Page 66 of Derecho

“Huh? Is that one done? I’ll mark it in my phone.”

“Yes. What book?”

“I, uh…I just wanted to make sure I knew what…” His face turned red as I let go of the edge of the tub, shakily dropping myself down onto my knees. Squatting at nine months pregnant while in labor was not for the weak. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I groaned as I sat back on my heels. “I feel like I’ve already climbed a mountain. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to last.”

I gasped as a cold cloth covered my forehead.

“Sorry,” he grumbled.

“No. God, no. That feels incredible. Would you mind…” I swallowed down the acid that was churning in my stomach.

“Would I mind what?”

“Could you put it on the back of my neck? It’s starting to feel kind of stale in here and I’m getting a little nauseous.”

I didn’t hear a response, but a second later, I was sighing out my gratitude as the cold cloth laid against my overheated skin.

“Tell me more about this book you’ve been reading.”

Lach shrugged, his eyes suddenly looking anywhere but my way. “I don’t know what more there is to tell. The night you came here, I couldn’t sleep. Because I had no idea how to help you. And my brain just kept imagining every terrible scenario possible for what could happen. I downloaded a couple of books on my phone. They were just in case.”

The night I’d found him in the hallway, just outside my door. That’s what he was doing there, while he waited to hear if I needed help. “But you read them?”

“Yeah. Never thought about how fascinating a process pregnancy and birth could be, but I was up that whole night reading. Did you know you can grip a comb in your hand when you have a contraction, and the tines biting into your palm distract your brain from the pain of the contraction?”

“Find me a comb. Please,” I sighed.

Lachlan nodded, reaching over to the drawer under the sink. “When Beau and Birdie stopped over, I was gonna pull her aside and ask for more information. But you came downstairs and then…”

“I was overwhelmed.”

“A little.” He chuckled, handing me the comb. “But I don’t think I would have been able to stay calm if I were in your shoes. And instead of just needing a place to stay, I’d probably be asking for an alibi, too—because Greg would be a dead man, and I’d need my family’s help hiding his body.”

“I’m just really glad he’s not here, and you are instead,” I let myself admit.

“I am, too.” Lachlan looked up to the ceiling. Loud clanging started off sporadic, then suddenly shifted. More and more pings and clanks filled the bathroom. The ceiling here wasn’t even his roof…how big was the hail?

“Do you hear that?” My stomach squeezed—not from a contraction, but from pure fear—as Lachlan nodded.

“You need to get in the tub, Trouble. Lay flat as best you can.”

I shook my head. I knew what he was saying. I knew what the noise meant, but I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t believe it. There was no way the hail meant a tornado was coming for us. Right? I wasn’t about to have to get into a tub and lie flat while in labor…

And there was no way I was getting in that tub without Lachlan.

Lachlan

“Lach…” Lainey groaned as her eyes rolled back into her head. My hands were on her hips the next instant, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I thought I might throw up. There was hail raining down on us, and it sounded huge.

“You need to get into the tub.”

“I-I can’t…Not…Now…”

“The storm is getting worse. We can hear the hail. The winds are picking up…The safest spot for you and the baby is the tub.”

Lainey groaned as she rocked back and forth. I knew what I was saying wasn’t registering.