Page 65 of Mountain Freedom
“Um, sure,” the guy said, taking my cash. His eyes lit up as he flipped through it and did his own mental math, realizing he was going to get a generous tip for his trouble. He straightened his posture and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” I said, then turned my attention to Trudy. “I’ll take you home. We’ll call Fiona on the way, and I’ll stay with you, okay? But listen. You have to promise that if Fiona says you need to go to the hospital, you’ll go. If she says that’s where you need to be, that means it’s serious, right?”
She hesitated for just a moment, then nodded. “If Fiona says to go, I’ll go. But only her.”
“Okay.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Fiona would surely listen to reason and could manage the situation. In the meantime, I would at least be there to monitor.
I helped Trudy to my car. The walk was excruciatingly slow, but we finally made it. She choked out directions to her house, and I put on my flashers and began speeding that direction, calling Fiona on the way.
“Hello?” she answered, her voice filling the car through my speakers.
“Fiona? It’s Allison—” I began, but Trudy cut me off.
“Fiona, it’s time,” she said, breathing heavily. “How quick can you get to my house?”
“Trudy? Is that you?” Fiona asked sharply.
“It’s me. The baby’s decided to make his appearance early,” she said, reaching over to squeeze my hand as another contraction hit.
There was a brief pause before Fiona spoke. “I’m on my way,” she said, her voice somehow soothing even me. “You’re lucky I took it to mind to take a trip to the library today. I’ll be at your house in less than five minutes. How far apart are the contractions?”
“About four minutes,” I answered.
“Oh my,” Fiona said. “Lucky indeed. Hang tight now.” She ended the call, seemingly in as much of a hurry as I was.
“It’ll be alright now,” Trudy said, patting my hand as if it were her job to comfort me instead of the other way around. “You’ll see. Fiona’s the best there is. I’ll be in good hands with her by my side.”
But Fiona could be the best midwife in the country and it wouldn’t matter. The baby was viable, but it was way too early to be taking a chance with a home birth. I could only pray Fiona would insist on taking her to the hospital. Otherwise, I was going to make two people very unhappy when I called an ambulance.Or perhaps asked a certain deputy to haul her to the hospital himself.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jackson
I was packingup to head out from work when my cell phone rang.Allison.My heart accelerated. Last time she had called, it was because Russell was in her house. I hoped this time it was good news and not something else going wrong in her life.
“What’s up?” I answered, grabbing my gear and heading out to my truck with a quick wave goodbye to my coworkers.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” she said, speaking quickly—and based on the tone of her voice, something was definitely wrong. “But I really need a favor. Are you busy right now?”
“You’re never a bother,” I said. “And I’m just walking out from work. What do you need?”
“Could you swing by Bob’s Market and pick up two grocery orders for me? They’re already paid for and bagged, ready to go. One is mine. One is Trudy Hamilton’s. She went into labor at the store. I’m driving her home.”
“To Trudy’s house, you mean?”
“Yes.” Allison’s voice was pinched, like she didn’t approve. “Fiona’s her midwife.”
“Got it.” I opened the truck door and tossed my stuff onto the passenger’s seat. “I know where she lives. I’ll grab everything and be right there.”
“Thanks, Jackson.”
“Anytime, Allison. Anytime.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Allison
Fiona’s steel-bluetruck stopped in front of Trudy’s house just as I pulled into the driveway. The spry woman hopped out of the cab, moving like someone half her age. She gave a little wave, then pulled a bag from the back and headed up the driveway, catching up to us before we had even made it in the door.
