I turned around to see that Ellie had her head on Gunner’s chest. He was softly singing to her. My heart started pounding. Ellie was about to have the baby she so desperately wanted.
As Jeff drove to the hospital, I looked out the window at the beautiful country side. Then, I thought about Heather.
Something was very wrong, and I needed to talk to her as soon as possible. Right now Ellie and the baby were my main concern.
“Gunner, will you please stop singing?” Ellie asked.
“Sure, baby, but I thought you loved it when I sang to you. ”
Jeff and I looked at each other.
“You’re driving me fucking nuts with that song. Just please stop. ”
I let out a giggle. Jeff smiled as glanced at Ellie and Gunner in the rearview mirror.
He reached over and turned his iPod on. Keith Urban’s “A Better Life” came on.
“Yes! I love this song. ” Ellie called out.
Jeff looked straight ahead and let out a small laugh.
“Let the fun begin,” he said as he squeezed my hand.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
GUNNER
Ellie seemed to be so much more relaxed after they gave her the epidural. My mom and dad made it, and they were in the waiting room with Gramps and Grams.
Of course, Gramps and dad laughed their asses off when Gramps retold the story of me passing out and hitting my eye on the table.
I tried to explain many times that I’d tripped and got knocked out when I hit the table, but it didn’t matter. Gramps changed the story every time he told it, and he’d already told three nurses, a doctor, and one intern.
A young guy walked into the room with one of the nurses. I smiled at both of them while they walked up to Ellie and looked at me.
“Mr. Mathews, Mrs. Mathews. ”
“Please call me Ellie. ”
“Ellie, it is,” The young guy said.
He couldn’t have been but a few years older than me.
“Gunner,” I said as I reached out and shook his hand.
“I’m Dr. Johnson. ”
Ellie let out a laugh. “Hey, that’s my maiden name!”
I took a step back. “You’re the doctor? Like as in the doctor who’s going to deliver little bear?”
“Little bear? Is that what we call the baby?” Dr. Johnson asked.
“How old are you, dude? Have you ever even delivered a baby before? Are you even out of medical school?”
“Gunner!” Ellie said as she gave me a dirty look.
Dr. Johnson let out a laugh. “Well, Gunner, I’m thirty-three years old with three kids of my own. Yes, I’ve delivered my fair share of babies. And I’ve been out of medical school for five years now. ”