1. Epilogue

Epilogue

Neve

"Ryder please will you just calm the hell down," I hiss, rubbing my hand over my swollen stomach. "My bag is by the door. All you need to do is get the damn bag and call the hospital to let them know we are on the way."

"You're still in the bath, Neve," snaps Ryder, his eyes wide in alarm.

"It helps with the pain, Mary suggested it."

"Is Mary a nurse, is she a midwife? I think we just need to go. What if it pops out in the bath?" His voice comes out high pitched in panic and I laugh.

"Deep breaths, Ryder, take nice deep breaths." Another contraction rumbles across my abdomen and I grab the edge of the tub, "Fuuuuck," I groan.

Ryder crouches beside the bath, watching me closely. "That's it, baby, breath, pant through it."

"You pant at the end, when you're pushing. You'd know that if you'd have been to more than one birthing class," I hiss. We'd argued more than once about the issue. Ryder had attended the first class and refused to come to anymore because he hated how everyone looked at him. He's right, they did, but as I pointed out, he's a big ass biker covered in tattoos, it's hard to picture him as the big softy I know he is. In the end I had to resort to taking Griff with me just so I wasn't alone. Ryder had made his brother relay every detail after each session.

"Get Griff," I bark, breathing through another contraction. They were definitely getting closer together.

"Griff is not coming in here whilst you're naked!"

"Ryder, your brother is gay, he doesn't find any of this attractive. And besides, he was my birthing partner in those classes that you refused to go to."

"I'll get him when you're fully clothed and not before."

I laugh at his jealousy. Secretly, I love how possessive he is over me.

I wait for the contraction to finish and push to my feet. Ryder grabs a towel and helps dry me off. We go into the bedroom and I pull on one of his t-shirts and a pair of knickers. He eyes me and I arch a brow, daring him to say anything. He presses his lips into a fine line.

"You realise the knickers will come off in the labour suite, right? Like I can't get this baby out without people looking down there."

He groans, "Let's not talk about that."

"Ryder, seriously, you need to stop. The doctor might be a male and he's going to look inside my vagina." He covers my mouth playfully and I laugh hard. "He's going to see it all," I continue.

Ryder slams his lips to mine, shutting me up as he swipes his tongue into my mouth. When he's certain I won't tease him anymore, he pulls back. "I love you."

"I love you too, now go and find my birthing partner."

Ryder

I'm a panicking mess. I can't help it. No amount of Griff telling me to stay calm, is working. Knowing Neve's in pain, rips me apart.

We each take an arm and help her into the hospital where a nurse rushes over with a wheelchair and whisks us into a room. The lighting is low and there's calming music playing in the background. It's nothing like I imagined it to be.

We get Neve onto the bed and the nurse smiles, "We need to remove the underwear, Neve so we can examine you."

Griff goes to hook his fingers into my old lady's knickers and I almost combust. He laughs as I slap his hand away. The nurse hands me a sheet to cover over Neve's lower half and then I remove her underwear, glaring at Griff the entire time.

The midwife lifts the sheet slightly and goes about her examination. After a few seconds she smiles, "Well, Neve, looks like you've done some great work all by yourself, you're nine centimetres. This baby is coming soon."

"Thank fuck," pants Neve.

The midwife gives her some gas and air. "Do you know what you're having?"

"I think a girl, he thinks a boy," says Griff.

"I'll go and update my colleagues, and we'll be back to find out!"

Once she's left Griff laughs hard, "She totally thinks we're a couple," he says. "She thinks Neve is our rent-a-womb."

Neve sucks harder on the gas and I glare at my brother. "Fuck no, Griff, that shit ain't funny. Stop playing up to it."

When the nurse returns, it was with two other midwifes. All females, much to my delight. "Who do we have here then?" asks one of them.

Neve takes the plastic tube from her mouth, "The father, the uncle, the mother," she mumbles.

"I'm the father," I say, firmly, "He is the uncle, my brother, nothing to do with the baby apart from being the uncle."

Griff laughs again. "Relax Ryder, they know just by looking at you, that you're too butch and manly to be gay," he says, before turning to the women and adding, "He just wanted to make it clear that he's straight."

Neve begins to moan, it's low and deep. "I need to push," she grunts.

"Go ahead," says the midwife, slightly lifting the sheet to look. "Let your body tell you what to do, Neve."

"You stay up this end," I warn Griff who salutes while smirking.

"Both of you stay this end," Neve snaps, grabbing me by the shirt and hauling my face close to hers. She then begins to growl, tucking her chin to her chest and squeezing her eyes closed.

"That's it, Neve, I can see the head," the midwife says with a grin. "You're doing amazing."

"Fucccckkkkkkk," she screams, releasing my shirt and grabbing my hand instead.

"The head's out," the midwife informs us.

"That was quick work, Siren," says Griff, glancing at Neve's parted legs.

"Eyes," I snap, "Eyes up here."

"Chill Ryder, I don't want to look at your wife's butchered vagina," he smirks.

"My vagina is not butchered," Neve hisses, sucking heavily on the gas.

"One more push and this baby will be out," says the midwife.

Neve pushes, squeezing my hand so tight, I feel like it's breaking. Suddenly, a baby's cry fills the room and my eyes widen. I watch as she lifts a screaming bundle, placing it on Neve's chest. "Congratulations, you have a baby boy," she announces. "And," she adds, looking at her watch, "It's the first baby of the year for this hospital, it's twelve-o-nine in the morning."

I press my lips to Neve's head, staring at my gorgeous baby boy nuzzling into her chest. "Congrats, man," says Griff, slapping my on the shoulder.

I watch as Neve lifts her top, feeding our son right away. The midwife smiles, "You're a pro at this," she says.

"You're a fucking warrior," I whisper into her hair. "I'm in awe of you."

"Have you got a name?" asks the midwife.

Neve sighs heavily, "I told these clowns they could pick it if we had a boy."

I exchange a smirk with Griff who says, "Caidence."

"Really?" asks Neve, screwing up her face, "You want to call him Caidence, this precious tiny baby, it sounds like a dog's name."

"You said we could choose," shrugs Griff.

"Caidence," she repeats, looking down at her baby boy. "Sorry Caid, I should have thought it through better, but on the plus side, no one will bully you because you have loads of big uncles to protect you."

"This kid will kick arse, he won't need protection."

Caid finishes feeding and Neve holds him up for me to take. I shrug from my kutte and rip of my shirt, taking my boy and placing him against my chest. Neve smirks, "Man, if I hadn't have just given birth."

I snigger, kissing her on the lips. "Baby, we're gonna work on baby number two the second you're up to it."

"Four kids?" she says arching a brow.

"We gonna need a whole football team just so I can watch you boss that shit all over again. You're fucking amazing, mama, I love you so much.

She smiles, letting her eyes drift closed. "I love you two, Ryder. Happy New Year."

THE END