Page 28 of Exclusive

In what seems like a blink, our cozy-cove of peace, nature and privacy is demolished, utter fucking chaos crashing down on us.

“Help! Help me!” The little boy from earlier appears out of nowhere, screaming as he runs toward us.

“Oh my God, what’s wrong?” I rush to him, clutching both his shoulders, probably too tightly. “Are you hurt? Where are your parents?” He’s shaking, out of breath, and tears are gushing down his precious, blotchy face. “Everything’s gonna be okay, just talk to me, sweetie.” Poor thing can’t even answer me right away, and as I wait, starting to shake myself, I somehow register Sutton’s ominous hisses. “What is it?” I ask him, not taking my eyes off the boy.

“Castello, enough!” he tells our dog, now tied to a tree, once, and the barking immediately stops. “Hey, bud,” he speaks with a certain “man-code” coolness, squatting down beside the boy, “I’m Sutton, and this is Presley. What’s your name?”

For a split second, I consider suggesting that now might not be the best time for idle chit-chat and introduction… until Sutton shoots me a look that fills me in — now is exactly the time for such — refocusing this scared, frantic child’s attention long enough to let him calm down some.

And it works. “A, Austin,” he stutters, wiping a sleeve under his nose as he sucks in any snot he may have missed.

“Nice to meet you, Austin. That’s a real cool name. What are ya, ‘bout twelve years old?”

“No,” Austin giggles, “I’m seven and a half.”

Sutton lets out a slow whistle. “You gotta be kiddin’ me; only seven and a half? Man, I thought you were a lot older; and I can already tell you’re gonna be an awesome big brother.”

What’s he talking about? Big brother? He asked him his name, so he obviously doesn’t know the kid…

“So Austin, can you tell me what’s going on? Where’s your mom?” Sutton calmly prods forward.

“Or Dad?” I ask.

“Dad’s not with them,” Sutton tells me lowly, out of the side of his mouth. “Here with his mom, who’s gonna have a baby soon. Isn’t that right, Austin?” The boy bobs his head, breathing speeding up again, but Sutton stands, springing into action before full panic returns. “You came from there; your mom still up that way?”

I should probably be doing something, anything, other than just uselessly standing here, gawking, in awe of Sutton Ellis. I mean, damn. I’ve spent my whole life in a state of hyper-awareness of my surroundings, but somehow missed… um, basically every freaking thing around me today. While I was preoccupied with my dog and a wave, Sutton picked up on Austin’s damn biography. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s not that I was preoccupied. Could it be that I was just otherwise, on more important things; things I don’t usually make the time to appreciate? Because I can, do, when I’m with Sutton… a subconscious sense of safety allowing room for me to stop, take a deep breath, and see the simplistic beauty, humor, and enjoyment in my surroundings.

“Presley!” Sutton demands my attention, and gains it instantly. “Need ya to listen close, babe. We’re going into team mode; hear me?” My mind having once again wandered, I missed anything being said, but the steady determination in Sutton’s eyes tells me he’s got this… whatever this is… so I nod in absolution. “That’s my girl. Okay, I’ve got Austin, but I need you to keep up with the dog, and, run back down the trail until you get cell service, then call 9-1-1. Tell them there’s a pregnant woman in distress, possibly labor, and lead them to us when they get here.”

“Labor?” I gasp. “Why the hell was she hiking?”

“I’ll be sure to ask her,” Sutton sneers, serving me a return dose of judgement. “Now go!”

I spring into action, untying Castello from the tree, pulling out my phone and taking off down the hill.

“Can you call my dad?” Austin screams after me. I don’t stop though; no way he has his dad’s number memorized, so no sense wasting time… but Sutton’s got that figured out too… his yell coming next. “Sam Hammond, works at a bank in this town!”

It felt like it took two forevers for the ambulance to arrive, when in actuality, I’m now thinking their response time for way out here in the boonies was pretty damn impressive. But what I know, hear, before I see it, well, “impressive” isn’t even in the same dictionary — the loud, healthy cry of a newborn baby.

I hold back — and when I tell myself it’s to give the paramedics room, it’s plausible enough to believe it — and yet, the bigger truth still sneaks past to the forefront of my mind. Soul.

Sutton delivered a baby.

In the middle of nowhere, his only tools… what… tree bark and leaves? No way they taught him that in Boy Scouts.

I’m scared to look, but I have to see this with my own two eyes, so I step closer, finding a hole in the circle of pandemonium to get a peek.

My awed gasp rises above all the noise to echo in my ears, tears springing up to distort my vision… of the most beautiful, moving, miraculous vision I will ever see in my life. A mother, smiling down at the wailing newborn child, wrapped in Sutton’s shirt, who she holds in her arms. Sutton at her side, Austin in his lap, both grinning widely as they comfort mom and baby.

And medical personnel, interrupting the beautiful scene to get mother and child to the hospital.

“A, Austin,” his mom worries as she’s loaded on a board thing, that I suppose the paramedics are going to carry down the hill, since there’s no wheels on it.

“Brenda,” Sutton sweetly says to her, “if you trust me, I’d be happy to bring him to you in my truck; follow the ambulance to the hospital.”

“Where’s Sam? Where’s my husband?” she screams, panic obviously settling in now that she can think beyond contractions.

“We’ll find out, ma’am, but we’ve got to move now,” an EMT answers her. “On my count,” he instructs the coworkers with their hands on the board too, counting them off to hoist her in the air. “Boy can’t ride along, alone.”

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