from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) (48 page)

Alex watched a nurse do it to Danielle’s other leg and mirrored the position. “Like this?”

“Exactly. Danielle, with the next contraction, push with all your might.”

Danielle grabbed Alex’s shirt and screamed as she pushed. “It hurts!”

“If I can hear you, you’re not pushing hard enough.”

Alex kissed her forehead. “Squeeze my hand, and push hard. OK?”

She grabbed the offered hand. She was shocked that he watched the activity between her legs. She expected him to be squeamish about it. The thought faded when another contraction hit.

The room was like pandemonium once Corey was born. He didn’t cry. The doctors worked quickly to clean him and check his airway.

“Why isn’t he crying?” Danielle clutched Alex’s hand and shirt. “He should be crying.”

Alex leaned over and hugged her with his free arm. “It’s OK.” Then a tiny cry rang out. “Thank God,” he muttered. She didn’t need to know how terrified he had been.

“Just for a moment.” A nurse came close to them with Corey wrapped in a blanket. “I’m sorry.”

Danielle took her son in her arms, as tears fell again. “He’s so tiny.” She could see him struggle for breath. On the verge of a sob, she looked to Alex. “Take him.”

Grateful, Alex scooped Corey up. “Hey, there. It’s gonna be OK.” He closed his eyes, which were rimmed with tears. “The nice nurses’ll take care of you.” He gently kissed the baby’s forehead. Then he was whisked away to the neonatal unit.

Danielle was soon taken to a private room. There was a queen-sized bed in there, so that the couple could sleep comfortably. It was one of the perks of the new maternity wing. As soon as possible, Alex lay down with her and held her tight. He again held back his emotions. She didn’t need to be overwhelmed. When he had let their child go, it was the hardest thing he had ever done.

“He’ll be fine. They’ll do everything they can.” He was sure that was true.

Exhausted, but in pain, Danielle yearned to hold their baby. Alex’s arms reassured her, though. She felt him shake. So she knew he was scared also. That made her lose the fight. She broke down and sobbed again.

Alex cocooned her in his limbs. “It’s OK.” He sniffled, and then gave up and let the tears flow.

Mary kept everyone away at first. She knew the couple needed alone time to deal with the situation. When she thought enough time had passed, she opened the door quietly and observed as they comforted each other.

She cleared her throat. “Are you up for visitors?”

“Sure, Mom,” Alex answered, as he stayed in place. “He’s in the NICU.”

Mary smiled as she walked around the bed. “I know. I saw him from the window. Do you need anything?”

“A miracle,” Danielle croaked. She still cried.

Nathan knocked on the door. “Is it safe?”

“Come in,” Alex called.

Sara and Liz soon followed. “How’s my future sister-in-law?” Sara asked.

“Tired,” Danielle replied. She hadn’t thought of their wedding that was planned for that day. “Is everyone still at the house?”

Liz rubbed Danielle’s hand. “We sent them home. Once Corey can be there, we’ll plan another wedding.”

“Thanks.” Danielle was glad Alex’s family was behind them. “Is Grammie OK?”

Sara sat in a chair close to her. “Yes. She couldn’t stay, though.”

“OK.” Danielle yawned and closed her eyes again.

Alex sighed when her body went limp. “She hasn’t slept. She’s been crying since he was born. I don’t know how to help her.”

“You’re doing what you can.” Nathan put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You need to sleep, too. Have you guys eaten?”

Alex shook his head. He didn’t care about food. “Maybe later.”

“No.” Nathan glared at him. “You need to be strong to take care of her. I brought you a sandwich. You need to eat.”

Danielle woke up when Alex shifted away from her. She moaned in pain. A hand on her back eased it somewhat. “Can they give me something?”

“They did,” Alex whispered as he slid off the bed. “I’ll ask them to give you another dose, though.” He walked around the bed, and then kissed her lips. “I’m gonna go with Nathan for a few.”

She nodded and hugged the pillow. “I’ll be here.” Her eyes closed involuntarily.

* * *

“How is she?” Alex asked when he walked back in, less than thirty minutes later.

Mary looked up from her Kindle. “Sleeping again.” She worried about postpartum depression. “Did you check on Corey?”

“Yeah.” Alex smiled. “They said we can hold him a bit later. He’s breathing on his own but on oxygen because he’s still struggling somewhat.”

A nurse came into the room. “He’s a fighter. My new favorite newborn.” She approached Danielle. “I need to check her.”

Everyone turned away but Alex. “What should I do?”

“Nothing,” the nurse replied.

Danielle stirred. “What—”

“Just changing you, sweetie.” A few minutes later, she said, “Breast milk will make him stronger quickly. Preemies need all the help they can get.”

Nervous, Danielle turned to Alex. Her lip quivered. “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“For a while. But, sweetie, it will make a huge difference for your baby.”

Alex sat on the bed and palmed Danielle’s cheek. “It’s up to you. I can’t ask you to do something you don’t want to.”

“She’s right,” Liz added. As a pediatrician, she had seen premature babies thrive when on mother’s milk. “Just try it.”

Sara leaned forward. “I can help, if you need me to.”

“Is it safe yet?” Nathan was at the window.

Alex exhaled loudly. “Yes.”

“OK.” Danielle held Alex’s hand. “OK. I’ll do it.”

The nurse smiled. “You’ll have to pump your milk at first. Then we can try feeding him at your breast after a few days.” She left the room and came back with a breast pump.

Danielle opened the gown without thinking and slowly sat up.

Nathan turned quickly. “Wow. Just whip ’em out, Danielle. Damn.”

With a growl, Alex punched him in the arm. Then he sat next to Danielle and watched her use the device, with the nurse’s assistance. He cringed a few times. He imagined it was quite painful. He put his arm around her shoulders, to be supportive.

Danielle whimpered. It hurt as much as she’d expected. “For Corey, right?”

“Yes,” Alex murmured and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, beautiful.”

Soon after her breasts were emptied, Alex put Danielle into a wheelchair. They headed toward the nursery. Dressed in protective clothing, they followed the nurse into the NICU. As soon as they entered, the nurse took the milk and put it in Corey’s feeding tube.

Danielle stared at their child in the incubator. He looked so frail. A few tears fell. She tried to get out of the wheelchair but winced. “Can I hold him?” Within minutes, he was placed in her arms with everything still attached to him. “Hi, Corey. I’m your mommy.”

“He’s so small.” Alex leaned over and touched his hand. He held back tears as his son grasped his finger. “Amazing.” When Danielle handed him over, he gasped. “I’m Dad. I love you, little guy.”

The same nurse came back to them. “He needs to go back in. Sorry.”

It hurt them both badly to give him back to the nurse. Danielle leaned on Alex. “Can we hold him every day?”

“Yes. A few times a day, but only in short bursts.”

Alex wheeled Danielle back to her room. Logan and Marie were there. He placed Danielle on the bed and shook Logan’s hand. “He’s so tiny.”

“I heard.” Logan half hugged Alex. “Congrats on being a dad. Things are gonna be fine.”

Nathan put his arms around both their shoulders. “Yeah. They will. Corey’s as stubborn as his father, here.”

Marie sat next to Danielle. “Things’re looking good.”

“Why do you say that?” Danielle looked up at her.

With a wide grin, Marie replied, “I heard the nurses talking when we stopped at the nursery window. They said Corey’s doing better than he should be. Someone’s looking out for you guys.”

Brian sat on his bunk with his head in his hands. It was early in the morning. The past three months had been torture. The maximum security prison he was sent to was filled with men with nothing to lose. Most he had spoken to were living out life sentences, just like he was. He tried to keep to himself when he arrived. However, the others in his block didn’t let him forget he was at the bottom of the pecking order. Hours after he was assigned a cell, he was beaten to within an inch of his life.

The beatings continued after he healed. When they caught wind that he was a rapist, they stepped up their game. The guards helped him at first. However, it seemed their sympathy was short-lived. He was frequently roughed up more than necessary. If he got out of line in the slightest, he paid a heavy price.

That day, everyone left him alone. He wasn’t sure why and didn’t plan to ask. Only a week prior, he was in the infirmary for a broken nose and orbital socket. It was a hundred times worse than in the county jail. They ganged up on him sometimes; shoving, kicking and punching. Some nights, he was in too much pain to sleep.

Breakfast time came, and he walked in line with the others. The man behind him was a regular fight partner, if you could call him that. Suddenly, Brian was yanked to the side, into the hallway that led to the laundry room. The sound of more footsteps made his eyes widen.
This is gonna be bad.

Someone shoved him, and he fell on the concrete floor. He covered his head. A kick to the face was the usual first blow. When he was lifted up, he was confused. He was dragged into the empty laundry room. His eyes darted around the dimly-lit area. Several men surrounded a table. His heart pounded, unsure of what was to come.

“So you like forcing yourself on helpless girls, huh?”

Brian couldn’t find the source of the voice.

“I have a kink, too.”

He was pushed into the table. Someone grabbed his hands and held them down. He searched the room again, as he tried to understand. Then his pants and underwear were ripped off. He screamed in panic.

A hand rubbed Brian’s ass cheek, as he was slowly moved into a bent position, over the table. “I like helpless boys.”

“Don’t!” Brian begged. “Just kill me. Please. Just kill me. Not again. Please! I’m so fucking sorry, Dani!” His legs were spread. Then a pain-filled shriek echoed in the room before it was muffled by a large hand.

* * *

Several hours later, in Gainesville, Danielle and Marie were in the nursery at Dave’s house. Corey was to come home the next day. It happened to be his original due date. He
did
thrive because of breast-feeding. He gained weight quickly and surpassed everyone’s expectations. It wasn’t easy to leave him for a day, but they needed to move into the house. Children were not allowed to live in the dorms.

“Is this good?” Marie had hooked up the mobile to the crib Alex put together earlier in the day.

Danielle looked up. “Yes.” She sat in a chair as she expressed milk. Since it worked so well, she had chosen to continue to breast-feed. “I hope he likes it here.”

“He will.” Marie smiled as she looked around. “This room is perfect.” Her head turned when a familiar voice came from downstairs. “I gotta go.”

Confused, Danielle looked up. “Why?”

“I—I can’t stay.”

Marie couldn’t face Logan. She rushed to the stairs and listened closely. Nothing.
He deserves better
. She made her way to the first floor as silently as possible.
He’ll get over it
. She missed him but couldn’t give him what he wanted. Just as she reached the door, the floor creaked behind her. Instinctively, she turned.

Logan stared. He wanted to say something. No words came, though. She looked so beautiful. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. However, for months, any time he tried to be affectionate, she pulled away. Lately, it was worse. She avoided him like the plague. It ripped his heart out every time she turned away. Without a word, Marie opened the door and fled. He closed his eyes and wished he didn’t care.

“You got it?” Alex shouted from the back of the house. When there was no answer, he walked to the living room. Logan was frozen in place. “You OK?”

Logan slowly turned. “Yeah. I guess.” He hadn’t planned to show, but Alex told him he needed him.

“Grab that one.” Alex pointed to a bin that held maternity clothes as he lifted one that contained various items he would not need for a while. “Come on.”

They stacked the bins in the back room they used for storage. Dave was already gone, and Charlie was off with some girl. They had worked for hours to move Alex and Danielle’s things from the dorm rooms into Dave’s house. Everything was just about unpacked.

Alex placed the last bin in the room and shut the door. “Thanks.” He patted Logan on the shoulder and led him to the kitchen. “How about a beer?”

Logan nodded and sat at the kitchen table. “Why is she doing this to me?” He stared at the table.

“I don’t get it either.” Alex set an opened bottle in front of his friend and sat across the table. “She likes you. It makes no sense.”

Logan sighed and took a long pull from his bottle. “She’s been sending mixed signals since before Corey was born.”

“Have you tried taking her on a real date? Or bring her flowers? Maybe rent a fancy hotel room?”

While he rolled his eyes, Logan replied, “I tried everything. Marie keeps pulling away. And now…” His voice trailed off. He didn’t want to think of where they were at that point. “I give up.”

Alex’s phone went off. He glanced at it. “It’s Damien. Sorry. I need to take this.” He walked outside onto the lanai. “Hey, man. You hear anything lately?”

“Yeah.” Damien was on his lunch hour. “I just got a call.” He had a friend who worked at the prison Brian was in. “Something happened this morning.” Damien swallowed. What he had been told shocked even him, and he thought he had heard it all.

Alex heard the hesitation. “You OK?”

“It’s not me.” Damien took a deep breath. “They got him.”

He cocked one if his eyebrows. Alex wasn’t sure what Damien meant. “Got who?”

“Brian.” Damien closed his eyes. If he hadn’t seen the crime scene pictures, he might not believe it. “They gang-raped him.” He cringed, imagining how bad it was. “Blood everywhere. No one knew he was missing until it was too late. They picked the perfect time.”