Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Second babies often are,” Quinn soothed. “And you were likely in early labor all day and didn’t even realize.”
“Is Mom gonna be okay?” Teddy called out as Ramona groaned again.
“Your mom is doing great. Bet you’ll have a sister before midnight though.” Quinn laughed, but his eyes were still serious and locked on Ramona. She’d was way too much of a planner to not find out the baby’s sex, wanting the name and nursery all settled.
“Quinn.” Ramona sounded genuinely panicked now.
“Yes?” Quinn rushed to put an arm around her, glancing toward the hall where Darren was hurrying back with Ramona’s bags.
“I’m having a baby. For real.”
“Yes, you are,” Quinn agreed with the same tone he probably used with hyper kids and worried older folks at the clinic alike. “This is definitely the real deal.”
“We’re having a baby. Tonight.” Darren sounded more than a little amazed.
“No. I mean right now. Like right now.” Ramona clutched at Quinn’s sleeve like she was trying to shake some sense into him.
“Okay. New plan.” Quinn was decisive and calm, and I was damn impressed at how he was keeping his cool. “Adam can stay with Teddy. I’ll ride with you and Darren in case this goes fast on the drive there. I’ll call ahead—”
“You’re not listening. I…oh God.” Ramona almost collapsed as another contraction hit, leaning heavily on Quinn as Darren dropped the bags and propped up her other side. “Now. It’s coming now. I’m not ready.”
“We’ve got this. Promise,” Quinn assured her before turning his head back toward me. “I’m going to help Ramona to her bed. Adam, get my emergency kit from my car. Darren, call 911. Tell them baby’s on the way in a hurry, but you’ve got a doctor here.”
“That’s right. You’re a doctor.” Darren was possibly more panicked than Ramona. “You’ve done this?”
“Yes. And so has Ramona.” Quinn led her toward her room as I raced out to Quinn’s SUV at top speed, grateful that I had a key to it from when my old truck had broken down. I grabbed the kit he kept under the seat and hightailed it back inside. Ramona was on the bed now, panting and sweating.
“I think…want to push.” She groaned low, and I hurt right along with her.
“Is she—”
Quinn cut me off with a warning look as he snapped on a pair of gloves. “She’s doing great. Definitely going to be soon though. You check on Teddy and find some baby blankets or clean towels.”
“How is this happening so fast?” Darren asked from behind me. I didn’t blame the poor guy for sounding so freaked out. This was going Hollywood movie fast, absolutely nothing like the long day that had led to Teddy’s eventual arrival with a whole room of medical personnel cheering Ramona’s every push.
Now there was only Quinn and his intense concentration, every bit of attention on Ramona, almost as if he were making an effort to block out my and Darren’s panic. He needed us to hold it together, so I put an arm around Darren, drew him into the room.
“Deep breath, man.” I patted his back. “Go hold her hand. Quinn’s got this.”
I hoped like hell I was right. And it was Darren’s turn to do the hand-holding, but still, my chest panged. Passing of the torch or something, and my sinuses burned as I quickly checked on Teddy, turning the volume on his movie up. I looked out on the porch, but no ambulance yet, not even sirens. The rain was really coming down now too, damn it.
I rushed back to the bedroom with a stack of baby blankets I’d grabbed from the nursery. Quinn was partially blocking my view of Ramona, and Darren was next to her on the bed. I was glad he was sitting because dude was seriously pale.
“One more. She’s almost here, Ramona. One more,” Quinn urged, and then the best sound in the entire world ripped through the room, a high-pitched, angry-as-hell baby wail. A moment later, Quinn was holding a tiny, wriggling infant and he looked every ounce as amazed as Ramona and Darren, who were both crying.
“Oh my God. I did it,” Ramona said through her tears, beaming even as she wept.
“You did.” Quinn took one of the blankets from me and loosely wrapped the baby as he set her on Ramona’s stomach. “She’s beautiful.”
“And loud,” Teddy said from under my arm, having appeared at the last minute to greet his new sister. “I hear sirens.”
“Let them in,” Quinn ordered, voice still in charge, but there were tears in his eyes too. He only turned toward us for an instant before giving all his attention back to the baby, but in the brief instant our eyes met, I saw an entire universe of emotions in his eyes. Wonder. Fear. Amazement. Love. I wasn’t ever going to forget his expression right then.