Page 28 of Reaping Havoc
The house seemed to buzz with energy as the other Reapers learned I needed to get to the hospital.
When Chrome dashed from the spare bedroom, carrying Cameron, I knew she was in labor, too.
Wow. Talk about weird timing.
“I’ll stay with the young ones,” Shadow informed us.
“So will I,” Jigsaw added.
Spook joined them.
We headed to the hospital and drove an hour away to reach it. Tonopah only had an Urgent Care. I knew this since I worked there, only recently taking a leave of absence to prepare for my daughter’s birth.
It was chaos when we arrived. Cameron was breathing through her contractions that had grown closer together, and mine were nearly the same. The staff rushed us upstairs to the labor and delivery wing, where we were ushered into the sameroom. It made sense since we were both going to push about the same time.
And we did.
Cameron’s son entered the world about a minute before my daughter. I only pushed twice before her shrill cry filled the air. Rael stood in awe, staring down at the tiny infant placed in my arms. She was pink, perfect, and beautiful.
“Hi, baby girl,” I greeted her, tears stinging my eyes as they filled and spilled over. “I’ve waited so long to hold you.”
Rael sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to gently caress her tiny face. She turned her head and tried to suck his finger. “Hungry, huh?”
“Aw. I’ll feed you soon,” I promised as she somehow managed to wrap her hand around one of Rael’s fingers.
I never saw anything so amazing as her tiny face. Maybe her brothers, but that was it.
“We need a name for our daughter,” Rael murmured, enraptured with her tiny hand that gripped his finger.
“Gianna,” I declared. “Gavin, Gage, and Gianna.”
I never intended to give all my children names that began with G, but it worked out that way and made sense.
“Gianna Braxton. I love it.”
Perfect.
My eyes fluttered and began to close as I felt Rael take Gianna from my arms.
“I’ve got her. Sleep, my love.”
I must have rested for too long. When I finally opened my eyes, I felt groggy.
A nurse stood beside my bed. I saw her stick a needle into the port of my IV and press the plunger. My muscles instantly relaxed. I felt as weightless as a cloud. Everything around me seemed to appear in a haze, like a dream.
But something was off. I shouldn’t be receiving heavy drugs like this, especially since I was breastfeeding.
It was hard to focus, but I saw her stare down at me. “You should have listened. Tell the biker.”
The biker? Huh?
“What?” I tried to speak, but I couldn’t. The word came out garbled. I was losing control of my body. I tried to fight it, but I failed.
Nothing made sense until I saw her pick up my baby... and walk out the door.
Pani clawed at my throat. I tried to scream, but no sound left my throat. My mind rebelled as I attempted to thrash and move, all to no avail. It was useless. I couldn’t fight an enemy that invaded my cells and took over.
My eyes closed, and a black fog rolled over, suffocating my conscious thought. I heard nothing. Saw nothing.
