Page 97 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“Oh.” His brows scrunched together as he took in the scene: me, slightly bent over, trying to concentrate on breathing while not thinking about the next sharp pain coming from my uterus. “Oh! Shit, this is real, isn’t it? We’ve got to get you to the hospital, Jo.”

“I… I can’t walk.”

“Where’s your phone?” He reached inside my dress pocket before I replied. Waving my hand at him and catching the next breath before another sharp pain tore through me, I took a few steps to the tree at the side of the road and leaned against it.

“Jo, your battery’s dead.”

“Then get your phone.”

My lungs would only allow short and shallow breaths. Why was this happening so fast? I struggled to suck in more air.

“It’s at the fire station.”

“What good is it there?”

“Well, yours is here and that doesn’t do us any good now, does it?” He cocked his head to the side with a smug smile on his face.

“Never mind. Ahh!” The contractions were coming closer and way too quickly. What happened to the twenty-four-hour labor I’d been warned about? Well, there went my good feeling that the baby would wait until Molly was here.

“Oh, my God! Jo, we gotta get you to the hospital. And why does it feel like I’m repeating myself?”

“Carter, I don’t think we have time for the hospital.”

“Okay, wait here while I go get Doctor Burke.”

I grabbed his shirt near the collar and pulled him to me, hoping the threatening look of a crazy woman in labor was enough to keep him at my side. “Don’t you dare leave me.”

“Hold it in, Jo.”

“That’s impossible. I need to push.”

“Whoa! Let’s get you sitting.” He took me under my arm and helped me down. I leaned back against the tree trunk and wiped the sweat off my brow.

“Take my underwear off,” I said.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that,” he winked, but when I threw him a dirty look, he became serious again.

“Once this baby is born, we will never speak of this moment again, do you understand me?” I lifted my skirt up to my knees, bent them, and pointed to my underwear.

“Yes, of course.” Carter pulled them off while his gaze darted up to the tree above us.

“It’s not going to fall out of a bird’s nest, Carter.”

“Just trying to give you some dignity.”

“Fuck dignity. I want this baby out!” I screamed, and Carter jumped up.

“I heard this happened to women, and I completely understand if you want to take your anger out on me, but Jo, as much as I want to help you, I don’t know what to do.”

“Catch the baby.”

I pushed.

“You said not to catch it.”

“That was when I wasn’t in labor. Catch the baby, Carter. I swear if you let it fall to the ground, I will kill you.”

“Got it. Catch the baby.” Carter removed his shirt. I didn’t quite know why, but I didn’t have time to ask because the next contraction came.

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