That made me laugh and then I groaned with the added stress on my abdomen. “Just like his dad, doesn’t like being told what to do, I guess.” I smiled at that thought and forgot the misery of being so pregnant.
That smile turned to another moan as I felt a cramp. “Damn!” I’d had Braxton hicks over the last week, but this one felt like someone stuck a knife in my belly.
Jack was instantly out of teasing mode and he moved closer to me. “You okay?”
Since the pain was splitting me in two, I shook my head. I couldn’t speak and instead closed my eyes doing the deep breathing exercises we’d learned in class. Jack wanted his child to come into the world without being drugged, so we’d planned on natural childbirth.
The pain subsided and my body relaxed. I shook my head, wondering if this baby would ever stop tormenting me. I finally felt comfortable when a pain even sharper than the one before, had me grunting out. “How far apart was that?” Maybe my little man was finally willing to escape his cave.
“Shit, I didn’t time.” He looked nervous as he grabbed his watch from the nightstand and I would have smiled but the pain hadn’t left yet.
When the grip of tension released me again I felt overwhelmed at the relief. “This really sucks.” I managed a tired laugh, wishing this had waited until morning. After all that hoping that this baby would come, now I was a little scared.
A few minutes later, that pain started up again I whimpered. “Jack! It hurts.” I expected him to do something. I had no idea what, but something.
“Okay baby, okay. Breathe through it, just like we practiced.” He held my hand and I squeezed as the pain took over any concern for his well-being.
I tried to remember my breathing, but hell, who could think about that when your insides felt ripped apart? “Make it stop!”
He waited until that contraction eased before picking up the phone. I’d never heard him so agitated and telling Dante to get his ass ready in the car was definitely out of character.
“We’re going to the hospital, now!” He helped me out of bed, almost getting my dress on before the next one hit. I clung to him desperately the pain so horrible, tears stung my eyes. “Fuck, baby, I’m sorry. Never again.” He held me up when I knew my knees were about to buckle from the agony.
He managed to get my dress on and lifted me in his arms, racing downstairs to the car, before my body was writhing in agony once again. “Drive, damn it!” Screaming at Dante, Jack held me in his arms and I felt the warmth of fluid flood his lap.
“My water broke.” I was having the brief respite and could speak without screaming. “I’m sorry.” I realized I’d just drenched him and myself.
“Screw my clothes. Are you okay?” Jack looked terrified. Never in all the time I’d known him had I ever seen him out of control. This was so not the time for him to lose his shit, I thought.
I almost told him that, but the contractions came again and I squeezed his neck as the pain wrenched through me horribly. I cried out at the intensity of that one and heard him screaming at Dante to drive faster.
Thankfully, Dante seemed to have a much cooler head than my husband at the moment, because he kept driving at a normal speed. By the time we arrived at the hospital, my contractions were less than a minute apart. I had no time to get over the last one before the next began.
Dante ran into the hospital since Jack had all but threatened his life if someone wasn’t out here with me in the next five seconds. When I wasn’t dying, I knew I’d have to remind him to apologize. An orderly arrived at the car and Jack carefully lifted me into the wheelchair, taking me quickly as he judged how fast my labor was progressing.
We had opted for an all in one birthing suite, and I was helped into a hospital gown by the nurse as Jack began pacing the room. His beautiful dark hair was disheveled as he ran his hands through it. I noticed in those brief seconds of respite I had before screaming like a crazy lady again.
Once on the bed the nurse lifted my legs into stirrups, and Jack finally stopped his pacing to grab my hand as she examined me. Another contraction came while she was doing her exam and I knew I broke everyone eardrums with my wails.
“Give her something for pain!” Jack was the one who talked me into this natural childbirth thing, even though my sister called me a fool for it. Now he wanted me to have pain meds?
“She’s too far dilated. Relax, Mr. Duncan, that precious bundle will be here soon.”
My obstetrician walked in after the nurse had left the room giving her report, and was smiling. “Who’s ready to have a baby?”
I doubted she knew how bad I wanted to slap the smile from her face as the contractions strengthened until I hated every single person on the face of the earth. “I hate this!” Groaning as I looked into Jack’s fear-filled eyes I wanted to slap him, too, for not being strong for me. He picked a hell of a time to become a complete pussy!