Page 35 of Scarred Sunrise

“Breathe through it, Luce.”

Lucy panted and shot her quelling look that did nothing for her. “Motherfucker that hurt,” Lucy bit out as the pain eased, but Lizzie had timed it, and it had lasted longer than Jace had said.

Jace pushed a piece of hair from her face with tenderness and worry etched in his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

Lucy cupped his cheek and kissed him lightly. “No, but if things get too bad, I will. I promise. I won’t do anything to put me or our baby in danger.”

The next few hours became intense as Lauren and Meg arrived and Dane and Daniel went into the kitchen to stay out of the blast zone as Daniel put it. She was glad they were there to keep Ty company, and she was even more grateful he was here for her.

Lucy was now sitting on the floor with a quilt underneath her, with Jace behind her supporting her back, his legs either side of hers. Lauren and Meg were either side of her, and Lizzie was about to deliver her niece.

“Come on, Luce, one more push on this next contraction.”

Liz, Meg, and Lauren had been googling every single thing they could about delivering a baby, and Doc Turner was now in attendance in case he was needed. He was sitting in the corner of the room in an armchair, reading a book ostensibly but Liz knew he was watching every move in case he needed to step in. It had been Lucy’s only concession to keep Jace happy, and Liz was relieved the man was there as support.

A groan ripped the air as Lucy bore down, her skin soaked with sweat, hair plastered to her face. Liz was in awe as she saw the baby’s head deliver and glanced at Lauren, who was monitoring the energy of the baby through Lucy. Her quick nod reassured Liz that all was well as Lucy sank back against Jace, exhaustion wretched on her face.

“One more, Lucy, and she will be here, the head is out.”

Lizzie saw determination cross her sister’s features as she laced Jace’s hands with hers. The next contraction hit hard as she pushed her baby daughter into the world. The most beautiful, hair raising sound hit everyone’s ears—a new baby’s cry as she took her first breath and made her displeasure with the world known. Lizzie caught her niece, pushing her onto Lucy’s chest, quickly wiping her over and then removing her hands so her sister could cradle her child to her breast.

Tears were streaming down both her’s and Jace’s cheeks, looks of pure unbridled joy on their faces as they met their daughter for the first time. Unending love radiated from the new parents as Liz stepped back to let Doc Turner deal with the cord.

“You did well, Lizzie. You would’ve been a good midwife.”

Lizzie offered the man a shaky smile. “Not sure about that, but it was something I’ll never forget.”

Meg and Lauren, who were wrestling tears of joy, moved out of the room to let the parents have some time alone as a new family. Her legs felt weak and unstable—not from pain but from witnessing and being part of such a profound miracle. The air tinged with positive energy that seemed to flow through her and over her skin in an almost playful whisper. The power in it was even more noticeable than ever before.

“Liz!”

Liz looked down at Lucy, who looked beautiful. “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Tears shone in Lucy’s eyes and Liz bit her lip, rolling it inwards so her voice didn’t crack with the force of emotion she felt. “It was my honour. Thank you for letting me be part of this.”

She walked out of the room, closing the door quietly and moved to the sound of voices in the kitchen. Her eyes shifted around the room looking for Ty, wanting to share this with him, and having the profound desire to have him hold her as a melancholy swamped her at the thought her mother would never see this or be a part of it.

His eyes locked on hers from across the room, and he was moving towards her as if he sensed she needed him. “You okay? Is the baby okay?”

Her head hit his chest, and his arms came around her holding her tight to his body, and the pent up joy and fear bled out of her. His scent, the familiar feel of him, grounded her as nothing else could.

Her head tipped back to look at him, his smile lighting his face. “Everyone is perfect.”

“I hear you were quite the superstar in there.”

“No.” Liz shook her head. “Lucy did all the work. I just caught the baby.”

His lips pressed to her head as he kept her in the cradle of his arms, yet a feeling of foreboding swam through her that what they had was temporary. It made her feel grief when she should only be feeling joy.

“You sure you’re okay?” His worried eyes were on her as she looked up at him.

“Yeah, just being emotional and silly.” His hand cupped her face, moving a tendril of hair from her face. “I must look a state.”

He shook his head. “The most beautiful woman in the world.”

Her heart gave a thump as it turned over and she wondered if it was big enough to hold this amount of love, then she remembered feeling the same when Mateo was born and realised her love was infinite.

“Is this real?”

He got her meaning, and his face sobered. “It’s real, Liz. It’s real and perfect.”

Lizzie nodded and smiled as the door behind her opened. Jace, looking shell shocked, stood behind them with his daughter wrapped in a blanket that had been crocheted by her own mother for Lucy. “I’d like you all to meet Harlow Lydia Ward.”

Ty’s arms tightened on her, and she knew that no matter what happened, she’d remember this night for the rest of her life.