39. Alex
39
Alex
“ M an, this storm is brutal.” Carter stares out the window just as another flash of lightning illuminates the sky. It’s not often we get rough storms out here, and this one seems to be a doozy.
“Yeah, I’m glad I’m not working tonight.” Gabby is at work, but thankfully, she got there before the worst of it hit. I know she’s safe.
“I think I’m gonna go down to the gym and blow off some steam. You want to come too?” He grabs his sneakers from the pile of shoes next to our front door and begins lacing them.
The phrase “blowing off steam” and “Carter” is an unusual pairing. My roommate is the calm, cool, and collected one of our bunch, but lately, he’s been getting agitated about every little thing. I should go with him to see what’s up, but I’m not the Dear Abby kind of guy, and I know he won’t talk until he’s ready.
“Nah, tonight is the perfect night to work on a project of mine.” I rub my hands together .
“A project?”
“Yup! Hold on a sec!” I run into my bedroom and pull out the black velvet box that’s hidden in my sock drawer. I can barely contain my excitement when I come back out to show my friend the secret I’ve been keeping.
“Dude—” Carter’s eyes widen the minute he notices the box in my hand. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yup.” I flick open the lid to reveal a white gold diamond and amethyst engagement ring. I contemplated taking Aly or Michelle to help, but neither of them was around. It turned out I didn’t need their input because the moment I walked into the jewelry store and saw the ring with Gabby’s favorite color in it, I knew it was the one.
“Damn, man! I don’t know much about jewelry, but that looks like it was made for Gabby.”
“I know, right? I’m so excited to give it to her, but I’m not sure how to propose.”
“You mean you don’t want to do it the same way you’ve done it the last thousand times?”
“Exactly! This is serious business. This time, I’m coming equipped with sparkly things.” I hold the box back to admire my selection. I can’t wait to give it to her. Our relationship might still be new, but I think it’s safe to say we’re in this for the long haul. If we can handle everything we’ve already been through, we can handle whatever life throws at us. “I thought I’d scroll through YouTube and get some ideas for a proposal.”
“I’m also not an expert on that, but my guess is to avoid anything in public. Gabby’s not the type that wants a lot of attention drawn to her.”
“Yeah, I already figured that. I’m thinking about placing the ring somewhere she might not think of and having a quiet dinner at home, or something like that. ”
“Well, let me know if you need help with anything.” He claps me on the back.
There’s the Carter I know.
Once my roommate heads downstairs to the gym, I plop down on the couch with my phone in one hand and the ring in the other. Angry thunder rattles our windows as I scroll through countless proposal ideas.
“Hey!” Aly pops her head in through the door. “Are you, umm…busy?”
“Not really.” I study Aly’s features as she walks through the doorway. It’s not like her to come over to our place, and something about her seems…different. “Everything okay, Legs?”
“Yeah, umm…kinda.” Her eyes immediately home in on my left hand, and her energy switches back to regular bubbly Aly. “Oh my God! Is that—”
“Shh!” I cut her off, though no one is around to hear us. I jump up and meet her near the doorway, holding the ring box out for her to see.
“Oh, Alex!” she gushes. “This is beati—ohhh.” She grabs onto my bicep and digs her nails into my skin. That’s when I realize she has her other arm wrapped around her belly.
“Shit, Legs! Are you in labor?”
“I don’t know,” she says after taking a deep breath, her grip loosening. “I thought it was Braxton Hicks contractions like all those other times, but then my water broke and—”
“Your water broke?!” I shout.
“I didn’t mean for it to break! It just happened.” Aly’s voice cracks and a few tears stream down her face.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. You just caught me off guard. Where’s Jax?” I look behind her as if he’ll magically appear.
“Travis’s truck got stuck in the mud. Jax went to help. I told him to wait out the storm at Travis’s because I didn’t want him driving in this weather. I’d be a stressed-out mess.” She stops to take some slow, deep breaths. “That was before my water broke and the contractions got stronger. I tried calling him, but it’s going straight to voicemail.”
Shit. Travis is the one who lives in the log cabin out in the woods where Gabby and I count stars. Cell service can be finicky out there. With this rain and wind, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s completely knocked out.
“Is Michelle around?” I could call Carter for help, but if he’s in the gym, he has the music cranked up to full blast and won’t hear my call. Plus, he has a weak stomach.
“She had a study group at the library.” She doubles over in pain. “Oww! It’s getting worse!”
“I need to call nine-one-one. I don’t think it’s safe to drive you to the hospital.”
“I already called. There are lots of accidents and trees down blocking the roads. They said it could be a while before they get here.”
I curse to myself. I know this is a scary situation and the last thing I need is for her to panic even more. I take a breath and center myself, knowing what I have to do. I am a paramedic, certified and all. I can do this. Actually, I’ve done this before.
“I need you to find a comfortable place—the couch, the floor, wherever you want. I’m going to grab some towels and my medical kit. I have news for you, Legs.”
“B-bad news?” She pants in pain.
“No bad news, only good news,” I tell her confidently. “This is not the first time I’ve delivered a baby.”
“God, I was hoping you’d say that.” Aly’s shoulders visibly relax as she awkwardly sits down on the couch.
“I’ve delivered two babies before, which makes this number three and that just happens to be my lucky number. ”
I run into my room, put the ring box back in my drawer, and grab some towels and my medical kit. I come back out to see Aly resting comfortably on the couch. I think just knowing she’s not alone has put her at ease. I kneel down in front of my friend and take her hands in mine.
“Everything is going to be okay. We got this, Legs.”
***
“I can’t believe he’s here.” Aly cradles her healthy baby boy while sitting upright in her hospital bed. I’m glad she finally has a chance to rest.
Things got pretty crazy for a while. Aly’s contractions became steadier and stronger. Before we knew it, she needed to push. Jax and the paramedics arrived just as the baby made his grand entrance. The look of panic, realization, and elation that crossed over Jax’s face in that moment is something that will be engrained in my memory forever. Also, I’m never going to let anyone forget that I helped bring baby J.J. into the world.
“You know, Jaxon Junior is nice and all, but have you considered changing his name to Alejandro? It has a nice ring to it.”
“You’re never going to drop this, are you?” Jax groans.
“Nope.” I rock on my heels and turn toward Carter, who’s been quietly sitting in the corner. “How ya holdin’ up there, buddy?”
“I’ve been better.” He rests his head up against the wall, still looking a little green around the gills. Did I mention my roommate is a class-A wimp?
“I’m sorry you had to see all that.” Aly winces .
“I just wish neither of you saw that part of my wife,” Jax grumbles.
“It’s okay.” Aly puts a reassuring hand on Jax. “Alex was strictly professional, and I don’t think Carter saw much before he blacked out.”
“Please, let’s just never bring this up again,” Carter moans. Unfortunately for him, he showed up shortly before Jax and the paramedics did. It was right at the height of Aly’s labor and to say he saw more than he bargained for is an understatement. The poor guy passed out in the doorway, and Jax had to step over him to get to Aly.
Once Aly and J.J. were taken care of, I helped Carter try to pull himself together. I fired off a text to Michelle and Gabby, hopped in the shower, grabbed my still-stunned roommate, and headed for the hospital.
My phone pings in my pocket with a text message from Michelle. “The road by the library has cleared and Peanut is on her way. Gabby hasn’t read the message yet, but she’s still working. I’m going to run up to Peds and let her know the good news.”
I leave my friends to go tell Gabby my epic story. She’s going to be so excited, yet disappointed she missed J.J.’s birth.
I feel the change in energy before the elevator doors to the pediatric unit fully part. Cops line the hallway and medical equipment is scattered all over the floor. A woman cries in a chair while a man has his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The place looks like a tornado went through it, and Gabby is nowhere to be found. My heart sinks into my stomach.
“Alex!” a voice calls from behind me. I spin around to see Marissa, the charge nurse. Her hair is a mess and mascara streaks down her face, but worst of all, her scrubs are covered in blood .
“Marissa, what the hell happened?!”
“Th-there was an altercation,” she stammers. “Security was called, but they didn’t get here in time. Gab-Gabby tried to protect a patient and was attacked. She—”
I don’t bother listening to whatever Marissa has to say. I’m already bolting down the stairwell to the Emergency Department. The fact that someone was violent toward the woman I love, the woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly, makes me damn near feral. I have to see her. I have to know she’s okay. I can’t lose her.
I throw open the door to the Emergency Department, running so fast that I nearly skid when I spot Dr. Cody, one of the attending physicians. His face grows solemn as soon as he sees me approach.
“Where is she?” I demand.
“I’m so sorry, Alex. She was taken upstairs for emergency surgery.”