Page 39 of Blame It on the Bikini
She hated that he hadn't already seen how great everything was. Grayson was the kind of man who set a goal and stuck to it. She was going to have to keep fighting to change his mind.
They had just crossed the street and gone around the corner when Serena suddenly let out a yelp and stopped walking.
"What's wrong?" she asked with concern as Serena bent over. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I don't think so," Serena replied, gasping. "I've been having fake contractions, but this feels like the real thing."
"There are fake contractions?" Grayson asked in bemusement.
Serena nodded, her lips tightening. "Oh, God!"
She looked at Grayson, then at Serena. "Should we go back to the bar?"
"I don't think I can keep walking," Serena said.
"There's a bench over there," Grayson said, helping her walk Serena to the bench. "I'm going to run to Ocean Shores, get my car, and I'll be back as fast as I can. You call Brad. Whoever gets here first can take her to the hospital."
She appreciated his decisiveness and the speed with which he took off. She took out her phone and called Brad, but it went to voicemail. "He's not answering."
"He's probably not near his phone," Serena said. "Maybe it's nothing. It seems to be gone."
"Okay, good, but we still need to get you home or to the hospital."
Serena let out another cry. "Not gone after all," she gasped. "It's really bad, Lexie. What are we going to do?"
Chapter Ten
"We're going to hang tight until Grayson gets back, and you're going to try to breathe through the contraction," she said, not really sure what advice she should be giving her. "Take my hand."
Serena's fingers wrapped around hers as she tried to breathe but was clearly in a lot of pain. "I—I think I'm having the baby."
"What? Now?" she asked in shock.
"It feels like something shifted, like the baby is lower." Serena put a hand on her abdomen. "There's a lot of pressure…"
She called Brad again, but he didn't answer. She was about to start hitting up the rest of her friends at the bar when Grayson pulled up on the street in front of them with squealing brakes. Before they could move, another contraction doubled Serena over.
"It's going to be okay," she reassured her. "Grayson and I will take you to the hospital. I'll get a hold of Brad, and he'll meet us there."
"I'm scared, Lexie."
"I know. But you can do this, Serena. You're a very strong person."
Serena blew out a breath, her face red, sweat dotting her skin. "I think the worst is over for now."
With Grayson's help, she got Serena into the back seat of his car and climbed in next to her. "Drive to the hospital," she told Grayson, giving him the name of the nearest medical center. "I'll keep calling Brad."
"I could stop at the bar?—"
His suggestion was cut off by another piercing scream from Serena.
"Never mind. Hospital," Grayson said, turning on his GPS.
When Serena's contraction eased, she punched in Brad's number again, relieved beyond belief when he picked up.
"Hey, Lexie. Did you forget something?" he asked.
"No. I'm with Serena. She went into labor on the way home."
