Diabolus: The Lethal Hunt

Chapter Twenty Five

BEVERLY WOODS

"We have to get her to the hospital."

"There's no time, Kai. Not anymore."

The pain is unbearable as I take another look at Avery's and Kai's worried faces. I squeeze Kai's hand as hard as I can, trying to ride out the wave of agony that ripples through my body. Sweat soaks my hairline and my breaths came in short, frantic gasps. I know the baby is coming, and I know we aren't going to make it to the hospital in time.

The contractions hit me like a freight train as I lay in the car in the abandoned parking lot. I clutch the dashboard with one hand and my stomach with the other, trying to ride out the wave of pain that wracked my body.

"Oh, God. It's starting. It's starting."

My husband's eyes dart nervously over to me, his knuckles turning white while trying to hold my body.

"Are you sure?" He asks, his voice tinged with fear.

I nod, unable to form words as another contraction hits me. This one is worse than the last, a searing pain that radiates from my lower back to my toes.

I try to breathe through the pain, to focus on anything other than the fact that I'm about to give birth in a vehicle. Kai's eyes flick over to me, then he turns to Avery with a look full of anxiety; in fact, this is the first time I see him so vulnerable. I can see the fear and helplessness on his face, the same fear and helplessness that I am feeling.

I can feel the baby's head crowning, the intense pressure pushing down on my body. I grit my teeth and push, feeling the baby's head emerge with a wet, squelching sound.

"Oh my God, it's coming."

"What do I do?"

Kai asks frantically, his voice and hands shaking.

"What do I do?"

"Get me something to catch the baby." Avery shouts, her voice strained with effort as she holds me, pushing Kai away.

He rummages through the back seat, pulling out a jacket and a towel. He throws them to Avery and then stands back, looking on helplessly as I start to deliver our child.

"Push, Beverly, push!"

I know that I have to push, that I have to get this baby out before it's too late. I brace myself against the seat, feeling the muscles in my body tense and strain.

I gasp for air, feeling my body convulse with the effort of delivering our child. Kai's eyes are wide with terror and amazement as he stands and watches, ready to help at any moment, while Avery's shaking hands try to assist me.

"Come on, baby, there's not much left. You can do this."

I push again, harder this time, feeling the baby's body emerge from me. The pain is overwhelming, a searing agony that consumes me completely. But through it all, I know that I have to keep pushing, that I have to get this baby out.

And then it happens. The baby slips out of me, slick and wriggling, the cries fill up the silent place. Avery catches it in her arms and wraps it in a towel before I can feel it on my hands; the warmth and weight of it against my chest.

"Congratulations on having a daughter, you two."

I can feel the exhaustion seeping into my bones as Avery steps back and Kai takes her place; every part of me is aching from the effort of giving birth. But I feel the warmth of my baby in my arms, all of that pain melts away, replaced by a fierce and overwhelming love.