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Any drowsiness fled, like she’d just shot adrenaline right into my veins. “You think you’re having contractions?”
Another heavy sigh. “No, I know I’m having contractions. For a couple of hours now.”
I shot out of bed, staring down at her calm face. I was panicking. I’d told myself I wouldn’t panic when this moment came, but fuck that. “We should head to the hospital,” I said softly, when really, I wanted to say why the hell didn’t you tell me earlier?!
She nodded, pulling herself into an upright position. I grabbed my phone and called Jesse, who answered on the third ring. “It’s go time. Call Will and Colin.”
I hung up and started gathering all the things she’d need. Does she need her body pillow? What about that inflatable ball thing?
“The bag is in the corner, Hayes.”
I was supposed to be the calm one. She was the one about to push out a human.
Grabbing the bag she indicated, I picked it up and resisted the urge to pick her up too and sprint to the car. I walked around her in circles as she pulled on her sleep shorts and a hooded sweatshirt.
I looked for her keys, but couldn’t find them. Where would she put the keys? I checked the kitchen bench, the coffee table, and the fridge.
“They’re on the hook by the door,” she said softly. Sure enough, there they were, hanging by the door.
Jesse appeared, and I’d never been so relieved to see anyone in my whole life. “Thank fuck you’re here.”
He gave me a wide-eyed look, then moved toward Tally. “Ready to have a baby?”
She winced, holding her stomach. “No. Can we skip this part?”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he looked over at me. “Go put the bag in the car and take several deep breaths, man. You look like you’re about to pass out.”
I escaped out of there so fast, you could probably smell burning rubber. Well, you could’ve, if I’d been wearing shoes. Fuck.
I loaded her suitcase into the car, then raced back to the front door, pulling on my sneakers without any socks. Jesse led Tally out of the house and over to the car, talking to her quietly about how far apart her contractions were, and all these other things that I knew were important but had escaped my brain.
Jesse held out his hand for the keys, and I gave them over quickly. I didn’t trust myself to push a shopping cart right now, let alone drive Tally to the hospital. I climbed into the back seat with her, holding her close. She had three more contractions on the fifteen-minute drive to the hospital, and every single time, I held my breath through the entire thing.
She was squeezing my fingers so tightly that I was worried they might break, but I’d let her pulverize my entire body if it helped.
She panted as the latest contraction eased. “I’m scared, Hayes. What if I can’t do it?”
I held her tightly to me. “You can do this, sweetheart. You’re Tally fucking Palmer. You’ve conquered every hurdle the world has put in your way. In a few short hours, you’ll have our baby in your arms, and you’ll be the most beautiful mother on the planet.” I lifted her fingers to my lips. “I’m scared too. Petrified. But I know deep down in my gut, you have this.”
We pulled into the emergency department, and I gently helped her out of the car. Jesse kissed her deeply, then rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll park the car and call Will and Colin. I’ll be back soon.”
She nodded and waddled into the reception area, where they sent her straight up to the maternity ward, after getting her a wheelchair. As soon as we stepped from the elevator, it was a flurry of activity. Nurses bustled around, getting her a bed, strapping her to monitors and doing visual checks.
When Jesse appeared with Will and Colin, I could have cried with relief. The nurse raised her eyebrows at so many men in one room.
Will marched over to the bed and kissed Tally’s forehead, speaking to her in low tones. She burst into tears, and Colin looked like he was moments away from following suit. She clutched at her oldest friend’s shirt as he held her close. Their bond was something Jesse and I could only work toward. There was unconditional love there that was beautiful.
It was why I hadn’t protested when Tally had said she wanted Will to be the only one in the delivery room with her. I think Jesse had been a little disappointed, but he’d held it together. We respected her wishes, of course. She joked that it was because we’d only just gotten acquainted with her vagina; she didn’t want us to see a flashback of it stretched around a watermelon every time we went downstairs.
Apparently, it didn’t matter if Will did, since he already thought vaginas were gross.
She wanted us here in the hospital, though. She wanted us beside her as she labored, and that meant something. There would be plenty of time to see her give birth, because I was in it for the long haul. In two, five, ten years, when she was ready to have another baby, I would be there, holding her hand and telling her she was glorious.
When Will straightened, there were tears in his eyes, and that was all that was needed to push Colin over the edge. He burst into tears, and Tally laughed, waving him over so she could hug him too. They were family, those three, and soon, it would double in size. Because they’d be my family too. And given the look of peace on Jesse’s face, they’d be his too.
Will left them cuddling, and I wasn’t sure what Colin was saying to Tally, but it made her gasp and laugh through the next contraction.
Coming to stand beside us, Will dragged in a deep breath. “I’m fucking terrified.”
