“I, uh… I’ll be fine.”
He gave her a bemused stare. “Yes, youwillbe fine. And you won’t be alone.”
Travis held her gaze, his words causing a rush of gratitude and bringing tears to her eyes. As she felt a sob of emotion hitch in her chest at the enormity of what was about to happen, at the life she knew she was about to welcome into the world, Travis reached over and took her hand in his.
“It’s all going to be okay,” he murmured.
Gulping back against the tide of joy and excitement and terror building inside her, she managed a nod and squeezed his hand in return.
Travis turned to the driver up front. “Let’s go.”
“Hamblehurst general hospital, is that right?” the driver asked, tapping the screen on his dashboard where the booking information was displayed.
“That’s right,” Travis confirmed. “As quick as you can, please.”
And then they were off, Foxglove Street disappearing beyond the windows as the taxi carried them away and Courtney’s mind raced with thoughts about what might lie in store during the hours to come. As blind fear mixed with breathless exhilaration as she prepared for what lay ahead, and the child she would meet at the end of it, she clutched Travis’s hand, relieved and grateful to have someone beside her to remind her be brave and help her to be strong.
By the time the taxi pulled up outside the maternity wing at Hamblehurst general hospital, Courtney knew this was no false alarm.
During the short drive from Foxglove Street, her contractions deepened, the throbbing aches turned white hot, and it was all she could do not to scream. Eyeing her with clearly mounting alarm in his rear-view mirror, the taxi driver accelerated and pushed his luck with the traffic lights, understanding that speed was paramount, an insight for which Courtney could only grunt out her profound appreciation.
Once the driver came to a screeching halt in the maternity unit entrance bay, Travis helped Courtney from the back seatand guided her inside. Clutching his arm to keep from doubling over, she hustled towards the reception desk and plonked herself in the wheelchair that a nurse rushed over with in the nick of time.
A blur of hospital corridors whirred past as Courtney was wheeled into an elevator and up to the maternity unit, where she was deposited in a room and told that a midwife would be with her soon.
The scorching pains that had racked her during the journey to the hospital eased as Courtney propped herself up on the bed. When she caught sight of Travis lingering at the door of the small room, his white complexion and saucer eyes reminded her she wasn’t the only one terrified out of her wits.
When his eyes met hers, his terror-stricken look vanished in an instant and the smile he gave her soothed her panic.
“How do you feel?” he asked, moving towards the bed and setting down her bag of essential hospital items.
“Like I’m having a baby,” she said, wincing as another wave of pain gripped her. Once it passed, she let out a sigh of relief. “I think I’d prefer it if she just stayed in there.”
Travis’s lips stretched into a grin. When a nurse arrived in the room, he waved towards the door.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” he said. “I’ll be right outside the room if you need me.”
The midwife asked Courtney questions, took notes, and conducted an examination. As she snapped off her latex gloves and tossed them into the waste bin, she gave Courtney a beaming smile.
“You’re in established labour, dear,” she said. “You did the right thing coming here. The pains you say you’ve felt throughout the day, and yesterday evening too, were most likely the beginnings of early labour, rather than just the usual aches and pains you’ve been feeling at this stage.”
“Really?” Courtney said. “Is the baby okay? Should I have come in sooner?”
“The baby is fine,” the midwife assured her.
“But my due date isn’t for another two weeks,” Courtney said. “What if something’s wrong?”
“Due dates are only rough estimates. It’s not unusual to deliver late, and it’s not unusual to deliver early, either. We’ll admit you to the labour ward so we can monitor you both. But you’ve probably still got many hours to go before the delivery, so it’s important to rest and stay calm in the meantime. Now’s a good time to look over your birth plan and remind yourself of how you planned to manage your pain and prepare for what’s coming later.”
After explaining a few more details about the staff who would look after her and the signs she ought to watch out for as labour progressed, the midwife left, ushering Travis back into the room as she departed.
“They’re admitting me to the labour ward,” Courtney told him. “Will you come with me?”
“Yes, of course I will.” He pulled out his phone. “Would you like me to phone your cousin and let her know what’s going on?”
Courtney hated the idea of ruining Rosie’s weekend away. She’d probably only arrived at the hotel with Adrian a few hours ago. Dragging her back here made her feel guilty. And thinking of her aunt and uncle leaving Norfolk early, and Zara possibly returning from Edinburgh only made that guilt ten-times worse.
Travis noticed the look on her face and read her thoughts. “I don’t know much about your family, Courtney, but I’m sure they’d be really upset to think you delayed telling them you’d gone into labour because you didn’t want to waste their weekend plans.”
