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“River’s on the phone looking for Alex.”
“No idea.”
“Sorry, dear.” Her voice is louder as she speaks directly into the phone. “Are you okay? Do you want me to come over?”
“Evan’s on his way. He was the only one who answered.”
“Okay, well you call back if you need anything or have any updates, all right? If I hear from Alex, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”
I thank her before hanging up, and another sharp stab jerks my body off the bed.
“Holy fuck. This is intense.” I lean over the bed, my palms flat and my legs straight as I breathe through it. Once it slows to an annoying, dull ache, I sit back down. I’m so goddamn mad at Alex right now. Where the fuck is he?
Anger boils through me as I think about his past and if I can really depend on him during times I need him the most. He promised me. Said he’d always be here for the baby and me.
Then where the hell is he?
I’m lying on the bed for twenty minutes trying to breathe through the pain when I hear someone walk in.
“Alex?” I sit up, but I’m disappointed when I hear Evan.
“No, it’s me.” Evan steps into my room, wearing his dark blue scrubs and carrying a bag. I wonder if he sleeps in those damn things, considering it’s all I see him in.
“How’d you get here so fast?”
“Went eighty the entire way.”
“You trying to kill yourself?”
“No, but I’m going to kill my brother. I called him ten times.”
I groan. “Join the club.”
“Show me where it hurts.”
I point to my lower back and wince. “Radiates all the way up my spine.”
“How have they been since you called me?”
“They’ve been feeling more intense, but that’s probably because my blood pressure is skyrocketed with anger.”
“That tends to happen when you’re in pain, too. I’m going to find you a heating pad and see if that helps the pain. You’re about thirty weeks?”
“Thirty-four,” I clarify.
“Still too early,” he states. “As long as your water doesn’t break, you can stay here and wait to see if the contractions slow down. Once they’re five minutes apart consistently for an hour, then it’ll be time to get you to the hospital.”
“You really think I could be in labor?”
“I don’t know. Early labor signs are common, but you can’t ever be too careful. My guess is Braxton Hicks, but I don’t want to rule out early labor just yet.”
Evan tells me to get comfortable in bed as best as I can and searches for the heating pad. Once he returns, he helps me adjust my body, so it rests on my lower back.
“How’s that?” he asks after a few minutes.
“Good, the heat seems to be helping.”
“I’m going to set my stopwatch and keep a timer on my phone. Tell me when you feel another contraction coming, and I’ll keep track. If they don’t let up, I’m calling your doctor.”
I swallow. “Okay.” As mad as I am at Alex right now, I just want him here. I don’t want him to miss this. Though considering no one seems to know where he is right now, I can’t help but worry about him too.
Fifteen minutes go by when Evan’s phone rings. “It’s John.”
He picks up and answers. “Hey.” Pause. “He did what? Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Another pause. “I’m with River right now. She was having contractions and couldn’t get ahold of Alex.” Another brief pause. “I’m going to kick his ass.”
He hangs up, and I can tell it’s not good news.
“Dylan’s driving him back here right now. Jackson threw a party, and John called him to come handle it since he was out, then when John got back home, they were all drinking. Dylan, too, but he’s sobered up enough to bring Alex back.”
“Wait, what? They were drinking?”
“I guess.” He shrugs.
Grinding my teeth, I bite my lip. So many questions swirl around in my mind, and the anger that formed earlier is now in full force. I can understand him doing John a favor and making sure the party doesn’t get out of hand, but why the hell would he then drink himself knowing I’m home. He couldn’t even consider sending me a text, so I knew where he was. He didn’t even bother to check his phone to see that we’ve all been calling him! God. I’m so pissed.
“Another one,” I tell Evan so he can start his timer again. Luckily, the gap between them has slowed down, but they’re intense. He’s been so nice to sit with me and talk me through all of this. He explained back labor and how some women get it worse than others, whereas some don’t get it at all and suffer from cramps in their abdomen.
“Twenty seconds,” Evan tells me once I motion that it’s done. “They’re not lasting as long, so that’s a good sign.”
