“Let me drive, dude,” Joaquin said.
“No!”
“Give me your fucking keys, because I don’t want either of us to die today!” Joaquin said, practically snatching the key fob from Beck when he caught up with him at the front door.
“Let Joaquin drive!” Badger yelled from the living room doorway. “We’ll be along shortly.”
“Okay, fine!”
“Don’t let the rat bastard adjust your mirrors,” Dewi yelled. “It’ll take weeks to get them right again!”
Seconds later, they were out the front door and in Beck’s car. “I have to call Nami!” Beck grabbed his phone, fumbling it, dropping it between the seats, and finally fishing it out while Joaquin sped down the driveway toward the front gate.
It felt like forever before it was answered—by Malyah. “Hey, Beck! Guess what—”
“Is she okay? We’re on our way.”
“She’s okay. Her water just broke a few minutes ago and we already called Doc C. He’s fifteen minutes away.”
“We have to get her to the hospital.”
“Doc said to hold what we got and he’ll evaluate her as soon as he gets here,” Malyah said. In the background, he could hear Nami groaning. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Let me talk to her!”
“Lemme put it in speaker mode. Hold on.” Then she said, “Okay.”
“Baby, we’re coming. I’ll be right there.” It would take at least thirty minutes to drive over there, depending on traffic. Maybe longer with church traffic.
“Ooooh, I’m going tokillyou, Dawson Beckett!” Nami screamed, then whined. “Please hurry, honey! I need you!”
Joaquin snickered. “Yep. She’s in labor.”
“We’re hurrying, baby!”
Beck stayed on the phone with her, while she alternately cursed his existence, threatened to serve his testicles fried with breading made from Old Bay Seasoning, begged for him to hurry, and told him she loved him more than her own left foot.
Or words to that effect.
Dr. Collin’s RV was already parked in the driveway when Joaquin slid to a stop in front of the house and Beck jumped out. He was almost to the front door when it opened and Duncan, carrying Nami, stepped out.
“Into the RV,” Duncan said.
“What? We need to get to the hospital!” Beck protested as he took her from Duncan.
Dr. Collins was right behind them. “No, son, this baby is comingnow.Rightnow. As in, you’re going to be a father in the next fifteen minutes.”
“But she’s early!” Beck protested.
“She’s a shifter baby, Beck,” the doc said. “And you can argue with her about it after she gets here.”
They got Nami into the RV and onto the exam table there, where Beck and Duncan flanked her as Malyah crowded in, too, with her phone recording it all.
“Beck, you sonofabitch, if you so much asshowme your penis again, I willCUT IT OFF!”
“I’m sorry, baby,” Beck said, kissing Nami’s forehead. “You can castrate me later, but let’s meet our daughter first.”
Malyah giggled. “This is gonna be gooood.”
