Page 135 of The Fiancé Hoax

Other than some false labor pains, the baby hadn’t given much indication he was ready to leave.

Ready for her afternoon shift, Inga walked into the living room and glanced at Felicity. Her eyes bulged at the sight of my very pregnant wife. “Hi, everyone. Felicity, how are you doing?”

“Right now, I'm starving. This baby is one hungry kid.”

Inga laughed and looked around the living room. “I see the girls had a dance recital.”

I nodded as I began to push the furniture back to its original place. “We've got a couple of budding dancers in the house.”

Inga helped me move the furniture as Felicity went to the kitchen. The girls followed her, debating about what kind of juice was better—apple or orange.

“Uh-oh.”

I froze.

“Daddy!” Eva called. I took off before she could say another word, my heart pounding.

“What is it?” I asked as I rounded the corner.

Felicity stood in the kitchen holding a carton of juice. She looked down to see a stream of water running between her legs.

“Um, I think Mommy had an accident,” Lily said gently.

“I didn't wet myself,” Felicity said. “My water broke.” She looked up at me with wide eyes.

This was it. Go time.

Behind me, Inga took one look and gave me a nod. “I'll be here with the girls. Keep me posted.”

The girls picked up on the tension. “What’s that mean? Her water broke?” Lily asked, concerned.

“It means she’s going to have the baby soon,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

As the girls cheered, I ushered Felicity toward the garage door. We had a bag packed and ready to go, and I hoisted the strap over my shoulder.

“Girls, we're going to the hospital now,” I announced.

“We can't go with you?” Lily asked.

“No.” I shook my head. “It could take a long time. Inga will drive you to the hospital when the baby is born.”

As I tried to steer Felicity out the door, she raised her hand to stop me. “We don't need to rush to the hospital right away. I'm not even having contractions yet.”

I shook my head. “I'm not taking any chances.”

“But I haven't even had my snack,” Felicity protested. “I don’t want to do this on an empty stomach.”

I grabbed the carton of juice she still held. Moving swiftly, I backtracked to the refrigerator. I grabbed a half gallon of milk, a few pieces of fruit, a package of lunch meat, cheese and a loaf of bread. I packed it all in an insulated cooler bag with ice packs. Finally, I tossed in silverware, napkins, and plastic cups.

Everyone watched me silently as I rushed around. Quickly, I returned to her side and opened the garage door, anxious to get on the road.

“You can eat on the way,” I said. “Plus, there are more snacks in the hospital bag. Let's go.”

The girls reached up to give her a quick hug.

“Good luck, Mommy,” Lily said, her arms wrapped around Felicity’s neck.

“Don't worry, Mom,” Eva said, using the name she’d started to call Felicity a few weeks ago. “You got this.”

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