Page 32 of Faith Notes
Ten.
Forty.
Luckily, the officer opens his door on the count of sixty, and I sigh in relief and frustration.
He appears at my window again, handing me my license, registration, and newly garnered ticket.
I press my lips together to keep from losing my cool. It’s not that he gave me the ticket. I was speeding, and I deserved it. It’s just that his ego wouldn’t let me explain, and because of that, my wife has sat here in pain.
“Thanks,” I say, giving him a tight-lipped smile and a smart retort. “Now, can I please get my wife, who is possibly in labor, to the hospital?”
The cop’s eyes widen in surprise. “Why didn’t you say that before? I’ll give you a police escort.”
My right eye twitches, and in the passenger seat, Georgia loses it, laughing so hard I’m afraid she might pee on herself.
“Yes, sir. That would be great.”
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When we make it to the hospital, the officer offers us a wave before speeding off into the night.
I have to grit my teeth to prevent me from yelling obscenities.
“Jerk,” I mumble under my breath instead.
Georgia strokes my arm, trying to fight back her smile. “You did good, Gray.”
She winks at me, and some of my frustration falls away.
“Come on,” I say, placing my hand on her back and guiding her toward the emergency room entrance. “Let’s get you checked out.”
A nurse comes down from the OB floor to get us from the emergency room, and we follow her to a room. On the way, she asks Georgia all kinds of questions about her pregnancy so far, and I try to pay attention just in case I need to know any of this.
She has Georgia lie down on the bed, hooking her up to a machine that wraps around her stomach and measures her contractions. The nurse watches it for several minutes and then winces.
“You’re having pretty consistent contractions. I’m going to call the doctor and see how they would like to proceed. You hang tight, okay?”
Georgia nods, but as soon as the nurse leaves the room, she turns her head toward me, eyes wide with fear.
“Gray,” she cries, and I can’t stand the way that my name sounds so broken coming out of her mouth.
“Hey, it will be okay,” I say, climbing into the bed beside her. I don’t know if I’m supposed to be here, but the nurse can kick me out when she comes back. For now, I’m staying so I can hold my wife. “The doctors know what they are doing. He’s almost full-term. Even if they can’t stop the labor, he will be okay.”
And I believe that too, not just because we have an excellent doctor but also because I know God is just a prayer away. There have been times in my life that I’ve failed to trust him, but this will not be one of them. My son’s life rests in his hands.
Georgia’s body trembles in my arms, and I hold her tighter. Her stomach is pressed against my side, and from the inside, ourson tries to shove me off, kicking his foot against her stomach so hard that I feel it against mine.
The movement startles me, and I pull back. “Did he just kick me?”
“I think he’s marking his territory early,” Georgia chuckles, some of the fear leaving her face. “He wants you to know that I’m his mommy.” She stops, testing the word against her tongue again. “Mommy. Grayson, I’m going to be someone’s mommy.”
“Uh, yeah,” I say deliberately, trying not to look at her like she’s crazy, at least not right now when she could be moments away from giving birth, “I thought you knew that months ago.”
She smacks me. “I did. It’s just—this moment feels real.”
I nod, agreeing with her because she’s right. Being here at the hospital feels a little more real than it did yesterday. “I know what you mean.”
She settles back into my arms with a decisive nod, but it’s only a second before she’s squirming again.
