Page 28 of Owned By Shadows

“What about the baby?” he questions, grabbing the bag I didn’t realise he had and pulling out the portable monitor he used the other day just to check in with my baby’s heartbeat.

“Something doesn’t feel right, and I think...” I can’t finish, fucking terrified about saying the words as another sharp pain flashes across my stomach, leaving me sweating and gritting my teeth, trying to keep my terror in check.

“Lie back please, Iris, so I can check the baby’s heartbeat. You think what, Iris?” he prompts, encouraging me to lie back, my head in Roman’s lap.

“I think I might be bleeding,” I murmur, my gaze fixed on his face, unable to look at the guys even as I hear their sharp breaths. Roman takes my trembling hand in his, bringing it up to his lips as Hunt kneels by my head, Rowan settling on the arm of the sofa and Bubby behind us.

“I will check baby’s heartbeat now and then we can take a look, okay?” Andrei asks, his tone calm, which helps to soothe me a little. “But I’d like you to take some deep breaths for me, Iris. Let’s try and keep you as calm as possible. This kind of thing can happen and the baby is perfectly fine.”

Hunt takes my other hand as Andrei squeezes some gel onto my stomach, placing it on his chest. “Breathe with me, baby. In and out.”

I try to follow Hunt, though my breaths are significantly more shaky than his. The sound of the heartbeat fills the room,and I pause, listening. I feel like it’s quicker than it was when we checked two days ago.

“The heartbeat is a little quicker than I’d like,” Andrei says. “But let’s just monitor it for a bit. Would you be okay with Rowan checking for the blood you’re worried about?”

I nod, unable to speak past the terror that is lodged in my throat. I may not have asked for the way my child was conceived, but I have wanted this baby from the moment I discovered its existence, and the idea that I might be losing it...tears spring to my eyes.

“Hey, Princess. I’m sure everything is okay,” Roman says softly, squeezing my hand and placing another kiss on my knuckles. “Keep breathing with Hunt, okay?”

My gaze is fixed on Rowan as he comes into view by my legs, Andrei holding the monitor against my stomach.

“Lift up for me, Lamb,” Rowan orders gently, and I comply, allowing him to pull my leggings and knickers down a little way. To give him credit, his face doesn’t change, neither does Andrei’s.

“There’s blood, maybe a couple of tablespoons worth,” Rowan notes, and Andrei takes a quick look before giving a nod.

“I think, just to be safe, we should head to the nearest hospital, just to get them to check everything. Their equipment is superior to mine, okay, Iris?” He turns to look at me as Rowan pulls my clothes back up and I nod again, my lip trembling. “You guys get her ready, grab the bag with her things, and I’ll meet you out front.”

He removes the monitor and wipes my stomach as he speaks, packing it into his bag, then standing up and grabbing his coat before heading out the front door.

“Come on, Peaches. Let’s get you checked out,” Hunter says as he helps me up. Rowan already has my comfy trainers that I brought with me.

“I’ll run and grab the bag,” Bubby says, heading out of the room. The bag has some of my things, enough for overnight. We packed it not long after we got here, just in case we had to leave in a hurry for any reason.

My entire body is shaking, the worry unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Roman stands up, his arm is no longer in a sling, though he still has to be careful, and he looks at me with creased brows. “I’m coming.”

He rushes to put his boots on, without socks, grabs mine and his coats, and then comes to my side, handing Hunt my coat as Rowan finishes helping me into my shoes and Bubby comes back down the stairs with my bag in his hand.

We’re ready in a matter of minutes, heading out into the chilly Russian autumn, the car already purring in the driveway. Rowan goes ahead, opening the back passenger door as Hunt and Roman help me get in, Hunt pulling me into his lap so Bubby can fit too, and because I think he wants me as close as I can be. I have no arguments because I need his steady strength. Rowan climbs in the front next to Andrei, and then we’re driving off.

“The hospital is only thirty minutes away, just keep breathing, Iris,” Andrei tells me, my gaze catching his in the rearview mirror.

The journey is silent, aside from Hunt coaching me through breathing slowly and Roman whispering assurances in my ear as he holds my hand. My mind tries to spiral, tries to descend into the panic which is looming, ready to take over, but I don’t allow it, knowing that if I’m calm, it helps my baby.

Soon, we’re pulling up outside the hospital and I’m being ushered into the emergency room, Andrei going up to the desk to explain the situation as he’s the only one that speaks Russian. Despite there being people waiting, I’m taken back to a curtained-off cubicle pretty much straight away.

They don’t allow all the guys, Andrei explaining that there isn’t enough room while I see the doctor, so only Hunt and Andrei come with me, Bubby and the twins offering to stay behind. It hurts my heart to not be with them too, my breaths picking up at leaving them behind until Hunt reminds me to breathe slowly again.

I’m put in a bed, a monitor strapped to me that monitors the baby’s heartbeat and other things according to Andrei. The nurse takes all my vitals while the doctor speaks to Andrei in Russian. Apparently we’re far enough away from any major cities that they don’t speak English here. They do a quick scan, and being able to see for myself that my baby is still there, even if I can still feel it moving around a little, loosens some of the tension from my muscles.

Andrei translates for the doctor, who says that my baby’s heartbeat is a little raised, but as the cramping and bleeding seems to have stopped, they will monitor me for a bit but they’re not too worried at this point. They’ll send me up to the ward, to my own room, so I can have some peace and quiet and rest while I’m being monitored.

Relief leaves me weak, slumping in the bed as Hunt leans over to place a kiss on my forehead.

“You’re doing so well, Peaches. Looking after our baby so good,” he whispers, and I burst into tears at his praise, all the worry and terror overwhelming me. He holds me as the doctor and nurse quietly leave, Andrei leaving too, saying he’ll let the twins and Bubby know what is happening and bring them to the ward once I’ve been moved.

Hunt holds me the entire time we’re waiting, telling me how proud of me he is, how I’m already the best mother, and our child is so lucky to have me. My tears eventually subside, and soon the porters are here to wheel me up to the ward, the monitor in tow. Hunt keeps hold of my hand, helping me to getsettled on the bed just as the twins, Bubby, and Andrei come into my private room.

“Fuck, Lamb,” Rowan rasps, heading straight for me, and in a gesture more gentle than I’ve ever known him, he carefully wraps me in his arms. “I’m so glad you’re okay. That our baby is okay.”

---