45. Piper #2
The room was suddenly filled with everyone.
There were new sheets on the bed and several towels and blankets set nearby for whenever we needed them.
I was incredibly hot, and Clay helped me get the shirt off.
I didn’t give a single flying fuck that I was naked with everything hanging out.
Hell, I didn’t even care that every other word out of me right now was a curse.
“You’re doing great, hun,” Dakota murmured, staying close as I tried to drown out everything behind the sound of my breathing.
“We’re having a baby?” Zeke asked excitedly.
“Don’t sound so chipper,” I growled.
Zeke only chuckled, and I was ready to punch him before he became my favorite person on the planet as he pressed a cold washcloth to my forehead.
“I take it back. I love you.”
This was really happening, and some strange part of me was panicked about where the baby was going to go. “Is the bassinet ready? Do…do we have clothes, and?—”
I groaned, the pressure deepening as this wild sensation—like someone rolling over a nerve in my back with a tennis ball—hit. I was instantly nauseated, enough that I actually threw up on the bathroom floor.
“Oh, baby.” Dakota whisked it all away, cleaning it up before I even realized it. “You’re okay. That’s really normal.”
Montana followed everyone in, his face serious but calm. “I called Doc. He’ll be here in twenty minutes. He was grumpy that I woke him, but before the call was over, he was already heading to his truck.”
Another contraction hit. The guys surrounded me, Zeke joining Dakota on the floor, spreading out some clean towels while I was flanked by Clay and Montana.
“I’m getting used to country living, but not enough to give birth on a ranch! I need a proper medical facility.”
Clay beamed, pressing hard on my hips to counter the internal pressure. “Unfortunately, city girl, it’s just us. How are you feeling?”
I took stock of my body for a moment. The pressure was still there, but it was changing. It was worse? It was something, that was for sure. And now that I’d puked, it felt like the baby had dropped even lower.
“Can you, umm…” My words trailed off as I tried to think about what I was attempting to say. This strange feeling of being so unconcerned with the outside world hit me, and the only thing I knew was that my body was doing something profound, and I was kind of just along for the ride.
“I can check you,” Dakota offered softly. I nodded.
After some rooting around that made me squeeze down on Clay’s hand almost hard enough to break his fingers, Dakota hummed in confirmation.
“Yup, baby’s right there. If you feel the need to bear down?—”
“Yes. I think I want to push,” I admitted.
“When the next contraction hits, okay?”
Dakota and Zeke were kneeling on the floor while Montana and Clay held each of my hands.
There was a rolling wave as the next contraction hit, coupled with the need to push, a sensation I actually couldn’t stop even if I tried.
My body was pushing on its own as the surge peaked, and it actually felt damn good to have something to do with the pain.
Pushing was awesome.
“Zeke, olive oil.” Dakota held out his hand, and the bottle appeared there as I sank into myself, curling in as that bearing down sensation demanded. The stuff felt surprisingly cold as he poured it over me, rubbing some along the bottom of my opening.
“The fuck?” I tried to swat at him, but it was no use.
“You don’t want to tear, hun. Lubrication.”
Okay, that made sense. There was a tiny pause before the next contraction hit, and I bore down with it. Before I knew what I was doing, I squatted, my guys anchoring their forearms under my armpits as they continued to squeeze my hands.
And then the stretch of my damn life.
My skin burned as the baby’s head pressed against me. I’d heard this part called the ring of fire, and damn, did that nickname fit.
“Go slow, Piper. Let your body stretch.” There was more olive oil, and everyone was murmuring positive words to me.
Everything got so overwhelming, and I was crying, even though the pain had sort of stopped now that I was pushing—at least, that kind of pain. My crotch was still stretching around a baby’s head.
“Breathe, Pipes. You’re amazing. This is so wild. You’re a rock star.”
I cracked an eyelid to see Zeke beaming at me, and something about the excitement reminded me that I was actually having a baby. That was the point of this. I was going to meet them any minute now.
Stretching, using the next contraction to help push, and then bam, the head was out. I gasped with relief, taking the moment to suck in as much air as I could.
“Okay, next one is the shoulders. You got this.”
Time had felt so slow and protracted, and now it was rushing to catch back up with itself.
The next contraction hit, and I pushed out the shoulders, the rest of the baby coming out in a whoosh.
All the guys gasped, and the tears started.
I looked down, and Dakota was holding a little baby, our baby.
I did it. They were here.
And then the first cry of many rang out through the bathroom. We had a baby.
“You did it, Mom.” Zeke was all blubbery, and then Dakota handed me our little bundle.
“Well, holy shit,” I chuckled, exhausted and elated beyond reason. Staring at my baby, I couldn’t help but gaze in wonder at how utterly perfect they were. “I guess I did.”