Pamela was having a good pregnancy.

She was twenty-eight weeks along and was as strong as ever. Her regular check-up in the hospital came back with good results. Her baby was healthy. She was healthy. She and Devlin spent nights talking about their girl, argued about the name to give her, and caught up about the times they'd missed. They also reminisced and anticipated the future.

The days that followed were the happiest for both of them. Now that Fener was no longer a problem, they went out freely and went sightseeing in beautiful places in Hong Kong. It felt as though they were finally going on their honeymoon. Devlin on one hand was the perfect man and dad-to-be. He made her laugh and pleasured her in many ways than one, while Pamela on the other was the sweetest and sexiest pregnant woman ever. They were a normal, happy couple.

It didn't last long.

It happened some weeks later when Pamela had a craving for pumpkins, and it wasn't even Halloween. Devlin would have easily sent someone but she insisted she went to the market herself. He was not about to let his wife out of his sight and so decided to come with, although he'd expressed his displeasure about leaving the house with her being heavy and all.

"Pamela, you're seven months pregnant. You shouldn't walk."

She laughed and turned to face him. "The market is beautiful. I want to revel in it."

She was right. It was a beautiful summer evening and the market, although noisy was filled with myriad colors and beautiful culture. The beauty of the market didn't stand a chance next to hers though. Her hair was let down and her skin was pretty. She looked like a bride sweetly. He brought her close and kissed her. They stood right there, in the fruit market kissing and laughing.

"I love you." He said. "I'll always love you no matter what."

"I love you." She repeated, giggling. "And I'll always love you no matter what."

"I just had a crazy idea."

"Tell me."

"Let's get married."

She slapped his arm.

"Ow! What?"

"How dare you propose to me in the most preposterous of ways, twice!"

He laughed. "You still remember the first?"

"You never forget your first."

He frowned. "So you still remember your first lover?"

"Shut up and walk. I don't want the stall to run out of pumpkins."

"Fine. But we have to talk about it when we return."

"Yeah, yeah." She approached a stall and smiled at the old woman there. "Hi, can I get some fresh pumpkins?"

"Of course." The old woman replied smiling brightly at Pamela. "How many?"

Pamela nudged Devlin who had been busy surveying the area.

"How many?" Pamela asked him.

He shrugged. "I can buy you the whole store if you want."

An awkward silence fell between them, then to ease it, Pamela laughed loud. "He's joking. He likes to make some terrible jokes. Two big ones please."

"Of course." She picked the pumpkins and put them in a bag. As she handed Pamela the package, she said, "It's a girl I see."

Devlin looked at the woman in shock and so did Pamela but she didn't become suspicious like Devlin was, she became intrigued. She smiled brightly and caressed her belly. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I know a lot of things. Your girl will be strong and beautiful." Pamela was about to thank the woman when her face fell. "Darkness surrounds you. Pain, fear, tears. You need to be safe."

Pamela frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there is danger lurking."

"Excuse me and thank you but we're not interested in hearing what you have to say." Devlin handed her money which was too much but because of how unsettled he felt, he couldn't wait for change. The old woman shouted a thank you at their retreating backs. Pamela let herself be led by Devlin for a few more steps before digging in her heels and yanking her hand off.

"What was that about?" She demanded.

"What was what about? I could not stand by and let her say bad stuff which is a lie."

"But she was right about the baby's gender."

"Lucky guess. Look, I've had my share with psychics and shamans and stuff."

"But I wanted to listen to her. She said something about darkness -"

"Which is just to scare you. Everything will be fine. Hey, hey, look at me, come here." He took her in his arms and hugged her tight. "It's alright. Don't let anything scare you. I'm here."

In the blink of an eye, there was a ruckus that got people screaming and running. Pamela and Devlin looked around confused. Devlin reached for his gun and swore. He'd left it in the car. Then, gunshots erupted and he and Pamela dashed for his car. As they ran, Pamela's breathing became labored but she didn't stop. Fear was all over her face but he could see she was determined to get to safety. Was this the darkness the shaman was talking about? Devlin wondered.

Luckily, they got to the car. He opened it for Pamela but she didn't get in because she was groaning in pain. She sat on the ground breathing heavily. Devlin quickly reached for his gun in the car safe just as bullets were fired at the car. They'd come for him. He had figured that out already. What he couldn't figure out though, was who. Fener? That was the only person. But Cody had said...

With a jolt, he recalled how Cody's voice had sounded over the phone. Pamela had noticed whereas he hadn't because he'd been too focused on something else. Had Fener threatened Cody into speaking? Devlin took Pamela to the back of the van and hugged her so she would calm down. She was seriously panicking.

When she was calm, he pulled back. "Stay here. I'll be back."

"No!" Her eyes filled with tears. "No, no, no, no, no. Not again. Not again."

"Hey, look at me. I'll survive. I'll be back. I swear."

"I can't lose you. I just got you back." She flung herself on him and wept. More gunshots were fired at the car. Devlin looked around, gauging their means of escape. He could get them into the car and drive off or they could wait it out till the cops arrive. The two seemed impossible. His windshield was already scattered from the bullets and the cops were taking longer than expected. There was only one way; defense. He'd called for backup already. All it took was one button and his boys would be speeding down to where he was.

Leaving Pamela despite her cries, he fired back at the four men who were shooting at them. Four hefty men he'd never seen before. They fired at him and he hid behind stalls and fired back. He hit one in the leg and the three dragged the wounded one-off, surprising Devlin by retreating. Devlin went after them but they were too fast. By the time he decided to stop, he saw Fener. He was standing alone, his gun aimed, his eyes mocking.

"Surprise!"

Devlin didn't crack a smile. "Where's Cody?"

"Happy and snuggly with his family."

"If you harmed them -"

"I didn't. Not really. You wouldn't call cuffing and choking harming, would you? And oh, one of my boys had his way with his wife. He said he'd do it again if given the chance."

"You bastard."

"You lost. So I'd advise you to put down your weapon."

"No thank you."

"I'm being nice, trust me. One wrong move and you're toast."

"I might be but I'm taking you to hell with me." Then the revving sounds of vans became clear. It was Devlin's boys. "And reinforcement is here. You are outnumbered."

Fener laughed. "Yes, sure. I'm outnumbered. But that's not the point, is it? The whole point of this was your wife. Getting you away from her."

Dread settled upon Devlin like a wet blanket. Then it dawned on him. This was why they retreated. They wanted to lure him away from the car!

"No, Pamela!" He bolted off in a mad run towards the car. As he ran, Fener fired at him and a bullet flew into his arm. But he didn't slow down. He was seconds away when suddenly, the car exploded. Bright flames engulfed the vehicle.

"Noooooooooo!" He cried. "Pamela!!!" He ran towards the fiery mess but didn't see her. He looked around and saw her lying, feet or two away, gasping for breath and bloody. A shard of metal was stuck in her neck.

"I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" He roared.

~

Devlin refused to be separated from her until hefty men forcefully removed him from the ICU. He stood outside the room and refused to let his arm be tended to. He couldn't do anything until he heard she was safe and sound. He stood, paced, prayed, and cried. He couldn't lose her.

Funny, that was the same thing she'd said to him too. Something else she'd said before the ambulance came kept ringing in his head;

"My baby." She'd whispered. "Save my baby."

The doctor came out of the ICU and Devlin pounced on him. "How is she?"

He had a poker face when he spoke. "I have bad news. The trauma has triggered premature birth. And so, we'll have to perform an emergency caesarian section to save the baby because she cannot give birth herself."

"And my wife?"

"The baby is paramount."

"My wife is too!"

"Yes, yes and we're doing all we can. The metal shard has hit a major nerve and so we're taking every precaution necessary to keep her steady because she might not make it."

Devlin grabbed the unfortunately short man by the collar of his jacket and his legs dangled. "Say that again and I'm going to pull out your tongue with my bare hands, and shove it down your throat."

"Please, take it easy. I'm doing all I can."

Devlin let him go and the doctor stumbled. He straightened his jacket.

"We need your permission to start operating because if we take too much time..." He trailed off, letting the silence fill in the gap.

"I want to see her right now."

"You can't be in there. It's too messy."

"I don't care!"

"Please."

Devlin rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. His arm had started to throb and every movement sent sparks of pain from the root of his arm to the tips. "Do everything you can, please."

They promise to but came back with bad news. They did everything they could, they said, but things were still not looking up, especially for Pamela. They said she was too weak and the chances of her making it were slim. The bleeding wouldn't stop and the nerve that'd been damaged was connected to her brain. She was almost vestigial but he could see her.

He walked into the room and saw Pamela in bed, tubes, and bandages all over her. She was a terrible sight and it made Devlin go on his knees as he wept. He crawled up to her and held her close. He wanted to be strong, wanted to smile, but he couldn't. It was all too much.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." He managed. His throat was so tight that he could barely get anything out. His heart was so heavy that sucking in the air was a task.

"Don't cry. Is she safe?"

He swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded. "Yes. Her..her vitals are looking up."

"That's good. That's good. Devlin, my love, look at me." He did. "I don't regret this at all. Because for me, it was worth loving you. If I was given the chance to start all over, I don't think I'd run. I would accept getting kidnapped by you and loving you and marrying you. I would choose all those tumultuous experiences all over again because I get to love you. I also get to bring a beautiful baby into the world. Can I see her?"

They wheeled her in, tube and all. Pamela's face when she saw the baby was glorious. Although her breathing was with a lot of effort, she was able to laugh. "She's so beautiful. Call her Naomi. That's my mom's maiden name." She caressed the tube. "Naomi darling, be a good girl. Love your daddy and take care of him in my stead."

"Don't say that." He whispered admits tears.

Pamela's eyelids started to feel heavy. Her lips became numb. She wanted to say something but she forgot, then she remembered. She wanted to say I love you. She also wanted to say thank you, but couldn't.

She said goodbye instead.

~

This chapter is so emotional for me. Thank you for reading.❤