^“Please sit back sir, let us do our job,” The paramedic says as I lean over Kaiden. The events of tonight are running through my head like a bad movie. When I got that text from Ellie, saying Annie asked her to come to the club, I knew something was wrong. I didn’t expect to walk in on her ex-husband dragging her like a doll up the steps of the club. Everything else that happened after that seemed like a blur. Ellie shooting Drew in the foot, her being in labour, walking into the club to see the fire and my sister tied to a chair on the stage. Then, there was Kaiden, lying unconscious on the floor and just about alive. I use the wipes the paramedic gave me and wipe his blood off my hands. I can’t even think about Ellie right now, I can only pray she and the baby are safe and Dominic got her to the hospital in time. I know he will look after her.

“How long until we get there?” I ask in anger. My voice comes out chipped and annoyed. I’m not annoyed with the paramedic, just that I can’t lose Kaiden. Fucking hell, he has to make it.

“Not long,” he replies as he holds a hand over Kaiden’s stomach, applying pressure. The bullet went straight through, but they won’t know anything more until they get him into surgery. I’m no idiot, I can see the amount of blood he has lost. The ambulance finally stops, and I open the doors just as a doctor jumps into the ambulance with a nurse following. I glance over as they lift the bed and pull the ramp down, Kaiden is still unconscious and looking very pale. We can’t lose him, not now. He needs to meet the baby, and I seriously wouldn’t know what to do without my slightly annoying friend, who is like a brother to me. I walk behind them as they rush him into the A&E, and they all start talking quickly about his condition. I don’t take my eyes off his blond hair that needs a cut and how his skin is getting paler by the second. Fucking hell, how did we get here?

“Please wait in the waiting room, over there, sir. We are taking him straight into surgery,” a nurse says as I try to follow them into a room where they take Kaiden, but she stops me.

“How long is he going to be in surgery? How long until we know he is going to be okay?” I ask her, watching through the glass window of the doors as they start stripping him of his clothes.

“About four hours I think, but it could be anytime. There is really nothing you can do, why don’t you go and sit down. I can make you a cup of tea?” she asks. As much as a hot cup of tea usually makes things better, I know it won’t this time.

“No, thank you. Where is the maternity ward?” I ask, knowing I can’t do much, and Kaiden would want me to make sure Ellie is okay. She gives me a strange look, but once she sees how annoyed I’m getting she answers.

“It’s upstairs, on the third floor but sir, there is spare clothes in the nurse’s office. They won’t let you in the maternity ward with blood on you.” She tells me and I nod, following her into the nurse’s room and changing my shirt. I wipe my face with some wipes she gives me.

“Where is the ward?” I ask, chucking the wipes into the bin.

“Take the lift and then follow the signs. Please remember the surgery is going to be a few hours at least, so don’t rush back.” the nurse tells me, and I nod. I glance at Kaiden as I walk past the room he is in as they start sticking needles into him and watch all the people running around. He will make it. I turn around, knowing if I don’t look away and find Ellie, I’m going to lose it. I want to go and find Drew and kick the shit out of him for this. I press the button for the elevator, waiting for it to come and getting inside with the other people. It takes me a while to find the delivery room on the third floor, with all the dead ends and lack of useful signs. I walk up to the locked doors and press the buzzer for them to let me in. I have to wait for them to ask Ellie before they let me in at all as they said it’s a security thing. The midwife leads me down a quiet corridor, and points at a room with the number eight on it. I knock once before I walk in, and Ellie greets me with a big smile. She is sitting in bed, leaning against some pillows and wearing a hospital gown. Her brown hair is up in a bun, and her beautiful, hazel eyes look tired but happy to see me. She doesn’t look like she just had a baby, she looks amazing.

“You okay?” I ask, rushing over to her, and she nods, lifting her hand and sliding it into mine. I lift her hand and kiss the back, watching as she traces her eyes all over me, checking that I’m okay, I bet. The slight sound of a baby’s cry makes me turn toward the window where Dominic is holding the baby, bundled up in a white blanket. The baby is okay.

“Is that our little princess?” I ask, and he nods. Dominic looks like he’s been crying, and I end up wiping a few tears myself as I lean over and kiss Ellie’s forehead. This has been one hell of a night.

“Congratulations, Ellie. I knew you could do it, and everything is going to be okay now,” I say, and she bursts into tears. I slide onto the edge of the bed and hold her close to my chest. This has been a lot for all of us.

“Kaiden, is he?” she asks through her tears as I hold her close.

“He’s in surgery but you know Kaiden, he will make it through this. He hasn’t waited all these months to die before he gets to meet our baby. That’s not happening,” I tell her, stroking her back. Dominic comes over, sitting on the other side of the bed, and I finally get to see our little, baby girl. She has loads of blonde hair, a little nose, and pouty lips that remind me of her mum. She is fast asleep and looks so peaceful. I reach over and take her little hand in mine. She squeezes my finger, and Ellie leans back to watch. She is beautiful, just like her mum.

“Is she okay? I mean, she is early,” I say, knowing that Ellie was only thirty six weeks, and she nods.

“Yes. They aren’t worried about her but want us to stay in a week to make sure everything is good,” she tells me.

“Here, you want to hold?” Dominic asks me, and I nod, pulling back from Ellie and taking the tiny baby into my arms.

“Careful with her head, she can’t hold it up on her own for a while,” Dominic tells me, and I resist the urge to tell him I held my niece and nephew when they were babies, and I know this. I’m surprised how small she is, smaller than the twins were, and how she fits nicely into my arms. She is perfect.

“She looks like you,” I say, and Ellie chuckles as she leans forward and runs a finger over her cheek. It’s clear how much Ellie loves her from one look at her face as she stares down at her baby. It’s the same way I look at her, the way I’ve seen the guys look at her and the same way I feel when I look down at the baby.

“I think she looks like Andre with all that blonde hair, and her eyes are blue,” she tells me. I look up at Dominic who nods; he agrees with me, she is the image of her mother. There are bits of Andre in her, she has his hair and maybe some of his features. But, the rest is Ellie, she’s going to be as stunning as her mother.

“I read somewhere that all babies’ eyes are blue for the first few months,” I say, and she smiles.

“So, someone has been doing their research,” she smiles up at me as she speaks. I may have been reading the baby books around the house and looking up things online. Jude has been telling me random things every time I’m at hers. My sisters are just as excited about the baby coming as I am. Well, except Cleo, but she is young and hopefully, comes around sometime.

“You read that book I gave you on babies,” Dominic laughs quietly.

“Yeah, well . . .,” I say, deciding not to say any more as I look down at the little girl in my arms. I know I’m not her biological dad, but I feel a bond to her. I know I would do anything for her, she wouldn’t even have to ask. It’s hard to look away from her, she is everything.

“I’m going to wait in the waiting area for news on Kaiden. I will call you the minute I know,” Dominic says, coming over to Ellie and whispering something to her as he kisses her cheek. I’m glad he was here with Ellie for the birth. One of us should have been. I wish we all fucking were.

“I should come as well, I want to make sure Annie and Andre are okay,” I say. I know Andre would have gotten them out, and I saw Annie running out the door, just before the paramedic shut the door to the ambulance. Andre would have brought Annie here, so I know he won’t be far behind, and he will want to meet his baby and check on Ellie.

“They will be okay, and I’ll send them up here when they come,” Dominic tells me, and I look down at Ellie who flashes us a worried look. I don’t want to leave her and our baby alone, but it’s difficult to stay here when I don’t know what’s going on with everyone else.

“I still should–” I start to say, and Dominic interrupts. I glance down at the little baby in my arms. She doesn’t know about anything that’s going on, and I know I can’t leave her right now. I look up at Ellie, who places her hand on my arm. She doesn’t need to say anything, I know she doesn’t want me to leave. I also know she’s trying to stay calm for the baby.

“You should stay with Ellie and the baby,” Dominic says, before kissing Ellie gently once more.

“You did so well, and I’m so proud of you,” he tells her, and he wipes away a tear from her cheek. He walks to the door and stops.

“Did you come up with a name for her?” he asks Ellie, and she shakes her head. We’ve been making a list at home and texting each other ideas for a name for weeks. We came up with ten names that we all liked, and then Ellie said she would choose when she’s here. It’s hard to pick a name for someone you haven’t met before.

“Yes, but I’m not telling anyone until Kaiden can hear it,” she says firmly, and Dominic nods, his worried gaze hitting mine. If that’s not a reason to wake up, then I don’t know what is.