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“I don’t like it that you’re hurting.”

“My body needs to hurt just a little bit for the baby to come out. It’ll stop soon, I promise.”

James gave her a probing look, searching for a lie. Then he had another question. “Is the baby hurting?”

“No, honey. This doesn’t hurt the baby. The baby is protected by my body. She’s safe.”

He nodded and smiled. “Okey-doke.” He turned to me. “Can I watch How to Train Your Dragon?”

“That’s a great choice. Do you need me to set it up?”

He rolled his eyes at me. “I’m four and a half, Dad. I can do it.”

“Right.”

Zoe snorted out a soft laugh. It was good to hear.

“Use your headphones, Son.”

“I will. You showed me. Tell me when the baby comes.”

“I will.”

James’ head disappeared. I leaned over the seat, and saw him connected to his iPad, with the movie queued, and his headphones on. I turned to Zoe. “You can start making noise again,” I assured her.

“Okey-doke.”

“Smart-ass.”

“So, Dr. Beckett, how was it looking down there? Any sign of Olivia’s head? Please say yes. Please. I’m begging you. I want to be done.”

Tears glistened in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Zoe. Still no head.”

She pounded her fist against the back of the seat. “Dammit!”

“You’re a lot more dilated. You’re close. Your contractions are less than forty-five seconds apart.”

"Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," she gritted out.

"Yes," I agreed. "But close is good."

She let out a long, shuddering breath and dropped her head back. For just a moment, with her eyes closed and her dark hair plastered to her forehead, she looked utterly spent. Then her jaw set again, and she was back.

From what I could tell, that was Zoe in a nutshell. Down for three seconds, then back swinging.

"Talk to me," she said. "Distract me. Tell me something."

"Like what?"

"Anything. Where are you from? What do you do? Do you have a dog? I don't care, just talk."

"I’m an Army brat. Lived a few different places. I was born in North Carolina. Then there was Kentucky and Germany.”

“Do you sprechen de Deutsch?”

“I can if pushed. But I lost a lot of it. I was only there for three years, starting when I was seven.”