Gavin blinked, swallowed, and brought his eyes back to the road. With Linda Blair’s twin sitting next to him, he didn’t say a word as he gunned it. Though the love of his life was a bit scary, Gavin would never deny, when telling his grandchildren of this very night, he liked Emily giving him permission to drive like a bat out of hell.
In a matter of minutes, he had them screeching to a stop in front of the hospital. Jumping from the car, he fumbled for, well, he didn’t quite know what he was fumbling for. But he was. Swiping a nervous hand through his hair, he swung open Emily’s door and helped her out. By this time, she’d calmed down, exhibiting signs of severe bipolar disorder as she kissed him repeatedly. Breathing heavily, Emily cried her apologies as she clung to his arm while walking into the emergency room. He couldn’t help it, but in that moment, Gavin wondered where she’d been all his life. God. He loved this woman, and she was about to give him the greatest gift ever, bipolar or not.
After a quick conversation with a nurse, Emily was seated in a wheelchair and whisked into an elevator. Destination: maternity floor. Emily shivered as she thought about the nightmare that’d plagued her sleep. Holding Gavin’s hand, she looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t even want you here with me right now,” she whispered, her body shaking. “I mean, I do. Of course I do. But I’m worried something’s going to happen to you.”
Gavin popped a brow, a grin smoothing across his mouth. “You know you’re about to give birth to our child, right?” Emily nodded, and Gavin leaned down, brushing his lips along her forehead. “Emily Cooper, let me do all the worrying about you right now. Nothing’s going to happen to me. Okay?”
She nodded again, gripping his hand tighter as another contraction slowly started to build. Its predecessors had nothing on this one. Breathing faster, Emily curled her fingers around the arm of the wheelchair. She swore her nails scraped the leather right off. “How many more floors?” she bit out, her eyes pinned on the nurse. From the look on Gavin’s face, Emily swore she’d cut off circulation in his hand. “I’m not going to make it through this. I know I’m not.”
The nurse patted her back, her twinkling eyes holding a wealth of knowledge. “I said the same thing with my first, second, and third. You’ll be fine.”
Hell no. Emily blew out a breath, completely, unequivocally, one hundred percent convinced she’d never let Gavin touch her again. When the elevator doors slid open, she was wheeled into a private room, her contraction easing its attack by the time she stood. The nurse handed her a hospital gown, and Emily made her way into the bathroom to get undressed. After changing and cleaning herself up, Emily stared at her reflection and her stomach.
Sighing, she started to relax. Gavin was fine. It was only a nightmare. Although what she was about to endure would be nothing short of torturous, at the end, not only would she have Noah, but Noah would have his father. A blizzard of emotions hit her when she heard agonized cries from a woman in the room next door. She swallowed, stared at herself for a long moment, and walked out of the bathroom praying she could handle this.
“Hey,” Gavin said, helping her over to the bed. “You okay?”
She gazed into his baby blues, his love evident. “Right now I am.” She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed his soft lips. He held her, his embrace warm. “I’m apologizing now for the way I might act during…” Her voice trailed as another contraction started to erupt. Backing away, Emily held her stomach and sat on the bed. Eyes narrowed and breathing harsh, she stared at Gavin. “Oh God. Say something to keep my mind off the pain!”
Gavin’s heart melted. Somewhat afraid to touch her, he gently ran his hand over Emily’s stomach, praying she wouldn’t take a swing at him. “I hope he looks like his mother.” He kissed her forehead, pushing her hair away from her shoulder. “I hope he has your beautiful green eyes.” He grinned and kissed each eyelid. “He’ll have the ladies all over him if he does.”
As the nurse adjusted a maternity belt over her stomach, Emily did her breathing exercises, convinced her back was slowly breaking. “My eyes? I was hoping he’d have yours.” She tossed her head against the pillow and rolled to her side. “Keep talking. God, keep talking, Gavin,” she cried out. “Twenty questions, and don’t you dare bring up anything sexual.”
Gavin cleared his throat, grabbing her hand. “Pain killers or no pain killers?”
“Definitely pain killers,” Emily grit out, her eyes locked on the nurse.
The nurse nodded with a sympathetic smile. “I’ll get something for you as soon as I get this IV started.”
Emily didn’t notice the tiny pin prick as the contraction built in intensity. Continuing her breathing exercises, that she was pretty sure weren’t going to help her for anything, Emily tried to concentrate on the baby’s heartbeat whooshing through the air. “Another question. Something. Please, Gavin. Something.”
Gavin held her hand tighter, wishing he could take away every bit of pain. “Crown molding or no crown molding?”
“Crown molding,” Emily breathed, bracing against the side of the bed.
“Cake or ice cream?”
“Both. Oh God, both!” She rolled onto her back, the contraction making her feel as if she was about to lose her mind.
“You’re peaking, sweetie,” the nurse noted, pointing to a monstrous, angry green line on the monitor. “Watch. It’ll start to come down.”
Sure enough, it slowly dipped, allowing Emily to breathe in relief. The tension coiling in her shoulders deflated and her body sank into the bed as she released her death grip on Gavin’s hand.
“I’ll be right back,” the nurse said, making her way toward the door. “Dr. Beck’s on call this evening. He’ll be in to talk with you and to check how much you’ve dilated.”
Emily gave a weak nod and rushed a tired hand through her hair as she brought her gaze to Gavin’s. She could tell he felt helpless. Emily managed a small smile. “Come lay down next to me. I promise I’ll give fair warning when another starts.”
“You think I’m scared of you?” he chuckled, lying as smooth as they come. He was afraid of her. Hell, she was pretty terrifying and this was only the beginning, but he’d never let her know that. He slid across the bed, gathered her in his arms, and stared into her eyes.
“I can tell I’m scaring you.” Emily took a deep breath, losing herself in his embrace.
“Never,” Gavin whispered. “You couldn’t scare me if you tried.”
Emily leaned her forehead against his chin and tried to relax. She had a few seconds of reprieve as Gavin caressed her spine, his touch soothing, before her belly balled viciously. Tensing, Emily could barely prepare herself for the foreign feeling taking hold.
“Breathe, baby,” Gavin whispered. “Look at me and breathe through it.”
Tears spiked in Emily’s eyes as a slow, simmering twist knotted. Her back felt as though a bus was running over it. She gripped Gavin’s shoulders, her finger nails digging into his T-shirt as she stared at him. “Oh, God. It hurts,” she cried, her brows cinched. “Say something. Come on, Gavin. Twenty questions again.”