Broken Free (The Broken Series) (15 page)

Seth pulled Daniel to the ground till they were both on their knees but the fury and pain continued to rip him to pieces inside. “Why didn’t you love me! You broke me,”
Daniel screamed till he was hoarse. “You fucking broke me! Why did you break me!

“Stop! Stop please!” Sofia
screamed while crying. “Leave!” She pointed out the yard. “You leave my husband! You
bastard
! You don’t fucking deserve him! He’s beautiful! You leave us alone!”

“Go back inside baby,” Daniel gasped. “Call the cops!”

“I did!” She hurried to his side.

“Let me go Seth.” Daniel’s voice broke at seeing Sofia crying and frantic.

She suddenly gasped and froze next to him her eyes wide. “I think my water just broke.”

Daniel
’s heart stopped and he jerked his gaze to her feet. “Oh God!”

Not water. A ton of blood.

Chapter Twenty

Sofia didn’t understand the look of horror on Daniel’s face. She looked down and saw the blood, and fear shot through her as Daniel scooped her up into his arms. “Call 911 Seth! No, I’ll take her, it’ll be faster. Take care of the house. I need my phone.”

“Getting it.”

Daniel hurried with her to the car and put her in. “Okay baby, it’s okay, don’t panic, it’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said.

“I’m scared,” she whispered letting him buckle her seat belt. That was an understatement.

“How do you feel, do you have any pain?” Daniel shut her door and ran to the driver side and got in.

“No, no pain.”

“None? At all?”

She shook her head.

“Okay, okay, we’ll get you to the hospital, the doctor will look at you, everything will be fine, okay, I love you.”

“Okay baby.” She hated to hear the panic in his voice, hated to see him scared.

Daniel drove as fast as he could, apologizing repeatedly for every bump in the road while asking if she was hurting. When they drove in at the hospital, she was sure she was feeling some kind of pain now.

“I think I’m having contractions.”

“How do you know? What’s happening?”

“Every time… I have one, there’s a gush of liquid.” Maybe it wasn’t blood, she couldn’t’ tell or be sure.

“Okay, I’m coming around to get you, don’t move.”

Daniel carried her into the emergency room and a nurse hurried to get a wheel chair. “She’s nine months pregnant and she’s bleeding heavily.”

Daniel rattled off all the pertinent information and Sofia tried to remain calm.

“Are you having any pain?” the nurse asked.

“Not really, mild contractions.” Daniel carefully helped her into the wheel chair.

“Oh, that’s a lot of blood,” the nurse said. “Let’s get her up and prepped for the doctor. Just to be on the safe side.”

Sofia’s heart raced as they wheeled her upstairs to the third floor while Daniel walked alongside her. She looked at him, and he winked at her. He was being brave for her. She smiled at him, wanting to do the same for him, fighting not to show the terror she felt.

They got her to the room and helped her onto the bed. Another contraction came with another gush of liquid. “I’m…I’m having one.”

“A contraction?” the nurse asked.

Sofia nodded, breathing through the surprisingly stronger pain.

Daniel took her hand. “Are you hurting?”

Sofia gripped it tight and nodded, breathing the way Daniel had practiced with her in the shower. The nurse checked between her legs. “Yeah, that’s waaaaay too much blood.” She looked at the other nurse. “You called the doctor?”

“She’s on the way.”

The nurse looked at Daniel. “I’m going to get her hooked up to check on the baby, make sure he’s not in any distress. Then I’ll check to see if she’s dilating.”

He nodded and leveled a gaze on Sofia, stroking her head.

The woman got a belt around
Sofia’s waist and hooked it up to a machine while another nurse came in and asked Daniel personal questions, and still a third nurse prepared an IV.

The
air filled with the sound of a vigorous heartbeat.

“
Baby seems fine,” the nurse said.

Daniel’s entire body seemed to sag in relief and he put his forehead on hers. “I love you baby.”

“I’m going to check you now sweetie.”

Sofia brought her legs up and opened them and the woman dug around in her vagina until Sofia winced. 

“You’re having a contraction?” she asked.

“No, your hand is hurting me.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She pressed harder, reaching with her apparently too short fingers. “You feel like three centimeters.”

Another contraction began to come on and Sofia gripped Daniel’s hand.”

“You’re having one?” he asked.

She nodded, breathing.

“That’s it, you’re doing great. When will she get the epidural?”

“He’s on his way now,
” the nurse said.

Ten seconds later, Sofia un-clenched her eyes, finally breathing slower.

“You’re doing beautifully baby,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. “The anesthesiologist is coming to make it all go away.”

She nodded and smiled a little. “Okay.” She looked at him and whispered, “Do they…know why I’m bleeding?”

“Not yet, but the doctor will be here any minute, she’ll know.”

The door opened and a man rolled a cart into the room. “Your epidural,” Daniel
whispered to her.

Fear gripped Sofia and she squeezed his hand.

“Another one?”

She shook her head and watched the man approach the bed.

“It’s okay, he’s done hundreds of these, right doc?”

He was a foreigner, middle-eastern. “I’ve been doing this for four years, dear.”

“She’s scared. It’s her first.”

“Very understandable dear. I will tell you what I am doing before I ever do it, okay? That way there will be no surprises.”

Sofia nodded, too scared to talk. A contraction began and she gripped Daniel’s hand, breathing. The pain began in her lower stomach and felt like a giant rubber band slowly tightening around her spine until the pain forced moans from her every breath. Shit. It was getting worse, fast. “More liquid came out,” Sofia said.

The doctor came in. “My darling,” she sang, “you’re going to gift me with delivering your first son on Christmas? How sweet!”

Sofia immediately felt better at seeing her and smiled. She sounded so sure.

“Okay, so are you having contractions?”

“Yes.”

“And they’re getting strong?”

Sofia nodded.

“She was three centimeters like fifteen minutes ago,” the nurse said.

The doctor checked between her legs. “Hmmm. That is definitely too much blood.” She turned to the anesthesiologist. “I’m going to do an emergency C-section,” she said quietly before turning a bright smile to Sofia. “Honey, since I’m not sure what’s going on, I’m going to get this baby out as fast as I can. You’re losing a lot of blood.” She looked up at Daniel. “We don’t want her to bleed to death, so I need to hurry.” She gave Sofia a smile, but the concern in the doctor’s face didn’t go missed. “Once I open you, I’ll be able to see what’s going on better.”

Sofia nodded, feeling terrified again as she let the epidural guy direct her and Daniel to accommodate him.

The epidural procedure lasted an entire ten minutes, and by some miracle, Sofia didn’t have a single contraction as she’d feared she would. When it was all done, he asked her a lot of questions about how she felt while Sofia felt the medicine take effect on the right side but not the left. She told him and he helped lay her on her side. Five minutes later, her heart began to race.

“I…I feel weird, like I can’t breathe.”

“Sit her up more,” he instructed.

But five more minutes and still no better. A contraction came and the pain felt as though it had doubled from the last. Numb on the right and searing on the left. Sofia breathed through the first half but the second half was nearly unbearable, filled with sharp moans and straining.

“Breathe through it, don’t push, I know you want to,” Daniel said, holding her hand tight.

“I’m trying,” she gasped.

“I know baby.”

“I’ll give her another
dose just before the procedure,” the man said.

Two nurses came in, prepped for surgery.
“Okay, let’s get her going, the doctor’s waiting.”

Sofia kept her gaze locked on Daniel as they wheeled her to the operating room.

“You’re fine sweet heart, don’t be scared, I’m here. I’m praying, you’re fine, okay?”

Sofia wanted to cry at seeing the panic at the edges of his
eyes. She was scared. She didn’t want to die. That was the unspoken fear she’d had all those months. This foreboding feeling.

They parked her in the operating room and began working, a group of strangers in masks all around, hurrying. The hurrying scared her.

They talked about her epidural, the foreigner explained to the other guy in hushed words what he’d done so far. “Let’s give her another dose.”

Sofia looked left and locked her gaze on Daniel who had her hand locked in his. “I’m here,” he whispered.

She didn’t want to be lying on her back with the epidural. The medicine would go up, not down. She felt a cold sensation on her right and looked.

“He’s giving you more medicine,” Daniel said.

Sofia waited, trying to hold down her terror. She began to feel weird again. “I…I…I can’t…” She struggled to speak but the medicine was affecting her mouth. “Can’t breathe.”

“She can’t breathe.
” Daniel’s voice carried loud.

S
ofia lolled her head right toward the man. “Can you feel this?” He poked her arm with a needle and she nodded.

“You’re fine sweet heart, if you can feel that, it’s okay, try to relax. Can you feel this?” He poked the needle along her stomach and she stopped feeling when he got halfway down. “That’s not numb enough.” He looked right. “Give her half a dose more.”

The epidural guy did as instructed and Sofia turned and locked her eyes on Daniel again. She was terrified now. So terrified. Too terrified to even speak. She looked around and was hit with the vivid memory of her dream. There had been a group of strangers just like this. Just like this.

I gave you that dream.

The words came to her just like that. And then she heard what they meant.
I gave you the dream. I let you see and feel what was coming. It’s okay.

Sofia felt herself slowly disconnecting from her body in a strange way. She was still in her body but it was like her mind disconnected from everything. She felt her heart racing, the
panic pumping through her, but her mind wasn’t affected by it. Except that she was so happy and grateful.

S
he cried silent tears.

“Looks like she had a partial placental abr
uption,” the doctor mumbled. “If you have anything to confess daddy, now’s the time, she’ll likely not remember.” Sofia realized at that point that the doctor had already cut her open.

Sofia kept her gaze locked on her husband, feeling an amazing peace. His harsh gaze was riveted to what the doctor was doing. A few seconds later, Sofia felt a huge pressure leave her body
, and Daniel stood.

The sound of a tiny cry creaked through the air and Sofia closed her eyes with a smile. 

“Daddy, you want to cut the cord?”

Sofia stared at their pink baby, clawing at the air, struggling to cry. Daniel stood next to
him. “Hey there sweet heart, it’s daddy.” Sofia’s heart constricted at hearing him say those words, his voice thick with emotion.

“Let’s let mommy have a look,” the doctor said,
all smiles as she held the baby over Sofia’s chest.

Sofia smiled and stared at the scrunched up angry looking face, his eyes rapidly blinking like the light was hurting
them. “Beautiful,” she whispered.

The doctor handed him
off to the nurse. “You can sleep now sweet heart, I’m going to stich you back up good as new while they get him all clean and weigh him and make sure he’s ready for the world.”

Sofia watched as they took him to a little table a
t the far end of the room and did things to him that made him all screechy mad and adorable.

“He’s beautiful baby,” Daniel said next to her ear.

She turned and kissed him, then closed her eyes.

Thank you God.

Chapter Twenty One

Sofia woke up to the sound of Daniel’s cooing voice. At seeing her husband rocking their baby next to the bed, she smiled.

“You are so beautiful, yes you are.” He leaned and smothered
the baby’s face with endless butterfly kisses. “Daddy loves you so much, yes.”

“Baby,” Sofia whispered.

He jerked to her and gave a heart stopping smile. “Look at him baby!” He carefully brought him to the bed and laid him in her arms. Sofia’s eyes swam with tears.

“He’s beautiful. Just like his daddy.”

“And his mother, look he has your nose and lips.”

She
grinned at his tiny expression. “He’s got your perfect brows. And he’s already contemplating the secrets to the universe.”

Daniel laughed, seeming to love that description. “I think he’s formulating cookie batter.”

One chuckle and Sofia gasped at the pain in her lower abdomen. “How long have I been sleeping?”

“Like four hours, how do you feel beautiful?”

“That’s it? Wow, felt like thirty minutes.” She suddenly smiled at him. “I’m fine, just tired. And I didn’t really do anything.”

He laid his head next to hers. “You lost a lot of blood. You’ll be here for a few days so they can monitor you. I was so scared baby, I’m sorry.”

“What? No, you were wonderful, you were very brave. God, I’m thirsty.”

Daniel hurried to get her some water from the mauve plastic pitcher. “I can’t believe all that happened,” he said. “Baby, I nearly lost it when I saw the blood, I’m not kidding you.”

“Oh honey, meeeeee too, I just knew that was the reason for all my fears.”

He gave her the cup and she downed it, never loving water more. He kissed her over and over. “You think you had those fears because of that?”

She heard the concern in his voice and knew he felt bad. “I have no doubt now. When I was in the operating room, the most amazing thing happened right in the middle of me being terrified out of my mind.”

“Baby, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s not your fault obviously, how would you know?”

“What happened?”

Sofia closed her eyes a few seconds fighting back her emotions. She lost, and her face crimped as she covered her mouth with her hand. It trembled and ached with the needle and tube taped to the top. “I just got this…this peace you know?” The words barely squeaked by. “I was looking all around at everything and I was so scared, and I suddenly remembered the dream in vivid detail, the strange people, the
terror
it was exactly the same. And then…” her words squealed again. “Then I like…heard or felt this voice, it was more of a feeling kind of hearing, a knowing. It said I gave you this dream and that fear so that when it came, you would know I told you. And that…” she sobbed and put her face in Daniel’s neck. “That it would be okay. And at that moment, I could still feel the panic inside me, could feel my body freaking out, but my mind was not touched. It was just at peace.”

“Oh wow, baby. You think God did that?”

She nodded a lot, positive. “I’m so glad I didn’t die,” she said.

He gasped and kissed her face all over
. “Me too, Sofia. I prayed so hard. So hard,” he gasped in her neck. “I made all kinds of promises to God. I’m in serious debt.”

A tiny squeak came from the bundle in Sofia’s arms and Daniel
looked. “Heyyy Daniel, don’t cry, daddy and mommy are here.” He stroked his brow and Sofia let out a sob at hearing him call their son Daniel. It was the first time.

A knock sounded on the door and Daniel hurried to see who it was. Sofia strained to
hear who he whispered to.

“Congratulations man.” Seth. He hugged Daniel and Sarah followed them into the room. Sofia smiled at seeing how cute
Sarah looked. She was quickly getting the hang of dressing herself. Sofia realized Dara didn’t enter. Where was she?

Daniel
carefully took the baby from her and showed him off to Seth and Sarah.

“Ohhhh wow,” Seth said, fascinated. “Man, he’s so
little.”
He moved right, so Sarah could see. “Look what you’ll have soon.”

She sucked in a breath and spoke several Spanish words, her brow crimped in utter awe. “Except ours will be a girl?” She smiled prettily at Seth and he kissed her.

Anna Sofia. Sarah’s idea.

“Where’s Dara?” Sofia asked.

Daniel turned to her with a weird look on his face.

“What? What happened?”

He went to the little closet in the room and returned with an envelope. “Seth brought this earlier. I didn’t open it.”

Sofia took it and saw her name on it. Ugh, shit. Tears filled her eyes before she could stop them. She tore open the envelope and read. After the first paragraph, she quit.
Sofia couldn’t believe it. She’d
lied
about the pregnancy. Hadn’t meant it to go so far. Only wanted to win Seth.

She ripped the whole thing up and tossed it to the right of the bed, unable to stop the angry hurt sobs. Mostly that she’d lost her friend. Over
bullshit. Just pure bullshit.

Daniel leaned and put his face next to hers. “I’m sorry baby.”

He was but he wasn’t, she knew. And that was all fine, she got it. She’d deal with Dara another day.

The baby started crying all pitiful and her tears stopped. “Bring him to me, I want to try and nurse him.”

Daniel brought him. “Wait for me, I want to watch,” he whispered.

“Okay, daddy, but hurry, he sounds so hungry.”

Daniel saw Seth and Sarah out and hurried back. “They’re going look at the nursery.” He took the baby and set him in the little rolling bed to help her when she gasped and winced. He pulled her forward and worked her gown off of her right shoulder and then helped get the baby in place. And together they worked on the latch-on as he called it. “Wait for him to open wide,” Daniel said.

Several seconds passed.
“He won’t,” she said.

“Tickle his chin with your nipple. God, I want to suck it.”

She tried not to laugh at how hungry and serious he sounded. “I do have two.”

“I plan to see what your milk tastes like, but not now, I want to see him.”

Sofia tickled the baby’s cheek with her breast until he got interested and turned. Then she tickled his lips, trying to squeeze milk out the way Daniel had showed her during their breast feeding practice sessions. He loved doing those.

The baby grunted and coughed all cute.
“Awww, he’s getting pissed,” Sofia cooed.

Daniel giggled in awe as
their baby snorted and jerked his mouth back and forth over her nipple.

Sofia jabbed it in his mouth.
“It’s there sweetheart, close your little mouth.”

Daniel helped push the nipple further in and the baby
finally latched with a greedy suction. “Ohhhhhh my
gosh
baby, he’s
doing
it.”

Daniel kissed her with a smile. “You’re going to be such an awesome mom.”

****

Sofia stilled the bubbling hysteria in her stomach as she walked down the aisle toward the
handsome man. Her husband. They had decided on the church wedding. It took some serious confessions and a lot of work books, but they were finally allowed. The church was barely full, they just didn’t have a lot of friends and family. But that was okay. She wouldn’t care if it were just him standing in the church. He was all she cared about.

Seth and Sarah were to be married in a few months. A fall wedding.
Sarah and Sofia had grown extremely close in the past six months. Like sisters. Oh wait, they were sisters, duh.

Once she was close enough,
Daniel’s gaze felt like a hot plug in her chest, tugging her to him. The hunger and intense love in his eyes stole her breath. He gave her barely a smile and her stomach and heart fluttered madly at how handsome he was.

When it
finally came time to recite their vows, Sofia thought she’d vomit. Why had they decided to do that again? Oh, because Daniel thought it would be totally amazing. Okay, she could do this. 

Thankfully, Daniel was going first. That would give her courage.

Sofia waited for him to pull out his paper but he didn’t. He took her hands and looked in her eyes. “Sofia,” he began, his voice like velvet. “I vow to say the words I love you, every day. They will never be far from my lips. Neither will the words, you are the most beautiful woman in the world, and you take my breath away. I vow to protect you, always. If I have to give my life for you, I will, but more importantly, I will live my life for you. I will always cherish you, I will always appreciate you, and I will always ensure that our love comes before anything in this world.”

Sofia
fought to breathe around the lump in her throat.

“Before you, my life was all dark. And so very broken. And you came…” his voice faltered and he swallowed, “…and sanctified me. With your love…and all your Google ideas. And cookies.” He gasped and tears ran down his face and Sofia let out a sob. “
I love you,” he whispered. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me, and you take my breath away. Thank you for saying yes. I am marrying the love of my life today and I am the happiest man who has ever lived.”

Sofia wiped her eyes, hoping that her waterproof mascara was as good as they claimed. It was her turn. “I didn’t memorize mine baby,” she squealed, pulling her vows out of her bra and opening the studied but not memorized crumply paper.

“It’s okay,” he said.

She looked at him at hearing the joy in his voice and found him grinning happily. She took a deep breath feeling like she owed that man a good performance.

“Daniel,” she began. “You are the most beautiful man…I’ve ever met.” She swiped the tears already gushing. “I would never change a thing about you. Except your profession. But only because I’m so jealous,” she squealed, “and want you all to myself.”

Daniel gasped and she didn’t dare look at him, she’d lose it completely. “I vow to be the best wife I know how. And to Google when in doubt. And I know that I can’t go back in time…and take all your pain away…all the bad memories…but I vow to fill your life…with all my love…and children…until it seems that we are all there is. And ever was.” She forced herself to look at him, even though she couldn’t see through her tears. “I love you, Daniel. Deeply. And forever. And always.”

Sofia folded the paper back, not sure what to do with it
except put it back in her bra. The priest said some things and Sofia looked at Daniel again. She didn’t hear much of anything until the
you may kiss the bride
finally came.

Daniel
stepped close to her and she looked into his eyes, both of them tearing up again. He took her face in his hands and swept her off her feet with the most amazing kiss. Soft and tender then gradually going deeper, carefully stroking the recesses of her mouth with a breathtaking adoration. Demonstrating those vows he’d just said. And thanking her immensely for hers.

The
small crowd’s cheering had died down by the time he pulled up with a smile. She gasped and stared at him, feeling like she were dreaming.

“I love you,” he
gushed. “My sweet Sofia.”

She giggled and threw her arms around his neck and squealed. “We’re married baby!”

He spun her around and laughed. “We did it.”