Their Divine Doctor(Divine Creek Ranch 9)(57)

Duke heard Emma chuckle softly to his mom and ask, “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

Mom snickered and said, “Oh, no. Not for a million years. If I’m presented with the opportunity,” she said, looking pointedly at Gage and him, “I’ll teach you how to cook all their favorite foods.”

“Subtle, Mom. Real subtle,” Duke said as he kissed both their heads, made himself a mug of coffee, and left them to their efforts.

Duke’s parents had known Ace and Kemp’s parents, who lived just a few blocks over, for many years. His mom and dad knew about Ace and Kemp’s relationship with their fiancée, Summer. When Duke and Gage had sat down and explained to his parents that they had a similar situation, his mom and dad had taken it fairly well.



* * * *



A few days later, in late November…



Emma stretched after stepping onto the hospital elevator. The metal doors swooshed closed silently, and she folded her arms over her head one at a time as she stretched from side to side. The incision had healed nicely, but she felt the ache in her sternum as she moved. She smiled, thinking that her tight, achy muscles might be a good excuse for a rubdown that night.

As she rode down in the elevator she got her mind on the task at hand. This would be her second delivery of the morning. Her mind automatically ticked through procedure and protocol for early labor. She smiled as she recalled the conversation she’d just had with one of the nurses in the labor and delivery department.

“Registration said the husband is an EMT. Mrs. Wolf has been in early labor since last night. The contractions are four minutes apart since they arrived. They said they’re checking her in and asked if we could come down and get her right now.” The nurse’s eyebrows had been raised speculatively, and Emma volunteered to go down there since she was friends with Eli and Rachel.

The elevator slowed, settled, and then the metal doors reopened with a soft swoosh. Emma was greeted by the sound of a familiar, angry-sounding voice.

“—flirting with my husband? I don’t think so! If I wasn’t in labor, I’d kick—Ooooh!” Rachel Wolf let out a long, low moan and then took several slow, shaky breaths. Emma followed the sound to the registration desk near the waiting room where several people sat listening with round eyes.

A pretty nurse with long blonde hair sped past, red faced, toward the emergency department. The recently hired nurse, whose name was unfortunately Barbie, had a reputation for being flirtatious. Emma imagined that she must’ve been paying attention to Eli and had come into contact with Rachel who had a reputation for being possessive.

“Did I arrive in time for the smackdown?” Emma asked as she located Rachel and Eli in registration. Eli was talking softly to Rachel as he attached the hospital bracelet around her wrist.

Rachel looked ready to spit nails. Between deep breaths, she said, “That woman…was flirting with Eli! Right…under my nose.”

“Angel, she saw me dressed in my uniform and probably thought I was here working. I’ve never seen her before. I don’t think she made the connection until it was too late.”

The administrator behind the computer caught Emma’s eye and made a face like she was glad she wasn’t the one getting an earful. Emma chuckled as she squatted down to look at Rachel. It was obvious she was in pain as another contraction started and Rachel said, “I know that, but I’m not in the mood for bullsh—Oooh!”

Rising, Emma nodded at Eli, who appeared concerned as he stood and looked at Emma. “We thought they were Braxton-Hicks contractions, then during the night they started getting more regular and more painful.” Emma walked with them as Eli pushed Rachel’s wheelchair toward the elevator.

“Don’t worry, Eli. We’re ready for her upstairs. We’ll monitor her and see if the contractions stop. If not, at thirty-seven to thirty-eight weeks, she’s far enough along.”

Rachel breathed deep as the contraction passed and softly said, “I want my epidural.”

Eli squatted down next to her once they were on the elevator and tipped his head toward his wife’s. He spoke comfortingly to her as Emma watched the floor numbers change on the panel.

Rachel’s contractions stayed regular, and as she progressed, Emma had the anesthesiologist notified. Once she was given her epidural, Rachel was much more tolerant of the surreptitious but appreciative glances cast Eli’s way by the nurses who came and went from her birthing room. Two hours later, Levi Elias Wolf made his way into the world with a little help from his father.

Impressing Emma with his relatively cool head, Eli caught his son and placed him gently on his wife’s belly. Eli followed Emma’s instructions in clamping the cord, and then cut it. Emma completed the task at hand, and Eli moved so the nurses could do their work assessing the slightly preterm baby. He sat at Rachel’s shoulder, and they both stared in awe at the tiny, bright-red, raven-haired infant.