Page 94 of Tuck & Roll

Dr. Peters covered her legs back up and moved his hands to her belly. “You’re dilating nicely.” As he was feeling around her stomach, there was a faint dip in his brows. It was faint and quick, but Tuck caught it. Dr. Peters stood and checked the monitor, his smile slipping slightly. He seemed awfully focused on one particular machine. “Let’s take a quick peek with the ultrasound before you start the epidural.”

“Is something wrong?” Tuck asked.

He pulled the ultrasound machine closer and got Taylor situated. He applied the jelly and then the wand, the baby easy to find. “Hmm.”

“Hmm, what? What’s wrong?” Taylor panicked.

“It would appear your baby has turned and is wanting to come out breech,” he explained as he wiped off her belly and pushed the machine to the side again.

“Breech? What’s that mean? Is my baby okay?” Taylor was getting worked up. The heartrate on the monitor was beeping more quickly in response to her panic.

“Taylor,” Dr. Peters squeezed her hand. “It’ going to be all right. The baby is healthy and fine. He just can’t come out bottom first. We’ll need to do a C-section. It’s the best way to deliver your baby right now. It will be easier and less stressful for both you and the baby.” He patted her hand again. “I promise. Everything is fine. This is a routine procedure. You and the baby will be back here in this room in no time.”

“Are you sure? If there was something wrong, you’d tell us, right?” Taylor begged.

“Of course. Please try to stay calm for the baby’s sake. I’m going to go get an OR lined up and we’ll get this little guy out so you can meet your boy.” He spoke with the anesthesiologist at the door before the other man exited the room. “I’ll send a nurse in to get you ready to transport to the OR. She’ll also show Dad where the waiting room is on that floor.” He smiled to both Taylor and Tuck, then slipped out.

“Oh my God! The baby is breech!” Another contraction hit, this time harder than any before.

“Taylor,” Tuck stood and went to her side. He grasped her hand and squeezed. “You have to stay calm for the baby. The doctor said everything is going to be fine. He wasn’t worried about anything, so take that as a good sign. Plus, he said if he had any concerns, he’d tell us.”

“Yeah,” she nodded her head through an exhale. “Yeah. You’re right. Everything will be fine.”

A nurse whisked into the room, closely followed by four others. “Okay, Dad. If you don’t mind stepping out into the hall, we’ll get Mom ready to take up to the OR. Once we head that way, you can follow us and one of us will point out the waiting room.”

In the hustle to get Taylor ready, Tuck snatched her cell phone off the rolling table one of the nurses pushed out of the way. He shoved it in his pocket and slipped into the hall. His phone started ringing and he hurried to answer it. “Hello?”

“Tuck, it’s Martin and Carol. We’re here. Where should we go?”

“They’re getting ready to take her to the OR. The baby has turned and it’s breech so they want to do a C-section. As soon as I find out where the waiting room is, I’ll come get you.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

He hung up and stepped out of the way so the nurses could get Taylor’s bed to swing out of the room. He followed behind the two nurses pushing her bed, stepping onto the elevator after them. He stepped off first to get out of their way, then followed them down another hall. One of the nurses pointed to where the waiting room was located and said someone would be out to let him know when the baby was here.

He thanked them and entered the room. Looking around, he discovered he was the only one in there. Good. It would give him more room to pace. If he was this nervous about Taylor having her baby, how nerve-wracking was it going to be when Kylie had his baby?

Taylor’s phone started ringing in his pocket. He fished it out and saw the name Michael pop up on the screen. Who the hell was this guy? He swiped to answer, but before he could utter a word, the man at the other end launched in. “Taylor? Where are you? I don’t know what set you off, but we can work this out.”

“This isn’t Taylor,” Tuck informed the man. “Who is this?”

“I’m Michael, Taylor’s fiancé. Who are you?”

“Tuck, the guy she’s trying to say is her baby daddy.”

“What the fuck? I’m the father,” Michael stated with conviction, not a single doubt that the baby was his. That meant Taylor had gotten knocked up not long after she left him then tried to come back and pass it off as his. He’d pretty much believed this to be true all along, but with Michael’s firm declaration that he was the father, Tuck got his confirmation.

Tuck grunted. “That’s what I thought. You’re positive the baby is yours?”

“Yes. Where is she?”

“She’s at the hospital. She’s in labor.” Tuck moved to stare out the window. The bright lights of the parking lot and surrounding the building kept the darkness at bay as a lone figure made their way to their car at the back.

“Where?”

“Redemption.”

“Colorado?”

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