33. Marcus

33

MARCUS

A Few Months Later

We each help Ella get up and dressed. Will has her hospital bag. I bundle Lily up for the ride, and we pile into the oversized SUV I bought to protect my three girls, to fit all seven of us. The new car seat awaits us in the back.

Theo straps Ella into the passenger seat as Will and Ethan file in the back. Lily is an easy handoff in her sleepy state to be settled in her car seat. Ethan's hand squeezes Ella's shoulder as I slide behind the wheel.

We pull out of the long, gravel driveway to the flashing lights of a Station 23 fire truck waiting for us. I wave at them, and the siren whoops before they lead us through town.

"I called for an escort."

"Good." Ella gasps for breath. "Hurry."

The worry in her voice drives me faster, and the usual forty-minute drive is shaved down to twenty-six minutes.

The guys park the truck by the emergency entrance, and a nurse meets us outside the entrance with a wheelchair, but Ella's mid contraction, squeezing my hand tight as Ethan reaches for her, only to get his hand nearly broken, too.

"Hah, that's one hell of a grip you've got, beautiful."

Her laughter is a bit unhinged and hysterical. "Get this baby out of me."

She's moved into the chair and wheeled inside, but under the fluorescent lights, I can see the sweat tacking down her hair, and she's gone pale. Worry latches onto my heart again, claws digging deep.

"What's wrong?"

Ella shakes her head, eyes glassy and unfocused. "Something's not right."

The nurse turns sharply with her clipboard, giving Ella a once-over when her eyes go wide. "Let's get you to a room. Doctor Phillips is on his way."

Ella can barely nod. Lily cries, clinging to my shirt as we're stopped in the hallway.

"We can't crowd her. Who's the father?"

We share a look because none of us knows. It doesn't matter.

"Who's the husband? Boyfriend?"

Ethan clears his throat. "We're all her boyfriend."

The middle-aged woman's eyes go wide, cheeks pink, but she nods. "Okay. One of you at a time until we know what's going on. Who's first?"

I pat Theo's shoulder. "You have the most hospital experience. Go and help keep her calm."

Theo shakes his head. "You're the calm one. You've done this before. Give me Lily." He reaches out for my little girl, but she clings to my shirt, whimpering Ella's name.

"Yes, pumpkin. I'm going in to check on Ella. Stay with Uncle Theo, okay?" Slowly, my daughter releases my shirt, and each of my brothers puts a hand on her back to comfort her. With one more deep breath, I go into Ella's room.

She is leaned back in the bed with her feet propped in stirrups. Her head lolls to the side as she blinks at me.

The nurse is between her thighs, pushing back with a frown. She stands and meets me by the door. "There's a lot more blood than there should be. I need to get the doctor in here. Don't let her push. Okay?" She turns and pins Ella with a look. "Hear that, Momma? Do not push. I'll be right back."

The nurse slips out the door, and I meet Ella at her bedside in three steps, taking her hand. Her grip is weak even when another contraction hits.

I brush my palm over her forehead and cheek, fighting back a frown at how clammy she's gotten. "Hey," I whisper to her. "How are you feeling?"

The soft shake of her head has me leaning in to kiss her temple. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You've got this. You're the strongest woman I've ever met. I believe in you, Ella."

She whimpers and closes her eyes, her breath coming in ragged waves.

After a minute, the doctor strides in, introducing himself as he pulls gloves on and bends to inspect Ella. "Let's see what we have here. You're going to feel some pressure. That's me. I'm checking on the baby. Okay?"

She barely nods, eyes closed tight.

He wheels the stool back and peers at Ella from over the privacy sheet. "I'm going to give it to you straight. The baby's not in position, and there are signs of placental abruption, so we're going to move you into a surgical room for a C-section."

"What? Is my baby okay?" Ella's voice crackles with weakness, and my heart hammers from the fear of the unknown.

"Right now, yes. But we need to move." Doctor Phillips meets my eyes. "We're going to have you put on scrubs before you can follow us in."

"Yes, sir."

His smile flashes briefly as he nods, removes his gloves over the trash, and exits the room. I'm handed a big pair of blue scrubs by the nurse before she and another unlock Ella's hospital bed to move her.

I follow them out to the worried looks on Will, Theo, and Ethan's faces. "Emergency C-section. They're going to take care of her."

I have to believe it when the doctor tells me this as I pull the scrubs on over my tee and jeans to go into the surgical room with Ella. They've already got her set up with a curtain, marker lines across her pregnant belly. Standing next to her, I wipe her hair from her face and bend to press my nose into the sweet scent of her hair.

"You're so beautiful. You're going to be such a great mother. The best. Because you're sweet. Smart. Caring. You're a beacon of love in our little family, Ella. The best part." And I keep whispering to her as they prep her.

Every word out of my mouth is a prayer, a promise, a means of distracting her from what's happening on the other side of that curtain until we hear what we've been waiting all this time for—the sweet wails of our newborn baby.

Her faint smile has me stopping a nurse. "She's okay, right? She seems weak and pale."

The nurse leans in and asks Ella a few questions before she pats my forearm. "Her vitals are good. The baby is healthy. Everyone should be fine. Come cut the umbilical cord and hold your baby girl."

A smile cracks hard across my mouth. When I meet Ella's eyes, they're warm and happy. "A baby girl. Bring her to me."

I make the cut and watch in awe as they wrap up our new daughter into a soft pink bundle before setting her in my arms. She's so small. Smaller than Lily. Six pounds, seven ounces. Her lungs are strong as she cries for her momma, so I bring the little angel in Ella's view.

The tears in Ella's eyes make my own sting. When I set our baby on Ella's chest, I have to keep her steady with one hand, so I lean in and give Ella another kiss.

"Have you decided on a name?"

"Zayah. It means hope, honesty, and faith." That wonder whirling in my chest shines through Ella as she looks down at Zayah.

A new nurse appears on the other side of the bed with a knowing smile. "Skin-to-skin contact is really important right now. Eye contact, too. And if you can manage breastfeeding, even better." She reaches out to tug away part of Ella's hospital gown and unwraps Zayah a bit to allow contact. "Did you need help to attach her?"

"No. I'd like to try on my own first." It takes a few tries, but she does get Zayah to latch.

Feeling selfish, I soak it in for another minute before I lay kisses on both of my girls. "I'm going to let someone else come in to see you. Okay?"

She grabs my arm. "Give the doctor a minute, then bring them all in." Ella looks at the nurse for confirmation. "Right? They can all come in in a minute?"

"Yes. They're all asking about you. Don't worry, we've reassured them."

Ella nods and relaxes back, completely focused on Zayah. "She's perfect. Isn't she?"

"She is." With a crown of dark hair and beautiful caramel coffee skin, her small button nose and a delicate chin, she is the spitting image of her mother. "Absolutely perfect."

A strong hand slaps me on the shoulder, and Theo leans over Ella to get a closer look at Zayah. Ethan and Will appear with Lily on the other side of the bed. And finally, everything feels right now. Everyone who matters is in this room.

The doctor returns with his clipboard and looks us all over. "Everything looks fine. We're going to keep an eye on you, which means you won't be leaving for a few days. I understand that each of you has a claim as father, but I'm going to ask that you take shifts once we have her in her room as to not overload the other moms. Okay?"

We all nod, and Ella laughs lightly. "Yeah. Wouldn't be good to give all of those new mothers heart attacks with all of those firefighter calendar vibes all at once. It'll be especially bad when you're holding your daughter in those uniforms. Hearts. Will. Explode."

We all laugh, even the doctor. I'm glad to see her sass return after the marathon she's just run to deliver Zayah. And she's right, we won't take the time to change if it means being here for more time.

"Once we know everything is healing fine, we'll send you home." The doctor pins the four of us with a look. "And she's going to need a lot of rest, so I expect her to stay off her feet. Hear me, fellas?"

"Won't be a problem," I answer. I was able to do all of the things necessary to take care of Lily after she was born, so Ella won't have to worry about any of it other than bonding with our daughter.

Because this girl, like Lily, will have four dads and an army of firemen to protect and nourish her. Her childhood will be complete.

We've talked through the long shifts about our little family. About paternity. But it doesn't matter to any of us, and I know that's true for me. Genetics aren't the only means of being a parent. And Zayah is my daughter. She's Will's. And Ethan's. And Theo's. Because we choose her. We choose Ella. We choose each other.

And this world is a beautiful place because of it.