46. JAX - NYE
JAX - NYE
I’ve never been a jealous man when it comes to Everlee and the guys, but Everlee and that vibrator… that may be a different story. She’s on her second orgasm in less than five minutes and I’m so fucking hard. But this isn’t about me right now, this is about our girl. Emmett is watching me from across the room with that fiery look in his eyes that makes me want to bend him over and claim him, but again. This. Isn’t. About. Me.
Callum and Knox have been planted by Ev’s side, and I don’t know how they’re keeping it together and keeping their hands off her.
A hand grips my shoulder, and when I look up, Emmett is there, looking down at me. “You ok over here?”
“Managing, you?”
“Same.” His hand moves to the back of my neck and he squeezes. “Beckett’s been texting, looking for updates and said he’s trying to get flights for him, Will, and his parents, but said they’re all sold out.”
“Tell him to keep us posted and we can chip in on cost if they need help.”
Emmett winks. He’s already done that. “He said if they don’t find something, they may just hop in a car and drive. It’s just over twelve hours and they can split the driving.”
Everlee’s moans echo through the room, followed by a groan. She’s pressing her back into the pillow as she grabs the edge of it and squeezes.
“Take it. Take it.” She throws the rose at Knox, who fumbles it like a hot potato for a second before he grabs it. “Oh God,” she cries out.
Bolting from the seat, I’m at her side with Emmett a second later. “What’s wrong?“Con… trac… tion.”
Callum kicks his shoes off, tears the pillows off the bed and climbs behind her and starts rubbing her back and hips.
“It felt… so good… then it hurt… so bad.”
A laugh erupts from my mouth before Knox and Emmett both give me death stares. “What? Come on. That sounds like a song or something.”
“Hand!” Ev commands, reaching out for me and Knox.
Her little fingers slide into our hands, and squeeze with a force that I never knew existed. Knox and I both lock eyes, each of us wanting to cry or scream out or something, but both of us holding it in for her.
Emmett is on the other side of me, rubbing a towel on her head, when two nurses run in, doing a stutter step, looking at us. There was a shift change a little less than an hour ago, so this is the first time they are seeing us, though I have to imagine a note has been left on the charts or chatter has filtered through the floor.
A second later, they snap out of it and move around the room, looking at the paper while the other walks over to stand beside Knox.
“Everlee, I’m nurse Bea. How are you doing?”
“Hurt…ing. Long… contraction.”
“I’m going to do a quick exam to see how you’re progressing.”
Everlee nods and grips my hand tighter for another second before the pain eases.
Nurse Bea slips her gloved and lubricated fingers into Ev and feels around. “You’re over halfway there. Were you wanting to have an epidural?”
“Yes! Yes please.”
“Okay. We’ll get a doctor in here to administer it for you.”
“How much longer?”
“Hard to say. Still could be a couple of hours.” She looks at her watch. “It’s almost nine, now.” She pulls her face. “It could be tonight or early tomorrow morning. I’m also going to send your doctor in to check on you and break your water. Hang in there, mama. Looks like you got an excellent support system here.”
There’s a knock on the door before it opens. “Are you decent hook- well, hello there,” Lizzy stops when she sees the nurses in the room.
“Ma’am.” The other nurse begins.
“No. It’s fine. She can stay.”
“We’ll have to limit the number of people in the room during delivery,” the nurse says with a slight scoff.
“Then we’ll need to find a bigger room. If she wants all of us in the room, then we’ll all be in the room,” I say with an unamused scowl on my face. She’s not going to tell us we can’t be in the room during the birth of our babies. Especially, after we’ve already talked with our doctor and several others.
Nurse Bea shoots the other nurse a look, then jumps in. “This room is fine. We’ll work out where everyone needs to be during delivery. We just need to make sure no one is in the way in case of an emergency.” She removes her gloves and tosses them in the trash.
“Completely understand. You tell us where to be and we will. We’re good at following directions.”
Her cheeks blush, and she quickly mumbles out, “We’ll be back in a bit to check on you.”
Lizzy hisses at the other nurse who tried to kick her out when the door closes. “Can you believe them? Trying to kick me out of my boo’s room.”
“Don’t worry. If she wants you here, you’ll be here,” I say, catching several looks of shock from others. “Stop,” I warn, and the room erupts into laughter.
“What’s in the bag?” Emmett asks, nodding at her.
“It’s New Year's Eve. We’ve spent every New Year’s together, except for maybe part of last year where I may have missed the ball drop, but I’m not missing another one. So I got us some decorations and sparkling grape to ring in the new year. Now don’t mind me. I’m just going to decorate a little.”
“Why do you have that look on your face?” Knox asks, matching her smile with his.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She laughs, then turns around and starts pulling black and gold paper decorations and signs out of her bag, setting them up on the window ledge. She grabs the remote and flicks on the television to NYE coverage. “This ok, mama?”
Everlee rolls her head to the side, with heavy eyelids. “Perfect.”
Sometime later, there's a knock at the door and a male doctor with graying hair sticks his head in. “Good evening, I’m Dr. Markowitz, but you can call me Dr. Mark.” He steps in, moving to the hand sanitizer mounted on the wall, and rubs his hands when he walks over to us. “I hear you want an epidural?”
“Yes, please.”
Another nurse walks into the room a second later and again pauses before continuing. I guess it can be alarming seeing so many people in the room.
“Perfect. I’m going to have you sit up and hang your legs off the edge of the bed and lean over as far as you can.” He looks at the rest of us, “I’m going to have all of you wait over on the other side in front of her.”
“I’m going to step out,” Lizzy says. “Give you all some space.”
Emmett and Knox go with her. Part of me thinks I should go to, but I don’t want to leave her side.
The nurse and doctor get to work moving in perfect synchronicity. I try not to look, because while I’m ok with needles, just the thought of that going into Ev’s spine makes me queasy.
“You’ll feel a little pinch and some pressure, but try to stay relaxed and just breathe for me.”
“Okay.”
Dr. Mark chuckles. “Ok. Here we go.”
Sometime later, there’s a knock on the door and Dr. Yiminitz pokes her head in. “How’s my favorite group?” She pushes the rest of the door open, walks to the hand sanitizer mounted on the wall, and is rubbing her hands as she walks over to us. A minute later, Nurse Bea walks in.
“We’re hanging in there.”
“Well, everything seems to be progressing smoothly. I’m going to do a quick exam and then I’m going to break your water.” When she pulls her hand out, she smiles. “Almost six. Looks like you may have some New Year’s babies.”
“Oh God,” Everlee sighs.
“What?”
“Beckett. New Year’s babies. Publicity.”
Dr. Yiminitz laughs. “That may not happen. I wouldn’t worry about it and worst case, if you have the first baby born, we just decline the news article.”
A second later, there’s a swoosh and a sigh from Everlee as liquid gushes out of her.