Epilogue

Natalie – Six Months Later

I swallow my wince as a sharp pain shoots through my lower stomach. I check my watch as I rub my large stomach.

Ten minutes.

Okay, so that’s not so bad….

“How long does it take to have church,” Axe mumbles from near the bar, getting my attention, and I narrow my eyes at him.

After Aurora went missing, he was calm—too calm—but he’s now more impatient, as if he has somewhere else to be.

Eli has been watching him, but the problem is that Axe knows how the club works security; he’s not stupid, and he evades Eli more often than not.

“What is your problem lately, Axe? Do you not want to be part of the club, because you know church is mandatory,” Bulldozer snaps at him, and Axe swallows, sits on the stool, and ignores everyone as they start murmuring.

Aurora is still missing, and I have this horrible feeling Axe had something to do with it, just like how the Killers knew I was leaving the club that day Adam was killed.

They were tipped off by a phone on this property, a burner.

Like I said, I don’t trust him.

“Hey, did Steal show up yet?” Meredith asks as she takes a seat next to me.

I shake my head. “No. He told Anchor to take over church, that he had something big to do.”

She nods, then grabs her knitting, wanting to finish the baby blanket.

When she and Holly found out about the baby, they were ecstatic and started planning everything, but now it feels…empty.

Holly died peacefully in her sleep two months ago, the reports stating heart failure.

My eyes go to Canine, staring at his wedding ring, and I swallow hard.

He didn’t want to do it, but she begged. She couldn’t live the way she was anymore, bedbound. With great difficulty, Canine gave her a drink of water with several crushed tablets, one being a sleeping pill.

She fell asleep and never woke again.

Canine had left for a month, needing time, and guilt was eating away at him, but now he comes with me to the cemetery once a week.

He sits with his wife, and I sit with Adam who didn’t deserve to die, and a part of me will always feel guilty. It’s something I have to live with, and visiting his gravesite helps. I like to think he can hear me, hear about the club life, a club he adored.

This club is a family, something I never had growing up, and something I cherish. I wish Adam was still here…and Aurora and Holly.

And as for my father, well, we barely speak. Where Cooper is concerned, Eli sorts it out. It turns out Henry only wanted contact with me because his big boss wanted a family man to take over as COO of the insurance company where he works, and Henry was hoping I’d be more willing to “make up” after a crappy childhood.

He let it slip during an argument, after I demanded to know why he suddenly cared, Christy’s words still in my head. He now works in the basement of the insurance company, sorting paperwork, so at least he got his just desserts. As for Billy, she was charged with child abandonment after Eli found footage of her dumping me on Henry’s doorstep.

She now shares a cell with Christy, who is serving twelve years for what she did to Cooper, and for assaulting me.

Another contraction hits hard, shocking me. I gasp as I check my watch, and my eyes widen.

Crap, four minutes apart….

I clear my throat and call out, “Hey, Bulldozer, can you interrupt church for me?”

The old man looks at me, furrowing his brows when the pain hits again, and I double over, groaning. “Crap, that one hurt.”

The brothers start shouting, panicking, as Bulldozer shouts, “Piston!” and the church door slams open.

Eli’s eyes lock with mine, and I gasp again, gripping the table.

Meredith grabs hold of my hair, pulls it out of my face, and demands, “How long have you been in labor?” as Eli runs my way.

I take a deep breath, give my husband a tight smile, and admit to everyone, “Since Tuesday night….”

Eli’s mouth drops open as Acid curses, “Fuck’s sake, Nat! That was two nights ago!”

I nod. “I know, but they say don’t go to the hospital until your contractions are at least five minutes apart….”

Eli’s jaw ticks, and he asks, “And how far apart are they now?”

I swallow. “They were ten minutes, but suddenly they just?—”

Another one hits, knocking my breath out, Eli catching me by my shoulders before I hit the table. The front door slams open, and we all look as a woman screams, “I swear to God, Steal, I’m going to fucking kill you!”

My mouth drops open as Steal walks past with Cassidy, who is still in her scrubs, hanging over his shoulder.

“What the…” Anchor starts, but Steal lifts his hand and sneers, “Not a fucking word.”

Another contraction hits, and I shout, “Steal!”

He turns and glares at me, “Not one word from you either, missy, I’m still pissed you kept quiet. Something like this, you should have told me. This is between me and Cass. I know she’s your friend, but?—”

I cut him off, “I’m in labor, the contractions are one minute apart, and I feel a lot of pressure….”

I scream as another on hits, and Cass curses as Steal drops her, both running my way.

“How long have you been in labor?” she asks as she checks my pulse.

“T-Two nights,” I admit, and she nods.

“Right, did you call your OB when your contractions started?”

I nod again and she swallows hard and admits, “Nat, I’ve never done this before. I’m an ER doctor, maybe we should….” I double over and scream, gripping Eli’s hand. Wetness floods my seat, and she blinks. “Uh, never mind, your water just broke. Piston, take her to your room. Steal, hot water, scissors, and towels, lots of fucking towels….”

The men scramble, and I try breathing through the contractions as Eli picks me up bridal style.

“Medic, you’re with me!” Cass demands, and Medic starts to stutter, but she ignores him and leads the way to Eli’s room.

I sniffle as I look down at the perfect little girl in my arms.

My body hurts, the area between my legs feels like it’s been stretched so big that it should be illegal, yet I feel happy and relaxed.

“Holly Addie Mathews,” I whisper. “After her great Aunt and an amazing man who tried to save her momma….”

Cassidy smiles, tears coating her cheeks, while Steal stands behind her, smiling. Canine’s eyes tear up at the name, and I smile at him.

Medic, however, is still passed out on the floor, and if I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have laughed.

I look his way. “Is he okay? I-I mean, I thought he was medically trained?”

Acid snorts as he looks at his niece and says, “He is, but he’s never helped someone give birth. That, my darling sister-in-law, is a whole different bag.”

Cass snorts. “Men are such wimps.” She looks at him. “I checked him over, and he should wake up soon.” She looks back at me. “Your OB will be here within the next hour to check on you and little Holly there. I’ve got to get going, okay?”

I nod and whisper, “Thank you.”

She smiles and walks over to me, kissing my forehead, before gently stroking my baby girl's head, and mumbling, "Anything for you….”

That said, she gives me a smile and turns to leave, but Steal stands in her way.

I bite my bottom lip as she narrows her eyes, and he smirks. “See, this has worked out well in my favor because now, you can’t scream.”

Cassidy steps back and lifts her fists, making Steal grin, before she’s suddenly on his shoulder again.

Canine steps out of their way, and it isn’t until they’re down the hallway that I hear her shout and curse at him, the brothers all laughing.

Canine shakes his head. “Those Halliwell girls are dangerous.”

Acid snorts. “Tell me about it,” before he walks over, kisses my forehead, and cups his nieces head, his black wedding band standing out against the pink. “I’ll see you later, alright?” I nod, and he grins, fist-bumping Eli before leaving, Canine following suit. Like Cass and Acid, he kisses my head and cups the baby’s head, his eyes teary before he turns, bends, and grunts, “Come on, you idiot,” to Medic as he throws him on his shoulder, carrying him out.

I laugh and shake my head before looking down at Holly.

“I wish Holly and Aurora were here,” I whisper, and Eli kisses my head.

“Me too, baby, me too. Aurora will be home soon, one way or another, and Aunt Hol, she’s looking down at us, smiling, I know it….”

I nod, knowing he’s right, and smile as Holly yawns.

“Thank you, Eli,” I whisper and look at him. “Thank you for never giving up on me when I gave up on myself.”

He smiles. “I was never going to let you go, Diamond. You are my forever.”

That said, he presses his lips against mine, and I melt.

Things haven’t been easy, and my fear still hits me some days. He still has nightmares. But together we pull each other back, proving our marriage was worth saving.