Page 112 of Wild Pitch
“It’s going to be okay.”
I believed him. I refused not to.
CHAPTER 56
LUC
Early the next morning, Kylie woke me after she had gone to the bathroom, saying she was dizzy and seeing spots. I got her back to the bed and rushed down the hall to get her mother.
“Maria?”
Something in the tone of my voice had her up and rushing to Kylie. Her face was stern as she took Kylie’s blood pressure, and she refused to tell me the number.
“Let’s go.”
Her resolve set me in motion, and I grabbed the bag that Kylie had joked was too soon to pack. She stumbled while I attempted to help her walk to the car, and I scooped her up instead. If I hadn’t been so scared, I would have laughed at Maria’s joke about how athletes were useful in emergencies.
Maria touched my arm as I rushed to the driver’s seat.
“I’m not panicked, Luc. It’s urgent, yes. But she’s going to be in good hands. I’m not going to leave her side.”
I choked back a sob, resolved not to let Kylie see how scared I was; if I panicked, I wouldn’t be able to be there for her.
“That’s my entire world in that car.”
“I know the feeling. I know you want to take care of her, but let me help. I know a thing or two about delivering babies.”
I nodded, and we got into the car.
When we arrived at the emergency room, Maria spoke for us. Yes, her position at the hospital practically parted the seas when she explained Kylie’s condition. She had even taken care of calling Kylie’s doctor—all things I would have failed at since I couldn’t focus on anything other than fear. I hated how powerless I felt.
They admitted Kylie right away, and while Maria focused on Kylie’s medical needs, she freed me up to take care of her emotional needs.
“Are you still set on Lucky?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. While I love it, I want her to have her own name.”
“Is Willow still on the list?” I hadn’t said much, but it was my favorite of the names on our short list.
“That’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Mine too,” she said, smiling at me.
“That’s it? We figured it out?”
We’d debated the list of names we had almost daily, and until now, none of them had felt right.
“Sure seems like it. Hopefully, the rest of the birth will go just as easily.”
Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
Kylie had wanted an unmedicated birth, and, after several hours of laboring without progress, her mother explained to us that it might help manage her blood pressure if she got an epidural. I had never seen Kylie more stubborn than right before the decision was made. Once she realized it was better for the baby to accept the pain management, she relented with a sob.
From that point forward, things progressed more predictably, and Maria relaxed. As Kylie pushed, I held her hand and coached her through it.
I choked back a sob when I saw the shadow of red hair crown.
