Wasn’t that a kick in the pants?
She let out a groan and I raced across the room, taking her hand in mine.
“Are you okay?” She nodded and smiled weakly. I squeezed her hand and kissed the back of it. “I wish I could do this part for you sweetheart.”
She laughed and then grimaced, as another contraction came on suddenly.
“I wish you could too.”
I kissed her as the doctor came in. Everyone went into motion suddenly, the room a hive of activity. I held her hand as she pushed when told to, and helped her do her breathing exercises in between.
She stared at me between contractions, those bright blue piercing right through to my soul. I stood there, hiding my fear. I had to be strong for her, even if I was crying inside.
My angel had a way of bringing out the best in me. She didn’t have to nag or wheedle. I just wanted to please her.
And I didn’t mind impressing her now and then too.
It might make some men feel weak to know that they had a very visible chink in their armor. But it made me feel strong. I only had one real weakness, and that was her.
And whoever we were about to meet.
We had decided not to find out the sex in advance, decorating the nursery at the cabin in soft green and cream. Everything was ready for him or her. Cass was the one who had to do the hard part now.
Hours passed and Cassie started to lose her strength. The doctors told me not to worry, but I saw them exchange glances. I pulled them out into the hallway, hating leaving her for even a second.
“Is something wrong?”
“The baby is doing well, but Cassie’s blood pressure is low. We need to get food and fluids into her.”
She wrinkled her nose and moaned as another contraction hit. I ran back into the room. I knew the last thing she wanted was to eat. But she nodded when I told her.
I helped her sit up and fed her a couple of greasy fries and some juice. She loved fast food so getting the first few fries down was not hard. The salt was good for her too.
She waved me off after a few bites though. We sat there, waiting. When the next contraction hit she pushed. The doctor guided the baby out a few minutes later and we all heaved a sigh of relief. They cleaned the baby up and handed her to me.
We had a beautiful, perfect baby girl. I was filled with such pride, I could hardly believe what we had done. Together.
I carried her over to Cassie and froze, panic freezing me to the spot.
My angel was unconscious.
Cassandra
I moaned, trying to get away from the light. It was too bright, and hurting my eyes. I was cold and uncomfortable. And it hurt like the devil between my legs.
“Cassie, can you hear me? Mrs. DeWitt!”
I opened my eyes and blinked. A doctor was leaning over me, shining a flashlight into my eyes. Connor stood off to the side, his eyes glued to my face.
Connor looked like he’d seen a ghost. The man was white.
“Pupillary response looks good. We’re going to need to keep her here a few days. Stabilize that BP.”
Connor stared at me, his eyes full of pain. I’d never seen him look so afraid.
“Conn?”
“It’s okay sweetie. You’re okay.”
“Where’s the baby? Is it-“
“She’s okay. Our beautiful daughter is fine.”
The nurse came over and showed me our child. I lit up, my smile beaming as I reached for her. I still felt weak so Conn helped me support her in my arms.
“She’s so beautiful.”
He kissed my cheek.
“Just like her mama.”
We sat there for the longest time before they came to take me for some tests. I was so tired, I kept falling asleep. Every time I woke up, though, Conn was by my side.
“Let me see her.”
I sat up, realizing I must have passed out again. Mason stood in the doorway, looking livid. Conn was blocking his path, telling him it wasn’t a good time.
“Let him in.”
Mase strode across the room to loom over me. He squinted his eyes at me, looking me up and down.
“You okay, kid?”
“They said she’s fine. They said it’s-“
Mase turned and pointed his finger at Conn.
“You shut up. This is all your fault.” He turned back to me. “That bad man shouldn’t have done this to you.”
I laughed. Mason never let Connor live it down that he’d knocked me up so soon in our relationship.
“I was a willing participant.”
“I know, kid.” He winked at me. “Where’s the spawn?”
Conn asked a nurse to bring the baby back in. We’d named her Daniella, after Conn’s partner. It had been my idea, and Conn’s gorgeous eyes had made water when I brought it up.