Lucy jumped up and looked at Adaline. “She’s having a contraction.”
I sighed a breath of relief that she wasn’t mad at me for talking about her crazy crying. “Thank God,” I said with a chuckle as Adaline let up her grip.
“Wait. What? Contraction!” I exclaimed as Lucy helped Adaline down and to a chair.
I started spinning around in a circle as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do next.
“Baby. The baby is coming?” I gathered up my dress and quickly made my way over to Adaline.
“The baby is coming!”
“You don’t have to shout, Paislie. I’m in labor—not deaf.”
My head snapped to Lucy. “What do I do?”
“Take her to the hospital.”
“Right!” I shouted as I grabbed both of our purses and yelled over my shoulder, “I’ll get the car!”
“Your dress,” Lucy exclaimed as I slid to a stop.
“Shit!”
Heading back into the dressing room, Adaline called out, “No time! Paislie, I’m having another contraction.”
A total look of fear covered my face as I stared at her. “What? No, you just had your first contraction. You can’t go that fast!”
Adaline raised her eyebrows and gave me a shy smile. “Well, I’ve been having them the last hour or so, but I thought I’d be okay until after your alteration appointment.”
My hand flew to my chest as I looked at Lucy. “Is she serious?”
A sudden flash of adrenaline raced through my body as Adaline said, “I texted Emmit and he and Malcolm are on the way to the hospital.”
Panic hit me square in the face. “I can’t let Malcolm see me in my wedding dress.”
“I’ll drive, you change!” Lucy called as she flew by me with my jeans, T-shirt and sneakers in her arms.
This was insane . . . but it would work.
Reaching to help Adaline up, I helped her walk out to Lucy’s car.
“Another one is coming,” she said as I opened the front passenger door and helped her in. “I need your hand.”
With a gruff laugh, I shut her door and said, “The hell with that!”
I was barely in the car with the door shut when Lucy floored it.
“It’s two minutes to the hospital, change fast,” Lucy called from over her shoulder.
“I can’t get it unbuttoned!” I called out.
Lucy threw up her hands. “Well, I can’t get it; I’m driving.”
Slipping on my jeans, I frantically tried to reach the buttons. Before I knew it, she was pulling up to the front entrance of the hospital and I was jumping out.
“You! Hey, Mr! Please, can you unbutton my dress?”
An older gentleman walked up as Lucy ran into the hospital to get a wheelchair.