Page 20 of Brokered Betrayals
Kelsey tensed suddenly and looked down at her stomach. “Oh, I think I’ll get to eat faster than I’d expected.”
“What’s that mean?” Sawyer asked.
Royce turned to the monitor and saw a huge contraction building. The damn thing looked like Mount Everest, and he turned to the bed to help coach Kelsey through the monster.
Kelsey gasped in the middle of Sawyer’s breathing count and said, “I just felt Lil Sketti Squash move into position. Call the nurse.”
Sawyer’s breath caught in his throat, and his brain screamed, “She’s coming!” And judging by the shocked expressions around the room, he might’ve spoken the words out loud.
Kelsey’s mouth curved into a grin before it contorted into a grimace. “I meant push the call button, not shout down the hallway.”
Andrew ducked his head, but Sawyer didn’t need to see his face to know he was laughing. The big guy’s shoulders shook as he reached over the bed railing and pressed the call button.
Sawyer chuckled nervously. “I didn’t mean to say that part out loud.”
“She’s coming?” Kelsey asked. “I could make so many jokes about that, but—” Her voice cut off suddenly, and she gritted out a guttural groan. “Fuck, that hurts.”
Megan entered the room with a smile on her face. She cleared the call alert from a cell phone and tucked it into her pocket. “Everything okay in here?”
“I felt the baby drop into position, and there’s a ton of pressure,” Kelsey replied. “My body is telling me it’s time to push.”
“Okay,” Megan said. “You breathe through the urge while I check things out.” Megan pulled one corner of the blanket aside to give Kelsey privacy as she examined her. “Yep. You’re fully dilated and ready to push.” Megan looked at Sawyer and Royce. “Your little girl is eager to meet her dads.”
“Holy shit. This is really happening,” Royce whispered.
“Uh-huh,” Sawyer replied.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Megan said. “I’m going to call Dr. Yang and let her know you’re ready for her. Then I’m going to get the bed ready for the next stage. I need you to keep breathing through the contractions and resist the urge to push, okay?”
Kelsey nodded vigorously. “Yes.”
“Help her stay calm and focused,” Megan instructed the men.
“Here comes another contraction, baby,” Andrew said.
“Really?” Kelsey asked dryly as her stomach tensed.
“Slow, deep breaths, Kels,” Sawyer said. “You’ve got this.”
Megan spoke calmly but urgently into the phone as she removed the lower half of the bed. She pulled the stirrups into position and locked them into place. Megan tucked her phone back into her pocket and said, “I’ll stand right here in case of an emergency. Everything is going to be just fine.”
“Have you ever delivered a baby before?” Royce asked.
“Once at a shopping mall,” Megan replied. “I’d much rather be in this situation than that one.”
“I bet.”
Emotions surged inside Sawyer like a tidal wave, and he wasn’t sure what to do with them. He threaded his fingers through Kelsey’s and then kissed the back of her hand. “What can I do to help?”
“Just stay right there. I have my best guys by my side, and I can do anything.”
Royce sucked in air between his teeth and shook his head sadly at Andrew. “Such a tough way to find out you share the top spot with two others. Ouch.”
“With a woman like Kelsey, I’ll take anything she gives me and be damn grateful for it,” Andrew said.
Sawyer admired Royce’s ability to ease the rising tension in the room with jokes.
Kelsey must’ve appreciated it, too, because she kissed Andrew between contractions, cupped his cheek, and said, “You’d get so lucky tonight if I weren’t about to split my vagina in half.”