Page 140 of Samuel

“Jesus, Evie. How long has that been happening?”

“All day,” she groaned. “That one was the worst.”

“All day?” She forced herself to look up at Sam, afraid of the anger she was about to see for keeping the contractions to herself. But there wasn’t anger. Only concern. “Do you want to sit down?”

She stared up at him, blinking, while she tried to understand the warm and wet sensation she was feeling between her legs. Did her bladder just lose control? What if she was bleeding again?

“What? Don’t do that, baby. Don’t be silent. You’re scaring me.”

“Can you help me to the bathroom?”

“Of course.”

Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they made their way from the barn back towards John and Abby’s house. Each step was compounding the pain radiating through her back, and by the time they reached the bottom of the steps at the back of the house, Evie was feeling that familiar squeezing sensation take hold again.

“Wait…” she moaned.

“Another one? I think I need to run back to the ranch and get our things.”

“I t-think I need to go with you.”

They started the walk back, their pace slow and steady.

Evie felt a popping sensation low in her belly, and then a rush of warm wetness ran down her legs. She grabbed ontoSam’s arm, her hands shaking with the realization of what just happened. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Sam wasn’t even trying to hide his concern. “What, baby? You’re freaking me out.”

“My water just broke.”

“Shit. Okay. Okay. This is fine. We’re fine. Are you fine? Do you need to sit down? Wait… do you need to change? How are you going to get upstairs? Should I carry you back to the ranch? You’re twelve months pregnant and I don’t know what to do.”

Evie laughed. Right there in her soaked dress, knowing another contraction was building and she was going to have to brave through it, she laughed.

“I’m fine. I’m only nine months pregnant, by the way, although this pregnancy does feel like it’s been a year long.” Sam turned as red as a beet, which only made Evie laugh harder.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. But we need to get going.”

Sam placed a kiss on her forehead before they started walking back to the ranch again.

“Hey, guys. Everything okay?” Jake’s voice came from a short ways away when they were halfway down the driveway. “I saw you both take off, thought I’d check in. Evie, are those contractions getting closer together?”

Sam tightened his hand on her arm and pinned her with an accusatory gaze.

“Why the hell did Jake know you were having contractions but I didn’t?”

“Because…” Her teeth ground together. “I knew Jake would help if we needed it, and he wouldn’t be freaked out all night.”

“Give me some credit.”

“Shall I recite back the monologue of epic freak outproportions… you just gave…when you had to… oh,” Evie started to scream, but bit down on her lips before it could escape.

“Breathe, Evie. You’re amazing, baby. We’re going to meet Jellybean soon.”

This couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t supposed to steal the spotlight from John and Abby. Jellybean was meant to wait. She was supposed to…

“I’m trying to get her back across the road.” Sam’s voice drifted in and out of her mind.

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