“Maybe not now, but sometime soon.”
Andrea looked at the solid frame. “Ben and Nate might be able to carry it down in one piece. Otherwise, they might have to unscrew the frame and take it down in pieces.”
“What about lifting it over the edge of the loft?”
Andrea walked across to the half-wall overlooking the shop. “I’m not sure that would work. If it fell, you’d destroy the cradle and everything it hit.” She turned back to Kylie. “It wouldn’t take Ben long to unscrew—”
Kylie was clutching the edge of the cradle, breathing heavily.
Andrea rushed across to her friend. “We need to get you to the medical clinic.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“No, you won’t. Where’s Ben?”
“He’s in Bigfork with Charlotte and her grandma,” she whispered.
While Kylie took another deep breath, Andrea yelled over the edge of the loft for Nate.
His feet pounded up the stairs. When he saw Kylie, his face turned white. “What can I do?”
“Call Ben and tell him I think Kylie’s in labor. I’ll take her into the medical clinic. If we have to go to the hospital, we’ll let him know.”
She rubbed Kylie’s back, trying to ease some of the pain. “I’ll call Zac. Hang on.” As fast as she could, Andrea found the medical clinic’s number and waited for someone to answer. It seemed to take forever but, eventually, Ethan was on the line. “Hi. It’s Andrea. Is Zac there?”
“I’ll get him. Are the boys okay?”
“They’re fine. I’m at The Christmas Tree Farm and I think Kylie’s having her baby.” She heard a door open and Ethan yelled for Zac.
“He’s coming. Ben said something about going to Bigfork. Do you want me to call him?”
“Nate’s doing that now.”
“That’s great. Here’s Zac.”
Andrea looked across the loft at Nate. He’d just finished talking to Ben.
“Hi, Andrea. Can you put Kylie on the phone?” Zac’s calm voice was exactly what she needed to hear. Hopefully, it helped Kylie, too. “Here she is.”
After she spoke to him, Kylie handed Andrea her phone. “Zac wants me to come into the clinic. Could you take me?”
“Of course, I can.” She looked at Nate and sent him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. Women have babies all the time. Can you walk down the stairs in front of Kylie? I’ll walk beside her.” Her worst fear was that Kylie would slip on the steep stairs and hurt herself. If they were guiding her, it might be easier.
Slowly, they made their way down the stairs. Charlie and Andy were waiting for them.
“What’s wrong?” Andy asked.
“We think Kylie’s having her baby.”
His eyes shot to Kylie’s tummy. “Now?”
“Not now,” Kylie said. “But soon.”
“We’re taking Kylie into Sapphire Bay to the medical clinic.”
Kylie looked at Nate. “Can you get the purple bag that’s beside the sofa in my living room? I packed it last week for when I need to go to the hospital.”
Nate nodded and flew out a side door.
