The baby was coming.
It was all so strange. She had been rushed to the hospital after her fall. The doctors and nurses had swarmed around her, all while she was in excruciating pain. The baby was coming. That was the only thought she could muster.
The baby was coming.
Why? How?
She had three weeks more. Three more weeks! But Jared had to come around and ruin everything, just like he always did.
Mr and Mrs Fuller must have rushed in when they heard the news, in between being drugged up and the excruciating pain she was feeling she could hear their voices, distant, worried. They kept asking about the baby, not her.
She didn't know what happened, it was all hazy. It was a mercy, that was what Lori knew. It was a mercy that fate had decided to wipe her memory.
Because she wouldn't be able to bear it.
She had woken up the next morning, the lights in her hospital room were bright almost blinding. It took a while adjusting her eyes to the light. When her eyes were finally adjusted she saw that there was not a single soul in her hospital room. Nobody at all.
It wasn't like she was expecting anyone. Mr and Mrs Fuller either, they would be too excited with their new baby. They would have their hands full.
She tried to move her arms, but she was sore all over. So sore.
God it hurts. She thought as she closed her eyes in pain. She didn't know how long she had closed her eyes, willing herself to go back to sleep just to get rid of the pain.
Mercifully, a dark haired nurse walked in moments later.
"You're awake. That's good."
She said and Lori tried to talk but her throat was so scratchy and dry. She tried to reach out to her nightstand, where there was a bottle of water but the simple movement caused her immense pain.
"Don't worry. I'll get it for you."
The nurse said as she took the bottle of water.
She poured the water in a small plastic cup next to her nightstand and adjusted Lori's bed so she could sit properly and drink.
Lori took two sips and stopped.
"What happened?"
She asked as she looked around.
"You passed out right after your cesarean section. You had everybody worried and scared. The doctor thought you wouldn't make it."
The nurse said as she dropped the cup back on the nightstand. She examined her vitals while scribbling on her notepad.
"Do you remember what happened?"
The nurse asked and Lori shook her head.
"I can't seem to remember. I only remember coming here...and the pain..."
She said said and the nurse nodded.
"Yes. You were in a lot of pain."
The doctor walked in at that moment, he was tall, balding and had glasses on, Lori felt he looked vaguely familiar. She must have seen him when she got to the hospital.
"Good morning Ms Wyatt. How are you doing?"
He asked and Lori shrugged.
"I don't know how to feel, I'm sore all over. I'm in pain."
She said and the doctor looked at the nurse. They seemed to exchange a look that she knew nothing about.
"Ms Wyatt you were in a very critical condition when you were rushed in last night."
Lori nodded. Of course she was, she had gone into premature labour.
"We prepped you for an emergency c-section. The surgery was successful. Unfortunately, the baby died, by our reports it was distressed and also had a breathing anomaly."
Lori was deathly quiet.
The baby didn't make it?!
What?!
"What?"
She said quietly and the doctor sighed.
"We did everything we could, but he didn't have much of a chance in the first place, we suspected that when you went into premature labour."
The doctor added and Lori whimpered. The sound that came out of her mouth wasn't human. It didn't even sound like it came from her.
"Where is he now?"
She asked and the doctor sighed.
"A Mr and Mrs Fuller came to claim his body. They came with documents showing that you had given away your rights to be his mother."
They couldn't even wait?!
Or let her see him?
"But! But! I haven't even seen him yet! They didn't let me see him!!!"
She cried out and the doctor and the nurse exchanged silent looks again.
"Ms Wyatt you were out for a long time and legally, they had every right to claim his body."
Lori started moving in her bed, ignoring the blinding pain.
"Where is he? Where is he now?! I want to see my son!"
She shrieked as she placed one leg on the cold marble floor, the movement alone caused her great pain, but she managed it.
The nurse rushed to her side, her strong arms subduing her and trying to drag her back to the bed.
"You can't move now Ms Wyatt, you're not strong enough yet!"
She came close to Lori and Lori slapped her hand away with all her strength.
The doctor gave the nurse one look.
"Sedate her. She needs to rest."
He said as he walked out of the room.
Another nurse rushed in at that moment, Lori was still crying, shrieking and batting away the nurse. The other nurse rushed in and pinned her down. Less than a minute, she felt drowsy and everything went blank.
Gabriel Caine paced the corridors of the hospital ward, he was nervous, a little scared and a bit angry. Suzie was crazy. Very crazy. She didn't tell him she was going to labour. She wasn't due for another few days, he thought she was in the clear.
He had specifically told her to call him if she felt the baby was coming because he felt guilty enough leaving her alone when the baby was so close to being born. Unfortunately, she had chose not to listen to him.
He was in New York when Grace's call came in.
He had rushed down from New York back home. He got there as fast as he could, he got there in time, the baby was on the way, but had not arrived yet.
He was worried, his pack was equally worried to be honest.
Even though he and Suzie were a little more than strangers he still cared for her, in his own way.
Gabriel had met Suzie at the annual Alpha's convention that held in Canada. She was part of a different pack, a lesser pack, but she had been making googly eyes at him all through the night of the dinner party. He didn't know her, he didn't know much about her, only that she was a werewolf, albeit a werewolf of lower ranking.
He had planned to be on his best behaviour, so he ignored all her advances, but she caught up with him later at a bar he went to after the party was over and they both drank a lot and ended up in an hotel room.
He had woken up the next day, naked and already regretting his actions. He left the hotel room before she woke up, dropping off some cash for her on the nightstand so she could get herself home.
He didn't even leave a number for her to call.
Three months later, Gabriel was back from a run when his beta gave him his phone claiming he had a urgent call from a strange woman named Suzie. He had forgotten all about her by then, but only accepted the call out of courtesy.
Suzie claimed she was pregnant and at first he had been outraged, but then he calmed down. He paid for her flight to Denver and made her take a DNA test.
It came out positive, the baby was his. Suzie vehemently protested to keep it, Gabriel agreed, he had no other intentions.
Of course he was mildly disappointed in himself. It was not often that the alpha of one of the most prestigious packs in the world fathered an illegitimate child. Even his own family had been surprised.
Suzie moved in quickly, he had no qualms with that, he only made her know her place. Yes, she was the mother of his child, but she would never be his mate or his Luna, those positions were left unoccupied, till his mate came along.
Suzie tended to ignore that and tried to boss his betas around, still, he tolerated her excesses because she was the mother of his child.
He had left briefly, for a business trip only to get the scary call that she had gone into labour.
The doctor walked out of the theatre, walking briskly while taking off his bloody gloves.
He had a grim look on his face, his heartbeat was racing.
"Mr Caine... I'm sorry."
Gabriel clenched his jaw, bracing himself for the news.
"We lost the mother. But you have a beautiful baby girl."
Though he felt guilty of it, a little bit of his tension slipped away after hearing the last part.
"Ms Garcia went into cardiac arrest right after the delivery, we had no idea of her medical history, if we had known, we might have saved her."
Gabriel nodded, still at a loss for words.
"Can I see my daughter now please?"
He asked and the doctor nodded.
Soon after the nurse came out wheeling the baby out of the theatre and Gabriel approached her to look.
She was crying, screaming bloody murder and Gabriel's heart broke at the sound. At the shrill voice.
His daughter was going to grow up without a mother.
She was going to grow up without Suzie.
Somewhere in his heart, Gabriel felt like he had already failed her.
