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Pulling up Hank’s number, I press the green button. It rings twice and then goes to voice mail. Oh god, this is not happening. “My water broke, and my contractions are close. Call me.”
I can’t call Judy, she’s got Tripp, and I don’t want him to scare him. Pacing back and forth, I will Hank to call me back, but he doesn’t. Derrick pops into my head, and I call him. Thankfully, he answers. “Hey, gorgeous. What do you need?”
“Are you with Hank?” I ask while rubbing my belly.
The sound of a door shutting echoes through the phone. “No, sweetheart. I’m at the gas station.”
“My water broke, and my contractions are strong. Gage came quick, and I’m scared this one will too. I don’t know what to do.” I’ve had a baby before, but it is like I forgot everything.
“It’ll take too long for me to grab Hank. I’m coming to get you and will have one of the brothers get him to the hospital. You’re going to be okay, okay?” He is being so calm right now while I’m freaking out.
I nod, although he can’t see me. “Okay, thank you, Derrick.”
We disconnect and I move toward the bedroom to grabthe hospital bag. At least we had it ready. I begin having another contraction and rub my hand over my belly as I take some deep breaths.
As the pain ebbs, the front door flies open, and Derrick comes running into the house. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but I think we need to get there fast,” I tell him as he grabs my bag and leads me outside.
He gets me loaded into the truck and once my seat belt is on, we take off toward the hospital. I begin having another contraction, this one stronger than the others. The pressure begins between my legs and I try to concentrate on keeping the baby in me until we get to the hospital.
My phone rings and I see it’s Hank. “Oh god, baby. I need to push.”
“Baby, we’re here waiting. Just have Derrick come around to the entrance for labor and delivery. The nurses are here waiting for you.” He pauses and then says softly, “I love you, and I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you.” We disconnect. “Take me to the back entrance. You’ll see the sign for labor and delivery.”
Derrick nods and then grabs my hand. “I think you’re supposed to breathe.” He starts imitating the sounds of the breathing they teach in birthing classes.
If I wasn’t hurting so much, I might be smiling. I squeeze his hand and follow along with the breathing. It at least distracts me enough not to think about the pressure between my legs. The hospital is just up ahead and I grab onto the door with my other hand. I must be hurting him because I know I’m squeezing the crap out of his hand.
“Now don’t go jumping out when we pull up to the door. That could cause the baby to pop out, or something,” Derrick says with a seriousness that makes me smile.
“Umm…well, it doesn’t really work that way…” I begin to have another contraction. This one even stronger. Crying out, the desire to push hits me like a ton of bricks. “The baby is coming now.”
I’m glad I decided to wear a dress. Letting go of his hand, I pull my dress up. Reaching between my legs, I can feel the top of the head.
We reach the spot where Hank and three nurses are standing with a bed. Derrick skids to a stop and I swear to God I am somehow lifted out of the truck and on the bed. My man grabs my hand as they rush me inside.
Once I’m in the room, I start pushing. It doesn’t take any time at all before I feel like I’m being torn in half.
Hank holds me and whispers. “Come on, Brooke. The baby is almost here.” He looks down just as the head comes out, and then the sweetest sound fills the room. A second later, I can feel the rest of their body slipping from mine.
“Oh my god, it’s a girl,” Hank says and then we share a kiss. He helps get the front of my gown down as the nurse lays the baby on my chest.
I begin to cry at the feel of her weight on my chest and because she is just so beautiful.
Hank places his hand on her back and we share another kiss. “Good job, momma,” he says, and I don’t miss his shiny eyes. They take our daughter to be cleaned off and checked over. “I love you,” he whispers before going over to watch them take care of the baby.
They get me all cleaned up and then Hank carries our daughter over to me, laying her on my chest. I kiss her forehead and then a nurse helps her latch on to my breast. It takes a while before she finally gets the hang of it.
Then Hank and I watch our daughter, neither of us speaking.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hank
I softly bounce my daughter as I pace the length of our living room. We’ve been home for twenty-four hours and it’s been fucking heaven. Brooke was a champ and is doing really great. The baby still has difficulty latching on, but her momma doesn’t give up. Speaking of my girl, she’s taking a nap, giving me daughter bonding time.
