Jayden nodded, though not confidently at all. She could see it in his eyes. He was freaking out. “Okay, yeah. Yeah, we are.”
“Don’t worry, it will go easy and well. I just know it.”
With his brows to his hairline, he said, “Never expected you to be calm and cool about this.”
She scoffed. “Right. Usually, you’re the calm one.”
“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “But you’re right. We got this.”
She held up her hand for a high five. “Damn right. Let’s do this, Sinclair.”
Slapping her hand, he laced his fingers with hers before kissing her hard on the lips. “You are fucking amazing, and I love you.”
Grinning like a fool, Baylor nodded. “I love you too, now let’s make this birth our bitch.”
As confident as she was an hour before, though, nothing could prepare her for the pain when it really started up. The sounds she was making were something straight out of a horror film. It was so bad, Markus had to leave the room, unable to watch his best friend in such pain. Poor Jayden was white as a sheet as he held her hand, telling her how beautiful she was, how strong she was.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she cried, leaning into his hand as the pain took over, making her delirious.
“Yes, you can. I know you can. You can do anything,” he promised in her ear, moving the washcloth along her head as the door opened and Autumn hustled in.
“I’m so sorry! We were already home, my damn phone was off, and Lord! I’m so sorry!”
“It’s fine, Mom. She’s at eight.”
“Wow, moving along,” Autumn said, coming to the other side of the bed and moving her hand along Baylor’s arm. “We’re gonna have us a baby soon.”
“Thank God,” Baylor struggled to say as she leaned into Jayden’s hand, squeezing it so hard she was sure she was going to break it off.
“Everyone is in the waiting room. They wanted to me to tell you they love you and are so proud of you guys. And Lord knows your daddy can’t stand to see you in pain,” Autumn said, but all Baylor could do was cry out as the pain once again took over.
“Keep breathing, baby, you’re doing awesome.”
“Ugh, it hurts so bad,” she cried out, reaching for Autumn’s outstretched hand and squeezing. “Fuck. Damn it. Ugh, this sucks!”
“I know, honey. It will be worth it, don’t worry. Just keep breathing,” Autumn encouraged, but Baylor wasn’t sure it would ever end—or that she would make it. It just hurt. Everything hurt. But then, all of a sudden, she needed to push.
“Fuck, I gotta push now. Jayden, now!” she yelled, squeezing their hands. Within seconds, a nurse was in the room, her hand up inside of Baylor, checking her.
“Yup, it’s baby time,” she said, and Baylor let out a harsh breath as tears ran down her face.
“See, baby? It’s time. You’ve done so great,” Jayden said, kissing her temple and cheek. “Almost there. Are you ready? Ready to meet our little baby?”
Nodding, she really didn’t want to cuss him out, but he had to stop talking to her. “Not now. I love you, Jayden Mitchell Sinclair, I do. But right now, I want to kill you. So just hold my hand and tell me I’m pretty as I push your kid out.”
The room filled with laughter as the doctor came in, getting dressed while Jayden nodded. “Yes, ma’am. God, you’re so pretty.”
Everything was happening so fast. She heard the click of a phone, and when she looked up to Autumn, she was taking pictures. Great. They’d need those, but the pain was almost pure hell. Burning. That’s all Baylor felt.
“All right, Baylor, next contraction, we’re doing this.”
“Okay,” she agreed, bringing her legs back as Jayden and Autumn both grabbed a knee.
“You got this, baby,” Jayden said, his head leaned against hers as the contraction hit and Baylor pushed with everything in her soul.
“Whoa, great pushing!” the doctor encouraged, but it was hard to hear her over the pure fucking fire Baylor was feeling. Closing her eyes, she cried out as another contraction came, and she pushed once more. “We have a head. Do you wanna feel the head, Baylor?”
“No, I fucking want it out!” she screamed, her body feeling as if it wasn’t even hers.
“Holy shit, Baylor. It’s right there. You’re almost there,” Jayden cried, and she wanted to appreciate his enthusiasm, she did, but not right now.
“Well, if the baby has shoulders like you, I’m fucked,” she grunted as another contraction hit, and she started pushing once more. The baby apparently did have shoulders like its father because it took several more pushes until, finally, the cries of her baby filled the room.
“It’s a boy!” the doctor exclaimed.
“Oh my God,” Jayden cried out.
Autumn bubbled a sob, but all Baylor could do was cry as the doctor lifted the baby, putting him on her stomach for her to see.
And boy, what a scary little thing he was.
Big as all get-out, with blood and fluids covering every inch of him, and a full head of hair. She was pretty sure he had Jayden’s nose and chin, but as he screamed in sheer frustration, Baylor figured that was all her.
And just like that, Baylor was in love.
Still unable to speak, she just moved her finger along his head as Jayden cut the cord, his tears coming down his face in sheets.
“Baby, you did it,” he cried, kissing her over and over again. “I’m so proud of you.”
Looking up at him, she beamed. “We did it.”
“You did it.”
Gasping for breath, she kissed her little boy’s head. She felt so dizzy, so out of breath, but she was pretty sure that was normal.
“So, what do you think? Rhett or Dawson? You said you’d know when you saw him.”
She had said that, but she couldn’t think right now. Closing her eyes, she sucked in a breath, but she still felt like she couldn’t catch it. She felt wrong. Everything was spinning. Something was wrong.
“Jayd—”
And then, it was black.
6
God, it’s Jayden Sinclair. Take me instead.
“Code Blue, she’s crashing. I can’t stop the bleeding.”
Completely confused, Jayden looked up from his beautiful boy to the doctor who was still between his wife’s legs.
What?
“Clamps. Get them out of here,” Dr. Flynn said, and when Jayden looked up to Baylor, he saw her head listing to the side, her eyes closed as the medical staff hurried to get the baby off her before rushing to get oxygen on her.
Everything stopped. “Baylor? Baylor! Are you okay? Baby?” he cried, reaching for her, shaking her a bit, but she wasn’t moving. Was she even breathing? But before he could make sure, he was being ushered away.
“Baylor? What happened? Honey! Wake up,” Autumn cried, holding Baylor’s face. But then someone grabbed her too, pushing them both out the door.
“Sir, we need you to wait outside,” a nurse said, but he struggled, trying to get away.
“No! What is going on?”
“She’s bleeding, and the doctor needs to get it to stop. Please, don’t fight me. Just wait,” she said, finally getting him out. But as he went to go back in, the door shut in his face.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Jayden. It has to be fine,” his mother said, her voice trembling as he stared at the door, the noises of doctors and nurses working coming through it, along with the sounds of his son’s cries.
“She needs me,” he whispered as Autumn took him in her arms, holding him close.
“Let them work on her. It’s fine,” she said once more.
But seconds turned to minutes and still no word. Baylor had to be okay. He couldn’t do life without her. People didn’t die during childbirth anymore, did they? He really should have read that damn book Baylor told him to read. Closing his eyes, he covered them as he sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm his heart and his breathing. Though, it didn’t work.
Finally, the door opened, but it was only for a nurse to bring out his son.
His son. That should please him to no end, but he was shaking with fear for his wife.
Racing the short distance to the nurse who was pushing his son in his little bassinette, he stopped her. But she shut the door before he could get around her. “My wife, is she okay?”
“I don’t know, sir. They’re going to be out in a moment,” she said, but she wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Would you like to come with the baby?”
“I need to know about my wife. Mom,” he said, turning to his mother, but she was already there.
“Of course. I’ll go.”
“Okay,” the nurse said, still not looking Jayden in the eye, and that did nothing but fill him with dread. Standing alone in the busy hall, aware he was slowly but surely dying inside, Jayden wasn’t certain he’d made the right decision. Should he have gone with the baby? No. He needed to know about Baylor.
When the door opened, he had to take a step back as a nurse backed out, pulling Baylor’s bed with her. “Baylor,” he gasped, and when he saw the blood-soaked sheets, he cried out. “Oh God, is she okay?”
But none of the nurses answered him.
They just wheeled her as Dr. Flynn came out, pausing in front of him. “Doc, tell me something. Anything. Is she okay?”