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I press my palm to hers, and it’s she who links her fingers around my own. Her eyes close, and I look over at Kenra.
She’s got her lips pursed, but I shake my head, bending to rub my free hand over Payton’s forehead, blowing cool breaths along the sweat beads building there.
“It hurts,” she cries, squeezing me tighter.
“I know. I know it does, but you’re doing so good.”
She starts to scream, her entire body coiling and shoulders caving in. She pants, gasps, and thrashes against her pillow. “I need to… I don’t know. I think…”
The nurse runs back in, lifts Payton’s gown, and I wait for her to panic or scream for help.
The crazy woman in lime-green scrubs smiles at us and says, “It’s time.”
We all freeze. I look from Payton to Kenra to Payton.
Payton’s eyes are wide, her lips trembling as she looks from my cousin back to me.
They both look at me as if I’ve got all the answers, but I don’t have shit. I’m fucking terrified here. “Should I get Parker?” I take a guess, thankful when she nods eagerly.
“Please.” She gives one more squeeze before releasing me. “I want him here, too.”
I’m already moving toward the door when she shouts. “Wait!”
The panic in her tone wraps around my shoulders. I jerk around again, ready to run right back. Hell, I’ll do circles right here in this little room if she wants me to.
“You promised,” she rasps, fear glittering in her gaze.
There’s a heavy knock in my chest, and I nod. “I’ll be right back, Pretty Little.Right back.”
She drops her head to the pillow, nodding as she squeezes her eyes closed, and I book it down the hall, pressing the button on the automatic doors, but there’s no time to run into the waiting room, so I shout from the other side. “Baby’s coming!” I clap, but I don’t wait around to be sure Parker heard, spinning on my heels and jogging back toward room 227.
Parker’s right behind me, and he moves for her right side, but that’s my side and I hold still, so he goes to stand behind Kenra, reaching past her to gently brush Payton’s arm.
She looks to each of us, then back at the doctor, nodding as the doc explains what happens next.
And honestly, I’m shitting my pants right now.
Her legs are up, feet locked in these scary-ass metal things reminding me of those contraptions Forrest Gump had on his legs when he was a kid, and there’s an operating tray set out with all sorts of shit like a horror movie prop setup.
Yeah, I’m freaking out, and I’m guessing it’s obvious seeing as nurse number two steps up beside me and whispers for me to breathe.
So I listen, dragging in a long shaky breath as I look back to Payton.
“Okay, Payton, I’m going to count back to one, and on one, you’re going to push for a full count of three, okay?”
“I don’t know,” she whines, squeezing her eyes closed.
The doctor looks up at me, an expectant expression on her face, and my eyes widen because what the hell, man? What amIsupposed to do? I don’t know shit about shit and?—
Payton starts to cry, and panic bubbles into my throat.
Spinning, I face her, grip her hand, and squeeze. “Hey, Pretty Little, look at me.”
She does, tears slipping down her cheeks.
“Little man is ready to meet you.” I nod, catching the doc’s eyes a moment, quickly refocusing on Payton. “And I know how much you’ve been waiting to meet him, too, so what do you say, hmm? We ready to do this?”
Her lips press tight, those big blue eyes locked on mine, so fucking trusting and afraid at the same time, it shreds me to the bone.
