Page 41 of Dare to Embrace
I held on to the wall outside the kitchen. “By the time you”—I moaned as the pain seemed to intensify—“get the car, the pain”—I inhaled then exhaled—“will be gone.”
He didn’t move.
I planted my hand on his heart, which was beating out of his chest. “I know you want to make sure I’m okay. But if you don’t get the car, I’m going to have these babies on our kitchen floor.”
He mashed his lips into a thin line then bolted down the hall toward the garage.
I loved the attention. I loved being home with him. I loved that he took care of me. But I was ready to be my own person again. I felt like I’d been cooped up and unable to breathe at times. And if I were being honest, I was missing baseball. The season had started, and I wasn’t there. But the season and playing ball would have to wait.
The contraction finally started to subside. Then as fast as I could go, I met Kade in the driveway.
He rushed around to the passenger’s side and helped me in. Then like a madman, he got behind the wheel. He sped through the quiet streets of Ashford. The ten-minute ride to the hospital was quiet except for my moans when a contraction came barreling down on me once again.
When he screeched to a halt under the portico to the emergency room, Kade threw the car in Park and jumped out.
An orderly was outside with a wheelchair in hand as though he were waiting for us. He’d probably seen Kade’s erratic driving as we sped into the hospital lot.
“My wife is in labor,” Kade all but shouted.
As calm as the ocean on a windless day, the orderly smiled. “Park your car, sir. I’ll take the missus inside.”
Kade’s forehead creased. “Are you mad? She’s in labor, and I’m not leaving her.”
I eased down into the wheelchair. “Park the car, honey. I’ll be fine.”
He muttered swear words under his breath as he sped off once again.
“Thank you,” I said to the orderly, whose name on his uniform read Fred.
“I see this all the time,” Fred said, wheeling me in. “So, contractions close?”
I’d had another contraction halfway to the hospital. If I was counting correctly, they were about five or six minutes apart. “They are.”
“Well then, I’ll get you up to maternity in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” He did as promised, rolling me into the maternity ward two minutes later. Nurses scrambled when they saw me, as though I were the life of the party, and one of those nurses was my BFF, Becca.
Becca rushed up to me, her dark eyes lighting up. “It’s time?”
I nodded. The babies were definitely coming.
“Let’s get Lacey prepped and call Dr. Livingston,” Becca ordered as though she were in charge of the nurses.
I wanted to ask what she was doing in the maternity ward since she worked in the NICU, but another contraction bore down. “I suddenly feel like I need to push.” I winced as the pain blinded me. Thank God I was in a wheelchair. Otherwise, I would be barreled over.
A brunette nurse ran around the nurses’ station, and within seconds, the paging system blared, “Dr. Livingston, please report to the maternity ward.”
“Her husband is parking the car,” Fred said.
Becca replaced Fred behind my wheelchair. “Thanks, Fred. We got this from here. Can you let her husband know where she is?” Then she wheeled me down the hallway. “Kade must be freaking out.”
“I thought you worked in NICU,” I said in between breathing like I’d been running for miles.
“I’m filling in for someone tonight. Don’t worry—you’re in good hands. And since you’re having triplets, you’ll have a team of nurses in the delivery room.”
I wasn’t worried. I was sure Becca was great at her job. “I’m so glad you’re here. But you mentioned Dr. Livingston. Can you call Dr. Gardner?” I knew I might not get him, depending on whether he was on call, but I sure was going to try.
“We will, but Dr. Livingston is on duty tonight. And she’s great.”
I’d only met Dr. Livingston once, and as the pain took hold, I guessed it didn’t matter which doctor delivered the babies, as long as I got them out of me.
