “It’s too late. I have to deliver the baby. She’s already been exposed.”
“Fuck,” Micah hisses. “I’m calling an ambulance.”
“Is Ellie okay?” I choke out, brushing several sweaty strands of Ellie’s hair out of her face.
“She’s sedated,” the doctor says. “She’ll wake up soon, but right now, I need to deliver this baby.”
“It’s too early. She’s still got a month to go.”
The doctor nods as he goes back to what he’s doing. “His lungs are developed. It will be okay.”
Micah and I watch as the doctor and nurses work in unison to deliver Ellie’s and my son. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but the moment I see a head full of hair, it feels like my heart leaps out of my chest. A moment later, Donovan’s shoulder and upper body appear, and then the rest of him is pulled out. He’s covered in blood, and I hold my breath, praying he’s okay.
And then the most beautiful sound fills the room when our son lets out a cry for the very first time. The doctor hands him off to the nurse before returning his attention back to Ellie. I’m torn between watching him work on Ellie and making sure our child is okay.
As if Micah can sense my turmoil, he says, “Go make sure your son is taken care of, I’ll watch the doctor.”
“Thank you.”
I go to the nurse, who cleans Donovan off and suctions shit out of his nose. “I don’t have all the equipment to check him here,” she murmurs, “but he looks healthy.” She wraps him in a blanket before extending her arms out to me. “Would you like to hold your son?”
I nod, choked up with emotion. After putting the safety back on my gun and stowing it away, the nurse places my son into my arms. His eyes are closed and he’s whimpering, still with a bit of blood and shit on him, but he’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Welcome to the world, Donovan Michael Alexander.” His eyes flutter open, as if he already knows his name, and his lips purse together. He lets out a soft cry, and my heart swells inside my chest. I walk him over to Ellie and hold him next to her. “This is your mom. She’s asleep right now, but trust me when I tell you, you’re already her entire world.”
Ellie
The first thing I hear when I come to is his voice. “...she has the most expressive, beautiful green eyes and the sweetest smile. And when she looks at you, it’s as if you’re the only person that matters. She’s strong and resilient, and even though life dealt her a shit hand, she never let it get her down.”
I’m not sure who he’s talking to or where I am, but his voice is soothing, and I’m tired. I want to open my eyes, but it feels like I just need a little more sleep...
The sound of what I assume is a door creaking open hits my ears, and then I hear my sister speak. “She’s still asleep?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll wake up soon. How could she not when she’s got this perfect little miracle waiting to meet her?”