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“What’s wrong?” I ask, taking in her pained expression the following day. It instantly has me on edge and ready to do whatever I can to take it away.
“It hurts.”
“What does, doll? Tell me whatever you can so I can try to help.”
“My stomach, the baby. Something’s wrong.” Tears cloud her gaze as I grab her jacket, stuffing her into it. She doesn’t strike me as the type to complain unless it’s truly serious. She’s been so strong and hardheaded thus far that witnessing the fear in her expression has my breath stuttering.
“Everything will be okay, Naomi. Don’t worry. We’ll go to the doctor, and they’ll fix whatever is going on.”
She catches my hands, making me pause. “W-what if they can’t?”
“I don’t accept that possibility, and neither should you. The kid is causing a bit of mischief, is all. We’ll get it sorted. Grab on to my neck.”
“Spin, I can walk!”
“Nope. Grab on,” I argue stubbornly, leaving no room for disagreement.
Her arms loop around my neck, tightening to hold on as I lift her and powerwalk through the club. “I need keys!” I shout as soon as I hit the doorway to the bar.
Twist and Sadie both leap from the table they are sitting at.
“Oh shit,” Twist mumbles, tossing a set of keys my way. I barely manage to catch them one-handed, not willing to release my hold on Naomi. “Take 2 Piece’s truck. He won’t mind. Let us know what’s up.”
I nod, and Sadie yells as we’re leaving through the main door, “Text if you need anything at all. I mean it!”
The door slams behind us as I hurriedly trek to the truck, attempting not to jostle Naomi too much, but also scared for her and wanting to haul ass at the same time. “You hanging in there? You haven’t made a peep since I picked you up.”
“Just concentrating on breathing and feeling the baby move. As long as there’s movement, there is hope.”
“Chin up, babe. There’s always hope. You just stay calm, and we’ll see the doc soon.”
She doesn’t respond, her mouth tipped down as she watches our path. Opening the passenger side truck door, I carefully set her inside, pausing long enough to buckle the belt. I know she’s more than capable of doing it herself, but she’s frightened, and I want to take care of her as long as she’ll allow me to. Jogging around the front of the truck, I hop in the driver’s side and crank the engine, forgoing my own belt. Once we get out the gate, with a quick honk at the prospect, I wrap the belt over my torso and buckle it, stepping on the gas.
Hauling ass, I ignore the speed limits, only concerned about getting to the hospital before it’s too late for whatever is going on in Naomi’s belly. The cops around here tend to leave this vehicle, as well as our others, alone. We do a lot to help them out on the down-low anytime they need it, and in return, they usually leave us in peace for the most part.
We make it to the hospital much quicker than the ambulance had on the last trip, and I’m silently thanking our lucky stars for time being on our side today. “I got you, Little Momma,” I grumble, hopping back out of the truck as soon as I pull it in a spot and slam the gear shift in park, barely remembering to turn the damn thing off before I bail.
Opening her door, she instantly snuggles into my arms, allowing me to carry her inside. I think she realizes I’m not having it any other way right now. The last thing she needs is any stress on this body at all.
“My woman’s in pain. She’s pregnant, and we need help right away,” I call as soon as we’re through the automatic doors.
“Please,” Naomi tacks on to the end for good measure.
The desk lady rushes behind a wall, and in a flash, two nurses quickly stride our way. One grabs a wheelchair, and the other stops beside us to ask basic questions. She peppers my woman with them, and Naomi answers each one, all the while I stand here looking like a fish out of water.
“Sir.” The other nurse interrupts my blank stare, calling my attention. “Sir,” she repeats. “Momma and baby are going to be fine. We’ll take care of her. Follow us back and we’ll put her in a room. Just stay with us, Dad.”
She thinks I’m the father?I bounce a swift glance in Naomi’s direction as the nurse wheels her down the hallway. She holds her hand out to me, and I grab it, wanting to comfort her. She doesn’t correct the nurse’s assumption, so I don’t either. Let them believe I’m the father. Whatever will ensure me access to my woman and finding out what’s going on. I just found her, and I’m damn sure not letting her go.
She’s helped onto the hospital bed, and not by me, much to my chagrin. They wrap a stretchy pink belt around her belly, which they promise me won’t hurt either of them, and in a flash, beeps and lines start up from a monitor next to the bed.
“See this?” One of them points. “Baby has a strong heartbeat.”
“So does Momma.” The other reassures, meeting my concerned stare for a beat. She moves to set up an IV in Naomi’s hand while continuing to ask her questions. I don’t know what any of them mean, talking about timing between pain, fluid leaking, and other stuff that only serves to freak me the fuck out. If only I’d known sooner I’d be helping have a baby, I’d have researched it online or something.
“The baby is coming?” I murmur, my thoughts going haywire. I need them to give me an hour to find some videos on what to expect.
