Two days after our disastrous park trip, Foster shakes me awake. It’s early. Well before sunrise. “Wha’s wrong?” I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. A glance to my left tells me Hannah isn’t here. She spent several hours in the other bedroom comforting Kait when she woke from nightmares about her biological grandparents.
“I think Hannah is in labor.”
His words plunge over me like a bucket of ice water, instantly waking me up. “Where is she?”
“Showering. She thinks it’s more false contractions, but they’re too strong and too close together.”
Fucking hell,we’re going to have a baby! “Okay, I’ll grab our bags, then I will get her out of the shower and dressed. You grab the kid’s bags and wake Kaitlin.”
“We need to call Momma Brooke and Donovan,” he reminds me as he hurries out the door.
I swipe my phone from the nightstand, dialing my mother first. She picks up on the second ring, voice laden with sleep. “Sheppie?”
“The baby’s on the way. We’re heading to the hospital now. Can you meet us there to sit with Kaitlin?”
When she agrees, I end the call and quickly dial Donovan, setting my phone on the dresser with the volume on speaker so I can change into regular clothes instead of my sleep shorts. “Shepherd, are you heading to the hospital?” His ability to predict things like this is uncanny.
“Yes, sir. We are. Do you have agents ready to watch my mother’s house?” That’s something we set up after Hannah’s mother tried to take Kait at the park. I don’t want her without protection while her mother is in labor or recovering from giving birth.
“I’ll send them there within the hour. Congratulations, kid.”
Throwing the straps of all three of our bags over my shoulder, I drop them by the door and head to the bathroom. Steam covers the mirror, and soft groans fill the air as I step into the shower and rip the door open. Hannah’s wide brown eyes fly to mine, flushed with pain. “We’re going to the hospital,” I growl. Her lips part to argue, but another contraction steals her voice.
I shut the water off and wrap her in a big, fuzzy towel. Her hair is in a messy bun, so I leave it be and focus on drying her body and slipping her into underwear and a comfy dress. Heroutfit doesn’t matter when she’ll have to change into a paper gown at the hospital.
Foster meets us at the door with a half-asleep princess in his arms. He has their bags in his free hand. I grab the other three, and we’re out the door. I’m glad I took the time to install the new car seat last weekend, as that’s one less thing we have to remember as we rush down to the parking garage.
“Oh, Fates,” Hannah gasps, nails digging into the door handle as she folds over on herself. Yeah, she’s in real labor this time. Our son is ready to make his entrance into the world.
I park at the front to the hospital, tossing my keys to a nearby valet who rushes over to help us when he sees me dive out of the car. “Pack Wilson,” I tell him, rattling off my cell number so he can log us into the system. None of us glance back as he pulls away; all our focus is on the panting woman being wheeled into the emergency room.
Everything moves quickly after we’re inside. I stay glued to Hannah’s side as she’s taken to the maternity ward, only pausing at the doors to kiss Kaitlin and Foster. He’s going to stay in the waiting room with her until my mom arrives, then he will join us.
Hopefully, that happens before the baby arrives.
Inside the room, I drop our bags in a corner after making sure with a nurse that they won’t be in the way. Hannah is quickly changed and set up with monitors along her stomach. I stand by her head, letting her hold my hand as the lead nurse positions her legs to check how she is progressing. “Well, Mrs. Wilson, you are almost six centimeters dilated. If you would like an epidural, now is the time to get one.”
Another contraction makes her fingers lock down around mine. “I-I don’t know,” she pants as it releases. “I didn’t have one with my daughter.”
“Was that your choice, or was it never an option?” I ask her. I wouldn’t put it past the brainwashed doctors in Whitlan to have refused to perform them. Hannah winces, and not from the pain. Leaning down, I push a stray strand of hair away from her cheek and stare into her eyes. “If you want one to lessen the pain, then get one, Wildfire. The choice is yours. Not the doctors, not mine, not your fathers.Yours.”
She chews on her lip, biting too hard and making it bleed when the next contraction hits. I pull the broken flesh loose and wipe the blood away. “I would like to go without. An epidural isn’t something I considered in preparing for labor, and I would rather not rush into getting one without researching it first.”
The lead nurse nods and tells us she will be back in a few minutes to recheck how she’s progressing. Foster rushes in as she is leaving, quickly joining me at Hannah’s side. “Good, I made it! Momma Brooke has Kaitlin. Apparently, the children’s wing has an indoor playground, so she’s going to take her over there to play for a bit.”
Hannah smiles, her lips tight around the edges. “She’ll love that.”
Nursing staff bustle around the room, setting things up for the baby and the delivery. We focus on our Beta. Soothing her with cool washcloths and holding her through the contractions. Her contractions are getting stronger, so it isn’t surprising when the lead nurse tells us she’s at nearly eight centimeters only half an hour after the first check.
“Did things progress this quickly with Kaitlin?” Foster asks, rubbing her back with his palm to help ease a little of the pain.
“Mhmm.” Hannah nods, body tense as she braces for the next contraction. “As soon as she decided she was ready to enter the world, there was no stopping her.”
I’m in awe of her strength as she rides the contractions, gripping our hands tightly but never breaking. The pain inher body must be immense; I wouldn’t fault her for crying or screaming. Hell, I want to scream for her. Bark at the nursing staff and demand they check her again. Hannah grimaces and groans, letting her body do the work until it is time for her to push.
“Mrs. Wilson! Looks like this little one wanted to come a few days early! You’re progressing nicely, and the baby’s heartbeat is strong. Let’s see where we’re at.” Hannah’s doctor finally joins us, smiling brightly at her. The nurse had told us she was with another patient. Today must be baby day.
Doc slides a small stool to the end of the bed and checks Hannah’s cervix. When her brows bounce, I know it’s time. “Okay, Hannah, you are fully dilated, and the baby is crowning. Let’s get you into position and start pushing. Foster, I want you to climb on the bed behind Hannah and purr. That will help her muscles relax and make the breaks between pushing easier on her body.”
