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“I'm asking a legitimate question.” Sid frowned. “And that was a little harsh.”
“And I'm giving you a legitimate warning.”
Angelina chuckled as she handed Lana a cool cloth. Sid took it from her, gently wiping the sweat from his wife's forehead. She looked exhausted, and he hated every fucking second of watching her suffer. The contractions had gotten stronger, leaving her little time to recover before another one hit. He'd been through some terrifying shit in his life, but nothing compared to standing beside the woman he loved and being unable to take away her pain.
“She's getting close, Sid,” Dawn assured him. “Everything is progressing nicely.”
“See?” Lana muttered. “She just answered the same question she answered five minutes ago.”
“Yeah, well, five minutes is a long fucking time when you're waiting on something this important.”
Lana opened her eyes, giving him a tired smile. “You're driving me crazy.”
Slade snorted, keeping his eyes on the monitor.
"Slade, I really don't want my daughter coming into the world in a bloody room," Sid growled, glaring at Slade. "Shut it."
"Oh, shit," Lana cried out when another contraction began, and Sid immediately took her hand. Lana gripped him hard, her face tightening as Dawn encouraged her through the pain. He stayed close, murmuring encouragement while she struggled to catch her breath.
When it finally eased, Lana fell back against the pillows, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“I just want her here,” she whispered. “And the pain to stop.”
Sid's chest tightened. He leaned down, pressing his lips against her forehead. “Me too, Lana.”
“I'm so tired,” she whispered through tears.
“I know.” Sid was really trying to be calm and helpful.
“No, you don't.” She gave him a weak snort. “You're a damn vampire and don't know what tired is.”
“Can't argue with that.” He gave her a wink.
"What's the world coming to when Sid Sinclair can't argue something?" Lana laughed softly before closing her eyes again. Sid watched her for a moment, wishing there was something more he could do. He'd spent months worrying about their daughter, but he hadn't been prepared for how hard it would be to watch Lana go through this.
“Okay, Lana.” Dawn's voice drew his attention. “You're fully dilated, and she's moved down nicely. We're going to start pushing with your contractions.”
“Finally,” Lana breathed.
Sid glanced toward Slade, who was standing beside the fetal monitor. The doctor had been unusually quiet, which Sid found suspicious as hell. Normally, Slade would've taken at least a dozen opportunities to give him shit by now.
“What?” Sid demanded when he caught Slade studying the screen.
Slade didn't immediately answer.
“Buchanan?”
“I'm watching the baby's heart rate.”
Sid felt his stomach tighten. “Why?”
Slade glanced toward Dawn. “We had a brief deceleration with that last contraction.”
Sid stared at him. “A what?”
“Her heart rate dropped for a moment,” Slade explained in his annoyingly calm doctor tone. “It's recovering.”
“What the fuck do you mean it dropped?” Sid looked from Slade to Dawn, back to Slade again.
