Lucien
He held his woman as she doubled over in pain, a pain so great that she was screaming, sobbing. And her fingernails dug into his arms as she struggled to fight the pain that was wracking her body, causing her to gasp wildly.
‘Water…’ she cried and he held the jug of iced water to her lips once ore but this time, she shook her head, smiling slightly through the pain, amused at his foolishness.
‘Lucien…my water… My Water…’
He stared at her blankly. What the f*k was she talking about? Almost incoherently, she moaned, unmistakably in great pain now, as she gasped,
”Call…get the doctor, Lucien. My water has broken…’
And then he noticed the puddle of water between her legs. Her dress was wet too and he
realized in horror that it was something to do with the child in her womb. She was going into labor, way before the full term of their child. His body went cold with fear as he noticed the way her eyes were shut, her pallor, white and bloodless…
She was breathing with difficulty, and her head was thrown back.
He stared as she seemed to be slipping away again and he roared, over his shoulder,
“Schwartz! Piers! Get the f*ck in here!’
The door to his study was flung open with such force that it crashed loudly against the wall as Piers and Schwartz rushed into the bedroom adjoining his study. Both men looked agitated. Piers was beside his mother in a trice, kneeling at the bed, gripping her hand, kissing it wildly, feverishly, as he repeated, over and over again,
“Mumma, Mumma…!’ he cried. When she lay, still and white, breathing shallowly, he swung around to glare at his father, accusingly as he cried in distress,
“What…what have you done to her, Sir?’
Schwartz was less inhibited.
‘F*ck, f*ck, man, you never did deserve her!’ he yelled, his hair askew, his eyes wide with shock, fear and disgust.
Lucien thrust him away, tersely, his big body vibrating with anger and fear; anger with the men who were the closest to him for faulting him and fear as he looked at the prone figure on the bed.
‘Get a hold on yourself, Schwartz!’ he barked.
Suddenly Beatrice and the big woman who had come with them from South America, Camille, were in the room. Camille pushed everyone away and then spoke in a crisp, professional way. She had been a trained nurse and had been with Proserpina when she had delivered the triplets.
‘Her water has broken.’ She declared in a crisp voice,
And when the men continued to glare and shout at each other, furiously, Camille raised her voice and screamed,
” Stop behaving like little boys! This woman is in danger you f*cking idiots!!! Get the bl*ody doctor!’
That galvanized everyone.
*
Proserpina was lying on the bed, floating in and out of consciousness, her head moving from side to side as she whimpered in pain, unaware of the turmoil around her. She looked so white, so fragile as she lay and then, Lucien saw the dark stain spreading around her lower body.
‘What the bl*ody f*ck?’ She’s bleeding!’ he shouted, his emotions churning , as he looked up at the woman.
“She has to be shifted to a hospital immediately’ Said Camille in a cold tone, ‘She’s begun haemorrhaging.’
Camille’s face was taut with strain.
And then, almost to herself, she spoke in a low tone,
” Not a good sign.’
The way she said it, with a lack of her usual theatrics, warned Lucien that it was dangerous.
He whirled around, barking orders, his phone in hand. His shirt stuck wetly to his massive chest and he was sweating profusely but he was only aware of the semi-conscious figure on the bed, the dark stain spreading rapidly beneath her as the women fussed about; old Beatrice was sobbing openly as she helped Camille while the large Argentine woman herself, expertly managed the inert figure, pathetic, helpless and tiny, who lay on the bed.
Piers was staring at his mother, worry and confusion writ large on his face.
The commotion in his study, in the outer room, alerted Lucien to the arrival of his other children. Claude burst in, thrusting people away, like a mad bull.
“Mumma, Mumma…’ he cried and stopped when Camille turned on him like a Fury.
“Get out and stay out!’, she screamed.
‘You heard her!’ shouted Lucien, glaring at everyone.
As though by magic, the room cleared.
Lucien left the room under Camille’s quelling gaze. As he stepped out, his sons turned to him as one, anger in their stance. It was the impetuous Claude who spoke first. He burst out, moving to confront his father, fists balled, as he cried out in anguish,
‘How could you do this to Mumma?’
And Piers, came forward, his normally cool expression a thing of the past as he gritted through clenched teeth, disgust on his face,
“You put her through so much pain every time you get her with child. And you still cannot control your urges, you old…’
He got no further. Lucien hit his son hard on his face with his bunched fist and the boy staggered back. James Schwartz stepped forward, placing himself between Lucien and the boys protectively, his hands raised in surrender.
“Look mate. Don’t. Stop right there.’
His tone held command and Lucien stiffened.
The Don flexed his fist which was sore, the knuckles bruised.
His best friend and second in command looked serious.
“I love her.’ Lucien growled although he knew he had no need to justify himself.
‘Some way you have of showing it, mate,’ drawled Schwartz and for the first time, Lucien heard a note of anger, deep and hard, in his mate’s tones. Schwartz had always had his back, never challenged him. But now, he sounded as though he did not have any such faith. He was actually questioning the Mafia Don.
“The F*CK!’ roared Lucien and he smashed his fist against the glass cabinet beside him, shattering it into smithereens.
“How I deal with my wife is my business. She is MINE. ‘ he snarled, oblivious to the blood on the carpet.
‘But she is Our Mumma. ” said Claude solemnly, as his brother leaned against him, his mouth a bloody mess, eyes filled with rage, ‘And we are not going to watch if anyone hurts her.’
“And I love her too…’ sighed Schwartz under his breath.
The stony silence of the taut moment was broken with the entrance of Beston.
‘The ambulance is here,’ he panted and, in a few minutes, Proserpina was being shifted out.