Page 51 of Her Saviors

After I gather everything, I go through my old phone, upload my pictures to the cloud and then input the phone numbers I might need to have. Getting it all to the car takes a few precious minutes, but I still feel like I have a little bit of time. I reset my phone to factory settings and leave it, my rings, and the house key on the kitchen counter. It’s time to get out of here and get on the road.

I switched my car out in the next town; it doesn’t look pretty, but as long as it gets me to Odin’s Gap and Brooklyn, I’ll be okay. Another twinge hits me and I cry out; they’ve been hitting me on and off all day long but it’s too soon for the baby to get here. Still I keep trudging along, stopping frequently to find a bathroom since the baby is using my kidneys as a trampoline.

“Just a few more miles,” I pant out through another pain that rips through my abdomen. Any doubts that I’m in labor have faded as the contractions have gotten closer and closer together. About that time, the car shudders and I barely manage to pull over to the shoulder before it goes completely dead on me. “Son of a bitch. Now what do I do?” I cry out. “I wish Brooklyn was here!”

Getting out of the driver’s seat, I know I have to get to the backseat of the car. With the front door open, I lay back against the car as another painful contraction hits me. Opening the back door of the car, I try to maneuver myself inside, but I can’t. I remember my burner phone but it’s in the front seat and I can’t reach it, nor can I move back to the front seat to grab it and call for help. Hopefully someone comes along to help because otherwise, I think I’m well and truly fucked.

Nova

Watching all of my brothers find their women and have kids of their own has been killing me. Once upon a time I thought I found the love of my life. A woman I could settle down with and have a family of my own. Growing up in my family, I knew from the time I was a little boy that I wanted a wife and kids by my side. When I went into the military, I still thought I had that with Dhalia. It turns out, she’s nothing more than a slut who only wanted me for what I could give her. She never once understood my need to remain with the men who had my back during my darkest days.

Dhalia and I broke up right after the mission that almost killed my entire team. We were so damn lost and hurt by the betrayal of one person. A person who is no longer with us. When she came to see me in the hospital, it was like rubbing salt in an open wound. She was disgusted by the wounds that now cover my body to the point I refuse to take off my shirt in front of any woman around the clubhouse. It’s one of the reasons I’m barely with the Shattered Angels—they’ll never understand the way I feel about my body now that it’s permanently marred by the scars from war.

Lately, as everyone finds their happiness and settles down, I find myself alone and lost in my head. I’ve been drinking every damn day from the time I get out of work until I eventually pass out. This happens daily lately and everyone is starting to notice. I’ve never been the guy to drink in excess like this. Yeah, I like to have a good time and I was always able to charm any woman who passed me by. It’s one of the reasons the guys started calling me Cassanova. Or Nova for short. Now, I couldn’t get a woman if my life depended on it because once they see the scars they run from me because I’m not the perfect male specimen I once was.

Today, instead of drinking myself stupid, I decide it’s better to go out for a ride to clear my head from the melancholy thoughts that have been plaguing me. A large part of that is because I don’t want to turn into an alcoholic. I’ve seen it happen way too often by men and women feeling how I’ve been feeling. I’ve lost all trust in women and what they want or expect of me at the end of the day. Maybe more importantly is the fact that I no longer feel as if I’m good enough to be a man for any woman. I don’t have anything to offer them anymore. I’ve always thought my looks were the most important part of me and they’re long gone now. Dhalia sure as hell made sure I believed I’d never be good enough for anyone. It’s why I haven’t been able to let myself get close to a woman since Dhalia. She absolutely shattered me.

As I ride through town, I force all thoughts from my mind and focus on the ride, feeling the wind whipping around me and the freedom I don’t often find anywhere else. My hair is in a long braid down my back so it doesn’t go in front of my face and block my vision of the road before me. I need to see all oncoming vehicles and potential obstacles in my way to avoid a crash. The last thing I want to do is make my family, both blood and chosen, worry about me ending up in the hospital once again after a crash.

As I ride back through town, I notice a lone car on the side of the road. Pulling over, I don’t hurry my movements until I hear a woman scream out in extreme pain. It’s not often a woman screams out like I just heard. Running toward the car, I watch as a young woman manages to get in the backseat of her car. When I end up at the door and look in, I find her frantically trying to rip off her leggings and know she’s in labor when I spot the sizeable bump she’s got. I pull out my phone to call emergency services as she screams in pain once again.

“Nine-One-One, what is your emergency?” a woman asks from the other end of the phone.

“I’m on the outskirts of Odin’s Gap and just came upon a woman in labor. She’s on the side of the road and in the backseat of her vehicle. I don’t have a lot of medical experience, but I’m ex-military and know a little about what to do,” I tell the operator as I try to remain calm while facing the woman in front of me.

“Something’s wrong. It’s too early for me to have her. Help me,” she says, tears rolling down her red face as her entire body shakes and another scream erupts from her.

“I’ll help you, Sweetheart. Can you tell me your name?” I ask her, needing to get her to focus on something else as I realize her leggings are still up too high for me to do anything.

“R-R-River. Can you help me?” she asks, putting her trusting eyes on me as I look at her leggings once again.

“I’ll help you, River. Can I take these leggings off you?” I ask her, needing her permission before I do anything since I’ll be looking at the most intimate part of her body.

“Yes!” she screams out as I pull them down and notice her panties are with them.

“My name is Nova. Well, that’s my road name. You can call me Matteo if you want. That’s the name my Mama gave me when I was born. I’m gonna have to look at your, um, personal area to see what’s goin’ on. Are you okay with that?” I question, putting my phone on speaker and placing it in the back window of the car.

“I’m okay with it,” she says, sweat covering her body and making her long, dark hair stick to her face.

“Okay. I’ve never delivered a baby before, but my grandma, Glory, used to tell us all the time how she had my Pa in the backseat of a car. She couldn’t make it to the hospital. Were you on your way to the hospital, River?”

“No. My cousin, Brooklyn Dalton, is from Odin’s Gap. I was coming to find her. Do you know her?” she asks, perking up slightly as I wonder if we know the same woman named Brooklyn.

“I’m not sure, River. I possibly know your cousin. I’d have to make a call and talk to her. Anyway, about my Grandma,” I say, needing her distracted as I look between her legs to find the baby’s head right there.

Sirens fill the distance and I know emergency services are on their way, but I’m not sure where they are. They sure as hell won’t be here by the time this baby is born, since I can see a full head of hair that extends further out every time River has a contraction. The entire time I try to remember what to do from the one class I took, I’m talking about my Grandma Glory and everything she used to do and say when I was growing up. River listens to my voice and it seems to calm her slightly.

“River, on your next contraction, I need you to push. The baby is right there,” I tell her as she starts to pant again.

“I can’t, Matteo,” she says, a weird feeling going through me with my name on her lips.

“You can, River. I’m gonna count to ten and that’s how long I need you to push. Between contractions, you can rest. Durin’ them, you need to show me how strong you are and push with everythin’ you got in you,” I tell her, my voice strong and sure as she looks up at me and nods her head. “Here we go.”

I count to ten like I told her as River pushes with everything she has. Her entire face turns even redder and the sweat is dripping off of her. I’m honestly worried for her right now and hope she doesn’t pass out or something while delivering her baby. She slumps back against the seat once the contraction ends before jolting right back up as I start counting again. Four more pushes is all it takes before a little girl covered in goo is in my hands. She’s so small and I feel as if I’m going to hurt her from simply holding her.

“She’s out, River. You have a daughter,” I tell her proudly, looking from the baby to River with a smile on my face.

After getting the baby to cry, I hand her over to her mama and try to find something to cover the little one in. When I don’t find anything in the car, I slide my cut off my shoulders and hold it before taking off my shirt. I assure her it’s clean and I only put it on an hour ago before we work together to wrap her daughter up while leaving the umbilical cord connected. Somewhere I remember that you’re not supposed to cut it if you deliver a baby outside of the hospital. The last thing I do is grab my phone and hang up the call. It’s rude as hell, but I don’t care right now.

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