The Three Men I Call Mine

The judge banged her gavel on the desk. The loud sound made Sienna jump. Her hands were shaking in her lap. Beside her, Ronan, Noah, and Dorian sat frozen. These three men were used to being in control. But in this room, they had no power at all. The judge looked down at them. Her face gave nothing away. "The court orders a DNA test for all three babies," the judge said. "The results will stay secret until the birth. Until then, the mother keeps custody under supervision. We will meet again in sixty days." Sienna felt sick. Supervised custody. Like she was a criminal, Like loving three men made her a bad mother. Victor Brooks, her cousin, sat on the other side of the room. When the judge finished, Victor turned and looked at Sienna. He smiled. She looked away. "Clear the room," the judge ordered. Sienna stood up. Her legs felt weak. She was almost six months pregnant with triplets, and the trial had drained all her energy. Ronan moved to her side at once. He put his hand near her lower back. His grey eyes were dark with anger. "We need to get her out of here," Noah whispered. "The press is waiting outside. Victor made sure of it." "Let them wait," Ronan growled. "I will break every camera that gets too close." "No," Sienna said softly. Her voice was rough. "Just keep walking. Please. I just want to go home." They pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the Los Angeles courthouse. The bright sun hurt her eyes. The steps were crowded. But it was not just the press waiting for them. A man stood at the bottom of the stairs. He wore a dark hoodie even though it was hot. His face was hidden. But Sienna could see the hate in his eyes. He was staring right at Ronan. Ronan stopped dead. His whole body went stiff. He pushed Sienna behind him. "Get back," Ronan said. His voice was low and scary. "Kael?" Dorian asked. "Marcus Cole," Kaelen said. "A man from my past. He blames me for his brother." Before anyone could move, Marcus pulled something from his jacket. It was a gun. Sienna screamed. Noah jumped forward. Dorian reached for his guards. But they were too far away. Marcus raised the gun and pointed it right at Ronan. "No!" Sienna yelled. She tried to grab Ronan. But her big belly slowed her down. Ronan did not run. He turned his head to look at Sienna one last time. Then the gun went off. The sound was so loud it hurt her ears. People started screaming and running. Sienna watched as Ronan fell back. He grabbed his chest. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in bright red blood. “Ronan!” Noah shouted. He caught Ronan before he fell to the ground. Dorian tackled Marcus and forced him to the floor. The guards rushed over to stop the fight. But Sienna did not notice any of it. She fell to her knees beside Ronan. Her hands trembled as she pressed them against his chest. The blood felt warm beneath her hands. "Stay with me," she begged. Tears fell down her face. "Ronan, please. Do not leave me." Ronan looked up at her. His face was white. He tried to touch her face, but he was too weak. "I told you," he choked out. "I will always protect you." His eyes closed. His hand dropped to the ground. "Sienna!" Dorian shouted. He ran over and grabbed her shoulders. "Look at me. Do not look at him." "He is bleeding," she whispered. "Dorian, he is bleeding everywhere." "I know," Dorian said. His voice broke. He pulled out his phone fast. "I need an ambulance at the LA courthouse right now. Gunshot wound to the chest." Sienna felt a sharp pain in her lower back. She gasped. Her hand flew to her stomach. "Sienna?" Noah asked. His eyes were wide with fear. "What is wrong?" "I do not know," she cried. "It hurts." Dorian looked at her. His face went pale. "The ambulance is coming. Just hold on." A heavy hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked up. Victor stood over her. Two police officers were with him. He looked down at Ronan. Then he looked at Sienna. "Such a tragedy," Victor said. "Maybe if you had not brought this chaos into their lives, he would still be alive." "Get away from her," Dorian yelled. He stepped in front of Sienna. "Officers, get him out of here." The paramedics ran up the steps. They pushed Sienna away. They worked fast on Ronan. Sienna stumbled back. Her hands were red with blood. Another sharp pain hit her stomach. It was so bad she could not breathe. "Miss?" a paramedic shouted. He grabbed her arm. "Are you in labor?" Before Sienna could answer, a second paramedic yelled from Ronan’s side. "We are losing him! I need a trauma kit now!" Sienna's vision blurred. She tried to reach for Ronan, but her legs gave out. She fell to the concrete. As her eyes closed, she heard the flatline of Ronan’s heart monitor and the paramedic scream, "She is hemorrhaging! We are losing her and the babies!"