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“It could be Braxton Hicks. Or maybe it’ll fade after a little while. You never know, Jo. Don’t panic just yet,” Elizabeth reassured her.
Jo clasped my hand, tears spilling over her cheeks. I could see the helpless look in her eyes. It was something I was intimately familiar with, feeling helpless. I sat down next to her, putting my arm around her shoulders.
“Take deep breaths with me. It’s going to be okay.”
She sucked in shaky breath after shaky breath, but when another pain swept over her, she started to cry, which set off Gabi and Mariana. They were all holding hands, sobbing, and I had no idea what to do. Even Elizabeth, who Jo called the pregnancy whisperer, looked out of her depth. When the door to the yoga studio opened and Viktor barreled inside, he skidded to a halt, stunned.
“Is there room enough for all of us?” I asked, forcing a smile.
He nodded once. “Yes, ?????. I will get you all safely to the hospital.”
He ended up carrying Jo and putting her in the front seat. Gabi, Mariana, and Elizabeth sat in the middle while I took the way back. I shushed and soothed as best I could, grimacing every time Viktor took a corner too tightly. But we arrived at the hospital in record time and the rest of the guys were waiting. Liam reached the SUV first, scooping a terrified Jo into his arms and marching through the emergency bay doors. Mateo and Dmitriy were in no less a hurry, carrying their wives inside despite the nurses trying to demand wheelchairs. Elizabeth hurried after them, her fiance hot on her heels.
Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath. My life was a series of difficult events. I was the queen of calm in a storm by this point. But the urge to run and hide hadn’t left me completely, and I needed a minute to collect my thoughts before I went inside to keep my promise and be by my friends’ sides.
The back of the SUV opened and Viktor dropped the seat next to me, making it easier for me to climb out. I reached for him, letting him pull me into his arms.
“You did well, ?????. You did not panic, and you called for help. I am proud of you.”
Even six months later, I adored hearing those words from him. They always made my chest feel warm and my heart race. I never had to tell him how much it meant to me. He knew.
“Think they’re going to be okay?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes. Childbirth is not easy, as my mother always told me as a child. She complains constantly about the pain and the time it took.”
I snickered. I met his mom on video chat a few times after encouraging him to bridge the gap and call her. When I told him the details about what happened to my parents, I think it made him rethink the distance between them. She was a sweet woman, but she didn’t mince her words and she was as giving with her complaints as she was with her affection. She said it all with love though, and after I pointed that out, he learned to listen to what she was really trying to say.
“But it was worth it,” I murmured.
He hummed his agreement, kissing the top of my head. “It will be. For them. And for you, when you are ready.”
We’d discussed it, but he agreed to wait until I’d worked on a few things with my therapist first. He said my healing was the most important thing, and that everything else, from finding a job, to having kids, even getting married; it could all wait until I felt confident and happy and ready.
“Come. You said you wanted to be there. I am sure they are missing you.”
Smiling, I took his hand, letting him pull me out of the SUV and towards the doors. Before we could step through, I glanced behind me and pointed at his car.
“Shouldn’t you move that?”
He lifted a shoulder. “It will be fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “Viktor!”
He laughed, pulling me in for a kiss. Sweet and caring he may be, but he was still a criminal and didn’t really care to follow all the rules. But he was my criminal, and I loved him to bits.
Besides, what’s the point of life without a little risk?
