Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
I just sit here, calmly rubbing my belly. I know I look a mess and am sweaty. “See, Gray? What do I have to be worried about? We’re getting an escort to the hospital.”
I hear the doc before I see him. “Excuse me, can I get through?”
Another one of the guys says, “Hey, Doc.”
Gray starts shoving people out of the way to let the doctor through. When he gets to me, he smiles. “You doing okay, Ellie?”
“I’m doing great, Doc.” I answer him just as another contraction wracks through my body.
Gray sits down next to me, coaching me through the pain. The doctor is looking at his watch, pointing directions to the bikers all standing around watching me. I tune it all out and focus on Gray. He’s smiling at me. “You’re doing great, honey.”
Someone gives him a cool washcloth, and he wipes it across my face. As soon as the contraction is over, the Doc yells, “All right, everyone wait outside.”
All the bikers leave, hollering good wishes on their way out the door.
Once it’s just Gray, the doc and me, everything starts to happen fast. “I wasn’t planning on a home birth.”
The doctor just laughs. “People never do. It’s fine, but this baby wants out now.”
After he examines me, he looks at Gray. “You ready to be a daddy?”
Gray doesn’t even hesitate. “Hell, yeah.”
The doc nods. “Well, that’s good because it’s happening. Ellie, you’re dilated to ten already. On the next contraction I’m going to need you to push, okay?”
The door flies open, and it’s a nurse I recognize from my many visits to the office. She is dragging Reaper back inside, both their arms full of things. She’s completely no nonsense as she starts setting up supplies. She gives orders to Reaper, and he’s gone down the hall, coming back shortly with towels and then gone again.
The contraction hits out of nowhere, and it’s a pain I’ve never felt before. Voices sound off all around me, and I hear them telling me to push and to breathe, but it all happens too fast.
The baby comes fast and hard. The doctor is holding him while the nurse assists. It’s like I’m holding my breath until I hear the cry of our baby, James Dawson.
They put him on my chest while Gray hovers over the two of us. He’s taking turns kissing the both of us, and I’ve never felt as whole as I do in this moment right here.
It’s not until much later after a trip to the hospital to make sure everything is okay with me and the baby before we’re back home and I’m tucked into bed with a sleeping James in his bassinet next to us.
“You okay?” Gray asks me for the umpteenth time.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m perfect.”
Gray pulls me into his arms. “Okay, next time we do this, let’s try to do it at a hospital, okay? You should have told me you were having contractions this morning.”
I lean my head on his chest. “This was actually kind of perfect this way. The Guardians all got to be a part of it.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
I shrug. “They’re family. Speaking of family, did you call Dawson’s parents to let them know about James Dawson?” Around the seventh month, I told them about the baby. They were happy and made a regular occurrence of calling and checking in on us, which is more than I can say about my mom and dad. I declined their offer to let me move back in, and they sort of wrote me and the baby off after that.
He rubs my back. “I did. They’re coming into town next week to meet their grandson.”
We lie there in each other’s arms, and I turn my head to look up at him. “Are you happy, Gray?”
“I have you, we have a healthy baby boy... yeah, I’m happy, Ellie.”
I lie content in Gray’s arms. Yeah, life couldn’t be any better.