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But it was just a power outage. Not that big a deal. And the Sawyers probably had a generator somewhere. Still, I hurried along the corridor, anxious to get back to Meg. Maybe we should have stayed home, I thought, praying that tonight would not bring any surprises. Cloverleigh Farms was a lot farther from the hospital than our house in town. And the roads were awful. A sweat broke out on my back beneath my clothes.
Stop worrying, I scolded myself. It wasn’t like me to panic. But as I entered the inn, I decided that Meg and I should probably head home before the storm got worse.
The music had gone off, but I could hear agitated voices, and the fire gave the only light. Everyone appeared to be over by the couch near the fireplace. My heart started to pound.
“Meg?” I called out, starting to move faster. Hot tea sloshed over the edge of the mug, but I hardly felt the sting. As I got closer to the crowd, I spotted Meg on her hands and knees near the coffee table. Frannie was on one side of her, rubbing her back, and Daphne was wiping off the leather couch with a white towel.
“Meg!” I set the mug down hard and dropped down next to her, panic seizing my chest. “Honey, are you okay?”
She was panting hard. “My water. It broke.”
I could actually feel the blood rushing away from my brain. My vision blurred for a second. “Okay,” I said, surprised at how calm my voice sounded. “Okay. So you’re in labor.”
“You think?”
I swallowed. “Sorry. Uh, okay I’ll get the car.”
“No! Don’t leave me!” Her eyes flashed with panic in the firelight.
“Okay, baby.” I brushed her hair off her face. “I won’t leave. I’ll stay right here.”
“I can go get the car,” Mack offered. “I’ll get mine. It has a nice big backseat. You can ride together back there.”
She shook her head. “I can’t ride in the car right now. No way.”
“But Meg,” I protested. “We have to get you to—”
“Just give me a few minutes, okay? This will pass.” She continued to breathe through her teeth. “It has to pass. And then I’ll be able to move.”
“My labors took hours,” offered Sylvia, who stood nearby with her toddler on her hip.
“Mine too,” said Chloe from the couch. She stood up and handed her baby to Oliver. “Mom, why don’t we find some candles? That will be relaxing and give us a little more light.”
“I’ll get them,” said April. “I know where they are. Whit and Keaton, want to help me?”
Sylvia’s kids followed April and Chloe toward the back hallway leading to the house, their voices chattering with excitement.
“I brought you the tea,” I said, desperate to be useful. “Would you like a sip?”
Meg shook her head, then glanced back at her mom. “Sorry...about...the couch. I got... it wet.”
“Oh honey, don’t even think about it,” Daphne soothed. “But I wish you’d let Noah take you to the hospital. The drive could be long with this weather. I want you to make it there in plenty of time.”
“In a minute.” Meg closed her eyes and her breathing seemed to slow. “Okay. Okay. I think I can stand.”
Frannie and I jumped to our feet and slowly helped Meg rise. “Easy now,” I told her, although I was feeling incrediblyuneasyabout this sudden turn of events.
“I think I’ll just move around a bit,” said Meg, swaying from side to side as she slowly made a circle around the sofa. I stayed with her, holding her by the elbow, worried she might bump into something in the dark, or lose her balance. I was sweating profusely, and the snow gathering in the corners of the inn’s large front windows was not reassuring.
Meg’s father, John, came over to her other side, and the two of us helped Meg stay upright as she took wide, plodding steps.
“Are you having contractions, Meg?” Frannie asked.
“Yes,” Meg said. “I’ve been having them all day, but I thought they were those fake ones. Suddenly they’re coming so fast.”
John and I exchanged a look. “Um, how far apart are they coming now?” I asked.
“It’s—hard to say.” Meg stiffened, her fingers digging into my arm. “They haven’t been consistent, and they weren’t that bad until a few minutes ago.”
