Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“It hurts,” she gasped. “I didn’t know it was going to hurt this much.”
“I know, honey. We’re almost there. Finn’s going to get us to the hospital, and you can get an epidural if you want one.”
My phone beeped with another text. Griffen.
At the hospital in 5. Where are you?
Just got to town. Roads are a mess here, but Finn has it under control. Hope is hanging in there.
Contractions?
6-7 min
So far, her contractions weren’t speeding up faster than six minutes. That was good. I did not want to deliver a baby on the side of the road in a winter storm.
“Griffen is five minutes from the hospital,” I said, wincing as Hope squeezed my hand until I thought my bones might break. God, she had a grip. “He’ll be waiting when we get there.”
I wasn’t sure which of us I was comforting. We made our way slowly past the Inn, and it sunk in that we still had to get from town to the hospital. We pulled into town proper, and, as I’d predicted, Sawyers Bend was a fucking mess. At some point, the power had gone out. Main Street was dark, the stoplights out, cars and trucks parked at odd angles. One intersection had a pileup of five vehicles. It didn’t look like anyone had been hurt, but most of the road was blocked.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
SAVANNAH
“Fuck. Fuck,” Finn said under his breath, slowing to a crawl as he rounded the rear end of a busted-up pickup truck. “Hang on, ladies,” he said, the passenger-side wheels of the Jeep popping up on the curb and throwing us to the left as Finn carefully navigated us around the accident.
The tires dropped back down to street level, sending the Jeep into a slide. Hope screeched in pain as a contraction hit, the seatbelt too tight, the Jeep sliding to the center of the road. With another muffled curse, Finn downshifted, turning just enough for the tires to grab the road, and we slowly straightened out.
“I’m sorry,” Hope breathed. “I didn’t mean to scream.”
“It’s okay, honey. Scream if you want to,” I assured her. “It’s just Finn and me here, and we don’t mind.”
“You’re doing great, Hope,” Finn said from the front. “We’re past the worst part. It’s less icy here, and it’s not far to the hospital.”
“I thought I was going to do this without the drugs,” Hope said, her voice thin and breathy, “but I think I need the drugs. This really hurts. It hurts so much.”
“I know, honey. I know it does. We’ll get you there, and they’ll get you anything you want to help with the pain.”
I hoped that was true. I’d planned to have Nicky without an epidural, then changed my mind too late. I ended up muscling my way through, and in the way of childbirth, I remembered it all as a fuzzy emotional roller coaster. I remembered it hurt, but then they put Nicky in my arms, and all the bad parts faded into the joy of holding him for the first time.
Sitting here with Hope’s grip breaking my knuckles, hearing her cries of pain, I suddenly remembered exactly how much it had hurt. I wanted her to get that epidural. Silently, I urged Finn to go faster. I kept my mouth shut, knowing he was going as fast as he could and still get us there safely. I never thought I’d be in a position to thank god for Finn Sawyer, but here we were. I could focus on Hope because I had no doubt that he would get us there safely. No doubt at all.
“Is Griffen there yet?” Hope asked, her voice childlike.
“He should be there any minute now,” I said, checking the screen of my phone for a text. Nothing. “He’ll be there soon. Finn and I are here. We’ve got you. Everything is going to be okay.”
Although the roads were clearer once we turned onto the state highway, my worry for Hope escalated. Another contraction hit. Five minutes and forty-two seconds. Too fast, considering we were still on the road. I wanted out of this Jeep. I wanted Hope in the hands of medical professionals.
Finn and I could do a hell of a lot together, but we were not delivering this baby on the side of the road. No way. I refused to acknowledge it as a possibility. I focused on comforting Hope, timing contractions, and checking my phone until the red lights spelling EMERGENCY glowed through the blur of sleet and wind.
“We’re here. We’re here, honey,” I said as Finn pulled on the parking brake and vaulted from the Jeep, racing inside and returning with an orderly pushing a wheelchair.
He opened the back door and reached for Hope, saying, “Stay with her until Griffen’s here. I’ll park the Jeep and come find you.”