Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“I might.” His gaze didn’t soften. “Stay.”
“Yes, master,” I bit out.
The second Pops was out of my sight, I wanted to call him back. The cramping pain in my abdomen had me gripping my belly and doubling over. I had to spread my legs so my belly could fit between my thighs.
Which was when I saw what I’d been wanting to deny.
“Fuuuuuck…”
Not three minutes later -- I knew because I was counting -- Pops popped his head up over the side and hurried up the ladder. When he fully took in my appearance, he froze.
“Mama?”
“What!” I snapped. Because the first really, really bad pain hit me.
“Maybe I’ll just make you a nest. Seems we might need it soon.”
“Don’t say it!” I snarled. “Do not say it.”
“Ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Not a Goddamned word.” Yeah. Pops got the severity of the situation. He hurried back down the ladder to get the rest of our things. It took him two minutes this time. Again, I was keeping count.
“Still with me, Mama?” Pops’s gaze found mine the second his head was over the ledge on his way back up to the loft.
“Right here.” I groaned, gripping my belly with one hand while the other arm braced my weight on the crate.
“Can you give me two more minutes?” He didn’t stop to see if I had two minutes to give, but set about making me a little nest to use as a bed while I…
“Sure. Take all the time you need.” I tried to be flippant but was pretty sure any humor came out a little maniacal.
“Christ!” Pops swore as he finished. The second he moved me, what I’d been trying to ignore the past ten minutes became impossible to confront. “When did your water break?”
“Um, I’m not really sure?”
“Let’s get you undressed so you can be comfortable as you can be. Then I’ll get the rest of it ready.”
“Might want to hurry.” This time, I couldn’t contain the cry that tore from my throat. The pain was nearly unbearable. Nothing I’d ever experienced prepared me for what just hit me.
“Yep.” Pops’s curt reply was all I heard before the pain crested. Someone let out a long, pained yell before gentle hands pulled me upright so they could pick me up and carry me to the nest.
Pops moved over me, propping my head up and putting a blanket over my naked body. I’d put a birthing kit together shortly after we’d left Somerset several months ago. Everything we’d need to deliver this baby ourselves was in a backpack I’d taken great care with. Blankets. Surgical scissors. Umbilical clips. And a gentle cleanser to clean the child after she was born. Because there was no way I wasn’t having a girl. Just to annoy Pops. It was the least he deserved for knocking me up and making me go through this horrid pain…
Another hole was ripped in my abdomen. At least, that’s what it felt like. The contraction seemed to go on forever and it felt like something was trying to tear me apart from the inside out.
“Mama?” Pops hurried to kneel in front of me, crouching so he could see the gaping maw where a watermelon was trying to push its way out of my fucking pussy!
“Get this fuckin’ thing outta me! Fuckin’ shit!” I yelled, then strained as I screamed. Pops reached between my legs just as I pushed a second time.
“Hold up! Hold up!”
“Don’t you fuckin’ tell me to fuckin’ hold up! What the fuck, Pops? You fuckin’ hold up!” And I pushed again. Until Pops smacked the inside of my leg.
“I said stop!”
“How the fuck am I supposed to do that!”
“You can. Hold your breath five seconds.” Then he proceeded to count while he got everything ready to bring our child into the world. I’d coached him on this at least a hundred times. Gone over every possible scenario I thought I could teach him to help me live through it. I knew what he was doing down there and why he was instructing me not to push and enforcing his order. But Goddamn, nothing had ever hurt this bad or been this urgent! I’d delivered a few babies in country, but this was nothing like they teach you. And Goddamn them for not accurately describing the kind of pain a woman is in when she births a baby anyway! Buncha Goddamned motherfuckers every fuckin’ one of ‘em.
“OK, now push, Mama. Push!” Pops was looking down where his hands were between my legs. As he told me to push, he got this big shit-eating grin on his face. Which was just a little bit more than I was ready to take.
So I kicked him in the face. The bastard just took it and laughed. So, I kicked him again.
“Go ahead, little mama. Kick me if you gotta. But I’d really like to meet my son.”