Spike’s Perdition (Saints Purgatory MC #7)

30. Ivory

CHAPTER 30

IVORY

“We can’t lose her.”

My ears strain to hear Megan’s voice, but it’s muffled as if my head is underwater. I want to reassure her, but my lips stay sealed together, and my eyelids are dead weight. No matter how hard I fight to open them, they refuse. Everything is numb except for the damn stabbing sensation in my stomach.

My baby!

With renewed strength, I push through the pain. Shoving everything aside, I focus all my energy on my eyes. I groan as I fight the fog.

“She’s waking up!” Eric shouts. “Fucking finally.”

I blink until the room comes into focus. “Peanut,” I mumble.

“It’ll be okay, Ivory,” Megan reassures, squeezing my hand. “They’re out looking.”

“Everyone,” Eric adds.

“Huh?”

“They’ll find him,” Eric promises.

Pain assaults me, making it impossible to sit up. My thoughts are jumbled, and I don’t understand what they’re talking about.

Find who? Spike?

Megan hits the button on the side of the bed to raise my head and adjusts my pillows. Eric lifts a cup and brings a straw to my lips, which I greedily take. I rub my stomach to reassure the baby that we’re okay, but my stomach feels hollow under my touch.

“Where’s Peanut?” I begin to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, Ivory,” Eric encourages. “In through your nose… good, now out through your mouth.”

I mimic his breathing until my heart rate slows down.

“What happened?”

“Spike called me when they got you to the hospital,” Megan explains as her body shudders. “He found you at the house, unconscious, bleeding out,” she says, her voice fading.

“You lost a lot of blood,” Eric continues. “They had to do emergency surgery to save you.”

The nightmare slams back into me. I was excited to get home to start packing for the big move to the clubhouse.

“Aubrey!” I cry.

“What about her?” Megan asks, swiping hair out of my face.

“Aubrey was in the house,” I gush. “She was in my living room, waiting for me. We argued. I don’t recall everything, but I do remember her standing over me with a knife. Then it goes black again.”

Eric puts his cell to his ear. “Yeah… she’s awake. Ivory said Aubrey was in the house when she got there… yeah, Aubrey had a knife… okay… bye.”

“Who were you talking to?” I inquire.

“Soul,” he replies. “They’re searching for the baby. They didn’t know for sure who attacked you, but they had an idea. You just confirmed their suspicions.”

“Spike?”

“Soul’s keeping him locked down,” Eric says sadly. “He’s on a warpath. They can’t risk him getting arrested. They’re going to find your baby.”

“How long have I been here?”

Megan grimaces. “Two days.”

That psycho bitch has had Peanut for two fucking days. We’ll never find her. What if he’s dead? His surgery!

A strangled sob escapes past my lips, and my body convulses involuntarily. Megan gently crawls into the hospital bed with me and wraps me in her arms. She whispers to me that everything will be okay.

My baby is missing. Nothing is going to be okay.

The hospital door opens, startling all of us. I glance over and see a police officer standing right outside.

“What are the police doing here?” I wonder aloud.

A tall gentleman enters my room and approaches my bedside. “Ms. Whitman, I’m Detective O’Malley.” I lift my chin in acknowledgment. “I’m sorry I have to do this now when you’re trying to recover, but we need your help.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be,” I admit.

“Do you have any idea who could’ve done this?”

“Aubrey.”

“Who’s Aubrey?” Detective O’Malley asks.

Megan takes over. “Aubrey works at Ivory’s obstetrician’s office. She threatened Ivory a couple of times.”

“Why would a random worker threaten you?” He directs the question at me.

“She found out who the baby’s father is,” I answer.

He checks his notepad. “The father being Hunter Long?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“Was he having an affair with her?”

I shake my head vigorously. “Why are you standing here asking me questions?” I scream. “My baby is out there somewhere and needs emergency surgery. P-p-please find him.”

“We’ll find him,” he promises.

I see the look in his eye. That look of uncertainty. My heart sinks. Agonizing screams fill the room, but I can’t pinpoint where all the noise is coming from.

“Ivory, you have to calm down,” Megan pleads.

The screams… They’re coming from me. Me! The woman who was cut up and had her baby ripped from her. The person suffering in this bed while her baby is out there somewhere.

A nurse and doctor rush into the room. The nurse holds my flailing arms as the doctor plunges a syringe into my IV.

“This is going to calm you down,” he explains. “We can’t have you tearing your stitches. You’re still at risk for infection.”

My screams turn to silent sobs as the medicine seeps into my veins, and my eyelids grow heavy.

“I swear to you, Ivory, Spike will find him,” Megan murmurs in my ear.

“Spike…”

His name lingers on my lips as my body shuts down… again.