Page 40 of Jaded Red

“I never want to see one of these again, for as long as I live. Who thinks having your ass hanging out is a good idea? Not me.” I grumble.

“But it’s a sexy ass that I don’t mind seeing hanging out.” Matt kisses me on the lips.

“I love you,” I say after we break apart.

“I love you, too, Pulchra,” Matt answers, his face turning a light shade of red. Hmm… I think when his heart races, his face burns. I’ll have to store that away for later.

Amber comes back out of the bathroom carrying a large sheet and slides a pair of latex gloves on. “Ok, Nadia, lean back and put your feet in the stirrups.” I do as she asks as she drapes a sheet over my lower half. “Now, you’re going to feel slight pressure. I’m checking the cervix and seeing how the baby is doing. Did your water break?”

“Yes, that’s what started the contractions,” I answer. Amber presses her fingers inside of me and pushes on my lower abdomen. “Slight pressure my ass. I feel like I’m on fire down there.”

“Your cervix is almost fully dilated. We’re past the point for pain meds.” Amber checks a few other things on the monitors hooked up to me. “It won’t be long now. Do you want to hear the baby’s heartbeat?”

I nod my head and Amber pushes a button. A slow and steadywhoosh, whoosh, whooshfills the room. “Wow.”

“Wow is right,” Matt repeats.

“Don’t freak out, but each time you have a contraction, his heart rate will slow down dramatically and the readings on the sheet will increase. This will give us a more accurate idea of where you are to deliver. Then when it’s over, it’ll speed up and then settle back to normal. When it doesn’t go back to normal or the heartbeat increases during a contraction, that’s when we have a problem.”

“Thank you, Amber.” I praise the doctor.

“Don’t thank me yet. The hard part hasn’t started yet. Would you like me to get Kensi now?”

“Yes, please.”

“Ok, I’ll be right back.” Amber discards her gloves, washes her hands, and then leaves the room.

“Crap, Matt. We don’t have anything ready for him. No names were picked out, and no nursery was set up. Nothing is ready.” I cry.

“Shh…” Matt smooths my hair back. “The prospects are being bossed around right now by a few Ol’ Lady’s making sure everything is ready for us.”

“Thank you.” I lean back and close my eyes. I’m exhausted as hell.

“Want to hear something else?”

I pop an eye open and turn my head. “What?”

“Capone has agreed to purchase the land around the Clubhouse and we’re all going to build houses on it. That way we’re still safe and have more room for our expanding families.”

“Wow. That’s what you got out of our conversation earlier?”

“Yup. I want my woman and child or children to have the absolute best, while still being protected by the Club. What do you think? Want to pick out floor plans with me later?”

I think about it for a moment, “Hmm… maybe?”

“What do you mean maybe?” Matt places his hands on his hips giving me a pointed look. The blush creeps up his neck.

Yup, when I get him riled, that blush I love comes back with a vengeance. I try to hide my giggle but fail. I pull Matt to me and make him sit on the bed. He wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. “Of course, I’ll pick out floor plans with you. But first, we need to have a baby.”

Matt leans down and kisses me hard on the lips. We’re a mess of tongue, teeth and moans when another contraction hits. “Shit.” I pull away from his lips and after several minutes of breathing through the pain it stops. We listen intently as thebaby’s heart rate speeds up and then slows back down. “Wow, that one was intense.”

Kensi and Doctor Amber knock on the door before coming in. “Hey, are you ready to meet your little guy?” Kensi asks.

“I’m more than ready,” I respond smiling.

“Not to freak you out, Nadia but you need to understand that this baby will be in NICU for a while until he can feed and maybe breathe on his own, depending on how his lungs are developed. He’s premature and while he might be healthy, he will need to be monitored. I’d rather you know now, than after he’s born and taken right up to NICU.” Amber looks uncomfortable with this news but I can’t blame her. No one wants to tell a soon-to-be mother and father, that they can’t hold their baby right after it’s born.

“Thanks, Doc,” Matt responds. He squeezes my shoulders. “It’ll all work out, Pulchra. We have to trust it. With everything you went through to bring him here, now it’s the doctor’s job to keep him here.” He kisses my head. “Besides, he’s a Phillips. They’re too stubborn to give up.”

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