Page 27 of Captive Bride

As another contraction hit, I leaned into him, my head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart. It was a drumbeat of life amidst the uncertainty, a reminder that even in the darkest hours, there was a pulse of hope flickering stubbornly within the shadows.

“You’ll be okay,” he said. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”

I didn’t believe him.

Chapter Twelve: Tristan

Things were going wrong…and they were going wrong fast.

I jerked forward, my lips finding Adriana's with the urgency of a man dangling on the precipice of panic and resolve.

The kiss was a silent vow, a fusion of my racing heart and her steady pulse, a quiet storm amidst the chaos.

"Stay with me, Ade," I muttered against her mouth, lingering for just a fraction of a moment longer than necessary to taste the assurance on her lips.

The onset of another contraction had her gasping, and I pulled away, reaching across the tousled sheets for my phone, my fingers betraying a slight quiver. My thumb pressed the screen and brought it to life, illuminating our dim room in Delaware, where the plush carpet had witnessed our laughter and now braced for her cries.

"Still here," I croaked into the receiver, the operator's voice a lifeline as I glanced at Adriana, her brow creased with determination and pain.

"An ambulance will be there soon. Stay on the line with me," came the reply, steady and sure through the speaker. “Tell me your name.”

“Tris–my name is Ash O’Connell, and my wife’s name is Adeline.”

“Okay. The ambulance is on its way.”

"Thank you," I said, locking eyes with Adriana, letting her see the raw edge of fear I usually kept buried deep beneath the surface of my calm exterior. But this time, I let it show, for she needed to see that even I, Tristan Callahan, could tremble at the thought of life's fragility—especially when it came to her and the lives we were about to welcome into our world.

“In the meantime, keep timing her contracts. Make sure to keep me informed.”

“Got it,” I said.

The world faded to nothing but the glow of my phone's screen as I scrambled to open the timer app. Adriana's breath hitched with another contraction, and my thumb jabbed at the start button. The seconds began to tick by—each one a tiny eternity as she squeezed my hand, her grip ironclad.

"Tristan," she gritted out, her voice a strained thread of sound.

"Right here, love." I kept my eyes on the timer, counting the moments until the contraction eased. Her hand relaxed marginally, and I hit stop, my heart hammering out a rhythm I wished I could silence. The time between her waves of pain was shrinking, drawing closer like a noose. We were running out of time.

"Okay, that was...what, three minutes?" I mumbled more to myself than to Adriana, trying to keep the edge from my voice as I reset the timer.

"Feels like less," she gasped, and I glanced up to catch the flicker of fear pass across her face before she masked it with a grimace.

"Let's see." My hands fumbled again, this time to restart the timer at the onset of the next wave, but I didn't have to wait long. Hardly a minute had passed when Adriana's body tensed once more, and I knew—this was happening fast, faster than we'd anticipated.

"Tris, they're coming so quick now," she whispered, her eyes finding mine in the silent plea for reassurance.

"Shit, already?" I cursed under my breath, my own anxiety a surging tide I struggled to contain. "One minute apart, Ade. It's nearly time. Where’s the ambulance?”

The operator sighed. “It’s on its way, Mr. O’Connell.”

“Well, why isn’t it coming faster? The contractions are getting faster.”

“The ambulance will be there soon. Now, I need you to stay calm and support your wife. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course," I answered, the lie rolling off my tongue with practiced ease. Calm was a stranger to me now, but for Adriana, I would fake it until it became my truth.

"Good. Make sure she's comfortable and encourage her to take slow, deep breaths between contractions. Keep her hydrated if possible, and don't try to move her unless she needs it. Can you manage that?"

"Got it." I set the phone down on speaker mode, freeing my hands to tend to Adriana. Her face was etched with both determination and pain—a duality I had come to know intimately. I wiped a bead of sweat from her brow, whispering encouragements that felt hollow in my mouth but carried the weight of promises we'd made.

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