Cover Me (Jaded Ivory Book 3)

by Rebecca Brooke

  I lowered my arm and pushed both hands against my stomach. It wasn’t the first time that had happened. The doctor had warned me they were Braxton-Hicks contractions and were common in the last trimester. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank some. Usually they came on when I hadn’t drunk enough for the day. I finished the bottle and went back to the second shelf of glasses. Drinking a whole bottle was going to suck when I’d have to pee a million times before it was out of my system.

  The tightness had slowly eased, but exactly like I’d predicted, I found myself on the way to the bathroom. I hadn’t even gotten the door closed when I felt a rush a liquid soak through my pants.

  I glanced down and my heart started to race. Even at eight months pregnant there was no way in hell I’d lose control of my bladder, which meant…

  Holy shit.

  My water broke.

  Each breath was a challenge to get into my lungs. But I tried to keep the panic from my voice when I called for Rachel.

  Less than a minute later, she popped her head around the corner. “What’s up?” She took one good look at me and her jaw dropped and she froze.

  “Get it together, Rachel, I’m already trying not to panic and I can’t handle your panic too.”

  She gave her head a shake and walked forward. I could still see the fear in her eyes, but I did my best to ignore it as my own fear tried to claw its way up my throat. It was too early. There should be another month before the baby arrived.

  “Okay, what do we need to do?”

  My eyes darted around the room.

  I didn’t know what to do.

  I couldn’t think.

  How could this be happening?

  What if the baby wasn’t okay?

  Two warm hands landed on my face. “Look at me,” Rachel snapped.

  I focused on her deep brown eyes.

  “You can do this, but first we need to get you to the hospital. You have to tell me where your bag is. On the way you can call your doctor and Heath.”

  I nodded, taking the strength she was giving me. Tears formed in my eyes. What if I overdid it? Was this my fault?

  Either way, the sooner we got to the hospital the sooner I would know she was okay. “I don’t have a bag packed. I didn’t expect this so soon.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. I want you to change your pants, while I grab you a pair of pajamas. I’ll come back after Heath gets there to pack up everything else you’ll need.”

  “Okay.”

  She spun on her heel, heading back into my room. I followed closely behind, grabbing a pair of pants that were already lying across the bed. I stripped out of the wet pair, tossing them into the trashcan. By the time I’d finished dressing, Rachel was standing in the doorway, bag in hand.

  “Grab my cell from the kitchen, please.”

  The tightness from earlier had morphed into a dull ache that wrapped all the way around my abdomen. I stopped, holding on to the doorframe to catch my breath. As the slight pain subsided, I straightened and walked to the door.

  Rachel was already in the car waiting for me as I pulled the front door shut behind me. My breath came in shallow pants and my heart raced. I wasn’t ready yet. I climbed in the car and Rachel held my phone out to me as she backed out of the drive.

  “I’m not ready,” I whispered.

  She glanced over at me from the driver’s seat. “I don’t think you have a choice. Now call Heath.”

  I turned on the phone and pressed send on the first number programmed for speed dial in my phone. It only rang twice before it connected.

  “Hey, love. How’s your morning?” There was laughter in his voice.

  That’s when I heard Mari and the guys laughing in the background.

  “Not great.”

  His tone went from joking to serious in an instant. “What’s wrong?”

  “My water broke.” My eyes burned and I felt the tears on my cheeks.

  “Did you call Dr. Sheridan yet?”

  “Not yet, I called you first.”

  “Is Rachel there?”

  She must have heard him through the phone. There was a hint of panic in his tone. “Yeah, I’m taking her to St. Matthew’s.”

  “Okay, babe. I’m on my way. Hang up and call Dr. Sheridan. Then call me back when you can.”

  “Okay,” I whispered, a quiver to my voice.

  “Everything’s gonna be all right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Please, hurry. I don’t want to do this alone.”

  “Never. You have me. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  With reluctance, I hit end on the call and immediately searched for the number for Dr. Sheridan’s office and called her. The receptionist told me she was already at the hospital to cheek on another patient, but they’d call her and let her know I was on my way. With nothing else to focus on, I held the phone tightly in my grip.

  “I thought you were supposed to call Heath back?”

  “I’ll just have to hang up when we get there to get the paperwork filled out. I’m better off waiting until they have me up in a room.”

  “He’s gonna be pissed when he doesn’t hear from you.”

  “Probably, but he’s got a ninety-minute drive.”

  “If you think that man is going to take ninety minutes to get here, you’re insane. I guarantee he breaks the speed limits in every state in the US.”

  I tried to laugh, but my throat felt tight. Holy shit, sometime in the next day I was going to have a little person to take care of.

  “What if it’s too early? What if she’s not okay?”

  Rachel reached across the car and covered my hand with hers. “Everything is going to be fine. I know it is. Just keep taking deep breaths. We’ll be there in no time.”

  By the time she pulled out front of the maternity wing of the hospital, my hands were shaking and my stomach was tied in knots. Thankfully this hospital had a separate entrance. I was already on the verge of hyperventilating. I had no delusions that I’d actually be able to make it through the rest of the building to get there.

  The front of the entire first floor was covered in floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The building was beautiful and brand-new. I reached to pull open the glass doors, but Rachel beat me to it. She held the door open and I walked past her on legs that felt like Jello. A part of me wanted to turn around and run.

  I couldn’t do this.

  I wasn’t ready.

  You’re not alone.

  Heath’s words filtered through my mind and I forced one foot in front of the other to the front desk.

  “Can I help you?” The woman glanced up from the file she had on the desk.

  “My water broke.”

  “Okay.” Her voice took on a nice, calm, reassuring tone. “Let’s get you into a wheelchair.” She gestured at the nurse behind her. “And get you up to the third floor.”

  I nodded. The nurse wheeled the chair behind me and they helped me into it.

  “George here is going to push you while I get some information from you on the way up.”

  The chair started to move toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

  The nurse pulled out a tablet. “I’m Cassie. First thing I need is your name.”

  “Jenna Forino.”

  She punched away at the screen. “Great, Jenna. How long ago did your water break?”

  I glanced over at Rachel as the elevator doors opened in front of us. My brain still wasn’t processing any of this. I didn’t even know how much time had passed.

  “About thirty minutes ago,” Rachel offered when it was clear I couldn’t.

  “And you are?” the nurse asked.

  “My name’s Rachel. I’m staying with her until her boyfriend arrives.”

  The nurse nodded. “Okay.” She turned her attention back to me. “Do you know how long between each contraction?”

  “I only had one so far.”

  She tilted her head sl
ightly. “Only one? Are you sure you didn’t feel any tightness before your water broke?”

  “Well, yeah. But I thought they were Braxton-Hicks. They’ve been happening on and off all morning, but I didn’t time between them.” I shook my head, knowing I was rambling, but unable to stop myself from doing it. “I didn’t think this would happen so soon. I thought I’d have more time. What if she’s not ready? What if it’s too early?”

  The nurse stepped in front of me and squatted down. “I need you to take a few deep breaths and relax. Your file says you’re thirty-seven weeks along. It is a little early, but a healthy, full-term baby can be delivered at thirty-six weeks.”

  Everyone was telling me it would be okay. I had to believe it or at least I needed to try and make myself believe it.

  She printed something from a tiny printer attached to her hip that I hadn’t seen before. She took the backing off the sticker and pressed it against a long white band, before attaching it to my wrist.

  “They’ll have more questions for you upstairs, but for now you’re all checked in. When your boyfriend gets here, I’ll make sure to give him his band and send him straight up.”

  “Thank you.” The elevators dinged and the next thing I knew I was being rolled out into the delivery area. Dr. Sheridan was already waiting for me at the desk when I arrived. She pulled out her own tiny tablet and swiped through a few screens, then looked down at me with a smile.

  “Looks like the little miss wants to make an appearance earlier than she was supposed to.”

  I laid my hand on my stomach. “Is she too early?”

  “We’re going to get you hooked up to the monitors and check both of you out, but she should be just fine.”

  The nurses on that floor asked me a million questions while they set me up in my room. The tightness and pain returned. There were about ten minutes between each contraction.

  Over the last hour, the contractions had sped up and were around seven minutes apart and I was already six centimeters dilated. I started to worry that if this kept up, Heath wouldn’t make it.

  My whole body seized up as the muscles around my abdomen tightened, sending sharp, shooting pain through the rest of my body. I tightened my grip on Rachel’s hand.

  “Holy fuck, I swear you’re gonna break my hand.”

  “That’s nothing compared to what this baby is doing to my insides.” I squeezed my eyes shut to keep from screaming. No one wanted to sound like those crazy women on TV screeching like they were in a horror movie with every contraction.

  “Baby, let go of Rachel’s hand.”

  My eyes snapped open and a sigh of relief left my lips. Heath strolled into the room looking like some god from the cover of a magazine, if you didn’t count the worry lines around his mouth and eyes. I knew I had to look like a hot mess at that point, but I was so relieved to see him I didn’t care. Rachel carefully extracted herself from my grip and I started to cry as Heath’s warm fingers engulfed mine.

  “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”

  “Shh.” Warm lips pressed to my forehead. “I’m here and everything is going to be okay. I told you, you’ll never be alone again.”

  I nodded, pulling him closer to me so I could bury my face in his shirt. After a few moments, Rachel cleared her throat.

  “I’m going down the hall to the waiting room.”

  Heath smirked. “Don’t freak out too bad when you get there. The rest of the band came with me when they had to cancel the photo shoot.”

  “Shit,” Rachel said. “I’ll do my best.” The door closed behind her.

  “I’m sorry—”

  Heath brought his attention back to me and covered my lips with his fingers. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You come first. The studio understands how we, as a band, feel about our families. They always come first.”

  The weight of everything that had happened that afternoon settled over me and nothing could have stopped the tears from flowing.

  CHAPTER 37

  Heath

  Each sob from her lips was a punch to the gut. I’d done everything in my power to get there, including walking out of a photo shoot for our next album. Rationally, I knew the tears had nothing to do with that. She’d gone into labor early and sat here for an hour by herself worrying. Not to mention her hormones had been completely out of control lately.

  Everything had finally bubbled to the surface, but damn if I didn’t want to find a way to fix it for her, but the most I could do was hold her and tell her everything would be okay until it passed.

  I wrapped my arms around her, rocking her from side to side and whispering in her ear. The tears began to slow when suddenly her hands gripped my arm and she held on for dear life. Her whole body tucked into a ball as a painful moan slipped through her lips.

  “Fuck,” I muttered when her fingernails dug into my arm. Not that I’d shake her off. The slight pain of a scratch was nothing compared to the pain she’d been going through.

  When the contraction ended and she released her grip on my arm, I moved off the bed and brushed the curls from her head.

  “Breathe, love.” Her gaze focused on me and I couldn’t help but ask once again. “Are you sure you want to do this without pain meds?”

  “I don’t know. I think I can do it.”

  “I hate seeing you hurting. What can I do to help?”

  “Just stay with me. Talk to me.”

  I scoffed. “You couldn’t force me out of here if you tried.” Which was pretty much a total lie. I’d do anything to make Jenna happy and as much as it might kill me, if she really wanted me to leave the room I would. For the moment, though, my goal was to get her to forget at least until the next wave of pain.

  “But I do seem to remember a time when you threatened not to let me in the delivery room. Good thing you changed your mind. I’d hate to great arrested.

  She giggled for a second then smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  The last word came out on a scream as she clenched her teeth and grabbed my hand this time. I used my free one to rub circles across her back.

  “Remember to breathe, love.”

  “Easier said than done,” she snapped.

  The door opened and Dr. Sheridan stepped into the room. “Let’s see if this baby is ready to join us yet.”

  She moved into the room and Jenna looked up at me. “I don’t know that I can do this,” she whispered. I bent down and pressed my lips to hers. “You can do anything.”

  Jenna turned her gaze to the doctor. “Maybe I should have gone with the pain meds.”

  Dr. Sheridan looked up from where she was sitting. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for that. Your daughter doesn’t want to wait another second to join us.”

  She removed her gloves and pressed a button on the wall. Suddenly the room filled to capacity. A few nurses. One brought over a tray full of equipment, while another pushed the small hospital bassinet toward the bed.

  Jenna’s wide eyes darted to mine and I could see the fear swirling in them. This time, I tightened my grip on her hand, laying my other one on top.

  “You can do this. I’ll be right here with you the entire time.”

  If anyone had told me how gut-wrenching it is to see the woman you love give birth to your child, I would have never believed them. The birth of a baby was supposed to be a happy occasion but watching the strain and pain as it morphed Jenna’s features was like a knife twisting in my gut. I felt completely helpless as I stood there, watching her face redden with each push. She grew more and more tired, the labor sapping her energy. If I didn’t know how strong Jenna truly was, I would have feared her breaking under the strain.

  “Almost,” Dr. Sheridan encouraged. “One more push should do.”

  Jenna looked up at me and I tried to smile. I feared it looked more like a grimace than a smile.

  “You can do this. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

  She clenched her jaw once again.

&nb
sp; “Push, love, push.”

  “I can’t,” she cried, her face strained.

  I kissed the top of her head. “You can. Squeeze my hand as hard as you want.”

  Her grip tightened and she groaned as she pushed. A few moments later the softest cry filled the room. Dr. Sheridan lifted the baby and laid her one Jenna’s chest. The room shimmered before me.

  “Congratulations, Mom and Dad.”

  Jenna, with tears tracking down her own cheeks, lifted a shaky hand to caress the baby’s head. “She’s perfect.”

  A nurse held out a pair of medical scissors. “Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?”

  “I’d love to,” I said, taking it from her hands. They pinched off a section with two yellow clips and held it up for me. In one snip, I separated Mia from the last piece connecting to Jenna.

  A nurse walked over. “I’m going to take her for a minute and get her all cleaned up while Dr. Sheridan gets you taken care of. Did you pick out a name?”

  I glanced down at Jenna, who answered, “Mia Grace Marshall.”

  “I love it,” the nurse said and scooped Mia off Jenna’s chest.

  I captured Jenna’s lips in a fierce kiss. “You did it. I’m so proud of you.”

  Her gaze found mine, moved across the room, and came back to mine. I could tell having the baby away from her made her nervous. “Would it make you feel better if I stayed with Mia until they bring her back over?”

  Jenna gave me a sheepish smile. “You know me so well.”

  “I know.”

  I pressed another quick kiss to her forehead, unable to stop touching her. What she’d done in this room tonight was no short of a miracle. I would’ve never had the strength.

  Walking over to where they were cleaning Mia up, taking her vitals and weighing her, I felt an odd combination of excitement and nerves. That beautiful baby lying in the pink blanket was my daughter.

  My daughter.

  The person I was supposed to take care of until my dying breath. I loved her more fiercely than I could have ever imagined loving another person. The nurse filled in something on Mia’s cart and lifted her from the table. She turned and walked straight for me.

  “Want to hold her, Dad?”