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“Let’s wait until we know something. We don’t want to worry him and have him get here to find out they’re sending her home,” Payton reasons.
“True,” Abby mumbles.
When we reach the Labor and Delivery hall, Payton gives Lexi’s name to the little box on the wall that connects the outside hallway to the L&D unit on the opposite side. We’re buzzed in and pointed to a small waiting area. The place is deserted, even though it’s only a little after eight.
After ten minutes or so, a young woman comes to greet us. “You must be Alexis Summer’s family. They’re hooking her up to the fetal monitor now. Her doctor wants to monitor those contractions for a bit and see what’s going on. Once we know more, someone will come back out,” she says politely, not giving us any information at all.
“So we wait,” Jaime says, sitting down in one of the chairs, her husband joining her.
“I’m going to slip out and call Dean, let him know what’s going on,” Payton states, cell phone in her hand.
We make small talk as we wait for any word on Lexi, but even then, no one appears very chatty. It’s about an hour, and one cup of horrible waiting room coffee later, that Linkin enters the room.
“She’s in labor,” he confirms. “At first they were thinking Braxton Hicks, but then the contractions started to register. They’ve been getting closer together over the last hour. The babies’ heart rates look good on the monitor and they even did an ultrasound to make sure they’re both in the right position. They’re gonna let her go naturally.” He seems to take a big breath. “We’re gonna have babies tonight.”
I move first, throwing my arms around his big body. There’s a slight tremble in his arms as he wraps them around my back. More arms encompass us as my sisters all join in and turn it into a group hug.
“She’s gonna be fine,” Payton whispers to him, offering him an encouraging smile.
“She is,” he agrees, nodding his head. “She’s the strongest woman I know.”
“And they don’t think it’s too early for the babies? I mean, she wasn’t scheduled to be induced for another week or two,” Abby asks, clearly still worried about her twin sister and our nieces or nephews.
“Yeah, the doc says it should be okay. They gave her steroids to help make sure the babies’ lungs are developed, which they say is just a precaution. They also have some antibiotics in her IV as a preventative measure.”
“You’re about to be a dad,” I state, a wide smile spreading across my face.
Linkin seems to take in my heavy words for a few moments before his own grin spreads across his face. “We’re gonna be a family,” he whispers, and if I’m not mistaken, blinks away wetness in his eyes. “I better get back in there,” he adds, nodding toward the hallway.
“Go! Keep us posted,” Jaime says happily.
“I gotta call my mom first,” Linkin says, pulling out his cell phone. “Wait, your dad.” He looks up at Meghan.
“I got it,” she says, pulling her cell phone from her purse and following him into the hallway.
“I can’t believe we’re about to be aunts tonight,” Jaime says, an excited grin on her face.
“Me either. It seems like she just told us she was pregnant,” I say, walking over and sitting beside Sawyer. He’s deep in conversation with Ryan and Levi about baseball.
“Everything okay?” he asks, when I slide into the chair beside him.
“Fine, I guess. They’re not stopping her labor. They feel she’s far enough along and the babies are strong enough to be born now.”
“That’s good,” he says, pulling me into his chest and kissing my forehead.
“You could probably head home, if you want. You don’t need to stay here and wait with me.”
“Are you kidding? I’m not going anywhere,” he says with conviction.
“It could be a long night,” I add, giving him another out. It’s not that I want him to go or anything, but I don’t want him to feel like he needs to stay.
“I don’t mind,” he says into my hair. “Unless you want me to go. I would understand if you wanted this to be just your family.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished saying the words. The truth is I want him here. The comfort and support he has offered tonight has been a welcome reprieve, something I’ve never had before. It’s nice to have a friend to lean on, and know has my back, if something should happen. “No, I kinda want you to stay.”
“Then I stay,” he says, placing another kiss on the top of my head.
Abby and Levi are cuddled up next to us, sharing a chair, and the guys continue to talk baseball. It amazes me the stats and general knowledge Sawyer has for the game, and not just his team, but all of the others too. You can hear the love for the sport in his voice as he talks about his career and even a little about the injury. I’ve read many articles that focused on the play, the surgery, the recoup time, and the decision that his shoulder would never be the same, resulting in the termination of his contract. Even now, as he talks to Levi and Ryan, he sounds almost clinical. He states the facts easily, but I can sense the pain. I can hear the sadness buried deep in his words. I can feel his hurt.
