Chapter 1
THE BLOOD
THE BLOOD WAS sealed in a container in a cold, dark place. It didn’t know how long it had been there, but surely decades had passed since it was first imprisoned.
Feeling a surge of agitation, the viper’s blood swirled around, trying to find a way out. It longed for the warmth of a human body and, even more so, hungered for the taste of a human soul.
Round and round it went, slopping against the sides of the container, pulsing and growling. Finally, the blood pooled back down in the bottom, its anger spent, almost seeming to sigh as it quieted and became still.
It could wait. It was patient. After all, it had waited before…
Chapter 2
KATE
“OH MY GOD!” I cried as another contraction doubled me over. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Jeremy, who had just entered the room.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I just want to get this over with!”
Jeremy laughed, taking my hand. “I just got off the phone with Dr. Peterson. She’ll be on the next water taxi. My brother, Tom, will pick her up. How far apart are they now?”
“About five or six minutes.”
“Okay,” Jeremy replied. “We’re going to the clinic. Steve and Teddy are waiting for us. You ready?”
I smiled. “I guess so. But even if I’m not, Baby Bradshaw sure seems to be.”
Jeremy grinned and squeezed my hand. “Let’s go.”
He grabbed my bag and together we walked out the door and down the front steps to his truck. He helped me into the cab, then got in on the driver’s side.
He took my hand again and smiled. “Stormview Clinic, here we come!”
* * *
Teddy and Steve, my nurse practitioners, were waiting with a wheelchair when we arrived at the clinic.
“I don’t think I need…” I started to say, but couldn’t finish. Instead, I groaned as another contraction hit.
Steve lent me his arm, helping me up and into the waiting chair.
“Yes, you do need,” he said gently. “We have your room all ready. Is the doctor coming?”
“Yeah,” replied Jeremy. “She’s on her way. But if anything happens before she gets here, I’m counting on you and Teddy to take care of my girl.”
“Don’t worry,” replied Steve. “We’ve both delivered our share of babies. Now, let’s get Kate settled. It’s going to be a long night.”
* * *
Steve was right about it being a long night. Dr. Julia Peterson arrived promptly and they all cooled their heels while my labor progressed. Jeremy was acting as my coach and stayed by my side even through the worst of the contractions. Finally, I was dilated to ten centimeters and knew that the birth was imminent.
“All right, Kate,” said Dr. Peterson. “Now’s the time to push. You ready?”
I took a deep breath and grasped Jeremy’s hand. “I think so.”
“Good.”
The next contraction came and I’m afraid I actually screamed. I squeezed Jeremy’s hand so tight, I think I might have bruised him.
“You did good,” said the doctor. “I can see the head. Everything looks great. One more push and we may have a baby.”
The next contraction hit and I did as the doctor ordered and pushed with everything I had.
“Got it,” Dr. Peterson said triumphantly, holding up my baby. “Welcome to the world, Baby Boy Bradshaw!”
I grinned stupidly and turned to Jeremy, tears in my eyes. “We got a boy,” I said.
He hugged me tightly and I could see he was crying, too.
The doctor handed the baby to Teddy, who cleaned out his nose and mouth. Once that was done, our boy let out a healthy wail.
Teddy then handed the baby back to the doctor, who held him out to me.
“Hold your son, Kate,” she said, smiling.
I took my baby in my arms for the first time, marveling at this miracle of creation.
“Hello, Hamilton Sloane Bradshaw,” I whispered, cradling him to my breast.
“Whew,” said Steve. “That’s a hell of a moniker for such a little guy!”
I smiled, watching as my child grasped my pinky finger in his tiny hand.
“I know,” I said softly. “It’s a mouthful. The Hamilton is for my father, God rest his soul. Sloane is Jeremy’s uncle. But we’re going to keep on calling him Tad, aren’t we, honey?”
As I spoke, I turned and looked at Jeremy, who nodded in agreement.
“Tad?” asked the doctor.
“Yeah,” answered Jeremy, reaching out to touch his son for the first time. “From the get-go I’ve called him ‘tadpole’ and I guess it stuck.”
“He’s got your coloring, honey,” I said, running my hand through Tad’s dark hair as tears of joy slid down my cheeks. “You want to hold him?”
“Yeah,” Jeremy replied softly.
The emotion I felt as I handed my child to his father was so strong I thought I might burst. I was now a mom and I said a silent prayer that I’d be a good one.
“He’s so small,” whispered Jeremy.
Julia smiled and gave us a few minutes with our son, then she was all business again.
“Okay, now Jeremy, hand the baby to Teddy. You’ll have plenty of time to hold him later. We need to take measurements and check him out, then you can cut the cord.”
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