Page 18 of Deadly Rescue
He shrugged, frowning.What?
She was going to kill him.
“And there’s no way anyone can get up here until the elevators are operational again,” Polly added, looking like she were figuring out a puzzle.
At Celina’s glower and Sophie’s horrified look, she cleared her throat, backtracked, and added cheerfully, “But that should be soon. Very soon. I’m sure there’s a backup generator to restore power to the hotel’s grid.”
“Absolutely.” Cooper snapped his fingers. “The power will be back on before you know it. Don’t worry, Sophia.”
Sophie groaned, not from a contraction, but from Cooper and Polly’shelpfuladvice. “Nelson is going to be so pissed if he isn’t with me when the twins come.I’mgoing to be pissed. I can’t do this without him.”
“Nelson can get over it,” Celina assured her friend. “These babies may not wait for their daddy, and you’re stronger than you think. You can and will do just fine.”
“Have you ever delivered a baby?” Polly asked Leo, fingers typing away at her tablet. “I can pull up a few videos if you need a crash course. Don’t we need hot towels? I think in every movie they always ask for hot towels, but damned if I know what they use them for.”
“Relax, Polly. I know how to deliver a baby.” Leo laughed, plucking the tablet from her shaking hands. “I’ve got this.”
Even though Celina knew it was more for Sophie’s benefit, his air of confidence was comforting. Besides, what choice did they have?
As Sophie gasped through the next contraction, Celina realized Leo was right. The babies were coming whether they were ready or not, and right now, Leo Garand was the only qualified person in the room to handle the job.
“But there aretwobabies in there,” Polly whispered to Leo as he moved around the room gathering the first aid kit and some towels. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
He drew her to the corner of the room and while they bickered, Celina focused on Sophie, helping her breathe through the contraction. The washcloth had slid off and landed on the floor, but Celina didn’t dare let go of Sophie’s hand as it squeezed hers.
Beads of sweat dotted Sophie’s forehead, and Celina gave Cooper a grateful smile when he appeared at her side with a damp hand towel in his grasp. “Thank you.”
“I don’t know….how….you did this,” Sophie gasped out, sighing in relief when the contraction finally subsided and she could breathe normally again.
Celina winked, dabbing the sweat from her forehead. “Piece of cake, Soph. Remember that mission where you were undercover with that cartel leader who loved snakes? Honey, you came out looking like a beauty queen. If you could handle that, you can sure as hell do this.”
“Your confidence is touching.” She looked doubtful, though the ghost of a smile curved her mouth.
Leo and Polly returned, Leo drawing the room’s small table next to the bedside as Polly fiddled with her tablet.
“What do you need me to do?” Cooper asked the doctor.
“I need to check and see if she’s dilated.” Leo’s eyes trailed over the bedding, a frown on his face. “And she’s going to need something sturdier to lean against. Those pillows aren’t going to give her enough support when we get down to business.”
Of course, Celina thought, having not even considered that. A hospital bed would have a firmer mattress and be able to support a laboring mother without compressing so much. These bed pillows wouldn’t have the same support. As soon as Sophie started pushing, they would cushion her body with each push rather than giving firm leverage.
“The couch,” Polly snapped her fingers, hustling to the couch and returning with two large couch cushions. “Will these work?”
“Yeah.” Leo smiled. “Those should do the trick.”
Celina tossed the regular pillows aside as Cooper supported Sophie, and Leo and Polly stuffed the couch cushions behind her. With the cushions in place, Cooper slowly lowered Sophie back against them, eyeing her warily for any signs of distress. “Okay?”
She nodded, eyes closed. “It’ll work.”
“I’m going to have you guys step into the hall while I check her.” Leo headed into the bathroom to scrub his hands. Cooper and Polly went for the door to give Sophie some privacy, but when Celina made a move to follow, Sophie caught her arm.
“Can you stay?” she asked, fearful eyes wide in her pale face. Up until this point, Sophie’s pregnancy had been fairly routine without complications. Now she was gearing up to give birth to twins in a hotel room. Not the worst place in the world, but it was far from ideal. There were risk factors involved in birthing multiple babies and these were not the best odds if something significant should arise.
“Of course,” Celina promised. She grabbed a chair and pushed it next to the bed. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to.”
Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Celina. Without Nelson here, I just don’t know how I’m going to get through this.”
“That’s easy,” Celina smiled, using the damp towel to smooth Sophie’s hair from her face. “You’ll give birth to these beautiful babies and become the kickass mom I know you’re going to be. Piece of cake.”
