Page 47 of Wrecked (McIntyre Security Bodyguard #16)
Sometime Later
Cooper and I are waiting in the hallway outside my sister’s labor and delivery room at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
We’re beyond excited. Our baby girl will be born any minute now.
Rachel’s been in labor for nearly eight hours, and everything seems to be progressing nicely.
The nurses assure us everything is going well. These things just take time.
Mom’s in the delivery room with Rachel, of course, as is Troy. That man never leaves her side. He’s like a Rottweiler where my sister is concerned, always on guard. Always watching out for her, protecting her.
Beth and Shane and Erin and Mack are in the waiting room, as eager as we are for the birth of little Brianna Michelle Cooper, our daughter.
We hear a commotion coming from inside Rachel’s hospital room.
Not long after, Mom pokes her head out the door.
Teary-eyed, she’s beaming. “She’s here! Oh, you guys, she’s perfect.
Mom and baby are doing great. Troy’s hanging in there, too.
He’s a real trooper.” And then she disappears back inside the room.
I look at Cooper, who’s standing beside me, as still as can be. “She’s here,” I say, slipping my arm around his waist.
Cooper pulls me into his arms. “It seems so unreal. We’re fathers. ”
About fifteen minutes later, a frazzled Troy pops his head out. His suit jacket is off, his tie is loosened, his usually pristine dress shirt is wrinkled, and his eyes are bloodshot. But still, he’s smiling. “Rachel wants you guys to come in.”
I take Cooper’s hand and pull him into the room. It’s dimly lit in here as the drapes are pulled. The two labor and delivery nurses are busy tidying up.
We take our places at the foot of the bed and glance down at my sister. Rachel’s face is flushed, and her damp hair is tangled and matted. But she’s beaming at us as she holds a tiny, red-faced baby to her bare chest. Troy discretely arranges the sheet to cover her breasts.
“Hey, sis,” I say, smiling at her through tears. Right now I’m swamped with so many emotions, I don’t even know where to start. I’m a father. Cooper and I have a baby girl. And my sister is making one of the biggest sacrifices imaginable for us.
Rachel smiles right back. “Hey, Sammy.” She nods toward the baby. “Your daughter is here.”
Cooper clears his throat. “Is she—is everything okay?”
Mom steps forward and lays her hand on Cooper’s back. “She’s better than okay. She’s perfect.”
Cooper smiles. “She has red hair.” He pulls me close and kisses my temple. Then he turns his attention to my sister. “And you’re okay, Rachel?”
Rachel nods. “I’m doing just fine. Do you guys want to hold her?”
One of the nurses secures ID bracelets on my wrist and on Cooper’s. One of the nurses takes the baby from Rachel, lays her in the bassinet and wraps her in a receiving blanket. She covers the baby’s head with a tiny pink knit hat. “Who’s first?” the woman asks us.
“He is,” I say, nodding to Cooper. I am dying to see my husband holding our baby in his arms.
“Here you go, Daddy,” the woman says as she lays our daughter in Cooper’s arms.
He cradles her close to his chest and gazes down at her in awe. “She’s so beautiful. I never imagined—” His voice breaks as tears start flowing unchecked down his cheeks.
I wrap my arm around his waist, and together we stare in wonder at little Miss Brianna Michelle Cooper.
A quiet noise draws my attention back to my sister.
She’s crying silently as Troy holds her in his arms and murmurs softly to her.
When he kisses her forehead, I look away, wanting to give them privacy at this emotional moment.
This has to be hard for both of them. He’s been with Rachel every step of the pregnancy.
I can’t begin to imagine how hard this must be for Rachel. Of course she’ll be fully involved in Brianna’s life—we wouldn’t want it any other way—but still. My sister has made a monumental sacrifice.
Cooper silently hands Brianna to me. She’s so tiny and hardly weighs anything.
I gaze down at her sweet round face. Her downy-soft hair is red, and her pale complexion is splotchy right now.
Her eyes flutter open, and she stares up at me with the most beautiful bright blue eyes.
I wonder if they’ll stay blue or change later to brown.
I glance around and see there’s not a dry eye in the room. Even the nurses are struggling to maintain their composure.
“When you’re ready,” one of the nurses says, addressing not just Rachel, but me and Cooper as well, “we’ll take her to the nursery so she can get cleaned up and examined. We’ll bring her back as soon as that’s done.”
“One of you go with her,” Rachel says to us.
Cooper nods. “I’ll go. I won’t let her out of my sight.” He reaches down to gently squeeze Rachel’s ankle. “We’ll be back soon.”
The nurse takes Brianna from me and places her in the bassinet. Then she wheels her out of the room with Cooper close on her heels.
I move to the side of the bed and hug my sister. “Thank you, sis.” My voice cracks. “You’ve given us the most precious gift imaginable. We can never thank you enough.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Sam and Cooper’s prequel/sequel. I hope you enjoyed the beginning of their story from their point of view.
The cover for this book is extra special because the model, Chris David, photographed by Jane Ashley Converse, epitomizes my mental image of Cooper. And this pose! It’s epic!
I hope you’re enjoying the McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series. Stay tuned because more books are coming! And yes, Troy and Rachel are getting a book of their own. What a doozie that will be!