Page 73 of The Christmas Eve Delivery

“No, I’m out of town. The on-call doctor at the birthing center will be handling Lydia’s delivery if she is in labor. I suggest you give them a call back. The birthing center will follow up with my office, so Lydia will be in good hands with them. You have a good Christmas.” And then she hung up on me.

I hated to say it, but I was pretty certain we were going to be on our own. And I was not impressed with her doctor.

“What did she say?” Lydia asked.

“Your doctor is out of town,” I told her.

“What are we supposed to do?” I could hear the panic rising in her voice.

35

LYDIA

Miles was frantically calling the birthing center and Dr. Rose. I could tell he was trying to be calm, but his voice was sharp and cutting. He wasn’t getting the answers he wanted. And if he wasn’t satisfied with the situation, I was afraid of what that meant.

He set the receiver down very slowly before lifting his gaze to meet mine.

“None of the calls are making it through. I think the phone lines are down. We were going to be on our own.”

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. Nothing hurt for the moment, but how long was that going to last?

“We have maybe five more minutes before your next cluster of contractions?” he asked.

I nodded. He came and sat next to me. “I’m not going until we get through this next round, okay?”

“What do you mean, going? You aren’t leaving me?” I clutched his arm.

“I’m—”

I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped his arm hard as the next wave of contractions hit.

He made soothing noises and tried to brush my hair back, but there really wasn’t anything he could do that would make the pain ease. I wanted to talk to him. We had things to discuss, but the pain took over and I no longer cared about anything he might have said or done. I needed him right now, and that’s what mattered the most. I was sweaty and panting when the contractions finally faded.

Miles stood and picked up his coat. “I’ll be back soon.”

“You’re going out into the storm?” I reached out for him. I didn’t want to be alone.

“You’re going to be fine,” he said. “You shouldn’t have contractions for another ten minutes. I should be back by then. I need to go and get some help.”

“You can’t leave me here alone,” I cried. “What if the baby comes?”

“It’ll only be for a few minutes, I promise. The baby isn’t going to come between the time I leave and go get Evie.”

“You’re getting Evie? Why don’t you just call her?”

“I can’t call. The phones are down. If there’s anyone in this town who should know how to help you, I would think it would be the librarian. She’s supposed to be this font of esoteric knowledge, right?”

“Evie does know a lot about… well, everything,” I admitted. Evie would know what to do, who to call. “Promise me you’ll come back.”

Miles placed his hands on either side of my face. “I promise you, I will come back. I’m only leaving long enough to go get Evie. I know I’ve made promises to you before, and you have very little reason to trust me, but I swear I will return. You are not having this baby without me right by your side. Let’s get you comfortable.”

Miles helped me into a more comfortable position on the couch. He put one of the throw blankets over my legs. He leaned over and gently pressed a kiss against my forehead. It felt natural and not like we had been fighting and not speaking to each other for months.

I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hurry.”

“I’ll be back.”

I stared at the door the entire time he was gone. It seemed to take him forever. I felt the panic well up like bile in the back of my throat. I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted Miles to come back and make everything better.

---