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I could tell she was disheartened that nothing more had come out of tonight’s search. We were no closer to learning where Imogene was than we were before. We knew we shouldn’t get our hopes up of finding her at Dax’s house. Even so, it still stung.
And now that she had been missing for twenty-four hours, the situation seemed to become increasingly helpless with every passing minute.
When a chiming cut through the silence, I tore my eyes toward Julia, hope filling my gaze as she pulled her cell out of her purse and looked at the screen.
“It’s Wes. Probably calling to find out what happened at Dax’s.”
She stood and walked toward the kitchen, bringing the phone up to her ear.
“Hey, Wes. I…” She frowned. “Wait. Calm down. You’re breaking up.” She squinted, covering her free ear with her hand in the hopes of hearing better. Then she hitched a breath. “Oh no,” she exhaled.
“What is it?” I jumped out of my chair and strode toward her, praying it wasn’t more bad news. I didn’t think any of us could take anything else going wrong.
She held up a finger. “It’s okay, Wes. It’ll all be okay. You hang tight, and I’ll be right there.”
I heard Wes’ muffled voice say something in response, yet couldn’t make out what it was.
“No. I told you I’d be there. Told Londyn I’d be there. Considering the circumstances, it’s even more important I’m there since I’ve been through this before. Stay calm. I’ll be there soon.” She ended the call.
“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to mask my anxiety.
“Londyn’s in labor,” she explained.
“I thought she wasn’t due until around Thanksgiving.”
“She’s not. She’s only thirty-four weeks, so this is a bit unexpected. And scary. I need to get to the hospital so I can be there for them.”
“What?” I barked out, my fear sounding like anger. “Right now? With everything going on?”
“Wes will be with me the entire time. Plus, you should see security in a maternity ward.” She snorted a laugh. “Pretty sure it’s tighter than Fort Knox. After I delivered Imogene, I couldn’t go near her in the NICU unless they scanned my wristband and made sure it matched hers. Sometimes it was the same nurse who watched me push that baby out of my vagina.” She glanced at Nikko. “Sorry for the visual.”
Nikko blushed, averting his gaze. “No worries.”
“Trust me. They don’t fuck around with security on the maternity ward.”
She ran her hands down my arms, attempting to ease my fears, as baseless as they probably were. That still didn’t make me worry any less.
“Plus, I could really use the distraction. I don’t know if I can stand staying cooped up in this house waiting for news on Imogene. If I go to the hospital, at least I can think about something else for a while. Londyn’s about to experience what it’s like to deliver a baby who will need immediate medical treatment. Just like Imogene did.”
“I understand that. But—”
“Nothing prepares you for enduring hours of labor, only to have that baby whisked away before you can even hold her. Londyn’s delivering a baby at thirty-four weeks. That means her lungs aren’t fully developed yet, so she’ll need assistance to breathe.” Her lower lip quivered. “Trust me when I say that seeing your newborn baby hooked up to machines is absolutely earth-shattering. I’d like to be there for Londyn as she goes through that. Just like I wish I had someone there for me when I had to go through it. When every day seemed to bring an entirely new set of challenges I was unprepared to handle, especially after the stress of giving birth. When I say it is exhausting, that’s putting it mildly. So while I appreciate your concern, Lachlan, and know exactly where it’s coming from, I have to do this.”
I studied her, her determination unwavering. I knew that look in her eyes. No amount of protest on my part would get her to change her mind. There was no compromising. I could either get on board or get out of her way.
“You promise you won’t leave the hospital? Will text every hour?”
She rolled her eyes, but eventually nodded. “Of course.”
“Okay.” I wrapped her in my arms. “Be there for Londyn. But I’m driving you.”
“I expected nothing less.”
