“Contractions?” I ask, hurrying back to her with Max on my heels. She nods, gasping again.
“Holy shit.” The words belong to a terrified Max. “Are you in pain? Don’t forget to breathe.”
“Brother, I love you, but you’re no good at calming me down,” Pippa says.
“Max,” I say calmly. “Let’s go to the hospital.”
“Yeah. Should I call an ambulance?” he asks frantically. Pippa and I exchange amused looks.
“No need,” I tell him. “You can drive us. Where is your car?”
“In the garage at the office.”
“Go get it. Pippa and I will wait for you here.” I point to a bench under a tall, thick tree.
“Okay,” Max says. “I’ll be back right away.”
Fifteen minutes later, we are speeding on the streets of San Francisco. I’m sitting with Pippa in the back, timing her contractions.
“We have a lot of time,” I tell her in a soothing tone. “The contractions are seventeen minutes apart. This is still early labor.”
“Can you tell that to my brother?” Pippa asks, glancing worriedly at Max. “He drives as if the end of the world is coming.”
As if on cue, Max honks loudly, making both Pippa and me jump in our seats.
“Get out of my way, you moron. I have a hospital to get to,” he bellows before honking again.
“He’s losing it, isn’t he?” I ask Pippa, who nods and attempts a smile, even though it turns almost immediately into a grimace from the pain.
She nods. “Why don’t you try calming him down? I think I’m calmer than he is.”
I shift to the edge of the seat, placing my hand on Max’s shoulder. Surprised, I discover he’s shaking slightly. Poor guy, he’s going to hyperventilate before we make it to the hospital.
“Max,” I say in a calm voice. “Everything will be fine. Calm down.”
He answers by honking at a car that just slipped in front of us. “Drive faster, you asshole. If my sister has the babies in the car, you will be sorry.”
“Max,” I try again. “The babies won’t arrive in the car. The contractions are far enough apart that we will make it to the hospital in time even if we’re stuck in traffic.”
Max doesn’t even seem to hear me. He has both hands on the wheel, grasping it so tightly that his knuckles turn white.
“This is going well,” I mutter, sliding next to Pippa again.
“Men are weird creatures,” she says. “You should see Max in a negotiation. He’s usually the calm one, when even Sebastian loses his cool.”
“But his nieces are already making him lose his cool.” I grin at this, suddenly wanting to hug Max.
“Can you do me a favor and call Eric again?” She called him while we were waiting for Max on the bench, but he didn’t answer. “I’d do it, but if I have a contraction while talking to him, he’ll panic even more than Max.”
She hands me her phone, Eric’s number already on the screen.
“Ah, we finally found the one word with the power to bring men worldwide to their knees,” I say as Max goes on another honking chorus. “Childbirth.”
***
By the time we arrive at the hospital, Pippa’s contractions are more frequent.
“Those babies are in a hurry to come out,” I tell her, jogging next to her as some nurses wheel her to a room. The nurse helps her change into a hospital gown and then lie on the bed. This is a birthing room, which looks very homey and comfortable. The birth will take place in this room. I hover next to her, unsure what to say or do. Max is in the hallway, pacing around and calling his family, but I’m not sure he’d be of much help if he were here with us.