Mine to Have (Southern Wedding #1)(62)

"Is that pee?" I ask her, my whole body going on alert. "It’s okay if it’s pee."

"It’s not pee," she states, her face going white. "At least I don’t think it’s pee," she says, and then I hear the water splash onto the floor. "Not pee."

"Are you sure?" I ask her, my heart starting to beat even faster while I try to keep calm.

"Are you freaking kidding me right now?" she hisses at me and then winces as she holds her stomach. "You think I pee rivers," she says the rest through clenched teeth.

"Okay, one." I hold up my hand as she hisses and pants. "That’s, I’m pretty sure, a contraction."

She waits until the pain passes. "You really are like Einstein." She takes one step and then almost falls and I swear to God my life flashes before my eyes. "I’m fine."

"Don’t freaking move." I point at her and then get my phone out.

"Who the hell are you calling right now, Travis?" She tries to talk normally, but I can tell she’s having another contraction.

"I’m starting the phone chain," I declare. "Your father just started to like me."

"He liked you a bit after we got married." She smiles through the pain, trying to be strong. "Then you knocked me up."

"Hey, it’s me," I say when Casey answers the phone. "It’s happening."

"What do you mean it’s happening?" he asks, and I can hear him running. "It’s happening!" he screams, and I hear what I think is Olivia. "Where are you, at the hospital?"

"No, her water just broke," I say, and he hisses out.

"And the first thing you did was call me?" he shrieks. "Get my daughter to the hospital. We are going to be there within twenty minutes." He hangs up, and I look at the phone.

"How are they going to be here in twenty minutes?" I ask, and she has another contraction.

"You think they wouldn’t rent a house here?" she replies, shaking her head. "And I’m not going to pressure you or anything, but I think we need to get to the hospital."

I spring into action and go to her, picking her up. "Call my mother," I say as I carry her out.

Her hand is on her stomach, and I panic when she looks at me and says, "I don’t feel well."

"Should we call an ambulance?" I ask her, even though I’m still putting her in the car.

"It will be about ten minutes, and I can have you there," I say, and she nods.

"Travis," she says. "You have to hurry."

I rush to my side, and I make it to the hospital in under six minutes, the drive a blur. I know that I honked so many times at one point I just kept my hand on it. I double-park, running in to get a wheelchair when I hear her yelling. "Travis!” She calls my name and I rush back to her. "I feel so much pressure."

"Jesus Christ," I say as the security guard helps me get her in the chair, the whole time she’s yelling about it burning.

He radios someone inside and then looks at me. "Someone will be waiting for you at the sixth floor."

I rush inside as she puts her head back and places her hands on her stomach, crying out in pain. "It hurts." I feel like I’m in a daze as I speed down the white hallway and find the elevator waiting for us with another security guard. I press six, and it takes us what feels like an eternity to get to the sixth floor, and two nurses are there waiting for us.

They wheel her into the room, asking her questions. "How far apart are the contractions? When did your water break? Did you lose a mucus plug?" And all I can do is stand here in shock as my fierce wife breaks down and cries in pain.

They get her on the bed, and when they cut the scrubs off her, all I see is blood, and I’m about to lose my shit when the doctor waltzes in like nothing. "She’s crowning," one of the nurses tells me and then smiles at me. "Come and help her." I walk to the side of the bed, afraid to touch anything or hurt her.

"Harlow," I say to her as another contraction rips through her.

"Breathe," I coach just like they taught me in the Lamaze class. "Look at me," I urge softly. "Breathe." She nods at me, and I can see her holding her breath and in fact not breathing.

"Okay, we need to get her an IV," the nurse says when the contraction finishes, and she looks at Harlow. "Let’s get you ready to meet your baby." She nods her head and has enough time to take off her top and bra before another contraction comes.

"Okay," the doctor says. "Next one, why don’t you try to push?”

"But I need drugs," Harlow announces, and the doctor laughs and then one look at Harlow, and he stops.

"It’s way too late for that," he explains, and she puts her head back and sobs.

I hold her hand and push her hair from her face, my stomach in my throat as I worry for both of them. "You can do this," I reassure her, and she just shakes her head.

"My mom," she cries. "I want my mom."

"What’s her name and number?" the nurse asks, walking around and grabbing the phone. We give her Olivia’s number, and then we hear her talking. "Hi, this is Lara. I’m a nurse for labor and delivery. We have Harlow, and she was wondering if you were close." She listens to Olivia. "We’ll send someone to get you." She puts the phone down and pages someone else, and I feel so helpless and out of sorts.