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He lay a hand over her stomach. Two days ago, it had carried their babe. Now, her womb was empty. Neither of them had known she was pregnant, and their baby was gone before they knew it. Her sister would pay dearly for the loss of his child. Ezra hadn’t been able to speak when the doctor informed him of the miscarriage. Dana had been kicked so many times in the stomach it wasn’t a surprise she’d lost the baby.
Grief had hit Ezra hard and not even his sister had been able to comfort him. Instead, Ezra clung to Madison’s hand. His rational brain soothed himself that with the child they’d lost, they’d gained another. Madison might not share their blood, but she wouldn’t be thought of as anything but their daughter.
A sharp rap at the door announced Hawthorne and Davies. They were both pale and had frown lines etched into their heads.
“I’m sorry, man,” Hawthorne said, approaching first and squeezing Ezra’s shoulder.
“Me too. We didn’t know,” Ezra replied, knowing what Hawthorne was referring to.
“That bitch will pay,” Hawthorne muttered.
“You’ll hold her and that cunt until I can be there,” Ezra stated.
“Not got a problem with that. She’ll wake up, Dana’s a fighter,” Davies answered.
“She’s badly hurt,” Ezra murmured, holding her hand and refusing to let go. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Madison backing away from Hawthorne and Davies, and he looked at her.
“This is your Uncle Dylan and Davies. They are Dana’s bosses. They’ll probably spoil you,” Ezra said.
Hawthorne jolted beside him, and his hand squeezed Ezra’s shoulder again.
“Dana will love you,” Hawthorne replied with a gentle smile. “And so will the guys at the office. Be prepared for lots of gifts to head your way, honey.”
Ezra was vindicated. Hawthorne believed, like he did, that Dana would take the girl in.
He sat back and waited for Dana to wake up. A cot bed was brought in for Madison, who, point-blank, refused to leave Ezra’s side. Marsha had swung the foster placement, and the child support worker had gone. Carly and Autumn had disappeared and returned two hours later with bags full of clothing, some age-appropriate books, and toys for Madison.
Ezra had encouraged her to take a shower, and she was now dressed in clean new clothes. He’d binned the rags Duke had put her in.
Hawthorne and Davies left, and others came in pairs. Once they’d seen Dana, Ezra knew most would leave because of their children, but some of the single guys would hang around, taking turns to comfort Ezra.
With many people hanging around, the nurses were curious about Dana’s identity. Phoe must have put some sort of system in place because they only stayed ten to fifteen minutes before leaving. Finally, he was alone with Madison and Slate, who were spending two hours with him. Harley would be taking over for him, and Slate had informed Ezra that Harley was napping while the others had gone home until it was their turn.
Madison had fallen asleep, and he and Slate murmured occasional things, but Ezra’s attention was focused on Dana. His eyes closed without him knowing, and he fell asleep, too.
???
Ezra jolted awake. The sun was beginning to rise, and he yawned and rubbed his eyes. His gaze shot to the bed, and he saw Dana lying there just as still as before. He got to his feet, noting that Carmine was now there and reading a book.
“Brought you some shit,” Carmine said and returned to reading.
Ezra grabbed the bag; he needed a piss and to freshen up. He showered quickly and, dressed in the clean clothes that Carmine had brought, and walked back outside. Carmine wasn’t reading anymore. Instead, he was watching the bed intently. Ezra’s gaze flew to Dana, and he saw her staring straight at him. Her uninjured hand was trying to pull the breathing apparatus out, and Carmine was gently stopping her from doing so.
“I’ve called a nurse,” Carmine announced.
Dana’s eyes widened at him in terror, and Ezra raced to the bed and touched her hair.
“Someone will come soon and remove it, baby. Do not panic,” Ezra soothed.
He touched his forehead to hers and sighed deeply.
“I love you,” he muttered and kissed her. “Don’t ever leave me.”
Dana gurgled something as a nurse and Doc Paul entered.
“Ah, wonderful, you’re awake. Let me remove that,” Doc Paul said, approaching.
Dana choked and looked uncomfortable as he pulled the tube from her throat, and she motioned for a drink. Ezra slowly raised the bed a little so she could sit up and drink a glass of water through a straw.
