“Lean here,” he said, pointing to the side of the house. “I’ll get the keys.”
Jay ran, grabbed the keys, and headed back out. Pressing the garage door remote, he raised it and then guided her to the car. Another contraction hit before they reached it.
Blue gripped the doorframe and swore in a way that would have impressed Lynx.
Jay had never felt more useless in his life.
“Call Dr. Hannah now and get the bag, Jay,” Blue said when he’d finally settled her in the front seat.
He ran back into the house, then took the stairs up two at a time, all the while fumbling with his phone.
He sprinted back minutes later. “Dr. Hannah is meeting us at the clinic, and I have the bag,” Jay said, hurling it into the backseat.
He drove like a man who was trying not to drive like a maniac, while beside him Blue breathed through another contraction, jaw clenched, knuckles white.
“Talk to me,” he said, voice rough.
“Don’t—” She sucked in air. “Don’t talk.”
“Okay. Not talking. I love you,” he blurted.
She glared at him through pain. “Now?”
“Yes. Now—always.”
“Idiot,” she breathed.
Another contraction stole whatever words she had left.
Jay’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. He would have traded places with her in a heartbeat. Would have taken every ounce of her pain.
Fear coiled low in his gut. Women had babies every second of every day. His and Blue’s would be born healthy, and she would come through this, he reminded himself over and over as he drove.
After reaching the clinic, which only took minutes, and felt like hours, he got Blue out. Everything moved fast after that.
“Well now, Blue, this is exciting,” Sally, one of Dr. Hannah’s nurses said as they walked inside.
Blue didn’t answer, just held Jay’s hand like a lifeline.
They were shown into a room, and he helped her onto the bed. Dr. Hannah arrived, looking happy—what was it with these medical people being happy when he was panicking?
“Right, now this can take a while, as you know, but the end result is worth it,” Dr. Hannah said as she began the examination.
Hours blurred.
Blue gritted her teeth through contractions that stole her breath, and he never left her side. Jay did everything he was asked to do and was fairly sure this was the most harrowing experience of his life, and considering he was doing nothing, that was pretty pathetic.
He managed to text both their families that the labor had started, and he knew they’d be arriving to wait outside until the baby arrived.
Blue told him that this was the only baby they’d ever have, and that he wasn’t touching her again.
Dr. Hannah answered that with a drawled “Right, like I’ve never heard that before.”
Jay took everything Blue threw at him and had never been more in awe of her.
And then she was told to stop pushing, and suddenly he was watching their child arrive, the head first, and then the body.
Jay’s knees nearly gave out.
