Page 75 of Lost Lyrics

“Has your water broken?”

“No.” She winced and keeled forward. “Lew, our baby is coming. My contractions are five minutes apart.”

“Fuck. Okay.” I blinked and wiped the sleep from my face.Yep, I’m awake. The bright LED light from the clock on the nightstand burned my retinas. 2:23 a.m.I got this.

I swung my legs off the bed, but paused. I turned back to Tia, leaned over, and kissed her. Excitement and fear skipped through her gorgeous green eyes. It did the same in the base of my gut. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m fucking terrified. Somehow, this thing has to come out of me.”

Yeah. I wasn’t looking forward to that part either.

She flicked her finger toward the walk-in closet. “Just help me get changed, grab our bags, and let’s go.”

“On it.” I dashed across the room, changed, and grabbed Tia her favorite stretchy comfy sweatpants and hoodie. Tia had packed and prepared her hospital bag. I hadn’t. I zoomed around the room and stuffed a few things into an overnight bag. In less than five minutes, we were dressed and out the door.

As I drove out of the Hills toward the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, my pulse hadn’t returned to normal. Not sure it would. This was it. Today, we’d meet our baby. I reached over and rubbed Tia’s thigh. “Are you ready for our lives to change?”

“Too late if I’m not.Arrrrgh!” she cried as her hands circled her belly. “Fuck! It hurts.”

“Hold on, Tee. We’re nearly there.”

With my foot to the floor, I broke every speed limit on the way to the hospital.

We’d called ahead and were met at the front door by a nurse waiting with a wheelchair. While Tia was taken to the delivery ward, I sped our Mercedes to the parking garage, pulled into an empty space, and sprinted back to the reception area with our bags in hand. Tia had just finished checking in when another contraction hit.

She glanced at her watch. “They’re three minutes apart.”

“Okay.” Nurse Loretta patted and rubbed Tia on the shoulder. “Let’s get you onto a bed and see where you’re at.”

I followed the nurse wheeling Tia through a set of secure double doors and into a monitoring room. I dropped our bags just inside the door, then helped Tia to stand. After she changed into a hospital gown, she clambered onto the bed. As the nurse attached a heart-rate monitor to Tia’s finger, Tia clenched her teeth, grabbed her belly, and cried. It was so loud, I was sure she woke the rest of the band miles away. “Arrrrgh! Get this thing out of me.”

I wished I could. My ribs ached with every breath. I’d been to all of Tia’s obstetrician appointments. Watched our baby grow day by day. I had the 3D image from one of our baby’s scans saved as the background image on my phone, but we didn’t know whether we were having a boy or a girl.

I’d read every baby book Tia had bought. I knew what was supposed to happen at every stage. We’d visited the hospital, so we knew where to come on the day. But nothing had prepared me for the pain spearing Tia’s cries when her contractions hit. It jolted my stomach, flooded me with nausea, stabbed my chest, and filled me with total hopelessness.

“Tee?” I kissed her forehead. “Can I get you anything? Water? A cold cloth? Want me to rub your back?”

“No.” Tia grimaced, grabbed my hand, and gripped it tight. “Just don’t leave me for a second.”

Fuck!Did she have to crush my fingers? Clearly...yes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

After attaching more monitors and cables to Tia, the nurse turned to me. “I need to check how far along Tia is. Would you mind stepping outside for a second?”

Tia shook her head. “No. He stays. He’s seen everything down there.”

“True.” A sly smile slid across my lips. “I’m here for all of it.” Except the smell of hospital disinfectant and the sight of medical equipment. Wooziness ran through my head in a feverish wave. If I kept my focus on Tia, I’d be fine.Hopefully.

“As you wish.” Loretta slipped on a pair of disposable gloves and draped a sheet over Tia’s waist. “Tia? I need you to pull up your knees, then widen them.”

I happily stayed beside Tia’s head. Right then, I didn’t need to see everything.

Loretta’s hand disappeared beneath the sheet. Tia wincedand wriggled on the bed.

“Tia, you’re about eight centimeters dilated.” Loretta ripped off her plastic gloves, tossed them into the trash can, and then washed her hands at the sink. “This baby wants out. We need to get you into a delivery room.”

Holy shit!How long had Tia been in labor? She’d been fine when we went to bed at ten. She’d said her lower back was aching, but that wasn’t anything unusual. But clearly, it had been.

Tia lowered her legs and straightened her hospital gown over her tummy. “Don’t we have to call my doctor?”

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