Page 4 of Luke

He let out a sigh of relief when he saw an ambulance pull into his driveway, followed by another vehicle. His brother was walking toward him, and he knew he’d never hear the end of this.

“Luke?”

“Everything’s alright, Beau. A woman just happened to have her baby in my driveway.”

“What?” Beau furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Yeah, I saw her car in the driveway as I was pulling in and went to check on her. She was in labor in the back seat.”

“Is she okay?”

“I think so. The paramedics will take care of her.”

“Luke!” she called out for him.

He rushed over to where she was lying on a stretcher and took her hand.

“I’m here,” he reassured her.

“Thank you for helping me.”

“It was no problem,” Luke replied sincerely. “If you were on your way to your sister’s place in Seattle, where will you stay now?”

She hesitated before responding, “I’ll figure something out. I won’t be able to travel for a while.”

Luke reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and handed her one of his business cards.

“If you need any help, don’t hesitate to call. All my contactinformation is on the card. Let me get your purse and keys.” He ran back to her car, retrieved her purse, and took the keys from the ignition, then jogged back to the ambulance and placed them next to her on the stretcher. “How about I keep your keys and get your car to the hospital. You’ll need it.”

“Yes, please. Thank you so much,” she said with tears streaming down her face.

“You’re welcome. Take care of yourself and your daughter, okay? Have you chosen a name for her yet?”

“Leah Grace,” she replied, her voice trembling.

“That’s a beautiful name. I wish you both the best in life, Bryce. And please remember, don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.”

“I will, thank you.” She held onto his hand until they lifted the stretcher and placed it into the ambulance. As they closed the doors, she waved goodbye to him.

****

Tears streamed down Bryce’s face as she held her baby girl in a tight embrace. She was overwhelmed with gratitude for Luke’s assistance but couldn’t help feeling unsure if she would ever see him again. She glanced down at the card in her hand bearing the emblem of the Montana Department of Livestock and the name“Luke McCallister.”She knew she could never thank him enough.

“Ma’am are you okay?” a paramedic asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes, thank you,” Bryce replied.

“We’ll take you to the hospital right away. You and your baby girl will be taken care of there.”

Bryce nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

At the hospital, she was taken to a room while her baby underwent examinations by doctors. She already missed holdingher close.

A young woman entered the room with a laptop on a cart and a warm smile. “Hello, I’m here to gather some information about you and your daughter.”

Bryce nodded and provided all necessary details and insurance information. She sure hadn’t expected to have her baby in Montana.

“And what is the father’s name?”

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