Fighting For Light: A Dark Sports Romance (The Coldwell Brothers)

57. Cordelia

I smile to myself while stirring soup from a recipe in the cookbook, thinking about last night. I didn’t think it was possible to get better, especially since I’m eight months pregnant, but Kai continues to surprise me.

I check my cookbook and sprinkle spices in with the onions before deglazing the pan. I love to cook but have never been able to do it much. It’s hard to do when living in a camper full-time, so I had to settle for simpler recipes instead of complicated meals. Now, with a full kitchen and every pot and pan I need, I’m having fun experimenting and using this cookbook to its fullest.

I glance out back, watching Kai pick up the rug and chairs from last night. He just finished his workout, so he’s perfectly sweaty and muscly. It makes me weak for my husband, sue me. He’s been caring in so many ways it’s almost overwhelming. Not once did he push me to leave the house and figure out ways to work around it. I’m finally ready, though. I don’t really have a choice but to be ready. We have to be back on the road in about two months. And the baby is expected soon, so I don’t have a choice but to deal. Blinking the spiral of thoughts from my brain, I pour in the chicken stock and set it on a low temp to let it simmer for at least an hour.

Kai comes into the house, still shirtless, and smiles at me.

“Hey, are you good?” he asks.

I smile and blush at him. One would think I would get used to this by now, but it’s physically impossible. I nod, and he crowds me against the counter.

“Are you sure? You look a little flushed,“ he says with a silly look on his face.

I giggle and kiss his sweaty cheek. “I’m fine. Go take a shower. Food will be ready in an hour.”

“Alright,” he grunts and kisses me one more time before disappearing down the hall.

I suddenly have a taste for oatmeal raisin cookies, so I get all the ingredients out. I stop when a bit of wetness slides down my leg. I groan, wondering if I peed myself since it wouldn’t be the first time. A second later, water splashes on the floor, and I look around the counter, stunned. Did I spill a glass of water? There was no glass of water. Then a sharp pain zings up my back, and I groan, trying to breathe through it.

It’s too soon, it’s too soon!

“Kai!” I scream as loud as I can. “Kai!”

He comes running down the hall, dripping wet, with his towel around his hips. “Gem? What’s wrong?” he asks.

I look up, frozen to the spot, when another shot of pain hits me in the hip. I groan.

He runs around towards me. “Gem! What’s…” He looks down, then back up at me.

We’re both stunned, but time is of the essence.

His expression goes serious and determined. “Go stand by the door. I’ll get the bag and some pants on,” he says calmly. Thank God because I am not calm right now.

“Hurry,” I cry.

He nods, and I flip off the stove, waddling over to the door to wait. Pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt makes my knees weak, and I catch myself gritting my teeth and forcing myself to remain standing.

Don’t panic, don’t panic. It’s three weeks too soon, but it’s going to be okay. “Everything is going to be okay,” I chant to myself. Kai flies down the hall, flips off the lights, and holds me up as we walk to the truck. He opens the door and goes to lift me in.

“Wait, I’m going to mess up the upholstery.”

“You think I give a shit right now?” he asks and urges me to get into the truck.

Once I’m inside, he leans over, gently pulling the seatbelt over me, then tosses my bag in the back. I take deep breaths, trying to remain calm like we did in class, and silently pray on the way there.

“I called the private hospital. They will be ready for us the minute we get there.”

“Private?” I say and wince at the same time.

He glances at me, then back at the road.

“Of course, private, gem. We will have a doctor with us and only us, a midwife, and a team of nurses specifically for our family.”

“Your mom,” I gasp.

“I’ll call her later. You are my only priority right now.”

I nod and take long, deep breaths. A contraction hits again, and I groan, throwing my head back.

“Shit baby, I’m sorry. What can I do?”

I shake my head, ignoring the tears streaming down my face, and focus on breathing. “Tell me it’s going to be okay,” I gasp. “Tell me everything is going to be okay.” I look at him, and he glances at me a few times, driving way over the speed limit. He doesn’t want to say it because he doesn’t actually know, but I need him to say it. “Kai,” I whimper.

He reaches for my hand and briefly squeezes it before putting it back on the steering wheel. “Everything is going to be okay. We’re having this baby. He’s coming whether we were ready or not.”

Nodding, I look in front of me, focusing on counting my breaths.

Kai pulls up to a beautiful brick building with ivy crawling up the side. It’s like a modern version of the Dead Poets Society school. I don’t catch the name on the side as he drives under the brick overpass, and a group of people in scrubs rush to the truck. Kai hops out, and a woman opens my door. “Mrs. Coldwell?” she asks. I nod, and she and a male nurse help me get out of the truck. Kai is talking to a man in a white coat and scrubs as they push me in the wheelchair down the hall and up one level to a large room. I don’t have the chance to take in my surroundings as another contraction hits. I let myself cry as my body feels like it’s being torn apart.

They get me to stand, and someone keeps telling me to take deep breaths.

“Kai,” I cry, not seeing him when I need him next to me.

“I’m right here, baby.”

“We need to get you out of these clothes and into a hospital gown. It’s my understanding you’re about three weeks early? We need to get a look at the baby and take blood as soon as possible.” Panic rises in my chest. I reach out to my best friend, and he’s there immediately. His large hand cups my cheek, and he looks down at me with love and determination.

“I’ve got you, Cordi. I’ve got you.” I nod and take a deep breath as he wipes the sweat from my brow. A nurse begins to take off my dress, but I push her away. “Let me,” Kai says to her. I nod as he removes each item of clothing and quickly puts the gown over my body before giving the rest of the hospital a peep show. They didn’t tell me how exposed I would be during all of this.

Another contraction hits, and Kai catches me before I fall to my knees.

“Come on, you’re doing so good, Mama. Let’s get you in bed, he says,” lifting me onto the hospital bed.

A nurse appears at my side and pricks my arm to take blood while another hooks me up to machines. It’s all I can do to keep up with how quickly they are moving.

“Mrs. Coldwell, I’m Doctor House, and I’ll be here with you every step of the way. I’m sorry we’re moving fast, but because you’re early, we need to be absolutely sure nothing else is going on. Okay?”

I nod and reach for Kai. He takes my hand and stands guard next to me.

“Great, this is your midwife, Lola. She will be here, too. She’s going to see how dilated you are while I check the results of your blood work.”

Lola walks up to me and smiles softly. “Hey, there. I’m going to check real quick. I know it’s uncomfortable, so let me know if anything bothers you.” At a loss for words, because this feels like déjà vu, they put my legs in stirrups. Lola sends her fingers up my birthing channel, and she didn’t even buy me dinner first.

“Alright, Cordelia. You’re at two centimeters right now. You’re doing good. I’ll go talk to the doctor and be right back.”

“Wait, is that good?” I ask her.

“Typically, yes. Your color is good, and the baby’s heartbeat is nice and strong. I have delivered a lot of babies, and I believe your son wants to make his debut a little early. But let me go talk to the doctor, and I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you,” Kai says, and I squeeze his hand.

He turns so his front is leaned against the bed. He kisses my cheek and tucks his nose in my neck as he whispers against my skin. “It’s all going to be okay. You’re okay. He’s just excited to meet his mama. I love you both so much. You’re so strong, baby. You can do this.”

I nod, still holding his hand. A contraction hasn’t come for a while, and I think that’s normal, but I’m trying not to think anything past that because I may not like what the doctor has to say.

The nurses finally leave, and silence fills the room. “This is a nice place,” I tell him, looking around. There’s a bed on the other side of the room for a guest, with a little sink, microwave, a couch, and a big-screen television.

“Only the best for you,” he says, kissing my forehead.

“Thank you for thinking ahead, I…I realized I never did the whole find a hospital thing because we were on the road for so long.”

“Mom is the one who actually told me to call this place. She said it would be perfect for you, and I guess it is.”

A smaller contraction hits me, and I take deep breaths. It passes relatively quickly.

“Good?” Kai asks.

I nod and lean back against the pillows.

The door to our suite opens, and Doctor House and Lola stroll through.

“Alright, Mom and Dad, everything looks great. Your son just wanted to come early. So keep in mind this process can last for a while. We will come in to check on you every hour to keep tracking contractions. They are going to be irregular until you hit about six centimeters, and then you’ll be in active labor. We need you at ten in order for you to do a full push. We didn’t have a chance to ask because we wanted to make sure everything was okay, and now that we know it is, do you want an epidural?”

“No, I got this far. How much harder can it be?” I ask.

He smiles. “Well, it’s definitely not going to get easier, but it’s, of course, up to you.”

“I don’t want it,” I tell them again.

“Great, if anything feels odd, Mrs. Coldwell, let us know immediately. If you or your husband need anything, feel free to use the phone and ask. Are there any questions?”

“No. Kai?” I ask.

He glances at me and then at the doctor. “You’re sure my son is okay?” he asks.

“Yes, he’s great. It’s not unusual to have early births. Some are ready sooner than others. We move fast when we hear a mother is early because it could be a list of other things. We’ve ruled them out, though. She’s simply in labor earlier than anticipated.”

Kai rubs his chin. “Okay, thank you.”

The doctor shakes Kai’s hand, then he and Lola disappear through the door.

Kai grabs the chair to the side of the bed and drags it over without letting go of my hand. “I’m going to call the family.”

“Can you call Dad? He’d want to be here, but I don’t know how far away he is.”

He nods and starts tapping on the phone.

Not once does he let go of my hand.