“Timothy came quickly, and I think this baby is going to do the same thing,” said Whitney, letting out a long groan.
“What’ll we do?”asked Taylor.
“Let’s get you to the Emergency Center.You can have your baby there,” said Crystal, speaking calmly.“Hazel, you and Misty better walk Whitney up the hill.Dani, we’ll take her in your truck.It has more room than some of our other vehicles.I’m calling Emmett now.”
While Crystal sprinted up the hill to the cottage, Hazel took hold of one of Whitney’s arms, and Misty, the other.
Halfway up the hill, Whitney stopped, clutched her stomach, and let out a long, low growl.“Oh, God!I’ve had what I thought were Braxton Hick’s pains.I should have known this little one would be too impatient to wait.”
Walking beside Hazel, Melissa said, “I’m calling Nick now.Is he home with Timothy?”
“Nick’s at work.GG is with Tim while he has his morning nap.”
When Melissa called, Nick’s private line was busy.“Crystal must be talking to him.We’ll check with her when we get to Dani’s truck.”
Whitney stopped by the truck and, clutching Hazel’s fingers, let out another groan.
Feeling as if her hand was crushed, Hazel crooned, “It’s going to be fine.”She hoped she was right.She’d never been part of childbirth like this.
“Emmett’s ready for you, and I’ve spoken to Nick,” said Crystal as they approached her.She’d spread a clean towel on the back seat of Dani’s truck.“Let’s get you inside.”
In minutes, Whitney was settled in the back seat, and Dani started the engine.
“I’ll ride with Dani and Whitney,” said Crystal to the other women.“We’ll meet you there.”
“C’mon, you can ride in my car,” said Melissa.“I don’t want to miss this.”
Hazel, Misty, and Taylor climbed into Melissa’s SUV, and they followed Dani’s truck to the Emergency Center.
Nick’s police car was already in the parking lot when they pulled in.
After Melissa parked, Hazel and the others climbed out of the car and went inside the reception area to wait.
Crystal joined them.“Emmett, Nick, and a nurse are with Whitney.Emmett said it’s a good thing we brought Whitney here to the Clinic.It won’t be long.”
“I’ve never been this close to a birth before,” said Hazel.“I thought babies took a long time to come.”
“They usually do,” said Crystal.“Second babies often come faster.In this case, that’s certainly happening.”
“I don’t believe they know the sex of the child,” said Melissa.“Whitney told me they wanted it to be a surprise.”
“In the end, it doesn’t matter, does it?As long as the baby is healthy,” said Dani with a wistfulness they all understood.It was well-known in the group that Dani and Brad had been trying for a baby for several months.
Hazel, like the other women, settled down to wait.She didn’t want to lose out on the excitement of finding out the sex of the baby.Though some of the women were married and others were engaged, Whitney was the first of their small group to have children.Others in their larger circle of friends, like Beth Beckman, already had a child.
Still in their bathing suits, the group grew quiet, giving Hazel time to think about her life.She’d pushed back on her mother’s idea of when and who she should marry, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t want to have a man in her life.And even though seeing Whitney in such pain was a bit scary, she’d always wanted children.
Hazel was playing a game on her cell phone when Nick entered the waiting room.“It’s a girl!Whitney wants you all to see the baby.They’re both getting cleaned up.I’ll let you know when they’re ready.”
He disappeared, and Hazel was as excited as the other women.
“I think we should all make this little girl a special member of our group,” said Misty.
“Yes, of course,” said Dani.
“We can all be aunties to her,” Taylor said graciously.
Hazel and the others smiled at one another.It was the perfect Lilac Lake thing to do.
