Page 42 of Dare to Embrace
I scrunched up my face. “I need to push again.”
She wheeled me into the delivery room as the brunette nurse joined us. “You can’t push yet.”
Easier said than done.
Sweat beaded on my forehead. The need to push was so strong, I wasn’t sure I could abstain.
“Lacey, I’m Jill,” the brunette said. “I want you to take in a deep breath and blow it out.”
I did as she instructed while they helped me up and onto the bed. As I kept inhaling and exhaling, Becca and Jill managed to undress me before hooking me up to a monitor. The need to push was dire, and I felt like I was about to pass out if I held back any longer. So I shook my head in an effort to distract myself, when Dr. Livingston breezed in.
“How far apart are the contractions?” Dr. Livingston asked as she settled at the foot of the bed.
“Three or four minutes,” Becca said as a scurry of activity started to take place around me.
“Hi, Lacey. Nice to see you again.” Dr. Livingston smiled warmly, regarding me with kind blue eyes. “Is your husband here?”
The minute she asked, Kade blew through the door like a gust of wind, seeking me out and rushing to my side. Sweat coated his face, his hair was tucked under a blue cap, he was wearing a blue gown over his clothes, and he was breathing hard, as though he’d just run a marathon.
Dr. Livingston nodded her dark head of hair at Kade then addressed us both. “Here’s how this will go. I’m going to do a quick exam to see how dilated you are. If you’re ready, then we’ll get started.”
Kade gripped my hand, bobbing his head as he regarded me with panic steeped in his eyes.
“Seriously, you’re not going to faint or anything. Are you?” I asked as another contraction hit me. I sucked in a sharp breath as my face contorted. The need to push was stronger than ever.
“Breathe,” Kade said in a soft voice.
Becca scrambled to get my feet in the stirrups. Dr. Livingston went to work quickly, examining me.
Kade swiped his hand over my head. “Lace, you’re turning red. You have to breathe.”
I growled at my husband. “Want to switch places?” Oh, how nice it would be if he could give birth or experience the pain that I was going through.
I finally inhaled, but that did nothing to ease the pain.
“Lacey,” Dr. Livingston said. “When I tell you to push, I want you to push as hard as you can. Okay?”
Nodding, I wanted to scream “hell yeah,” but I couldn’t find my voice as I was trying to get more air in my lungs.
Becca returned to my side.
“Okay, Lacey.” Dr. Livingston eyed the monitor near me. “I want you to push now.”
Becca placed her hand on my back guiding my upper body forward. “Bear down as hard as you can.”
I put every ounce of energy I had into pushing as hard as I could.
“She’s turning beet red again.” Kade’s voice trickled in my ears over my loud grunting. “She’s going to pass out.”
“You’re doing great,” Dr. Livingston informed me while the medical staff ignored Kade.
I was sure I was red, but at the moment, I didn’t care about anything other than getting the babies out of me.
Chapter 17
Kade
My heart was beating out of my chest as Lacey grunted, growled, and groaned.
