Chapter 50
DELILAH
4 months later
"Happy birthday, baby," I whisper, leaning down to kiss Mason's forehead. He's lost quite a bit of weight and as each day goes by, he looks less and less like himself.
Today is his thirty-third birthday, and we're all in his room celebrating for him because he can't. He's still in a coma and by now we're almost certain that he will never wake up and by next week we'll have to make the hardest decision of our life.
To take him off life support.
My hand rests on my massive belly. Maisie is ready to pop soon and it's killing me that Mason won't be here to witness it.
"Got you your favourite cake," I whisper. "But Myra and Myles seem to be eating it all." I smile to myself, sitting on the edge of his bed.
Miller is being comforted by Callie and his parents. I feel bad for him, he thought he lost Mason one time before and now we're in a situation where we could lose him for real.
Gunner makes his way over to me and stands next to us with a solemn look.
"How you feeling today, sweet girl?" He whispers gently, reaching down to gently stroke my face.
"I'm fine." Is all I can say, fiddling with my fingers. "Help me up," I grunt and he takes my hands helping me up from my seated position.
"You're so gorgeous." He smirks, placing his hands on my belly. Over the months I think Gunner has developed an obsession with me being pregnant and I'm pretty sure after Maisie arrives he'll waste no time in putting another inside of me.
"Gunner, my belly is fat, my feet are swollen, I'm sweating like no tomorrow and you think I'm gorgeous." I roll my eyes, but Gunner is having none of it.
"Hey." He grasps my face in one big hand. "I mean it. You're so fucking gorgeous, always will be to me."
"You know when I was about to give birth to the twins, my feet swelled up like crazy," Callie adds eyeing up my bare feet which were luckily manicured not so long ago.
"Really?" I tilt my head, trying to find my feet but my belly sticks out so far I can't say shit.
"Mmm." She hums, analysing me and it puts me on edge slightly. Maisie isn't due for at least another week, but Callie's face right now is telling me otherwise.
"Yeah, she's coming." Callie nods, placing a hand on her hip. "I'll call the midwife and get the room set up."
"Callie, my waters haven't even broken." I protest, holding my hands up. "Let's not jump to conclusions."
After I've just finished that sentence water starts to trickle down my legs. Holy shit. Oh, my fuck!
I start to hyperventilate.
Oh my God, I'm about to push a baby out of my vagina!
"Delilah, you gotta calm down," Gunner says soothingly and my eyes bulge.
"Calm down?! You want me to calm down?!" I hiss, my heart ready to explode out of my chest. "Gunner, our daughter has decided she wants to fucking show up now! They're gonna have the same birthday! She's gonna be a Mason, I just know it. How are we going to cope?" I panic and Gunner stares down at me in amusement.
A contraction ripples through me and I clutch onto Gunner's toned forearm. His eyes shift behind me to where Mason is lying and his mouth drops open.
"Holy fucking shit!" He chokes out and I spin around, my mouth dropping in shock.
Mason's eyes are fluttering open, Miller is yelling to the others to get the doctor, and another contraction hits me like a bullet. So much is going on right now.
"Mason!" I rush towards him, stroking his hair as he lets out a pained groan. The doctor rushes in, looking amazed at what he's witnessing. It was so unsure that Mason would awaken and now here he is.
Great timing, Mason. Just typical.
The doctor works on removing all the machines from his mouth and checks his vitals to make sure he's okay. Mason is falling in and out of consciousness but he's able to breathe on his own.
I'm swallowing the pain I've been feeling for twenty minutes, not wanting to leave him, but Callie is adamant I need to start getting ready.
"Can he speak?" I question the doctors, bouncing anxiously on my feet.
"He should be able to, but it will be difficult." He informs me and I understand since he's been in a coma for nine months. "Mason, can you hear me?" The doctor questions him, using a stethoscope to check his heartbeat.
"Fuck—" Mason croaks, his voice hoarse. "A-Am I d-dead?" He squints, trying to sit up but winces, falling back against the mattress.
"Take it easy, Mason. You've been in a coma for nine months." Mason's hazy brown eyes fly open.
"Delilah, Gunner!" He calls out, looking around the room and when he spots us standing at the side a sob breaks through his mouth. "Holy fucking shit." He coughs and Gunner pours him some water and helps him drink it.
"We've fucking missed you, mate." Gunner clutches onto his shoulder and smiles down at him. Mason looks up at the ceiling and exhales a shaky breath. "Thought you weren't going to pull through."
I wince slightly and Mason's gaze snaps towards me and then my belly.
"Maisie." He tries to sit up again and I turn my head away trying to hide the discomfort I'm feeling.
"That's it. You're coming with me now." Callie points, grabbing my arm gently and leads me out of the room.
"Delilah." Mason's panicked voice enters my ears and I nibble on my lip, not wanting to leave him. He's only just woken up and now I have to give birth, which don't get me wrong I'm over the moon, but Maisie couldn't have at least waited an extra day.
I have a feeling she's going to be a lot more like Mason and that alone is scary.
"She's about to give birth to our daughter!" Gunner tells him in excitement and Mason's mouth falls open.
"I-I need to be there." He's trying to get out of bed but Miller pushes him back down.
"You're staying right here," Miller speaks out in a stern voice and Mason groans, his eyes still full off panic and my heart breaks when he lets out a whimper.
"Please." He begs his brother but Miller shakes his head telling Gunner to go and that he'll stay with Mason. But Mason is having none of it.
"Mason, please just stay there." I plead with him and he shakes his head.
"N-Need to be there for Maisie a-and you." The monitor for his heart rate increases and starts to beep erratically. Another contraction almost has me dropping to my knees. This is worse than the shooting pains up the bum on a period!
"Baby." Gunner wraps me in his arms, helping me stay on my feet. The midwife comes along with Callie, wheeling an empty wheelchair and Callie shoves me down onto the seat.
"You're about to give birth, this is your priority right now. Mason is alive and well, okay. He'll be here when it's all over." I inhale deeply and nod my head, my eyes stinging with tears. "Plus you've got this grump here to keep your company, perks of having more than one man." She winks and I laugh lightly.
"Look after him, please," I tell Miller and he agrees with a sharp nod, keeping his hard eyes on his younger brother.
•••
"One more push, Delilah! You're doing so well." The midwife beams as I scream the room down, I'm surprised the walls haven't started to crumble. My hair sticks to my clammy face and I'm pretty sure I've gone and broken Gunner's hand. "That's it!"
After the final push, the sound of a sharp baby's cry fills the room and Callie gushes with joy, clapping her hands in excitement.
"This is amazing!" I rest my head against Gunner who leans down and presses a kiss on the top of my head.
"I'm so proud of you, baby girl."
The midwife wraps little Maisie up in a baby pink blanket and hands her to me, her little body resting on my chest. She's stopped crying but she's gazing up at me with wide eyes, her little fingers clenched in tiny fists.
"She's so beautiful," I whisper, looking up at Gunner who stares down at his daughter with warm, watery eyes.
"Yep, she's going to be a mini Mason alright." He smirks and I don't even care because I've just given birth to a beautiful girl and Mason is awake. This is the best day ever.
"Trust my own child to steal my birthday." Our heads shoot towards the door to see Mason being wheeled in by a not-so-happy Miller.
"The idiot doesn't know when to quit." He grumbles but his face softens when he sees Maisie in my arms. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Lemme see," Mason speaks out like a child and I throw him a playful glare.
"I told you to stay put." I scold him and he sighs, ordering Miller to push him closer. Miller obliges with a roll of his eyes and then takes his wife and leaves the four of us alone.
Gunner takes hold of Maisie, stroking her little face with his finger and then hands her to Mason.
"I've been cleaned. Don't worry." He adds in. "And I've held a baby before you worry I drop our one on the ground. Although I think my dad dropped me on the floor once." Mason's voice sound like sandpaper and I snort.
Gunner gently hands Maisie to Mason and I'm surprised when a sob escapes Mason's mouth.
"Hi, butterfly." He whispers. "I thought I was never going to see you, but here you are sharing a birthday with me and now you're going to steal all the attention but that's okay, I'll let you off." He grins and I bite my trembling lip, completely exhausted but so fucking grateful.
The three of us are together again.
And now it's four.
Mason is alive and well.
Maisie is here.
We're a family.
"I've got something to tell you all." Mason blurts out and my face falls.
A/N
He's aliveeee! One day I'll throw you off by killing my characters, one day 😏🖤