Page 149 of Playing For Keeps
I place my hands on the back of my hips and stretch my stomach. “Why don’t Mel and I hang out here for another fiveminutes. If another one like the last one hits, I’ll hand the reins over to you?”
“Good plan. Do you have your hospital bag here?” He glances around my office.
“It’s in the car, but let’s wait—” My water breaks, and not just a trickle down my leg.
A geyser gushes from between my thighs.
It splashes all over Jami’s and Melanie’s shoes. Melanie jumps back with a gasp, and Jami’s head snaps from his toes up to my now freaking-out expression.
The muscles over my ribs tighten but then a smile breaks free. “Well, I guess we have our answer.”
“Holy shit! I’ll get your bag out of the car.” Jami grabs my keys off my desk and runs out of the room.
Mel laughs and hugs me. “You owe me a pair of shoes and a night out, but that can wait for a while. Right now, I’m so excited to find out if it's a boy or girl. You guys deciding to not find out the sex has been torture.”
She releases me, and my stomach squeezes me like it’s in a vise grip. I bend over and grunt out the surprising pain.
“Oh my god, Mel.” I grab her arm, digging my fingers into her skin. “I’m scared. I don’t think they’re supposed to hurt this much so early on in labor.”
“You’re doing fine, Mama. Just breathe.”
I ride out another contraction, sucking in a deep breath. “That came on too fast. Something is wrong.”
Jami’s knuckles are white as he turns the wheel into the hospital parking lot.
His wild glance hooks with mine. “Can you walk, orshould I take you right to the emergency room so someone can help us?”
“The contractions are coming too fast and too strong. I think we need help.” Adrenaline courses through my body.
My pregnancy has been a breeze other than our fear of losing it, but Dr. Maddox has been fantastic. If I have questions, she’s always ready to answer. And if she’s been unavailable for some reason, she has her physician’s assistant call.
I got pregnant the first month we were married. Jami’s convinced it happened on our honeymoon, saying he justknewthe second he came inside me. I swear I’m the most fertile woman alive.
Jami’s been a doting husband, giving me rubdowns and making sure I’m comfortable. It’s brought us closer than I could’ve imagined.
He talks to my stomach all the time, asking the baby how it’s doing. He even plays music, like Mozart, in the background while we cook dinner and talk, saying he read somewhere it’s good for infants.
But now I’m terrified. It’s only been a half hour since my water broke, and I feel like I’m going to die from the pain.
Jami pulls up to the emergency room doors and jumps out of the car.
He peeks his head in. “Stay here, and I’ll get someone to come get you.”
“Please hurry. I don’t want to be alone.”
He nods and runs off. It’s not twenty seconds before another death grip squeezes me like it’s trying to break me in half. Tears form from the agony bearing down on me.
I try to remember how to breathe, but everything I’ve learned from my birthing classes has left my brain. I shift, trying to escape the misery, but that makes it worse.
I scream out, “Jami!”
It feels like forever before he and two men in scrubs run toward the car with a wheelchair in tow.
Jami gets to me first. “Let me help you out of the car.”
“I can’t do this. It’s too much.” I take his hand as he guides me out of the car. “Is Dr. Maddox ready for us?”
“I’m sure she is, and we’re going to take care of you, so try to focus on that.” He wraps his arm around my waist and assists me out of the car.
