#Chapter 193: Marked for Life

Kayla “One more push!” the doctor’s voice barely registered through the haze of pain that had consumed me for the past sixteen hours. “I can see the head, Kayla. One more big push!” Nicholas gripped my hand, his other arm supporting my back as I leaned forward. I was beyond exhaustion, beyond pain, beyond anything except the primal need to bring my child into the world… And to get this fresh fucking hell over with! “You can do this,” Nicholas murmured against my sweat-soaked hair. “You’re almost there.” I gathered what little strength remained in my trembling body, bore down with everything I had, and let out a final, guttural cry that tore from somewhere deep inside of me. The pressure intensified, then suddenly released in a rush, followed by the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard—the indignant wail of a newborn taking his first breath. “It’s a boy!” the doctor announced, lifting the squirming, red-faced infant for us to see. “A healthy baby boy.”