Chapter 34
Thirty-Four
S am’s hand moved on the bed, waiting to land on soft, warm curves. But all he was met with was cold fabric. Where the hell was his fiance?
His feet hit the floor, pulling on his shorts as he made his way towards the living room, where he could just make out sounds coming from the TV.
“What are you doing up?” Sam placed a kiss on Evie’s head before making his way to the kitchen. She was rolling her hips on her birthing ball, dressed in her pajama pants and a bra. They’d stayed up later than he planned, celebrating their engagement, so he honestly had been expecting to be in bed until the sun was up. “I didn’t figure my beautiful fiance would leave my arms tonight.”
A brilliant smile filled her face. “I still can’t believe we’re engaged.”
“Believe it, Bluebell. You’re stuck with me forever. Now, tell me why you aren’t cuddled up with me in bed right now.”
She groaned, and a pang of worry shot through Sam’s chest. “I’m sorry. Couldn’t sleep. Figured why wake you up flopping around like a beached whale trying to get comfortable. One of us should be able to get some good sleep tonight. So, I made you a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They’re cooling on the counter.”
“Evie. You should be resting. I thought our celebrations would tucker you out until the morning.” His eyes slid over to the stove, where two dozen cookies sat on cooling racks. He’d definitely eat a couple of those once his coffee was done brewing. “And I want you to wake me up. Is it heartburn again?”
He bent into the fridge to look for his creamer. Might as well start the day since they both were up.
“Heartburn. Jellybean doing calisthenics. Contractions.”
Sam felt awful. She’d been suffering with the worst heartburn the past few night and?—
He stood straight up. “Did you just say contractions?”
“Yeah. I can’t be sure. But something feels off.”
His eyes bounced to her hand, resting against her belly, then back to her eyes.
“Something feels off and instead of telling me right away, you decided to bake?” He slammed the door to the refrigerator and walked over to her.
“I can’t be sure what it is.”
He grabbed both her hands. “Evie! Get up. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“No,” she laughed. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“You just said it could be contractions!”
“And it could just be indigestion. Or the baby is uncomfortable and hitting a nerve in my back when she’s moving around. I don’t know. We’ll see in a little bit.”
Fuck. That plan did not make sense to him. His heart went into overdrive as he watched her continue to roll her hips around on the damn birthing ball.
“You’re just going to roll on that thing until she comes out, aren’t you? ”
“It’s making my back feel better. You want me to be in pain?”
“God, no, Bluebell.” Sam dropped to his knees, his hands going to her hips. “Of course I don’t want you to be in pain. That’s why I want to get you to the hospital. Just to make sure nothing else is going on.”
“We have to be sure. I don’t want to make a fuss for nothing. And you don’t have to worry, when the time comes, I want drugs. All of the drugs a country hospital could possibly provide. I wouldn’t say we should stay home if I really thought she was coming.”
“Alright, well, let’s take a break from all those hip circles. It’ll be just our luck that locks her into the perfect position and she shoots out like a cannonball fifteen minutes from now.”
Evie’s laughter filled the living room. “That image was not something I ever needed. You’re quite the bundle of nerves right now, aren’t you?”
“When it comes to you and Jellybean, nothing is more important to me.”
“I know. We’re good. Just uncomfortable.”
“Let’s get you to the couch.” Sam placed his hands under Evie’s arms and hauled her up into his side. “I’ll rub your feet while we finish that god-awful Christmas movie we started.”
“I hardly think a sweet movie about a town where Santa secretly vacations each summer is awful.”
“That goofy golden retriever reminds me of Shep. And I’ll never admit this again, but I’m enjoying it.”
She smiled as she put her hands out for him to grab. “I know, Cowboy. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
The movie was funny, but Sam couldn’t concentrate on it. His eyes kept flashing over to Evie, who winced and moved to get comfortable every few minutes.
And then, she sat straight up and curled around her belly .
“Holy… these… I think these are contractions, Sam.”
He’d known it was coming. He’d given up on rubbing her feet, switching so his hand could lay against her belly. For the better part of an hour Sam had been feeling her muscles tighten off and on, trying to make a mental note of the timing without worrying her. Still, his heart went into overdrive when he heard her say the words. Sam set the remote down on the table in front of him and stood, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants.
“Okay. Okay. How do you want to play it? Head into the hospital now? Stick around and see if there are any more?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.” The panic in her eyes hit him square in the chest, and he knew he needed to take charge. If her body was getting ready to have the baby, she didn’t need to be trying to make decisions too.
“I’ll decide then.”
“You’re just going to say we need to go into the hospital.”
“Damn straight I’m going to say that. It’s going to take at least thirty minutes to get there once we get in my truck. Let’s go.”
“We can’t just go. I’ve got to have the car seat, and the bag from the bedroom closet. If this is really it, then we can’t forget we’ll be bringing her… home…oh god. I think I’m having another one.”
“Breathe, baby.” Sam placed his hand on her belly, watching in utter amazement as it morphed from her normally soft belly into a hard, round ball. “Are they bad?”
“Um, I don’t know. They aren’t so horrible that I don’t think I can handle them, but they hurt. Grace said the practice ones aren’t supposed to hurt.”
“Okay.”
“I’m scared,” she whispered. “It’s still early. St. Clare’s doesn’t have a NICU. If she’s born and has to be transported without me… ”
“She won’t. Babies can be okay at thirty-six weeks. And Grayson was perfectly fine at thirty seven weeks. If Jackson and Grace could deal with their baby being early, we can too.”
“Oh my god! How could we have slacked after what happened to them? I thought we had more time. I-I…”
“Whoa. We’re okay. This is okay. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know that she is coming for sure right now. Why don’t you go throw on a comfy shirt and find your slippers, and I’ll make sure everything else is taken care of? Who knows, maybe we’ll be laughing on the way home in a few hours after they tell us this is all just a false alarm.”
“Yeah, maybe.” She stood rooted in place, her eyes searching for something. Maybe encouragement. He could give that to her.
“Okay, sweetheart. Let’s go.”
“I need to go to the bathroom first. Will you grab what we need and I’ll be out in a second?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Sam rushed around to gather everything and ran down to the truck to shove it all in before heading back up to grab Evie.
Now, he sat at the small dining table, waiting for her to finish up in the bathroom. The door creaked as she came out. One look at her had his stomach in knots.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sam stood up so fast, the chair he’d been sitting in tipped over. But that didn’t matter. Evie walked out deathly pale, her hands clenched to her belly as tears spilled from her eyes.
“Sam,” her voice shook. “I’m bleeding.”
In an instant, his arm was around her as he guided her towards the front door. Fuck. Why did they have to live so far outside of town?
“It’s going to be okay. It’s probably nothing to worry about. We’ll get you to the hospital and they can check you out.” Sam placed his hand on her back, pouring support into her. “I’ve got you, Evie. I’ve got you and Jellybean. Nothing bad is going to happen to either of you. I promise.”
Stretchy bands wrapped around Evie’s belly, the sound of the baby’s heartbeat thumping loudly through her hospital room. Sam ran his thumb over the back of her hand, helping her focus on something other than the overwhelming fear trying to swallow her up.
“Thelma?” he asked, a devilish smile turning up the corners of his mouth.
“No. What is she? An outlaw?”
“Cricket?”
“A bug?!”
“She’s currently a candy… so?”
“Candy is so much sweeter than a bug. Honestly.” Evie laughed and placed her hand between the two monitors hooked up to her belly. They’d been going back and forth with baby names since they arrived, waiting for Dr. Hayes to say whether the contractions were the real deal or just a false alarm. She had to admit, it was a good distraction. And after having an IV placed, the contractions were still coming, just farther and farther apart. “I won’t let you be named after a bug, sweetheart. I promise.”
“Okay, well what about Remi? That’s a strong name.”
She thought it over for a second. It was a strong name. Not too feminine, but also still cute. It seemed like a name she could shout across the fields at the ranch when it was time for supper. “I like Remi. Where did you get it from?”
His eyes darted over her shoulder towards the monitors. “Does it have to be from anywhere?”
“Where, Sam? ”
“Ratatouille,” he mumbled.
She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.
“Ratatouille?”
“That animated movie. You’ve never seen it?”
No. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting what she thought he was.
“The one where the rat likes to cook?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You want to name our daughter after a rat? You think I won’t let you name her after a bug, but a rat is fair game? You want us to have a rat named baby?!” Her hysterics were just for show, though part of her couldn’t help but delight in the panicked look on his face.
Sam held up his hands innocently. “Before you get upset, you should know that the movie holds a very special place in my heart. After I came home from the hospital, John and Abby started inviting me over for movie nights. Katy made me watch Ratatouille about fifty times, and right in the middle of the scene where he’s cooking up the soup, she told me I was her favorite uncle. And I can assure you that it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she then, in the very next breath, asked me for a horse of her own to keep at the ranch.”
Evie laughed. “She’s one smart girl.”
“She’s pure trouble, just like my sister.” Sam sighed, sitting back in the chair as he folded his arms across his chest. “You know, that lady chef in the movie’s name is Colette.”
“Oh, I love that name. She could have Coco as a nickname.”
“No.” Sam’s grumble shocked her.
“No?”
“She already has the perfect nickname.”
“I don’t think she’s going to want… " Evie shifted in the bed, her hips starting to ache as she tried to get comfortable. “I think she’ll want a new nickname as she grows up. ”
“Too bad. That was her name when I fell in love with her. That’s what she’ll always be to me.”
Evie’s heart melted at his words. Her joy was all too short lived as another contraction started to build, first in her back as a deep, warm ache, then moving around to her belly, wrapping it’s terrible pain-filled tendrils deep within her muscles.
She groaned, laying her head back as she reached for Sam’s hand.
“Christ. I was hoping they’d stopped. It’s been almost ten minutes since the last one.”
“Ow. Ow…” Evie focused on her breathing. It was over a few seconds later, easing the worry from her chest. “That one wasn’t as bad. I think they’re getting better.”
The worry in Sam’s eyes said he wasn’t as optimistic.
“Keep suggesting names, Cowboy. I think we’re close to finding the right one.”
“Fine. I’ve been holding onto this name because I want you to take it seriously. It’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard, and I’ve kind of been in love with it for a while now.”
Well, that certainly got her attention. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“Evelyn.”
“What? I’m going to seriously think about it. Tell me.”
“ Evelyn.”
Why wasn’t he just saying the name? She might have given him a little too much sass about the rat name because apparently he was going to make her beg to hear this name he was so in love with.
When her brows furrowed and she shrugged her shoulders as if to ask for some sort of hint, he just stared back at her with his big blue eyes.
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“I am telling you. Evelyn.”
And then it hit her. He wanted them to name the baby after her .
“Sam, no. She can’t have my name. And there is no way you think that’s the most beautiful name ever.”
“Don’t make me figure out a way to put you over my knee. Wait. I think I know a perfect use for that birthing ball…”
Evie laughed, holding her belly so it didn’t shake. “Sam, you aren’t spanking me. Focus.”
“Fine. I absolutely want to give her your name. I want to give our next daughter your name, and the daughter after that. I want them all to be named after their stunning mom. The strongest, fiercest woman I know. I want them to all be carbon copies of you. I’ll never survive the sass, but boy will it be fun trying.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. So, we agree, we’re naming her after you?”
“No. I already make up so much of her. I want something more for her than just a connection to me.”
“So, now we’re back at square one with names.”
They went back and forth over the next hour while the saline drip in the back of Evie’s hand slowly drained and the contractions continued to slow.
“How’s everyone doing in here?” Dr. Hayes asked as he walked into the room.
“I’m okay. I don’t think I’ve had a contraction in a while.”
He studied the strip of paper that had been steadily printing out as they waited. “No, it doesn't look like you have. That’s good. If you’re up for it, I’d like to check your cervix to see if you’ve made any changes from when you came in.”
“That’s fine.” Evie closed her eyes and held on tight to Sam’s hand. The exam wasn’t bad, but she was exhausted and more than ready to just be done with all the poking and prodding.
“No change.” Dr. Hayes smiled as he threw the exam gloves into the trash can. “Was there anything particularly stressful about the day, Evie? Sometimes if mom is stressed, then bub can get a little restless.”
“We got engaged,” Sam admitted, a worried look crossing his face.
“I was not stressed about that at all, Sam. That’s only happiness.”
“Ah, well, congratulations you two. Is it safe to assume you celebrated your engagement in an intimate fashion?”
Evie’s face flushed and she nodded.
“That’s probably it. You’re close to delivery, Evie. Intercourse can bring on contractions, and it can sometimes be the cause behind some light bleeding, which is most likely what you experienced. You’ll want to take it easy for the next couple of days, but I don’t see why you can’t resume regular activity after that if you are feeling up to it.”
“So, Evie and the baby are okay? She’s not coming tonight?”
“They’re just fine. And your daughter seems to be staying put for the time being.” Dr. Hayes clicked around in his laptop. “She is still measuring in the twentieth percentile on the ultrasound, so ideally we’d keep her in there for as long as possible, but she might just be a petite baby, and that’s okay too.”
“Thank you, Dr. Hayes.” Evie smoothed the blanked down over her legs and turned to Sam. He was clearly still worried, but leaned down and gave her a kiss right on her forehead.
“It’s never a problem. I’d rather have you guys come in and get checked out a hundred times before it’s showtime and have nothing be wrong than you not come in and have there be a problem. Let me get your discharge paperwork in and I’ll have you two out of here as soon as Evie finishes off that IV.”