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“Like you might be having a baby?” I answer dryly.
“Yeah, that.”
“Um, wouldn’t that have made them stay home?” I ask, confused, as I pull out my phone and text Creed.
“You’d think that, right? But I might have fibbed a little and told them that the pain was gone and that I was fine.”
“What? You lied?”
“I’m not due for another two weeks,” she argues.
“Tell that to the fruit of your loins,” I snap, rubbing her back gently as Hawk and Creed run in, wearing nothing but their boxers. I take a minute to appreciate the beauty in front of me with a wistful sigh before Salem elbows me in the boob.
“Can you ogle them later?”
“Oh, I will,” I say without thought, and she growls at me. “Oh, right, sorry. Guys, Mrs. Liar-liar-pants-on-fire is in labor.”
Hawk and Creed look at Salem in tandem, but neither of them moves.
“What’s going on?” Ev asks as he walks in, shirtless and sweaty from his run.
“I feel like I’ve stumbled onto a porn set,” I mutter, fanning myself.
That earns me another elbow to the boob. Ouch. That’s going to leave a bruise. Wisely, I keep that to myself. “Salem is in labor.”
Ev rushes over and brushes the hair out of her eyes. “How far apart are her contractions?”
“I’m not sure. She’s been hiding them. This is the second one she’s had in five minutes, though.” Just then, she grabs my hand and squeezes. “Ow, ow, ow. My fingers.”
“You have three men now, what do you even need fingers for?” Salem snaps at me.
“Alright, let’s get you to the hospital. Where are Oz and Zig?” Ev asks calmly. He pulls out his cell as he walks over to the table.
“They went to Cooper’s. I can call them.” I offer.
“You’ll be lucky if you can reach them. The reception out there is terrible, and they never remember to take the satellite phone.” Ev sighs, tossing his cell on the table.
“I’ll drive over.”
“No. You stay here. I’ll send one of the others. I don’t want you out there alone. Go get Slade—”
“Slade and Jagger aren’t here. Astrid’s new lawyer called late last night. Said there was an issue with some paperwork. They needed her signature to proceed. They took the plane. They won’t be back for a few hours,” Salem says between breaths.
“And how do you know all this?” I question.
“Slade asked Zig for the plane. And I might have overheard while I was up pacing in pain.” She bites her lip nervously.
“And you still didn’t think it was labor?”
“James was up reading. Everyone was asleep. I didn’t want to make a fuss if it turned out to be nothing.”
“Oh shit!” she curses, and I realize why.
I look down at my wet feet and wonder if I should have stayed in bed this morning. “You’re leaking.”
“I hate you right now,” Salem snaps.
“Yeah, well, that sucks because we’re about to get up close and personal. Ev, can you run and grab Salem some clean underwear and a dress—something easy to slip on? While you’re there, grab her hospital bag—it’s packed and by the door—and throw it in the car. Oh, and if you can grab a towel, that would be great. Hawk and Creed, you need to get dressed. Wake up Greg on your way and tell him Salem is in labor. The three of you are going to have to take Salem to the hospital. She needs to be protected. Greg can stay here with me, and I’ll even go into one of the panic rooms if it makes you all feel better, but right now, Salem needs to be your priority.”
