Page 43 of Stalked at Rescue Ridge

Bree started to ask where Kade was when her OB told her it was time to push. “How? This is fast.”

“Your baby is coming,” Dr. Rosa Perez said, her voice calm. “You made it here in time, but this little one is done waiting.”

Grabbing both knees, Bree pushed through the next contraction. There’d been no time for the epidural she’d planned on having. As it turned out, babies made their own plans.

Puuuuuush.Puuuuush.Puuuuuush.

“Here comes the head,” Dr. Perez said. “You’re doing great. Keep pushing.”

Bree wasn’t sure she had anything left, considering the pain had been relentless. Digging deep, she repeated the nurse’s instructions several times before her baby appeared.

“Would you like to meet your daughter?” Dr. Perez asked.

“A girl?” Bree asked, tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She’d only cared about having a healthy child. Nothing was more important. So, she hadn’t let herself get attached to having a boy or girl.

And yet…

“Yes,” she said before the baby was wrapped and placed on her chest. This little angel was perfect.

The doctor finished in a matter of minutes as Bree noticed the little girl’s breathing was unsteady. Was that normal?

She summoned a nurse to come closer and take a look. The nurse almost immediately took the little bundle. “We’re going to check her weight and other vitals.”

“Is she okay?” Bree asked as panic mounted.

“We’ll do a full exam and return her as soon as possible,” the nurse said. The name sewn onto her scrubs was Michelle.

Bree took note of the fact Michelle had dodged a direct answer to her question. “Someone drove me here. A man.”

“I’ll check on him,” Dr. Perez said after announcing she’d finished.

Bree’s legs were out of the stirrups now, and the rest of the bed appeared to support her legs.

“Let’s get you to your room first, where you’ll be more comfortable,” Dr. Perez said.

“What about my baby?” Bree asked as more of that panic gripped her.

“Michelle is going to take her to NICU so she can be warmed up,” Dr. Perez said after a quick huddle with the nurse. “Does baby have a name?”

“No, not yet,” Bree said. She’d been planning to wait until she could run ideas past Zeke. A little voice reminded her that she’d been dragging her feet for a totally different reason. She’d been desperate to tell Kade that he was going to be a father. Bree could let other people assume Zeke was the father of her child, but she couldn’t outright lie to the baby and had been holding off because she’d been hoping to write Kade’s name on the birth certificate instead of Zeke’s, despite his protests.

She’d left their last conversation with,I’ll think about it and let you know.

Zeke!An ache formed in her chest. Her best friend would have loved to have been by her side while she’d delivered her daughter.

Dr. Perez pulled up a stool and sat next to Bree. The doctor smiled. “Your daughter is seven pounds, seven ounces. Congratulations, Bree.”

“Thank you,” she said, waiting for the “but” because there always seemed to be one after good news.

“The nurses are taking her to NICU because she needs more time to regulate her breathing,” Dr. Perez said. Her bedside manner always had a calming effect on Bree. Not this time. Not while a team of nurses surrounded her minutes-old baby.

“Will she be okay?” The words rushed out of Bree’s mouth.

“There’s every reason to believe she will,” Dr. Perez reassured. “This hospital has an amazing unit.”

An orderly knocked on the door before entering. He motioned for Dr. Perez to meet him.

“I’ll be right back,” she said before standing up and meeting him halfway across the room.

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