Page 100 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“Why don’t you lay on your side, and I can rub your back for you? Anything to make my girl comfortable.”
“Would you? That would be amazing.” She smiled. “I love you so much, Lincoln.”
“I love you too, Harper.”
She got up and placed a handful of blankets down on the couch, one piled on top of the other. “Babe, what are you doing?” I asked.
She frowned. “My hip is bothering me. I’m hoping if I cushion it better, it won’t hurt.”
I ran my hands over the top to smooth the blankets out, and helped her lay down on her side, her back facing me. “You comfortable?” I asked.
“Mm-hm, this feels better already.”
I pulled her hair away from her neck and placed tiny little kisses down her neck. I loved how she shivered at my touch. There was nothing better than knowing I could turn her on with a touch or a kiss. I caressed her shoulders, her upper back, and then settled on her lower back.
Harper let out a little moan. “You keep that up, I’m going to want my massage with a happy ending.”
“Anything you want, beautiful.” My fingers continued to knead her back, trying to give her relief.
This time she let out a groan. “Right there.”
I pressed harder, moving my hand in tight circles in the area she’d indicated when her body stiffened, and she gasped. It was then I noticed the top blanket looked wet. “Uh, Harper, did you ... ?” It looked like her bladder let go. The blanket was soaked.
“My water broke.”
“Your water? Oh, my God, your water broke. We have to get you to the hospital.” I helped her sit upright. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. Can you get my go bag and a change of underwear and new pants?”
“Of course.” I ran to get the things she requested.
As she changed out of her wet clothes in the middle of our living room, I packed our go bag and her purse in the car. “I’m going to call the doctor and let her know we’re on our way.”
“Good idea.” Harper smiled. “See? We’ve got this.”
We’d discussed at length if we thought we’d be like the couples portrayed on TV that ran around like crazy when the woman’s water broke.
We high-fived as she walked into the kitchen and got out a loaf of bread. Now this wasnotsomething we discussed. “Harper, what’re you doing?”
She smiled serenely at me. “Making a sandwich or two to eat on the road.” She pulled together cheese, lettuce, and her favorite mayo and slapped it together between the bread.
Hot damn, she really was making a sandwich.
She must have caught my perplexed expression. “Honey, a friend of mine said once I get to the hospital, I can’t eat until the baby’s born. That could be two hours from now or twenty. I’m eating while I can.”
I grinned. “That makes sense.” I grabbed her a bottle of water, and we headed out to the car. It was time to meet our little girl.
***
HARPER SLUMPED AGAINSTthe hospital bed. Her face was damp with sweat and she panted as the pain grew worse. My hand still hurt from the last time she gripped it.
The scent of lavender from the essential oil diffuser permeated the room, and calming music played in the background. Not that I’d say anything, but none of it seemed to keep Harper calm once the contractions got worse.
I brushed back the hair that had fallen out of the elastic and tucked it behind her ear. “You’re doing great, babe.”
She grunted and held her breath as another contraction tightened her belly. One of the monitors Harper was hooked up to showed me each time she had a contraction. Although, at this point, I knew based on her reaction. “Lincoln, I can’t do this. It hurts too much.”
Her wide, pain-filled eyes had me feeling powerless. There was nothing I could do to alleviate what she was feeling. I kissed her forehead. “How can I help?”
