I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You give me two girls, and it’s you who should be afraid when I start looking into nunneries.”
She scoffed. “You wouldn’t.”
I snorted. “Bet me, woman. First boy that calls or shows up at the house, I start looking into convents. It’s either that or follow our little girl everywhere she goes. I’ll be damned if some horn dog pip squeak gets his hands on my girl.”
“No you won’t, Bobby Baker! My little girl is going to live her life without the shadow of her daddy following her everywhere she goes!”
“Watch. Me,” I ground out.
“Watch me order a lifetime supply of birth control then,” she threatened back.
“You wouldn’t.”
Belle gave me an incredulous look.
“Don’t worry, Dad. You don’t need to be so overprotective of my little sister.”
Belle beamed at our boy, almost as if she knew he would take her side in the argument.
The betrayal! My own son was turning against me! I shot Seth a dark look yet stopped at the sly look on his face.
“You won’t have to follow her, because I will. And, if you think I’m going to let some loser touch my baby sister, then you’re sadly mistaken, Mom.”
Belle’s face fell. “I’m going to have to sneak my baby out of the house for fun.”
I shook my head. “Just accept that she’ll be loved, protected, and cherished, sweetheart. Is that so bad?”
A contemplative look crossed her face before she pouted. “I guess not.” Determination suddenly took over, and she snapped at me, “But, if I see you pulling some crazy commando shit like dropping out of trees with your rifle to scare her boyfriend’s, I’m going to wallop you a good one, Bobby Baker!”
Our discussion was cut short when the doctor walked in. “Time to check Mom again!” he chirped a little too happily, sending my hackles rising.
To say I was not exactly thrilled that another man was looking at my woman’s private parts was an understatement. I didn’t care if she was about to deliver our baby. Those were my private parts. I owned them, dammit! I didn’t like some too chipper degree carrying jackoff looking at them. I was a possessive bastard, and I didn’t mind showing it.
I gave the doctor the stink eye as he pulled his stool up to the end of the bed and motioned for Belle to spread her legs so he could get a look. It took everything I had not to snap his neck as he checked her dilatation, cervix, and the baby’s positioning.
Doctor Jackoff gave a couple of “uh-huhs” before he finally took his hands of my woman’s fun parts and sat back to take off his gloves and address us. “You’re dilated nine centimeters now and the baby is in the right position. Looks like we’re about to have a baby, Mom and Dad! Now let me just check the ctg machine to see how her contractions are coming along.”
As the doctor stepped up to the machine in question, a contraction racked Belle’s body. She jackknifed up off the bed and screamed out in pain. Unfazed, the doctor watched the machine spit out the readings.
When Belle was done screaming, he simply stated, “Well, now, that one was off the chart.”
By the killer look she gave him, I was pretty sure Belle was ready to strangle the doctor if she could have physically gotten out of bed.
The doctor then walked over to the door, said a few words to somebody, and minutes later, the room was filled with equipment, the doctor, and two nurses prepping.
Belle’s contractions were coming regularly and close together. By now, she was panting, and when she wasn’t panting, she was cussing.
After the doctor sat back down on his stool at the end of the bed, Seth leaned forward and kissed his mother on the forehead. Somewhat nervous, he muttered, “Love you, Mom. Really do, but the last thing I want to see is my sister coming out of there. I’d be scarred for life. So I’m going to leave now, and I’ll be back when it’s safe for my eyeballs and psyche.”
Belle barked a laugh as Seth left the room and then looked at me with tears in her eyes. “All of this brings up my remorse for you missing out on Seth’s birth, Bobby. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say I’m sorry enough.”