Page 138 of Family Bonds: Coy & Angel

It didn’t take long before her parents and Spencer came over too. Helena was talking to the few remaining guests, but there weren’t many at this point. She started to wonder if Ava stayed last for a reason when she felt another stomach cramp.

“Did you feel that?” she asked. “It’s just a gas cramp.”

“No,” Ava said. “It’s a contraction. We need to get you to the hospital.”

And that was when all hell broke loose.

41

FEELING THE PRESSURE

Coy was pacing in the hospital after he drove like hell to get Angel there.

She’d yelled at him to slow down three times, but he needed to get there because he was shaking too much and had to get out of the car himself.

The last thing he expected was that she’d be taken in for an exam and he’d be left alone. Ava was on call so he felt some relief there.

But that was the only relief he felt.

“Relax, Coy,” his mother said to him.

“I can’t,” he said. “It’s too soon. She still has about eight weeks to go. And her heart. Everything all at once. Relaxing is impossible.”

His mother gave him a hug and brought him to a chair in a private waiting room that the family was in. Spencer was pacing just as much as he was and shooting fire at him out of his eyes every single time.

“Her heart is fine,” Barb said, moving over too. “You said that yourself after her last appointment.”

“But she has another one in two weeks,” Coy argued.

“And it’s highly doubtful anything changed in that time,” Barb said. “Let’s just wait and see what is going on.”

“Do you know why you went into labor early?” he asked Angel’s mother. He didn’t think he ever heard that story and wasn’t sure he wanted to. It didn’t bear thinking about.

“No,” Barb said. “There was no reason for it. Things just happen in the body that are a mystery. I didn’t have one problem with Spencer.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” he said.

“Coy,” his father said. “Let’s go take a walk.”

“I don’t want to leave. They might need me,” he said.

“They just brought her in,” his father said. “It’s going to be a bit to get her settled. You need some air.”

He wanted to argue he needed to be with his wife, but he followed his father out to the patio that wasn’t that far from the room they were in.

“I don’t know how you did this four times,” he said.

“I’m not going to lie to you. It doesn’t get any easier,” his father said.

“That’s not helping. I can’t even say you didn’t go through this early. You did.”

He didn’t want to think of the sister he lost. Angel was further along than his mother was. Even a month further along than Barb was.

“Angel is strong. She needs you to be strong for her. It’s early yet but not unheard of and we don’t know anything that is going on.”

“I know,” he said. “But what if something happens...”

“Don’t think that way,” his father said. “Not at all. You’re not doing anyone any good if you do.”

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