Page 74 of Finding Wonderland

“Mace,” she breathlessly said as she motioned for Mason to come to her. “Hey, look at me.”

Mason had tears in her eyes as she looked at Vera, which broke Vera’s heart.

“I’m okay. I know this is scary. I’m scared, too. But I’m okay, and the babies are okay, and that’s all that matters right now, okay.”

Mason nodded, but Vera still knew how scared she was.

“Come here.” Vera pressed her forehead into Mason’s as she begged the contraction currently trying to tear her body apart to just wait a minute. It took a moment for her to regain her breath to talk. “I love you so much, Mason, and I know you want to be here for me, but it’s okay if you want to wait outside.”

“But I told you I’d be here for you.”

“And you are, baby.” Vera framed her sweet cheek in her hand. “And the decision is yours. But I’ll be honest with you: It’s going to get a lot more intense before it’s over. And it’s okay if you’re not ready for that.”

“You won’t be mad at me?”

“Never, Mason. Never.”

Nodding, Mason hugged Vera. “Let me know as soon as they’re born.”

“We will. I love you.”

“I love you, Mama.”

Cameron had already offered to stay with Mason while Vera gave birth, and Vera was thankful for that. Although they didn’t get to hang out as much as they used to, Mason still saw Cameron as her Aunt Cameron. As Isla took Mason out of the room to find Cameron, Stacey started her exam.

“How you doing, Mama? How’s the pain?”

“Intense.”

“I’ll say. You’re almost seven centimeters. The babies look good; both are still heads down. We should have them out in a few hours.”

When Isla came back into the room, she helped Vera out of bed and onto the birthing ball. Vera’s contractions kept increasing in intensity until the word fuck no longer seemed appropriate enough to convey her pain level.

“Fucking holy hell,” Vera breathed a sigh of relief as another intense contraction ended. “Man, this pressure is getting crazy.”

“I know, it’s rough.”

“It’s awful,” Vera tried to laugh it off but the pain and pressure made it uncomfortable. “Help me up.”

Isla did, gently swaying with Vera, her hands on her hips. They’d alternated between that position and the birthing ball for the last four hours as Vera labored. She had to stay close to the machine for the baby monitors but didn’t want to be stuck in the bed.

“Oh, fuck,” Vera moaned as she leaned hard into Isla. She could hear Isla tell her she was doing good but all Vera could focus on was the intense pressure building between her legs. Vera didn’t have to wonder what was happening. “Button.”

“What?” Isla’s brow furrowed.

“Button. Push.”

Thankfully Isal seemed to understand what Vera was trying to convey. She helped Vera sit in the nearby rolling chair before pressing the button by the bed for the nurse. It wasn’t long at all before Melanie came rushing in.

“How’s it going, Mama?”

“I need to push. Like now,” Vera groaned as another contraction came.

“You okay to get in the bed so I can check you?”

Before Vera could answer, Stacey came in and laughed. “Silly woman. That’s my seat today.”

The joke made Vera laugh, and for a moment, she could forget the pain she was in. Isla and Melanie helped her into the bed as Stacey gloved up and got between her legs. She helped coach Vera through a half-hour of pushing before she lowered the bottom of the bed slightly. Vera didn’t want the stirrups, and that seemed to be just fine for her body.

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