Page 135 of The Pakhan’s Accidental Bride

"Should we get more towels?" Devin asks from somewhere near the foot of the bed. "I feel like we need more towels."

"The doctor said she has enough towels," Jack says, his cop voice trying to maintain order. "Stop panicking."

"I'm not panicking. You're panicking."

"Nobody's panicking," Kaleb interjects, though his voice is pitched higher than usual. "We're all just… concerned."

Emil stands on my right, his hand wrapped around mine, his dark eyes fixed on my face with an intensity that would normally comfort me. But right now, with all the noise and movement and bodies crowding the bedroom, I can't think. I can't focus. I can't do what I need to do.

The doctor, a calm woman in her fifties who's delivered hundreds of babies, tries to move closer to check my progress. But she has to navigate around Devin, who's pacing near the bed, and Kevin, who refuses to move from his position at my side.

"Gentlemen," the doctor says with admirable patience, "I really need some space to work here."

"We're giving you space," Kevin says, not moving an inch.

Another contraction hits, stronger this time, and I cry out. Emil's grip on my hand tightens, and suddenly, all four of my brothers are talking at once, offering advice and encouragement and completely unhelpful suggestions.

"Should she be making that sound?"

"Maybe we should call an ambulance."

"The doctor's right here, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot while our sister is in labor!"

"Everyone calm down!"

I'd agreed to a home birth because Emil had convinced me it would be safer, more private, and more comfortable than a hospital. He'd hired the best doctor, set up the bedroom with everything we could possibly need, and promised me it would be peaceful. What he hadn't accounted for was my brothers' inability to stay calm in a crisis.

The pain subsides for a moment, and I take a shaky breath. The doctor is trying again to get close enough to examine me, but now Jack has moved to ask her a question about timing, and Kaleb is hovering nearby with a worried expression that makes him look like he might pass out.

"Kiera, you're doing great," Kevin says, squeezing my shoulder. "Just keep breathing."

"I am breathing," I snap, my patience finally breaking. "I've been breathing this whole time!"

"I just meant⁠—"

"I know what you meant!" Another contraction starts building, and with it, my frustration reaches a breaking point. The noise, the crowding, the constant commentary, it's all too much. I can't concentrate on what my body needs to do when I'm surrounded by anxious men who won't shut up.

"Everybody out!" I shout, my voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. "Get out! All of you!"

The room goes silent. Four pairs of eyes stare at me in shock.

"Kiera—" Kevin starts.

"Out!" I point toward the door with my free hand, the one that isn't crushing Emil's fingers. "I can't do this with all of you hovering over me like I'm going to break! The doctor can't even get near me because you're all in the way!"

"But we want to help," Devin says, looking genuinely hurt.

"You can help by leaving!" Another contraction hits, and I groan through it, squeezing Emil's hand hard enough that I'm probably cutting off his circulation. "Please. I need quiet. I need space. I need to focus."

The doctor nods approvingly. "She's right. Too many people in the room can make labor more stressful. It's better if⁠—"

"Fine," Jack says, holding up his hands. "We'll go. But we're right outside if you need us."

"We're not going far," Kevin adds, reluctantly moving toward the door.

"Call us if anything happens," Kaleb says.