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Lisbeth Salander screamed.
Alone in the room, with only a midwife and nurse, she screamed again, the pain ripping across her lower abdomen almost too much to bear.
On the home stretch, she gripped the rails of the bed as another contraction ripped through her body. On the home stretch, the pains were constant, each contraction rolling into the other.
"Push," ordered the midwife from her position between her legs.
"You're doing great," offered the nurse awkwardly, patting her arm.
"Get away from me," Lisbeth snapped.
With an ear-piercing scream, she dedicated herself to the job at hand and with three pushes later, she felt strangely empty as a little cry sounded in the room.
"Give her to me," she demanded instantly as she struggled to breathe.
The midwife, midway through her checks, looked ready to object, but something in the new mother's face made her comply.
"Congratulations," she said simply as she placed the squalling bundle in her arms. "It's a girl."
The nurse was already at the door, speaking with security. "You've got ten minutes," she ordered. "Then the baby goes."
Her body arush with pain, hormones, adrenaline and what was possibly joy, Lisbeth Salander looked at the little bundle in her arms. Words just didn't seem enough. "I'm sorry," was all she could offer as she leaned down to press a kiss to the baby's forehead.
As the door opened not long after and an armed man stepped into the room, Lisbeth felt an overwhelming sense of fear and protection. As the nurse approached to take the baby from her, Lisbeth held her daughter close.
"Take me to him," she demanded.
The nurse spared a glance with the midwife busy cleaning up. "It is against policy ma'am. But rest assured that I will..."
Lisbeth reached out and gripped the nurse's shirt. "I am not letting my daughter go with anyone else except her father. You will let me take her to him. Now."
The midwife shrugged.
When the doors opened, a frantic Mikael Blomkvist froze as he saw Lisbeth Salander wheeled through in a hospital bed. One arm was handcuffed to the rail, and he saw instantly the baby she held close in the other.
It was only when he stepped closer and she looked up at him that he realised tears were running down her face.
"You've got ten seconds," the guard ordered.
She was in pain as she tilted her arm toward him. Mikael had tears of his own as he reached forward and eased the baby into his arms.
Its tiny form resting in his arms, his eyes sought out hers. "Lisbeth..." What words could he say?
"Promise me," she begged desperately as the guard neared. "Promise me you'll never let her from her sight."
Mikael's eyes were intent on hers. "I won't."
Their lips came together for one last frantic kiss before Lisbeth was pushed away.
The last thing she heard was the cry of her newborn daughter.
Coming up: Alone.
