Paroled

Chapter 20

Not long after little Harry was born he was whisked away for standard tests and to be cleaned up properly before being brought back to his parents. Eva was moved from labor and delivery to recovery and was finally alone with Opie.

"I miss him," she laughed a little.

"You won't be saying that in a few weeks," Opie joked. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm still pretty numb from the epidural," she shrugged, "But I'm tired."

"Get some sleep," he said, pushing her hair back and kissing her forehead. "I'll wake you up when they bring him back."

"No you won't," she said with a sleepy smile.

"Probably not," Opie said as he gave her hand a squeeze. "Seriously sleep. I called everyone, Jax'll probably be around soon."

She rolled her eyes. "Even if I'm not sleeping tell them I am, I'm not trying to talk to anyone."

Opie leaned down and kissed her lips, still salty with the last remnants of sweat, then pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said dreamily.

"You did great, seriously.

"Thanks," she said with a little yawn.

There was a knock at the door and Jax poked his head in. "Hey," he said quietly.

"I'm sleeping," Eva said quickly.

"Gotcha," he laughed.

"I'm coming," Opie chuckled, giving her hand one last squeeze before following Jax out to the hall.

"Congratulations!" Jax said excitedly as he gave Opie a rough hug. "Tara told me he's healthy."

"Yeah he's great," Opie smiled proudly. "They have him in the nursery," he gestured down the hall and they both started walking in that direction.

"I don't think I ever seen you this happy, brother," Jax remarked as they walked.

Opie nodded. "I don't think I ever been," he shrugged. "I was too scared when Kenny and Ellie were born," he added with a hearty laugh.

"I get that shit," Jax agreed.

"He's right there." Opie said to Jax and pointed to Harry in the tiny bassinet behind the large glass window of the nursery.

"He's huge," Jax laughed.

"I know, I kind of feel bad for Eva," he joked.

"She's good?"

"She's great," he said excitedly. "A fucking beast, man. Kind of high strung and scared but she did it."

"Congratulations, Ope," Jax said again, more serious and genuine this time.

"Thanks, brother," he smiled. "I think I'm gonna ask her to marry me," Opie admitted somewhat hesitantly.

Jax drew his head back, "Shit. You sure? It's uhh, kind of fast."

"I know," he said, disappointed Jax didn't immediately congratulate him but thankful he as honest. "Less than a year, shit ain't even finalized with Donna, but I want it, I want her."

"Ope," Jax said awkwardly. "I know Eva pretty well, and I'm saying this to try to help you, she's not gonna say yes. Not yet."

Although hearing it out loud was crushing, Opie already knew deep down that Eva wasn't ready and that she'd feel he wasn't either.

"Maybe," Opie shrugged. "I dunno, just thinking about it."

"I get it," Jax assured him. "Just don't scare her off."

Opie nodded, silent now, and they both looked at the baby for a few guilt minutes. A nurse came by and scooped up the baby, bustling around the nursery, and the movement shook Opie from his thoughts.

"Maybe I'll wait," he mused.

"Good call," Jax said with a nod. "I gotta run, club shit, but we're all coming by tonight with cigars. You tell Eva we all said congratulations."

"I will," Opie said we they hugged briefly.

Opie walked Jax to the elevator bay before passing by the nursery again. He glanced in and noticed the nurse who had picked up little Harry was actually, Johnny, Eva's ex. He recognized him instantly, his face had been seared in Opie's brain since the confrontation they'd had months before.

First, Opie went for the door but it was locked, the keypad blinking beside the knob, so he banged his fist on the glass. "Put him down," Opie hollered.

Hearing the commotion, security and a few maternity nurses came down the hall with horrified looks. "How did he get in there?" The one guard asked.

"He has an ID," a nurse told him. "Said he was a fill in from the temp agency."

"Yeah well he's fucking not," Opie growled. "And he's got my son."

The nurse scanned her ID and the door beeped, then unlocked, but before she went in she looked at the guard. "Should I? What does he want?"

"I want my son," he said, his voice weak and scratchy. "This should be my son."

Alarms were blaring and the hospital was now on lockdown, standard procedure in such a dangerous situation, and word had gotten around the hospital. One thing that hadn't been shared, or even known by anyone was that Johnny's girlfriend was also in the hospital. She was on a different floor, suffering deeply, after losing her baby from a tragic cord accident.

"Put the baby down," the guard ordered Johnny with his gun drawn.

Johnny looked at Harry and began to cry,  swearing he could see Eva in the baby's little face.

"Fuck this," Opie snarled.

Pushing the nurse out of his way he stormed into the nursery. When he reached for the baby, Opie saw Johnny grab something from the pocket of his stolen scrubs. Within seconds he was plunging a scalpel into his jugular. As Johnny collapsed Opie caught Harry, the baby finally waking up after the tough jostle, and tried to shield him from the blood as it spurt out wildly.

Jax, as soon as he heard the alarms, raced back up to maternity to see Opie on the floor holding Harry tight, in a pool a blood, with Johnny's dead body beside them.

"Jesus Christ," he hissed, taking in the bloody scene around him.

"He's Eva's ex," Opie said to Jax, his voice wavering from the overwhelming emotion. "Make sure he's okay," Opie said the pediatrician raced into the nursery.

The baby's powder blue blanket and hat were stained with bright red blood and tiny droplets already dried on his skin.

Opie and Jax both felt violently ill from the sight but only Harry's father felt the dark fear that his hours old son was marred in someway after the ordeal. Subconsciously, Opie feared the blood stains were a representation of the stain of violence on his infant's life that would haunt him. He couldn't verbalize it nor could he explain it but the foreboding feeling was there and it wasn't going anywhere.