Epilogue

Knox

J esus Christ, Knox thought as Amara screamed on the hospital bed.

It was the middle of the night, and they all had been woken a little over an hour ago to Amara groaning in pain. It didn’t take long to figure out that she was in labor. Neither he, Drake, nor Zeke had ever dealt with something like this before, so making sure that they had everything they needed and getting her to the hospital had been interesting. He had tried not to panic the entire time, but watching her in pain caused him to cross his arms over his chest so tightly that he was surprised he could breathe.

Drake was on the other side of the bed, holding her hand, and Zeke was behind her so she could push against something solid. Her face was pink and sweaty, her hair sticking to her skin, but to him, she had never looked more beautiful. Even if she wouldn’t agree with him at that moment, she was stunning.

Knox shifted a little as she began to curse under her breath. She wasn’t very agreeable at all tonight, not even to the doctor. Not that he could blame her.

“You’re ten centimeters dilated,” the doctor told her. Her tone had been ridiculously sweet. “It’s time to start pushing.”

“You fucking do it,” Amara growled at her. “I fucking quit.”

“You can’t quit,” Zeke said in her ear. “We’ll get through this. Just do as the doctor says.”

“There’s no we in this, Zeke. Me! I’m the one pushing two melons out of my vagina! If I ever find out which one of you is the father, you’re fucking dead.”

Drake smiled but wiped it off his face when Amara glared at him. “You can do this. And when it’s done, you’ll have two babies. Just keep your eye on the prize.”

Amara winced as another contraction hit her. She rested her head back against Zeke while squeezing their hands. “You guys suck at pep talks,” she ground out through clenched teeth.

“Alright,” the doctor began. “On the next contraction, you’re going to have to push as hard as you can.” She set up between Amara’s thighs, completely unfazed by her outbursts.

Amara shifted on the bed as if trying to get into a more comfortable position while he went to her and gave her his hand. He could see how badly she wanted to give up, how much she wanted to quit and just go home, but he could also see the determination in her eyes. The resilience. He was so damn proud of her.

Proud wasn’t the only thing he was feeling though. He was also terrified, and hiding it was no easy feat. He meant it when he said he wasn’t sure he would make a good father, but before they could talk about it further, they discovered she was already pregnant.

For seven long months, he kept his fear a secret. He did everything he could to try and hide those fears, even going above and beyond to get things ready for the babies to arrive. He, Drake, and Zeke had spent the last couple of months cleaning out his room and setting up the nursery. They got the best cribs and toys money could buy and went a bit too far when it came to clothes, diapers, and necessities.

He was also anxious because they still had no idea whether the babies were boys, girls, or one of each. Despite being able to find out months ago, Amara had made the decision to have it be a surprise. He usually hated surprises, but he could see the appeal. Sort of.

They had spent a long time discussing names and had settled on two of each, which wasn’t easy with four opinions. They also chose their favorites in case there was one boy and one girl. He had no idea that so much went into having kids.

Amara’s scream brought him back into the room at the same time her hand crushed his. The bones in his hands ground against each other under the force, but he remained silent. He’d let her tear off his entire hand if that helped her get through this.

A loud cry pierced the air as the first of their children emerged into the world. A little boy, the doctor announced. He watched in awe as the tiny human was passed off to one of the nurses who then rushed him over to one of the warmers to check his vitals and clean him off. As much as he wanted to go see his son, they weren’t done yet, and Amara still needed him .

“Alright, Amara. One more big push,” The doctor told her, turning back around.

Through her tears, Amara nodded.

Drake brushed her hair back and kissed her sweaty forehead. “You’ve got this,” he whispered.

Amara’s eyes flashed as she pushed, and a few moments later, the second cry filled the room, this one louder than the last. “Oh,” the doctor breathed on a laugh. “She’s got a set of lungs on her.”

“She?” Amara whispered.

The doctor nodded. “Your little girl.”

He didn’t think it could be any more perfect. Both a son and a daughter. As their daughter was taken toward the warmer, a nurse approached him with a tiny bundle. “Here you go, Daddy,” she said cheerfully, placing the baby in his arms. “Say hello to your son.”

He tried to decline. He figured Amara or one of the others would want a chance to hold him first, but the nurse wouldn’t seem to take no for an answer, and both Drake and Zeke were busy telling Amara how good she did.

“Support his head like this,” she said, showing him before passing his son into his reluctant arms. He did as she asked and took in the face of his son. The baby stared up at him with big gray eyes.

He was so tiny, so fragile, that Knox was afraid to move or even breathe because he didn’t want to risk hurting him. Instinctively, he reached to make sure the blanket was out of his face, and while doing so, a tiny hand gripped his finger. His heart skipped a beat, and everything snapped into place. He was a father. He had two little lives that he was now responsible for. It was his job to mold them and shape them as they grew. His job was to protect them, and heaven help anyone who dared try to hurt them.

He looked up to see Amara watching him. At the same time, the same nurse placed their daughter into Drake’s arms. He was just as awkward with her as Knox had been with their son.

“He’s got your nose,” Amara teased him softly, now fully resting against Zeke. He could tell she was exhausted.

Zeke chuckled as Knox brought the baby to her and placed him in her arms. He sat on the bed beside her thigh.

“Do you have names picked out?” the doctor asked as she began cleaning up.

Drake nestled her daughter into her other arm, and Amara stared down at them as she replied, “Grayson and Kaylee.”

“Welcome to the family, little ones,” Zeke muttered, reaching around her to take Kaylee’s hand.

And that’s exactly what they were. For the first time in his life, Knox actually had a family. He had a place where he belonged, where he could be himself and still be loved. He had given up on that a long time ago, but then Amara came crashing into his world, and everything had changed.

Now, he had something to live for, something to fight for, and he would spend the rest of his life doing just that. Because Amara, Grayson, Kaylee, Zeke and Drake? They were his life, and that’s what happened when you were claimed by the damned.

The End.