Hey Folks! Well, Eliza still in labor and William has returned to the raid. Both are not going so well because ultimately it seems they work better together. However, surprises happen on both sides. I know that's not a good summary but read and hope you enjoy! Love-Carebearmaxi.

Frightened

Chapter 12

William arrived back at the docks and was surprised to see his men scrambling. He heard gun shots reverberate in the air.

"Out, Bobby!" William cried as Bobby, his driver, drew his gun and launched himself from the cab.

William drew his gun from his holster as he approached Warehouse #51. He looked from side to side to confirm that no one had a bead on him. Bobby followed close behind.

"I do not see anything sir," Bobby said in a stage whisper.

As their steps drew them up the ramp to the warehouse, William commanded Bobby to stay at his back.

"There's another side to this warehouse that I can get to, sir. Let me go to the other side," Bobby said.

"No, I'll take that side. You continue here," William said feeling that around the back would be more dangerous. Even at this stage he hoped to keep loss of life at a minimum.

"Yes, sir." Bobby stepped carefully forward as William quickly ran around the back of the warehouse to the other side with his gun drawn.

William continually heard continual gunfire from a short distance away. He slid along the wall of the building and came to the corner and heard a gunshot whizz by his ear. He quickly stepped back for cover behind the wall. He peaked around the corner and then he shot one of the gangmen. The fallen man wore a telltale Green Shamrock in the brim of his bowler. The man went down in a heap. William approached him.

"Drop the gun! I'm Chief of Police Wellington," William said and watched as the prostrate man dropped his gun. William kicked it away.

"Bobby! Come get this man!"

"Coming, sir!"

"Take this man and hole him up. Make a specific area and keep an eye on him. I will send others over to you for corralling, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

Bobby proceeded to take the gangman over to a spot where he could keep watch on not only him but any other action which may arise.

Bobby said as he hauled the cuffed man, "Be careful, sir. Happy Hunting!"

William nodded and watched with trepidation as Bobby hauled the criminal to the assigned area. His mind momentarily returned to his wife laboring at home.

I will return as soon as I can, Eliza! William thought as he moved forward carefully back up to the docks.

"Why isn't William here?" Eliza exclaimed. "I need him here."

"Lizzie you need to push. I know you're tired," Ivy tried to coax Eliza. She had been trying but not too hard to push. The baby seemed to be crowning but stuck right at the cusp of Eliza's vagina.

Ivy said, "I'm getting the chair. It will make it easier."

Eliza's eyes went wide. "No! I am not giving birth sitting up! That's horrible."

"Lizzie!"

"I'm going to try to push again. I feel like I have to," Eliza said through gasps of air.

"All right my girl," Ivy said as she got up behind her and helped to fold Eliza in half.

Dr. Bradley watched to see if it had any effect. Not much. He tented a sheet to cover Eliza's legs. He motioned Ivy away from Eliza to speak to her.

"I like the idea of the birthing chair. I've used it in the past and it has helped facilitate women in labor give birth quickly. However, she is stubborn, and I think she's not pushing on purpose until Chief Wellington returns."

"Yes, far be it from Lizzie not to have her own way in anything," Ivy said offhandedly but with concern. "let's compromise. I will contact the precinct to see if I can get a message to the Chief and then we try to get her to the birth chair."

"That's a good sound plan. It's not good for the child to be in the birth canal for too long. It's a little late in the birth process for me to perform a Cesarean Section," Dr. Bradley stated concerned.

"Ivy!" Eliza yelled. "Get William, please!"

I told him to go back to work! What was I thinking? I know he wanted to stay, but there was nothing he could do except listen to me yell and I am sure in our time together he has heard enough from me. Eliza thought.

Ivy returned to the bed. I contacted the precinct, and they are going to get a message to William to return immediately as you are in need of him."

Eliza looked at her wonderful surrogate mother with wide scared eyes.

"I've never been so scared except for when I was shot, Ivy. Tell William if anything happens to me that I loved him since I was 16. Tell the baby that I would have tried to be a good mother…Oh! Ivy!"

"Push, Lizzie, the baby's moving!" Ivy shouted.

"Yes, I think so."

William carefully scooted along the buildings in a hurry to catch up and help his men in the long battle with both the Italian and Irish gangs. He propelled himself into the fray. He bashed and punched his way through and was able to capture many of the criminals, but just as the commotion began to dissipate, William noticed blood gushing from his arm. His head reeled for a moment. Then he quickly turned and fired. Jimmy McAlroy collapsed. He was alive but barely.

"Sir, you've been hit," Lionel Carlyle seeing him and catching him before William hit the ground from quick loss of blood.

"Yes, I know. Thank you. Look go on," William said.

"No, you're going to the hospital. Most of everything has been wrapped up and you got the leader."

"Is he dead?" William called turning around to see a young officer examining him.

"No, sir, but he doesn't have long."

"Get him to the hospital!" William called.

"Sir, you should take precedence," protested Carlyle.

"No, I am not wounded fatally. I am sure I was just grazed."

"But Chief…what about Mrs. Wellington?"

"She's in labor and I want to return to her. Take me straight home! That's an order!"

Lionel Carlyle knew better but he loved his commanding officer, so he did not want to defy his order. He threw William's arm around his shoulders and relayed William's orders to the other men who were hauling gang members off to the stations. William had strategized with many other Chiefs in other precincts. William volunteered to lead the charge as he had had the most experience in situations such as these. The only issue was that of Eliza's early unplanned labor.

"I'll get you home personally, sir," Carlyle said.

"Thank you, Lionel," William said weakly as they slowly made their way to his waiting carriage.

Lionel helped William into the cab. He had constructed a sling out of his own torn shirt and bound William's arm to his ribs and then placed his jacket over his shoulders.

"Now, Mrs. Wellington, won't see you've been injured. Promise me as soon as you know your wife's condition you get yourself some help."

William nodded weakly as he laid his head on the back of the seat.

I don't like getting shot or having bullets anywhere need me…uh.." William thought.

"Johnny, get the Chief home."

"Yes, Lieutenant, I will."

Eliza in the meantime had been shifted to the birthing chair. It took considerable strength to carry her there as the baby was still stuck. Dr. Bradley was concerned as he thought that maybe Eliza's vaginal opening had become to swollen for the baby to slip through.

Ivy was concerned. She worried about the coming child and remembered what her brother had suggested to use when Ivy herself was trying to give birth, and this same exact thing happened. Being that their parents had turned their back on them, her brother Ryan contacted Eliza's parents, and they had contacted a skillful midwife who had suggested oil around the opening to help ease the path of the baby's head.

Dr. Bradley massaged some oil around the baby's head. Eliza's leaned her arms on the arms of the chair her legs straddling the think cushioned seat.

"Ivy, I can't do that anymore. I'm so tired," Lizzie cried tears coming from her eyes while she moaned and turned her head wearily back and forth.. She had been in hard labor for many hours. She no longer had a coherent thought in her head.

All of a sudden a thud could be heard from the living room. Ivy patted Eliza's shoulder. She prayed it was William. It was up to him to get her to push the baby out. Only he could get her so frustrated that it spurred her onto doing what had to be done to show she would win the competition.

"William!" Ivy cried out when she saw William's condition. "You've been shot!"

"It's just a graze. How's Eliza?" William asked wearily. "Let me see her."

"She's in the birthing chair. The baby has been stuck for a few hours now and Lizzie is tired; however, you're here now. That will help her. I'm sure."

"The bairn?" William asked his brogue pronounced at stressful times.

"No way to tell until he's born," Ivy said carefully. She did not want to project the worst by saying it was a good possibility that the baby would be stillborn as he had been trapped in the birth canal for far too long.

"Ivy helped me straighten up and for God's sake do not allow my wound to show," William ordered.

"Of course, William."

So she set out to straighten him out and managed to get him to stand straight and walk forcefully into the bedroom.

"Eliza! What is this I hear? Not had this baby yet? What are you waiting for?"

"For you to come home safe and sound, William. How am I to concentrate on getting this thing out of me when you're taking your time in the field….Ohhh!" Eliza screamed.

"It was you who sent me back out there I wanted to stay with you!" William continued.

Meanwhile during the fractious contention between husband and wife, Dr. Bradley said, "The child is coming. Just one more push Eliza!"

"William!" Eliza cried out.

William immediately came over to his wife and took her hand. He kissed it.

"Push Eliza!"

"I am! Oh…it's coming!"

All of a sudden there was a cry of a newborn life only a few seconds old.

Ivy quickly handed Eliza the baby.

"Oh my God! I can't believe I just had a baby!" Eliza began to cry, and she looked at William and seeing him for the first time since he had returned. The excruciating pain had dulled her hearing and vision.

William cried his own tears as he saw his son put into his wife's arms. The baby had dark hair like William's and cried lustily protesting with his parents why he was kept in the dark so long. William could not help but think their son had inherited Eliza's voice. William was speechless.

"You have a son in case you couldn't tell," Dr. Bradley said wiping tears of joy from his own eyes and cleaning his glasses on a clean cloth. While Eliza and William examined their son counting his toes and fingers and figuring out who he looked like, Dr. Bradley finished what he had to do.

"Eliza, you may feel a hard contraction. That's so I can get the baby's old home out of you, so don't be afraid."

Eliza who had begun to feel a contraction again nodded.

"Thank you, Dr. Bradley," Eliza said sweating, smiling, and joyful as she held her newborn son in her arms.

"As soon as you're cleaned up, Ivy and I will get you back to bed so you can rest."

"William!" Eliza exclaimed. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing. A bullet grazed my side I'm fine," William said smiling as he gently touched the dark hair of his son.

William's smile was euphoric, and it reached his eyes. Then he winced which brought his wife back to her observant self. She said sternly, "Dr. Bradley, I know gunshot grazes are not normally part of your skills, but could you please tend to the Chief here, please?"

"Of course I will," Dr. Bradley said as he went into the bathroom to wash his hands with strong antiseptic soap he had brought with him.

"Let's get you back into bed. Ivy carry the baby," Dr. Bradley said before he accompanied William to the living room for treatment.

Ivy took the baby from Eliza. She held him and cooed at him while William was next in line in the other room while Dr. Bradley examined him. Eliza wearily changed into a fresh nightgown and carefully maneuvered herself back in the big bed. Eliza was sore and extremely tired. She felt triumphant at the same time having been successful in birthing her and William's son into the world. Her only worry was William.

"I'm sure he will be fine. I'll set him up in my room and I will sleep on the couch. I moved the cradle in here so you can put the baby there when you're ready to sleep. He looks like he needs to suckle. Do you need help getting him to suckle?"

"No, I think he will be just fine," Eliza said as she pulled down the side of her nightgown and allowed her son to find her breast. He did and Eliza smiled up at Ivy.

"Can you check on my husband please? If he's done getting patched up can you send him in here?"

Ivy said, "Surely, but you might want to cover up a bit."

"Nonsense, Ivy. It's William, my husband, how hasn't he seen me is the question. By the way, tomorrow when I have had a little sleep I want you to finish your story."

"My story?"

"You know what I am talking about. You told me too much in earnest for it to be just a fabrication to help me through my labor. "

Ivy came back over to the bed and kissed Eliza's forehead.

"I will finish my story on one condition."

"What's your condition, Ivy?"

"I get to hold him while I tell you."

"Well, considering that he's only a few minutes old and his father hasn't held him yet….of course," Eliza finally said after teasing her.

"It's nice to see you're already back to yourself."

"Then send William in here, please?"

"Of course," Ivy said one final time and turned towards the door opening it and stepping through to the living room.

William stepped back in the bedroom. He stood silently for just a moment looking at Eliza holding their son. He became almost jealous because here was his wife who had to promise him when they married that she would be as good a mother as she was a private detective. William could see from that totally beautifully smitten face that he should never have worried about it.

Eliza was beautiful in her post partem, and she was so enamored with their son that she did not even look up when he entered the room.