Page 64 of The MC's Surprise
Sierra
Panic bubbled just under the surface. I thought I had a few more weeks to get ready. I hadn’t even bought half of what I needed yet. I’d been waiting for my paycheck before even looking. Justin didn’t have his house yet, and my parents’ place wasn’t set up for a baby. There wasn’t even a car seat installed in the car.
I wasn’t ready.
A few stray tears slipped over my cheeks as I clutched my seatbelt. Justin was calm, at least that’s how he appeared, his hand on the back of my headrest as he swung out of the parking spot and headed for the hospital. Once we were on our way, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, keeping his eyes on the road as he put it on speaker to call my mom.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mrs. Martin.”
It must’ve been in his tone, because Mom was quick to pick up on the tension. “What happened?”
“We think her water broke. We’re on our way to the hospital now. Can you meet us there?”
“I’m on my way. Am I on speaker? Can she hear me?”
Justin glanced at me, flashing me a sympathetic look before turning to the road again. “She can hear you, but she’s pretty freaked out right now.”
“I’ll bet,” Mom said. “Sierra, baby, it’s going to be alright.”
“It’s too early,” I croaked out before the tears started to fall even harder. We were supposed to have three more weeks. That was almost a whole month early. Had I done something to cause this? Was something wrong with my baby?
Justin set his phone on my leg so he could rub my back soothingly while Mom tried to talk me down.
“Don’t panic. Some babies are just eager to come into this world. You were a week early yourself. Always in a hurry, just like now. I bet this one will give you a run for your money.”
I huffed a watery laugh at the reminder. Mom always said she should’ve known I was in a hurry to experience life when I came out early. Apparently my baby was of the same mind.
“I’m on my way. I’m gonna hang up and call your daddy, give him a list of things he needs to bring to make you comfortable, alright? Will you be okay while I do that?”
I nodded, forgetting she couldn’t see me. Vegas answered for me.
“She’s good. I’ve got to call Mel anyway. I’ll keep you updated on where they put us.”
“Thank you, Justin. You’re a good boy. Don’t forget to call your mama and tell her the baby is on its way. Don’t keep her out of the loop again.”
He winced, which helped a little in making me relax. “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll call her once I’ve got Sierra settled and comfortable.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up. We were already pulling into the hospital parking lot when he got a chance to call Mel, who answered on the first ring.
“What’s up?”
“Mel, are you working today?”
She went quiet for a moment before she replied with a suspicious tone. “What did you do? I’m not in the mood to clean up road rash today. I swear you guys are trying to put me off ground beef for life and Xander said he wanted burgers for dinner.”
Justin rolled his eyes. “Nothing like that. We think Sierra’s water broke. We’re parking now.”
“Go straight to labor and delivery,” she instructed, all serious now. “Do you need a wheelchair? What floor did you park on? I can meet you there.”
“Second floor,” he answered as he pulled into a spot as close to the doors as possible. “See you in a minute.”
He turned in his seat, reaching to tuck a hair behind my ear. “Okay, sweetheart. Just a little farther. We’ll figure it all out soon, alright?”
My bottom lip wobbled and I sank into it when he pulled me into a hug. I felt more out of my depth than when I found out my company was falling apart. I had been avoiding looking at the birth part of the parenting book my mom gave me. It was too terrifying to think about.
He kissed the top of my head and carefully urged me to sit up. “Let me get your door. You just stay here.”
