The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Grant POV
I should have known something was wrong, by the way Sarah was watching Juliet and me. I should have realized how unhinged she was. She was acting off, but I had put that down to the loneliness of being in the dungeon and her anxiety about the pregnancy. Naïve, now I know. Stupid as well. I guess the mate bond and the excitement of being with Juliet had made me a little thick. I listened to Sarah making her little speech with dawning horror.
“Mother open the door” I roared, sensing she was about to do something beyond anything I imagined “quickly.”
My mother’s hands shook as she frantically tried to get the door open, the key twisting in the lock. I stared as Sarah grabbed a scalpel from her bosom and then, before the door could burst open, dragged it right across her throat as my mother and Juliet screamed together, her body sinking to the floor and blood pooling around it.
I kicked the door open and knelt beside the body, the doctor right beside me. She checked Sarah’s pulse. It was weak. But still there. “She’s still breathing but any second now she’s going to go into shock and die,” the doctor told me gravely “and then the baby is going to die as well.”
No, no, no. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes along with an overwhelming sense of desperation.
“There must be something we can do” I snarled “I don’t want my baby to die. I care nothing about this b***h, but my child” I trailed off, unable to continue, Juliet and my mother weeping in the background, Juliet hugging my mother as she cried into her shoulder.
I felt completely helpless. How did Sarah get her hands on the scalpel? She must have pocketed it while we were busy looking away. Damnit. I blamed myself for being so careless. I had f****d up and now my child was paying for it.
“If we could manage to keep her alive, at least for the next hour, we might be able to perform an emergency c-section and put the baby in NICU” the doctor murmured.
“How do we do that?” I shot out, frustration in my voice.
I was prepared to do anything, anything at all if it meant keeping my baby alive.
The doctor grabbed the scalpel, grimacing all the while, and quickly cut me as I stared at her in outrage. She smeared the blood over the wound and into Sarah’s mouth as she weakly swallowed on instinct. “My blood” I whispered, finally understanding. It was stronger than average shifters and possessed potent healing abilities.
“If we can get you both to the hospital, we can hook you up to an IV with Sarah and give her your blood in a transfusion while the c-section goes ahead. But we need to move, now” the doctor shouted, scrambling to her feet.
I bent and grabbed Sarah. I tore out of the dungeon and out of the pack house, racing to the hospital, the doctor right behind me. We tore through the emergency doors and the doctor barked out instructions. Juliet and mother were forced to sit in the waiting area as Sarah and I were wheeled off into surgery. I winced as my arm was hooked up so that Sarah could receive my blood. If the b***h lived after this, I was going to kill her with my bare hands I thought coldly. But right now my focus was on my unborn child.
The surgeons were prompt, getting everything ready. They gave Sarah an anesthetic to prevent her from waking during the procedure. My heart pounded in my chest. A sheet was placed to prevent me from seeing what was happening. I put my head in my hands, the wait almost killing me in anticipation. Would my child survive? Had Sarah killed her? Thoughts continued to run through my head. It was like being tortured as I anxiously awaited.
Finally, I heard the sound of crying. My head shot up. The nurses were scrambling around, smiling. That was a good sign, right? It had to be. Finally one of them wheeled a small hospital bassinette over to me. I looked down at my child for the first time and gasped. She was so tiny due to being premature. But not extremely tiny. After all, she was only a few weeks early. She was kicking and flailing. She had dark fuzz on her head and dark eyes which were staring directly at me. Her skin was a pale porcelain color. She was adorable. I reached out and gently touched her hand, her fingers wrapping around me. I felt nothing but sheer joy and love. This was my daughter. She had survived. I felt eternally grateful. I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill over and cleared my throat as the nurse looked at me expectantly. “What happens now?” | asked gruffly.
“She’ll need to spend the next few days in NICU but we don’t anticipate any problems, it’s merely for monitoring,” the nurse said kindly, her eyes twinkling “and then she can go home. We do need a name, however, for the birth certificate Alpha Grant so if you tell us the first and middle name, we’ll put it on for you.”
s**t. I hadn’t even thought of names. My brow furrowed as I furiously tried to think of ones that would suit her. I wanted something pretty yet fierce at the same time. It came to me. It was so perfect that despite all the stress that I was under, I couldn’t help but smile. It would acknowledge both my mates, one I’d lost and one I loved, and start with the same letter as them, but would still be unique and individual at the same time. Plus I loved the name. It just seemed right somehow. Like it was meant to be. I couldn’t picture my daughter with anything else.
“Jadette for her first name,” I said finally, looking up at the nurse.
“What a lovely name,” the nurse said delightedly “And so unique. I love it” she gushed as I grinned proudly. I practically thrust my chest out at the compliment. I was a father now and it felt wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
“What about the middle name?” asked the nurse.
I wracked my brains for something that would go with Jadette. The nurse smiled at me sympathetically. She probably knew I was unprepared for this. I sighed heavily. Why did it have to be so hard? My daughter still hadn’t let go of my hand and was cooing at me. I chuckled despite myself.
“Amber,” I said finally. It seemed to fit nicely together and I had always liked that name.
The nurse looked impressed. “Jadette, Amber. It’s very nice” she told me “I have to take your daughter to the NICU but you are welcome to visit once we get you off this IV.”
I nodded. She reluctantly wheeled my daughter away and I closed my eyes. The surgeon was just finishing up with his stitches. Another nurse approached me.
“Alpha Grant I’m here to take your IV out,” she said quietly.
I gave her my arm. She deftly removed it all and I flexed my arm. The wound didn’t take long to heal. The surgeon finished and came over to speak to me. I fixed my eyes on him as he gulped, sensing my powerful aura and the anger associated with it. I was blunt and to the point.
“Did she survive?” I asked.
There was every chance my alpha blood had been powerful enough to save the sadistic b***h. It made me bitter and furious. She didn’t deserve to live. Not after what she had just done.
“We won’t know for another hour. If she wakes up, then she survived, if she doesn’t, well then…” he trailed off and I filled in the blanks.
“If she doesn’t then she’s dead,” I said grimly.
“Yes,” the surgeon agreed “I closed her up merely to prevent infection and because it’s the humane thing to do. I hope you understand that,” he told me anxiously.
I nodded. I cast my eyes at Sarah who was being transported onto a plain hospital bed now, her body clad in a hospital gown, her eyes closed. “She’s still breathing,” I said quietly.
“I know. But she could stop within the hour. It’s a wait-and-see. You’re not going to like this” he hesitated “but it’s my firm opinion, going by her vitals and stats that she will in fact survive, simply due to the amount of alpha blood she received from you.”
“Thank you for being honest” I murmured thoughtfully “Is this room going to be needed for any more surgery? Or do you have others that can be used?” I asked bluntly.
He hesitated. “We have other rooms that we can use Alpha Grant” he murmured “It’s not a problem for us to rearrange a few things. May I ask why?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Perhaps it’s best you don’t know,” I told him firmly. “Can I ask you to do me a favor?”
“Of course,” he said slightly pale, perhaps contemplating what it is I might be considering doing.
“Would you escort my mother and Juliet, my mate, who should be with her in the waiting room, to the NICU to see my daughter and let them know I’ll be with them shortly?” I said grimly.
“No problem at all Alpha Grant. Is there anything you require in the meantime? Would you like me to come back at all?” He seemed slightly nervous at the prospect. Not that I could blame him. I probably looked full of rage, even as I maintained my composure.
“That will not be necessary,” I said dismissively “I will remain here in the meantime and determine for myself whether she awakens or not” I added flatly.
The surgeon swallowed hard, perhaps anticipating my motivations, and then turned and scurried out the door, shutting it quickly behind him. I sighed and moved over to an armchair, leaning back and allowing myself to rest, and replenish the blood I had lost. Hades was quiet but already infatuated with our pup, sensing that I was agitated at the moment and not wanting to contribute further to it.
Time passed excruciatingly slowly. I heard every tick coming from the blasted clock overhead, constantly glancing at Sarah, watching her chest continue to rise and fall, my nails digging into the chair and tearing at the fabric. I waited. Eventually, I heard a cough and rose, moving to the bed as Sarah blinked and turned her head, her eyes bleary and unfocussed as she regarded me, her eyes widening, her hand moving to her now flat stomach in dismay.
“What have you done” she shrieked, attempting to get up “Where am I? Why didn’t I die” she screamed, shoving at me. “Your plan didn’t work. Looks like my alpha blood saved you” I hissed and she stilled, confusion in her eyes. “You gave me alpha blood” she whispered, “you did that for me?” she asked hiccupping, awe in her voice.
I grabbed her head and twisted it, breaking her neck and letting her drop back onto the bed with callous disregard, eyeing her with disgust and contempt.
“No,” I told her breathing heavily, her eyes staring blankly into the distance, satisfaction shooting through me now that she was finally gone forever “I did it for our daughter you b***h” I spat and walked out of the room without a backward glance.