Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85274 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Huh? Who’s waiting to meet me?
Before I can give it much thought, my sister says, “Did all the tests come back okay?”
At first, I think she’s talking about me, until Lincoln responds. “He’s perfect, despite that asshole having him ripped out of Ellie’s womb early.”
My eyes shoot open at his words, my hand going to my belly, as everything comes rushing back to me: Oscar being shot, me being taken and held captive by Eleazar, and then Eleazar forcing the doctor to deliver Donovan early.
Where my bump was, it’s now flat, and I gasp out loud, realizing I’m no longer pregnant. “My baby,” I choke out, my gaze landing on Lincoln.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he says, standing. And it’s then that I see the bundle of blankets nestled in his arms. “Ellie, I’d like for you to meet your son.” He leans on the edge of the bed and places my baby boy in my arms, and I immediately start to cry, my emotions overtaking me.
“Is he...Is he okay?” I choke out, my eyes glued to the sweet little baby who’s now cradled in my arms. His eyes are closed, and his lips are pursed, making a sucking motion. He’s got a bit of dark hair on the top of his head and the cutest button nose.
“He’s perfect, El,” Sienna says. “He’s six pounds and twenty and a half inches. His lungs are fully developed, and he passed all the testing they ran on him once he arrived.”
I sigh in relief, thankful that the doctor was telling the truth when he told Eleazar that the baby was okay to be delivered. Speaking of which...“What happened? Is Eleazar...?”
Lincoln’s jaw clenches. “He’s dead. And this time, he’s not coming back. I blew his head off his goddamn shoulders.”
“Micah and Lincoln said it barely looked like him,” Sienna adds. “But a rush DNA test confirmed that you guys are related.”
“Yeah, it’s him. Someone saved him from the fire and nursed him back to health. He was in a coma for a while and had to have skin graphs and surgeries, which is why he didn’t look the same. Once he’d finally recovered and returned, he was pissed to discover that everything he built had been destroyed. But he didn’t just want everyone involved dead, he wanted revenge.
“His plan was to kidnap and sell me like he originally wanted, but then I slept with Lincoln and got pregnant. So, he changed his plan...”
“To take our son,” Lincoln guesses.
“Yeah. He was going to take him and then kill all of us. Was it the doctor who saved me? He told me he would, but I wasn’t sure...”
“Yeah,” Sienna says with a small smile. “A nurse approached me at the hospital and had us follow her. The doctor asked her to get help, but she couldn’t find us at first because we were at an appointment for Colton. Luckily, she stumbled upon the appointment information when she logged into the hospital’s database searching for any particulars that might help her locate us. That’s how she was finally able to track us down.
“By the time we found the location where you were being held and were able to go in and get to you, it was already too late,” Lincoln says.
“Looks like you showed up right on time,” I say, leaning over and inhaling Donovan’s baby scent. I glance up at Lincoln. “Thank you. This is the second time you’ve saved me.”
Lincoln shakes his head. “I never should’ve had to—”
“Stop.” I reach out and place my hand in his. “Everything is okay, and beating yourself up over what happened isn’t going to help anything. Our baby is here, and he’s perfect. Eleazar is gone, and we’re all okay.”
“Everyone except Oscar,” Sienna murmurs. “He didn’t make it.”
Tears fill my lids. I had a feeling that the shot might’ve killed him, but I was hoping that wasn’t the case. “He was a good guard,” I say through my tears. “A good man. I know he wasn’t married and didn’t have kids, but I’d like to pay for his funeral and make sure his mom is taken care of.”
“We did all that,” Lincoln tells me. “It was a few weeks ago. We made sure he had a good service, and we took care of his mom.”
“Oh, right...Because I was gone for over a month.”
“There she is.” A doctor I don’t recognize walks in. “Glad to see you’re awake and holding your baby. How are you feeling?”
“I’m still a bit out of it,” I admit.
“That’s to be expected.”
The doctor explains everything my body went through, what I can expect healing wise, and then asks if I’m planning to breastfeed. Since I am, he offers to call in a lactation specialist and says he’ll be back later to check on me. Sienna tells us she’s going to let Micah know that I’m awake, giving us a few minutes alone.