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Chapter Thirty-Eight
Arriving at the hospital with Colby seated in the back, Billie was careful in her conversation and reassured him everything would be fine. The way she had dealt with the hugest event in our lives to that point had looked completely casual, like she had been taking a trip to the movies. She gave me the weirdest calming vibe, which had been nothing like the expectation I’d imagined in my mind.
Strangely there had been no pain or drama when her water broke, she’d just changed with good humor, gotten into the car, and sat next to me on the journey looking as comfortable as she could be with her huge baby bump.
As we drove into the parking lot and parked, she looked out of the window and up to the sky. “You’re going to think me nuts, but this isn’t how I’d imagined the scene of coming to the hospital.”
Turning the engine off I stared at her gorgeous face, her eyes bright with a mixture of excitement and expectation in them and maybe a hint of fear, and I swear, she’d never looked more beautiful.
“What do you mean?”
“Us rushing here in the dark. James or Tricia hurrying into our apartment and you checking the list of items needed to look after Colby, I mean in my head this was how it was all planned out.”
“You can’t control Mother Nature.” I chuckled and agreed and followed her gaze to the cloudless blue spring sky. “Beautiful day for a birthday … or two,” I said, turning to Colby who’d been unusually quiet in the back. Worry etched his face and I felt so thankful for Billie’s calmness, for his sake as well as mine.
“Somehow we’ve all avoided voicing our guesses, although I’m sure you have what you think they are in your head, bud. What do you think? Two pink, two blue, one of each?”
“I don’t mind …well, maybe not two girls if I had my best wish, but if they are girls I’ll just have to take a martial arts class for when I’m older to protect them.”
When I looked into his serious eyes, my heart squeezed at how mature his thought processes were and how he felt genuinely responsible for his soon-to-be siblings.
“You’re going to be a great brother no matter what they are, bud. But first we need to get them out of your mom’s belly, and then we’ll work everything out from there.”
I glanced at Billie and saw she was having a quiet emotional moment and figured for any woman in her position; the day ahead must have been a massive deal. However, from her perspective it had arrived at a new destination in her life’s journey.
I’d suspect it was one she had never expected to go on again when she was married to Logan Drummond. But now he was firmly in her past as her life’s partner and I was her future. But the twist of it all was our babies tied each one of us to the other.
As I got out of the car, and eyed the hospital entrance, I said a silent prayer for the best outcome for my girl and our babies, while my stomach churned and my chest felt tight as my mind swayed between feelings that ranged from wildly euphoric to anguished.
Popping the trunk, I lifted out her small suitcase packed with everything she felt, she’d need. Next I opened the back passenger door and let Colby out and hugged him quickly to my chest.
“It’s going to be fine, bud and you’re going to be a brother today,” I offered and winked.
“The Boss, Head Honcho,” he corrected, and I laughed as I reached for Billie’s door handle.
Once my wife was on her feet, we made our way into the hospital foyer and up to the maternity floor. We’d called ahead, so they had been expecting us, and showed us into a private room and after the obstetric nurse had ascertained Billie’s water had broken she had been told to change.
As his mom did this, I took Colby to the waiting room. Fortunately, James arrived before the nurse came back.
“So today’s the day,” he offered quietly. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and looked awkwardly around him. Hospitals had this effect on me too, usually.
“It appears so,” I replied, nervously.
“Looks like you’re playing hooky from school today,” he told Colby, and they both grinned at one another. “Anyone called the school yet?”
“Shit,” I muttered. “I forgot all about that.”
“Don’t worry it’s on ‘the list’,” he said, chuckling because Billie had written a long list for James and Tricia to follow.
Spending another five minutes talking, we each took turns to reassure Colby he’d be brought back to see the babies at the earliest reasonable time. Following this I hugged them both and led them toward the elevator so that James could take Colby home. As soon as they had left I went back to Billie.
“Hi, I’m Louisa,” the tall blonde nurse advised me, having ignored me the first time I’d been in the room in favor of getting Billie settled. “I’ve just explained to Billie that Dr. Stevens is on his way.” As if on cue there was a sharp knock on the door before Billie’s obstetrician shoved it open and smiled as he came inside.
“Happy birthday,” he said with a chuckle. “Who’s betting they’ll be glad when they can see their feet again?”
Billie laughed. “Me!” she exclaimed with a chuckle. “Now if you could make this a painless exercise and keep me out of surgery, I’ll love you forever,” she teased back.
“Hey,” I admonished, knowing full well it was all just banter.
