Page 66 of The Wayward Son

“And she’s a nurse. She’s probably been around babies before.”

“Being around them, and having them, are two different things. Or, I assume they are.”

She looked at him. “Do you want to have kids someday?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I’m in no rush, though. I’d like to find a wife first.”

“Yeah. That usually helps.”

Sawyer laughed. “How about you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never really made up my mind on that.”

“You’ve got time to figure it out.”

Chapter twenty

"Well, this isn't very fun."

“There’s the Skittles I remember.”

Jade and Sawyer sat side by side in the semi-dark room. There was only one bank of lights on, along with the lights in the examination room. The clinic had a backup generator, so Dr. Curtis could care for his patients no matter what the weather was doing. But he didn’t want to overtax it.

Ember was the first person close to Sawyer who had gone through pregnancy and now delivery. He was worried about her, and Jade seemed to pick up on it.

She took his hand. “She’s going to be fine. Women deliver babies all the time.”

“I know. But this is Ember. Dad’s wife. I don’t think he or the family could—”

“Don’t even put that out into the universe. She’s going to be fine.”

He nodded and sighed. “I hope so.”

“You’re going to be a big brother soon.”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

She nudged him. “What do you think it’s going to be?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Come on. I know you’ve thought about it.”

“I’d like it to be a boy. But a girl would be fine, too.”

She squeezed his hand. “I guarantee it will be one of those two.”

He laughed. “That much I know.”

When Jake came into the room, they both stood, and Sawyer asked, “How’s she doing?”

“She’s in labor. The doctor thinks it will be a while, though.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Jake put a hand on his shoulder. “Go on home. We’ll be here at least until morning. Probably most of the day tomorrow.”

“Okay. If you need anything, just call.”

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