Chapter 12
Twelve
S he hadn’t come out of her bedroom. When he’d gotten back inside from installing the baby’s car seat into the back of his rental truck, she had still been in the shower. A few minutes after he sat on his bed, staring at the locked door to the bathroom, he heard the water turn off, and the door unlocked, but she didn’t knock or try to talk to him. He’d walked down the hall to check on her, but her door was still closed that way, too.
Gunner had wanted to knock. To see if she wanted something different to eat, or if she needed someone to talk to after the day they’d had. Lord knew he could use someone to talk to. But as he raised his hand to the door, he’d heard her sniffle. And then a cry hit his ears and he stumbled back. Should he try and give her support? Or give her space? Surely it was just because of how overwhelming the day had been.
Before he knew it, Gunner was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, begging sleep to come for him. Yet, there he was, wide awake as the clock ticked slowly towards midnight. That’s when Gunner heard the first muffled cry. Not of sadness. It was a cry of pain. Jumping from bed, he slipped the old shirt hanging off the edge of his laundry hamper over his head and nearly ripped his bedroom door off the hinges trying to get to her.
“Lily?” he called her name softly as he made it to the living room, where the small table lamp was on and he saw her kneeling, resting her arms on the seat of the sofa. “What’s going on?”
“G-Gunner,” he heard her breath whoosh out of her chest and knelt down beside her, his hand running large circles over her back. “I should have called a taxi.”
Why the fuck would she need a taxi? That’s when the reality of what was happening slammed into him.
“Lil? Is the baby coming?”
Her face crinkled up for a few seconds before he felt her body relax under his hand.
“I t-think so.”
“How long have you been having pains?” he asked.
“Since we saw James at the funeral home.”
Shit. She’d been having contractions for at least twelve hours. His stomach dropped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“They weren’t super regular, and I thought it was just the stress from the day. I didn’t think…“
“Didn't you think that maybe for a moment you shouldn’t be so stubborn? You were in labor all that time and you just thought you’d handle it all on your own?”
“I didn’t mean to…oh god.” Her eyes rolled back into her head and Gunner froze. That was definitely less than two minutes since the last contraction. He didn’t know a lot about what a woman went through giving birth, but he definitely knew that the closer the contractions were together, the sooner the baby would arrive.
“Just breathe, Lily Kate. You’ve got this,” he crooned into her ear as his hand ran over her back. It felt like every muscle in her body was pulled taut. He needed to get her to relax. “You need to loosen up your muscles. Don’t fight it, Lil. Move with the contraction if you need to, but don’t tense up.”
“Is everyone okay out here?” Gia’s sleep-filled voice startled him.
“G, Lily’s having the baby.”
“Lily! What did I say about giving birth on our couch?”
Lily laughed. “S-sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”
“Shit, I’m so excited to be an auntie! Okay, what do we need to do?”
“Besides get her to the hospital?”
“Yes, smart ass. Besides that.” Gia rolled her eyes at him.
Lily let out a guttural moan that had Gunner’s blood running cold. When she gasped, his hands tightened around her arms.
“My w-water just broke,” she cried.
“Okay, okay. Just breathe. Let’s get you to the truck.” Gunner lifted her as gently as he could. “Gia, I need you to grab Lily’s hospital bag. It’s in her room by the closet. And get a couple of towels, too.”
“Got it.” His sister disappeared down the hallway just as quickly as she had appeared in the living room.
“I don’t want to ruin the truck’s seats. You’ll have to pay so much to the rental company.”
“I don’t give a shit about that, Lily. You can sit on a towel if it will make you feel better, but I want to have some in the car in case Sprout decides she can’t wait for us to get to the hospital.”
“God, I really hope she waits.”
“Me too.”
“Oh, Gunner, the baby’s car seat,” Lily gasped. “This hurts so much.” Her hands went around her belly and she crumbled against him.
“I installed it earlier while you were in the shower.”
“Y-you did? ”
“Yeah, Lil. I knew something was up, figured it was best to just get ahead of things in case it was the big show.”
“God, I’m sorry, Gunner. You must be exhausted. Your mom’s memorial and then this on top of everything. I was going to take a taxi before things got out of hand but you can just drop me off and…oh—” she turned in Gunner’s arms and leaned into him.
“Shhh. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving my wife to bring my daughter into the world all alone.”
“But I am…” she moaned.
“No, you are not. You’ve got me and you’ve got Gia. Soon you’ll have Sprout, too. That’s a hell of a lineup.”
Once Lily’s contraction subsided, Gunner started moving them towards his truck. Fuck, why did it have to be so high off the ground? He should have opted for a fucking minivan. She would have been more comfortable in that. Maybe he could trade in the rental before he had to bring her and the baby home.
“Gunner?”
“Yeah,” he helped her up and began stretching the seat belt over her belly.
“We need to hurry.” The panic in her eyes scorched every nerve in his body.
“You got it, boss.” He’d hoped that would make her laugh, and as the smile stretched across her face, he breathed the tiniest sigh of relief into his lungs.
“I think Sprout is about to get that designation.”
He put his hand on her belly, noticing immediately how she stilled under his touch. “Listen here, Sprout. Your mom and I need you to behave just a little while longer. You heard her, right? This truck is a rental and I don’t have that kind of insurance on it, okay?” Lily smiled again, and he couldn’t help but press a kiss to her cheek before shutting her door.
“Here, Lily’s bag. I’ll be right behind you, okay? ”
“Thanks, Gia.”
“Good luck, Dad.”
Fuck. That title nearly barreled him over.
Gunner slid into the driver’s seat and started the truck. With one hand on the steering wheel, he slid his other hand back over her belly, grimacing as the muscles became hard when another contraction rolled through her body.
“You okay, Lil?”
“Yes,” she got out through gritted teeth, and Gunner’s stomach churned as her head flew back against the headrest. “Y-you really need to drive, Gunner.”
“Right, sorry. Just can’t stop worrying about you.”
“I’m fine. I p-promise.”
He pulled his hand back and Lily whimpered.
“What’s wrong?”
“C-can you drive like that?”
“With my hand on your belly?” The act had felt so intimate, but so right at the same time.
She nodded. “It’s just that the warmth feels so nice.” A tear slid down her cheek.
“Lift your shirt, Lily Kate,” he directed, watching her close her eyes as she pulled the material up over her belly. His hand gently skimmed across her skin as he settled his hand back over the baby. “Is that okay?”
“It’s perfect. Thank you.” She placed her own hands on top of his.
He was so fucked. The baby moved beneath his touch and his heart crushed in his chest as he thought about everything Lily was going to endure to bring their daughter into the world. And she was their daughter. He felt it stronger with each passing day since they were married. But fuck if that didn’t scare him.
“I don’t think we should go to Mercy, Lil. I know it’s a few more minutes to drive to St. Joseph’s, but the doctors there won’t interfere with James’s parents like they might at Mercy.”
“You can’t switch providers when the baby’s coming.”
“They can’t refuse you care, Lil. And I was doing some research the past few nights. They have a higher rating from patients and a lower rate of c-sections than Mercy.”
“Okay,” she said through clenched teeth. “Go there.”
Three more contractions happened before he pulled into the emergency room parking lot. Gunner parked the car right at the door, not caring one bit that it was a tow zone. Lily and Sprout were his only concern.
“Sir, you can’t park here.” An orderly with a fierce scowl walked towards him as he jumped from the truck.
“My wife is in labor. I’ll move it once she’s taken care of.”
The orderly nodded, stepping inside the doors. By the time he’d returned, Gunner had helped Lily out of the truck and was rocking back and forth with her as another contraction took hold.
“Sir, your wife is in good hands,” the orderly said as he helped Lily into the wheelchair. “Please park your truck and you can meet us up on the third floor when you’re done.”
“Lily?” Gunner looked into her eyes and saw the fear.
“I’m fine. Go park the truck,” she smiled. “But hurry, okay?”
“Okay.”
Lily breathed through another contraction as she waited in the wheelchair at the nurse’s station on the Labor and Delivery floor. How could something so fundamental to life hurt so damn much? She’d wanted to be strong enough to do it all on her own, but the relief at knowing Gunner would be coming up behind her at any moment was all she could focus on .
Of course, he might not stay with her. He might want to stay away. The waiting room was small, but maybe he’d decide to be in there until her daughter was born.
Another contraction pulled at her back, forcing her to curl over her belly as its cruel tendrils snaked their way through her body. She couldn’t hold back the cry that left her lips.
“Why the fuck is my wife still out in the hallway?” The familiar growl had her heart fluttering in overdrive.
“There is paperwork that needs to be filled out Mr. Brooks. Mrs. Brooks will be admitted shortly.”
“Get her to a room and check on our daughter. I’ll fill out whatever needs to be handled, but my wife and daughter are to be placed in a room and monitored immediately.” When the nurse grumbled, she watched Gunner’s expression turn to stone. “Unless you’d like me to reach out to my boss, Sebastian Montgomery, and his team of lawyers.”
The nurse blanched and Lily would have laughed if she wasn’t in so much pain.
“That won’t be necessary Mr. Brooks. You can wheel your wife to room five and a nurse will be in shortly to help.”
Gunner didn’t say anything as he pushed Lily down the hallway and into the room.
As soon as he flipped the light on, Lily’s breath vanished. While the hospital she’d been planning on having the baby at was nice, this was beyond anything she imagined. Their room was more hotel than hospital, with a king sized bed and a large birthing tub right in the same space.
“Gunner, this is too much.”
“I told you, Lil, it’s safer for you and the baby here. Besides, my insurance will pay for everything and this hospital has better ratings. Although, if we have to interact with that bitch from the desk again, leaving them a one-star review will be the least of their worries.”
“Don’t be grumpy. There’s a process to ever—” Gunner’s arms wrapped around her and lifted her out of the wheelchair just as another contraction tried to squeeze the life out of her. She moaned, and a flush bloomed on her face as she felt more amniotic fluid leak from between her legs. Could this process be any more undignified?
“Contraction?” The fear in Gunner’s voice was clear as his body froze in place.
All she could offer was a quick nod into his chest. His body began to softly sway back and forth as his hands traveled from her waist to her lower back. Relief flooded through her as he pressed down, countering the pain from the contractions.
“Does that feel okay?” he whispered into her ear.
“God, yes. Please don’t stop.”
“I won’t.”
As that contraction passed, the realization that she was in Gunner’s arms slammed into her. She pulled away, turning towards the large bed. She could see a hospital gown laid out and figured she’d need to slip into it sooner rather than later.
“Whoa, where are you going?”
“To the bed. I kind of figure I need to get into that gown and get to business. But I know you probably don’t want to be in here for that, so you can go. I saw the waiting room, it looked nice. Don’t feel bad if you want to be in there instead of here. There aren’t any expectations. I’m sure Gia will be happy to wait in there with you.”
She was leaning against the mattress for support, willing her voice to stay steady as she felt him walk up behind her. A warm hand on her back, rubbing gently up and down it, nearly had a sob escaping.
“I’m not leaving you. You’re my wife.” He placed his other hand on her belly. “Sprout is my daughter. As long as you are okay with me being here, then I’d really like to stay. ”
She twisted, throwing her hands around his waist. “Please, don’t go. I’m scared.”
“There’s nothing to be scared of, Lily. You’ve been through tougher things than this. Remember when we wrecked our bikes chasing after Gia through the woods and how badly your parents reacted?”
“They didn’t even care that I was hurt. Just mad that I bent the frame and needed a new one.”
“See, you’ve got someone here that cares that you’re in pain. Already a step above that.”
“Do you really think that was tougher than this?”
“How long did you have to work to get a replacement?” he asked.
“It took me a whole year of extra chores to save up for that new bike.” She smiled at the memory of the day she finally got to show it off to Gia and Gunner.
“See? If you can handle that, you can definitely do this. Sure the labor is tougher, but the reward is going to be a million times better than that sparkly pink bike with streamers on the handles.”
“You remember what that bike looked like?”
“Of course I do. I had to listen to you talk to Gia about it for months before you got it and then months after, too. It’s seared into my memory.”
“I’ve really got this?” She groaned as another pain took hold of her body.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to be an absolute rockstar bringing our daughter into the world.”