Chapter 44
ELOISE
“ Y ou're such a fucking idiot. I told you to take the bridge!” I scream at him as my nails dig into his thigh.
“Baby, the bridge is always busy this time of day. I promise this is the fastest route to the hospital.” He strokes my stomach as if it’s supposed to help, while I try to stay calm. The contractions have gotten worse and closer together; they’re so intense they’re taking my breath away.
“Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth.” He shows me an example, and I lean forward and clutch my stomach when another contraction makes it tighten.
“These are coming real fast.” He looks at me, panicked.
“Thanks for informing me of that, Ren.” I hiss back through my teeth as I try to breathe through it. Each one is more painful than the last, and I think that's a sign that we don’t have much time.
“How far are we from the hospital?” I rest my head back on the seat, trying to remember those breathing techniques before I get struck with another contraction.
“Only ten minutes, but with this traffic…” Ren slams his hand on the horn, but it just sets off a chorus of others surrounding us.
“There must be an accident or a road closure up ahead. But don’t panic. First babies take their time, you're probably only a few centimeters dilated.” He tries to sound convincing, and it makes me want to punch him.
“I don’t think she wants to wait, Ren.” I grip hold of his shirt and cry out when another pain doubles me over.
“Okay, okay, listen to me. You have to stay calm.” I can see him looking for a solution.
“Ren, I need drugs, and I’m pretty sure I need to push.”
“What!? No! Don’t do that.” Now he really does look panicked.
“I don’t think it’s something I get to control.” I grit back at him as the pressure between my legs starts to become unbearable.
“I’m gonna have this baby in the car.” I feel as if I’m going to hyperventilate.
“No, you're not,” he promises, scrubbing his hand over his face.
“You just have to keep her in there a little while longer for me.”
“Tell that to my uterus,” I groan, blowing out heavily when I feel another contraction coming. The cars around us aren’t moving, and when I see a sudden relief on Ren’s face, I feel a tiny bit of hope.
“It’s okay, baby, I got us covered.” He shocks me when he gets out of the driver's seat and rushes around the hood.
“Ren, I don’t think I can walk, I feel like the head’s right there.”
“You don’t have to walk, I’m gonna carry you; the building’s just down the street,” he assures me, unclipping my belt and lifting me up into his arms as if I'm weightless.
“Building? What building?” I ignore all the people staring at us as he abandons the car in the middle of the street. “A doctor's office? Please tell me you’ve found a doctor's office,” I beg.
“Not exactly.” Ren shifts me up in his arms when I start to slip, and starts to jog. I squeeze my eyes shut when my stomach tenses up again, and the pain is so intense that I feel it all over my body.
“Ren, I really need to push,” I warn him, biting hard into his shoulder when it gets too much for me to handle.
“Just give me a minute.” I hear the strain in his voice, and a bell chimes above my head. Opening my eyes, I suddenly realize we’re standing in a reception room.
“Sir?” The woman behind the desk looks alarmed as she stares at us with her mouth open. In fact, everyone waiting is staring at us.
“I need a room,” Ren explains, and as I look around at the posters on the wall, I realize where we actually are.
“Ren, this is a dental surgery,” I growl.
“A room. Now!” he yells at the woman.
“I’m sorry, sir, but all our rooms are being used. I can call you an ambulance,” she offers, already picking up the phone from the receiver.
“No time.” He shakes his head, moving on past her and storming up the corridor. He opens the first door we get to, interrupting the dentist and the patient he’s working on.
“Out!” Ren orders.
“I'm sorry… but–=”
“I said. Get. Out.” He places me down on my feet, making sure I’m steady, before he lifts the man out of the dentist chair and practically throws him out the door.
“Do you know how to deliver a baby?” he asks the dentist. Who just shakes his head back with wide, scared eyes.
“Then you can get the fuck out, too.” Ren grabs him by his tunic and forces him out the door.
“It’s far from perfect, but it’s better than the car.” He quickly guides me to sit in the chair, taking off his suit jacket and unbuttoning his cuffs so he can roll his sleeves up his arms.
“Ren, she’s really coming.” I struggle to get my panties off when I feel that pressure between my legs start to burn.
“Okay. She can come now, we’re ready. We got this,” He smiles as he looks around him for something that might help.
The door opens, and the receptionist steps inside, closing the door to give me some privacy.
“The ambulance is on its way,” she assures us.
“Are you okay, dear?” Taking my hand, she tilts her head like she feels sorry for me.
While Ren takes some gloves from the box on the tray beside him, snaps them onto his hands and adjusts the huge, bright light above our heads so it points between my legs.
I watch him focus when he rests his hands on my knees and spreads them apart to see what's happening.
“Okay, I think you can push,” he tells me, with his nostrils flaring.
“A few centimeters, huh?” I squeeze the woman's hand when I feel another pain, using it for leverage as I do as he says, and start to push.
“That's good, Kitten, keep doing that.” I feel his hand press between my legs and when he starts to stroke my clit, I widen my eyes at him.
“Breathe now, baby, get your energy back,” he tells me calmly, still stroking my sensitive flesh with his thumb as he slips his fingers inside me. “I can feel her head, she’s almost here.” He gives me a menacing smile as he glances across to the oblivious woman who’s comforting me.
“Ren?” I shake my head at him, though I have to admit, it’s a welcome distraction. “Could you wait outside for that ambulance?” I look up at the receptionist and smile. Quickly reaching between my legs and clutching Ren’s arm when I feel another contraction coming.
“Sure.” She rushes out, leaving us alone, and instead of forcing his hand away like I should, I make sure his fingers stay pressed inside me.
“What are you doing, Ren?” I ask, deciding to go with whatever this is.
“I know you like a little pain to go with your pleasure. I’m seeing if it works both ways,” he whispers.
“You're contracting, baby, you should be pushing.” He looks down to remind me, and his words suddenly knock me out of the trance I’ve slipped into.
That unavoidable urge to push is back, and it has me bearing down and pushing against his fingers.
“That’s a good girl, you're doing so well. Keep pushing.” He retracts his fingers but still continues stroking my clit.
“You're doing perfect; her head is almost in my hand,” he encourages me.
“Don’t stop what you're doing,” I tell him, catching my breath while my body recovers.
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” He smiles at me.
“Shit, Ren.” I feel my body go rigid, and this time when I push I feel something slide.
“The top of her head is right in my hands, baby, you just have to do a little more work and she’ll be here.”
I grip my knees and bear down again, pressing my chin into my chest.
“That's right, Kitten, push harder. Keep pushing for me. You’re doing it.” I can hear the excitement building in his voice, and when I glance up and see how happy he looks watching our daughter come into the world, it encourages me to push even harder.
Suddenly, I feel all that pressure release, and when I hear a loud, wailing sound come from between my legs, I notice Ren just staring at his hands.
“She’s here,” he tells me, like he can’t quite believe it. “She’s here and she’s beautiful.”
“Well, let me see her, then.” I laugh through my tears as he lifts her up and places her on my chest.
“I told you she had your nose.” He picks up his suit jacket and places it over her to keep her warm as he moves to stand beside us. Then, gently sliding the tip of his nose along my cheek, he softly kisses my temple.
I look down at our little girl, smiling and crying at the same time.
I knew I’d love her from the second I saw her, but I never imagined it would feel like this.
“She really is beautiful.” I cradle her little head in my hand, rocking her gently, and when she stops crying, I kiss the top of her slimy head and look up at Ren with relief that she’s here and she’s safe.
“Of course, she is, Kitten. She came from you.” He kisses the top of her head and wraps us both up tight in his arms.