He nods. “I could see it on your face.”
The words are barely out of his mouth before another pain comes, and a gush of wetness releases between my thighs. For a second, I think I’ve finally pissed my pants, but the pain tells me this is something different. I grip Bruce’s hand as the pain in my belly intensifies.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“Uh, Riles?” Bruce looks as white as a ghost as he stares at the puddle we’re now standing in.
“What’s wrong?” Raven rushes over, phone in hand, still partially placed next to her ear. “Uh, yeah, I’m going to need to cancel that. Family emergency,” she barks into the phone before tapping the screen and shoving it into her back pocket. “Your water broke.” It’s not a question, but I still nod.
“Oh, shit! You’re in labor,” Bruce wheezes, and looking pale.
“Bruce!” Raven shouts, and that seems to pull him out of his shock.
“I need you to turn the sign to closed, lock the door, and drive us to the hospital.”
He nods numbly, taking her orders and jumping into action, as I put my phone to my ear. “Darcey, it’s time. Rally the troops. Bruce is here with us. We’re heading to the hospital.”
“They don’t have to come,” I say, trying to remain calm.
Raven gives me a look that tells me she thinks I’m crazy. “No, we have her bags in her car. Bruce is going to drive us.” A few more words are exchanged before she ends the call. “Ready?” She smiles down at me.
I rub at my baby bump. “I’m ready.”
“Ladies, the car’s ready.” Bruce steps back into the salon, looking much calmer than he did minutes ago.
“What about your appointments?” I ask Raven.
“Already taken care of,” she says, typing on her phone. “I just sent Darcey the client list with phone numbers from our app. She’s going to contact them. Besides, this is a small town, Riles. They all know you’re past due. If they get pissed, I say let them. Family first. Now, let’s get you to the hospital so I can meet my nephew.”
Bruce steps forward and, without a word, lifts me into his arms bridal style. “I can walk, you know. And you’re going to get all nasty,” I say, feeling my face flame with embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about me. Let’s get you to the hospital.” With that, he strolls out to my car. Raven appears, opening the door, and Bruce helps me inside.
Bruce is like a race car driver as he weaves in and out of traffic in town. The hospital is in Jessup. It’s normally a thirty-minute drive, but Bruce gets us there much faster. As instructed by my obstetrician, we shuffle into the emergency room. Bruce insisted he carry me, and I was putting up a fight until a contraction hit, and I doubled over in pain.
“My sister is in labor,” Raven tells the receptionist. “She’s preregistered.”
“Let me grab a wheelchair,” she says, standing and jumping into action. “We’ll take her up to labor and delivery.”
“I can carry her,” Bruce insists.
“Sorry, Daddy.” The receptionist smiles kindly. “Hospital policy.”
None of us bother to tell her she’s wrong, that he’s not the daddy. It wouldn’t matter anyway; Bruce grunts his disapproval, which has her picking up her pace to meet us with a wheelchair at the door that leads into the hospital.
The next half hour or so is a flurry of activity. I’m wheeled to the maternity ward and assigned a room. With Raven and the nurse, whose name I don’t catch, I’m stripped out of my clothes and cleaned up as best as can be before sliding into a hospital gown. They help me into bed, where a monitor is placed on my baby bump, and an IV is placed in my arm.
“I’m starving,” Raven whines.
“Shush it.” I glare at her. “You know it’s nothing but ice chips for me until baby boy makes his appearance,” I remind her.
“Sorry.” She manages to look guilty.
“Have one of the ‘gang’”I make air quotes“grab you something.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m fine. And you’re not eating in front of me.” I give her a pointed look.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Raven,” I sigh. “I’ll be here for hours. I’m only three centimeters right now. You heard the doctor. This isn’t a quick thing for most women, especially with their first baby. Go get something to eat.”
“I don’t want you to be alone.”
“I’m going to rest like the doctor suggested. I’ll be fine. Go eat.”
“I’m sending someone in to relieve me while I’m gone,” she concedes.
“Fine.” I barely avoid rolling my eyes. “Take care of you.”
“Who’s going to take care of the two of you?” she asks, tears swimming in her eyes.
“I’m in good hands here. Go.”
“Okay.” She stands and stretches. “I’ll be quick.”
I laugh. “Raven, I’m not going anywhere.” I hold up the IV in my arm and point at my belly. “Having a baby, remember?”
She grins. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Well, go fill your belly. We don’t want you to be hangry the first time you hold your nephew.”
Her smile brightens. “I’ll be back.” She disappears out of my room, and I pull in a deep breath.
I love my sister and our friends, but I need a minute. Just a minute. Today is the day I meet my son. My eyes mist with tears, but I blink them away. I can’t help but think about Hudson. I wish things were different. I wish he were here with me. It’s still hard for me to comprehend that he ignored not one but two letters telling him about our son.
“Knock, knock.” I hear a male voice. Turning toward the door, I see Jacob’s smiling face.
“Hey, Jake.”
“Hey, gorgeous.” He grins. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” I nod.
He saunters over to the chair Raven was sitting in and pulls it close to the bed. “I had to fight Bruce to come see you.” He laughs.
“What?”
“Not really. He just claimed that he’s going to be the favorite uncle and that he should get to come back first.”
“He’s too much.” I shake my head in amusement.
“Right? We all know that you and Raven are closest to Hud and Clay. If anyone is going to claim that title, it’s going to be them.”
I swallow hard. “You’re not fighting for that claim?”
“I know how to choose my battles.” He chuckles. “Really, how are you, Riles?”
I nod. “Nervous. Excited. Anxious, and so many other things.”
“You’re going to nail this mom thing. You know that, right? Even with the sperm donor out of the picture, we’re never going to let him wonder what it would be like to have a dad. Bruce, Brett, Clay, and Hudson, you’ve got us, and we’ll make damn sure your son gets guy time.”
I lose my battle with tears. “T-Thanks, Jake,” I manage to croak.
“Hey.” He stands and uses his thumb to wipe at my tears. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted you to know that we’re all here for you. I don’t know if any of us have come out and said it, and I know I can speak for Clay and Hud too. We all love you, and we’re going to be the best damn uncles this little boy has ever seen.”