Redemption (Book Two of the Shipwrecked Series) (2 page)

 The baby needed
to come out soon.

            “I willna let ye die,”
Quinn vowed, a fire growing deep inside of him.  “I’ll need tae touch ye,” he
said cautiously, gauging her reaction.

            “Alright,” she sagged
against him, strength fading fast.  She was beyond the point of protest.

            Quinn settled her gently
to the ground at the base of the tree and she watched him, breathing
laboriously, eyes intently focused on him.  The trust that he saw in her eyes
tugged at his heart.

           
Lord, please don’t
let her die.

            Taking a small flask of
whiskey from his pocket, Quinn hastily poured some onto his hands, hoping that
the alcohol would do for cleaning them.  He rubbed his hands together and took
a deep breath, preparing himself for what he needed to do.

            “I doona ken yer name,”
he confessed guiltily, having been so consumed with the moment that he had not
thought to ask until now.

            “Sarah,” she said
softly.  “And you are?”

            “Quinn. Quinn Murray,”
he answered. 

            He swallowed hard,
lifting the hem of her shirt as his eyes flitted to hers, asking for
permission.  She nodded slightly and closed her eyes, bracing for his touch.

            “I’m sorry lass,” he
apologized, knowing that he was about to hurt her.

            His fingers came down
gently on her skin, touching her where she was stretched to the limit, her
flesh forming a large “O” around the crown of the baby’s head.  His eyes closed
as he realized that there was absolutely no way that her delicate skin could
stretch further.  His fingered grazed lightly over the baby’s head, surprised
to feel a full head of hair beneath his fingers.

            Quinn’s breath caught
in his throat as the gravity of the situation sunk in.  If he did nothing, both
Sarah and the baby would surely die.

            “I need tae cut ye,” he
whispered, setting his mouth in a hard line and looking up at her for her
reaction.

            She whimpered and
nodded frantically as she felt another contraction begin.  Tears welled in her
eyes and she reached for him, pulling him down next to her on the ground. 
Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and held him, focused on his breathing,
trying to match her ragged breaths with his as she fought through the clenching
bite of the contraction.  She shuddered and buried her face in his neck as her
fingernails scored his back through his linen shirt.

            The worst of the
contraction passed and Sarah pulled away from him slightly, eyes searching his
face.

            “Do it,” she ordered,
tears spilling down her cheeks.

            Without speaking, Quinn
sat up and unsheathed his dagger.  He used the rest of his whiskey to clean the
blade of the knife, all the while steeling his reserve, bolstering his resolve
to do what needed to be done.

           
Lord help me.  Help
me Mairi.  Mairi…

            Sarah positioned
herself for him, spreading her legs and bending her knees.  Tears rolled
steadily down her face and she turned her head to the side, unable to watch.

            Quinn shrugged his
linen shirt up over his shoulders and tossed it on a nearby bush, knowing that
his sister-in-law Anna would scold him soundly for getting blood on his clean
white shirt.

            Quinn settled himself
between her legs and looked at the delicate skin surrounding the crown of the
baby’s head.  He hoped that his actions did not come too late for the innocent
babe.  Working hard to steady his shaking hand, he lowered the blade of his
dagger to her skin and ever so carefully, he sliced her perineum.  Crimson blood
spilled forth onto the ground and Quinn winced as the pressure from the baby’s
head tore Sarah’s delicate skin further, causing her to cry out in agony.

            Sarah screamed now,
wrenching Quinn’s heart in his chest.  He was rewarded by the baby’s head
moving forward, as it was now released from the grips of Sarah’s body.

           
It worked!  Thank
God…it worked.

            Relief flooded over
Quinn, but it quickly dissipated as another contraction overtook Sarah.  She
screamed out in pain, clawing at the ground as her belly hardened with the
power of the contraction.

            “Push yer baby out,
Sarah,” Quinn coaxed, placing his hand on her bent knee and stroking her soft
skin.  “Push!” he ordered, suddenly fearful as Sarah did not respond to his
coaxing. 

She was exhausted
and it took all of her strength just to make it though the contraction.  Her
head rolled to the side and she screamed.

 “I can’t!”

            “Ye can!” Quinn
challenged her.  “Ye need tae push or yer baby will die!” Quinn barked,
reaching forward and pulling her up so that her hands gripped her knees.  He
placed his own larger hand over hers and squeezed.  “Push!” he ordered.

            Sarah bore down and
relented to his order, pushing with all of her might.  She let up, took a
breath and then bore down again, squeezing here eyes closed and gritting her
teeth together. 

            “Aye, there ye go
lass…good!  Push again!” he ordered, smiling now as he saw the baby’s head
moving down in reward for her efforts.

            Sarah bore down again
and cried out with exertion, gasping to regain her breath.  She pulled her
shins towards her chest and pushed again, digging her fingernails into the skin
of her knees.

            Quinn’s eyes widened in
disbelief as her final push sent the baby flying out like a cannonball. 
Reacting quickly, he caught the slippery bundle, who regarded him quizzically
with big brown eyes.  Quinn ceased to breathe completely and felt light headed
as he held the tiny baby awkwardly in his hands.

            Sarah pushed herself up
onto her elbows.  “Is he alright?” she asked, panicked that the baby was not
crying.

            “Aye,” Quinn said, a
stupid smile now covering his face.  “Aye, he’s alright Sarah!” he said
joyously, hands trembling and he tried not to drop the slippery baby.  “Ye did
it!” he praised, eyes flashing to meet Sarah’s.

            A radiant smile spread
over her face and she reached for her baby.  Quinn handed the baby carefully
into Sarah’s arms.  Relief flooded his body.  He sat back on his heels and
mentally congratulated himself. 

           
Thank ye, Lord. 
Thank ye for watching over me, Mairi.

            “It’s a
she!
”
Sarah exclaimed, beaming now as she studied her daughter. 

            “Oh, is she now?” Quinn
asked, leaning forward to check.  “I’d not thought tae look!” he chuckled as he
confirmed that indeed, she was a she.

            Sarah smiled contently
now, running her fingers over every inch of her daughter, checking to see that
she had all of her fingers, all of her toes.

            Quinn smiled as he
watched them and raked his hand through his shoulder length chestnut hair.  He
hastily tied it into a knot at the base of his skull, imagining that he must
look like a wild man with his hair unbound and Sarah’s blood staining his
fingers.

            “She’s perfect,” Sarah
cooed, toying with the baby’s delicate fingers.  “Thank you,” she whispered,
looking up appreciatively at Quinn.

            “You’re most welcome,”
he responded, pride swelling up in his chest.

            He had saved both of
their lives.

            Reaching for his
dagger, Quinn’s heart nearly stopped in his chest.  Sarah was bleeding badly. 
Her crimson blood trickled out, pooling between her legs, staining the forest
floor black.

            “How much blood is tae
be expected?” Quinn asked, breaking Sarah’s contentment.

            Sarah shuddered.  Her
face went white as fear overwhelmed her features.  “I don’t know.  Is it a
lot?” she asked nervously.

            “Aye, it’s a lot.  I
doona ken how much tae expect, but it seems like a lot,” Quinn said, springing
into action.  He grabbed his clean linen shirt from the bush and hastily ripped
it in half, knowing that Anna would forgive him given the circumstances.

            “We need tae get help,”
he said sternly.  “Does yer family live close tae here?” he asked, still
wondering why Sarah was all alone.

            “No.  I was out by
myself when…when I want into labor.” she said, worried.  “I’d rather not go
back to them for this,” she stammered.  “They won’t help me,” she said
matter-of-factly.

            Quinn arched an eyebrow
in surprise and then tossed Sarah half of his linen shirt. 

            “Wrap the baby,” he
ordered.  “I doona live far from here, but we’ll have tae walk,” Quinn said,
hoping that Sarah would be able to make the short journey.  She was exhausted
from child birth and the amount of blood that she had lost was frightening.

            Sarah quickly wrapped
the baby in Quinn’s shirt.  Screaming out in protest, the babe cried out softly
at first, then found her lungs and screamed bloody murder.

            “Here, I’ll take her,”
Quinn offered, reaching his shaking hands out to take the tiny bundle. 

            The baby’s eyes locked
with his and she stopped crying immediately.

            “She likes you,” Sarah
said, smiling as she watched her savior hold the tiny infant.

            Quinn snapped back to
reality and handed the other half of his shirt to Sarah.  He tucked the baby in
the crook of his arm and helped her to her feet.

            “Ball that up and hold
it tae yerself.  Ye need tae try tae quell the bleeding,” he said, concern
heavy in his gray eyes.

            Sarah did as she was
told and held the shirt between her thighs.  Experimentally, she pulled the
shirt away slightly and gasped when it was already stained crimson by her
freely flowing blood.

            “Oh my God!” she
exclaimed, heart racing in her chest as she now understood the gravity of the
situation.

            “We need tae hurry. 
Can ye walk?” Quinn asked, already beginning to move in the direction of home.

            “I think so.  I’m just
so weak,” Sarah confessed, testing the strength of her legs as she ambled after
Quinn. 

            She stopped suddenly;
feeling light headed and caught onto a nearby tree for support.

            Quinn glanced over his shoulder
and his heart sank.  She might not make it.  She was fading fast, loosing so
much blood.  He closed the distance between them in one stride and thrust the
now sleeping baby into her arms.  Sarah gathered the bundle against her chest
and looked down at her daughter.

            In one swift movement,
Quinn lifted them both into his powerful arms.  Sarah relaxed against him and
closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of his chest and the heavy weight of the
baby sleeping soundly in her arms.

            “Lord, please don’t let
me die,” Sarah whispered against Quinn’s chest. 
Please don’t let me die. 
Not now.  Not now that I have her.

Chapter Two

“Anna, Rowan!”
Quinn boomed, pounding against the door of his brother’s small cabin.  He
cradled Sarah against his chest and his blood pressure rose when he looked down
at her.  She was so innocent, so trusting as she slept.  She was also
frighteningly pale from her loss of blood.

“Open up, damn
it!” he thundered, urgency ringing in his voice as he regarded the sleeping
baby in Sarah’s arms.  The innocent baby would die without its mother.

Rowan unbolted the
door and prepared to glower at his brother, unhappy at Quinn’s untimely
intrusion.  Rowan had been in the midst of loving his wife and was perturbed by
his brother’s interruption.  Clad only in his low slung pants and raking his
hand through his disheveled chestnut hair, Rowan opened the door.  The scowl
fell from his face and his mouth dropped open in shock when he looked outside.

There stood a
bare-chested Quinn, eyebrows knit together in anger, holding a beautiful woman
in his arms.  The woman was clutching a sleeping newborn baby against her
chest.

“Doona just stand
there!” Quinn barked, charging past his brother and into the cabin.  “Where’s
Anna?”

“She’s in bed,”
Rowan stammered, perplexed.

“Anna!” Quinn
hollered, striding purposefully to the only bedroom in the cabin and banging
his fist against the door.  “Get dressed.  We’ve an emergency and I need yer
help.”

“I’ll be right
out!” Anna called, tossing back the covers and hastily dressing.  The tone of
Quinn’s voice caused a knot to build in her stomach.

Anna opened the
door and bumped into Quinn, who was still holding Sarah and the baby in his
arms.  Her eyes bulged as she regarded the situation.

“Oh my God! 
Quinn, what happened?” she asked in disbelief, eyes flitting from the sleeping
woman and then back to Quinn.

“I found her
laboring while I was out hunting,” he said frankly.  “Do ye have an old quilt
tae put on the bed?” he asked, brushing past Anna and bringing Sarah into the
small bedroom.

“Sure,” Anna said,
eyes wild as she grabbed a quilt and folded it on the right side of the bed to
protect the sheets.

“She’s still
losing blood,” Quinn informed Anna as he gently laid Sarah on the bed.  He
carefully took the sleeping baby from her arms.  “She’s lost tae much blood,”
Quinn brooded, large hands holding the sleeping baby, concern heavy on his
face.  “Is there anything ye can do tae stop it?” he asked, steely eyes
searching Anna’s face in desperation.

“Maybe,” Anna said
cautiously as she looked at the woman lying on her bed.  She was dangerously
pale and her pretty face was slack and lifeless.  “Rowan?” Anna called,
beckoning her husband into the room.