One Last Objection_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  “That’s it, we’re going.”

  Yeah, home was best. She’d be much happier in her own bed than trying to hide her discomfort in the corner of the Bennett’s living room. “I was just going to ask you to take me home… you don’t have to insist. If I just rest a little, I’ll feel better.”

  “Maggie… I think you’re in labor.”

  “No, I can’t be in labor.” She thought about it for a minute. Had she been so focused on coming to Lucas’s wedding that she’d ignored some of the signs? “Can I?”

  “Of course you can. The doctor said this could happen any time after you come off bedrest.” Michael wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her to her feet.

  She took two steps before another pain cut through her belly. She gritted her teeth and breathed through her mouth.

  “Another one?”

  “Yeah.” She wrapped her arms around her belly and leaned into Michael. After a minute or so, the pain subsided. “Okay, I’m better now.”

  “Great. Let’s get you to the car before the next contraction hits.”

  With Michael’s arm firmly around her waist, they headed to the car. A minute later, Evelyn fell into step beside Michael. “Ma, can you let Lucas and Sarah know that we’re headed to the hospital? Maggie’s in labor.”

  “Oh my gosh, really? Oh, Maggie, I wish you would have said something.”

  “I didn’t know I was in labor.” She kind of laughed. “I’ve been uncomfortable for so long—I couldn’t tell it was any different. And I wanted to see Lucas and Sarah get married.”

  “Well, you have, dear, and now your baby can share a birthday with Lucas’s anniversary. Michael, you get her to the hospital. I’ll let everyone know.”

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  Evelyn must have sprinted to Lucas because by the time they’d reached the car, Lucas was running up, his paramedic partner Stacey on his tail. “Maggie, Ma tells me you’re in labor.”

  “It would appear so.” She shifted and lowered herself into Michael’s car just as another pain shot through her. Stacey dropped to the ground at Maggie’s feet, her hands on Maggie’s knees.

  “How long since the last one?” Lucas asked Michael.

  “A couple of minutes.” Maggie heard the concern in Michael’s voice, but she couldn’t be worried about that now. The pain required every bit of her attention.

  Lucas lowered himself beside Stacey. “Maggie, how long has this been going on?”

  “I don’t know.” She huffed out a breath. “Maybe since this morning.” Another huff. “I just thought my back was sore from laying around doing nothing for the past few months.” She huffed again. Finally, the pain subsided and she sighed.

  “Ninety seconds,” Stacey said to Lucas.

  Lucas stood, and Maggie heard the two men speaking but couldn’t focus on their words. Stacey swung Maggie’s legs into the car and she relaxed back into the seat. The door slammed beside her and then Michael was hopping behind the wheel. “We need to hurry. Lucas said you’re probably pretty far along. He’ll put a call in to Dr. Alexander.”

  “Okay.” That’s all she could manage. She was so tired, and she wasn’t ready for the baby to be here. They’d postponed childbirth classes because of her bedrest—she’d expected to go later this week. Everything about her relationship with Michael was up in the air… and that was completely her fault. Michael was going to be a wonderful father, and he’d be a wonderful husband if she’d just let him. Sitting here in pain with his hand holding hers across the console, she couldn’t remember why she’d ever resisted him in the first place. The one thing the past few months had shown her was that she couldn’t go through life alone anymore. It wasn’t just herself she had to think about, but also her daughter. A daughter who deserved a father in her life. And maybe Maggie deserved Michael, too.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but another pain sliced through her middle. She squeezed Michael’s hand. He sucked in a breath but kept the other hand firmly on the wheel. That was all they’d needed—an ambulance to respond to a car accident on the way to have a baby. Besides, most of the rescue squad was at the Bennett’s house for Lucas’s wedding.

  Michael didn’t say anything for most of the trip. As she gasped through another contraction, Michael’s voice broke through the pain. “Just breathe, Maggie. We’re almost there.”

  How could he be so calm? She gritted her teeth and hissed. “Good thing. This hurts like a bitch.”

  He chuckled. “There’s my feisty Maggie. You’ve got this, honey. And I’ll be right beside you.”

  Finally the pain subsided, and just in time. Michael pulled up to the hospital’s emergency entrance, tires screeching. He slammed the gearshift into park and leapt out, rushing around the front of the car and opening her door. “Can you walk or should I get a wheelchair?”

  “I’m not an invalid, I’m just in labor.”

  She pushed off the seat and the door but struggled to get up. Finally, Michael wrapped his hands around her arms and pulled her to her feet. She huffed out a big breath. She was so big and ungainly right now that she could hardly move. “Michael, why don’t you go park the car? You can’t leave it here. I’ll be fine.”

  “Forget about the damn car. Let’s get you checked in.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the building. The doors swished open, and Maggie found herself in the lobby of the emergency room. “We have a woman in labor here.”

  Just then, another pain shot through Maggie, this one a lot stronger than the previous ones. She grabbed her belly and nearly doubled over. Michael’s arms tightened around her and someone wheeled a chair in front of her. She shifted and plopped down, thankful to be off her feet.

  Michael threw his keys to someone behind the reception desk. “Can you have someone move my car? I don’t want to leave her.”

  Good thing Michael was thinking straight, because Maggie couldn’t. The pain continued to squeeze her belly and she closed her eyes. Michael kept his hand on her shoulder as she was wheeled down some halls and into an elevator. She kept huffing and breathing until the tightness relaxed and she could wrench her eyes open again.

  Michael crouched beside her. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay. That was a rough one.” She clenched her fists to keep from smacking him. What she wanted to say was, “I’m on Freak-out Street, here. Join me, won’t you?”

  But no, he kept his voice steady and his hands calm the entire time.

  As soon as the elevator doors opened, there was a flurry of activity. Voices yelling over her, Michael talking to people. Maggie couldn’t focus on anything but waiting for the next contraction.

  They wheeled her into a room. The nurse said some things, but Maggie didn’t hear. Finally the woman left the room and shut the door. It was just the two of them.

  “Can you stand? The nurse wants you to change into this gown and climb onto the bed so the doctor can check you. Can you do that?”

  He helped her to her feet just as another pain struck. “Ow, oh shit. That hurts.”

  Michael’s arms came around her and she pressed her face into his chest. It was a good thing he was bearing most of her weight because otherwise she might have collapsed. Having a high pain threshold herself, she’d always poo-poo’d anyone who complained about labor and contractions. Right now, she wanted to rip something in two and bite it between her teeth to keep from screaming.

  “Go ahead and yell if you need to.” Michael’s voice was quiet and soothing as he stroked her back.

  As much as she wanted to scream, she grit her teeth and moaned through the next twenty minutes before the contraction was finished.

  Michael flipped his wrist as she relaxed in his arms. “Another ninety seconds.”

  “No way. That was so much longer than ninety seconds. The hour hand is the short one, hot shot.”

  Michael chuckled.

  What did he think was so funny? “Let’s get that damn gown on and on the bed before another on
e of those hits. Then you can pay better attention to the time and realize these contractions are a whole hell of a lot longer than ninety seconds.”

  He helped her unzip her dress. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but you look beautiful today.”

  “I looked like a beached whale, especially since the only dress I had was blue.”

  He pecked her on the cheek but said nothing. Smart man. She wasn’t up for a civil discussion right now. They finally wrested her dress off and the gown on. The way she felt right now, modesty was completely out the window. She didn’t care who saw her. She just wanted to lay down and rest before this baby took any more out of her.

  She climbed onto the bed as another contraction hit. As the pain tore through her, she threw her head back and screamed. Michael was right by her side, just as he’d promised he’d always be. She’d been so stupid to insist on trying to do everything alone. What was she thinking? Her parents may not have been right for each other, but each of them had found someone else, or several someone elses, to spend their life with. Hell, she’d just watched a man who had sworn to never get involved pledge to love and honor a woman and her six-year-old daughter. Everyone in her life was paired off, all of Michael’s siblings had found the love of their life, and here she was, insisting on going it alone.

  Doctor, heal thyself.

  “Michael, I…”

  “Shh, don’t talk. Just breathe.”

  “Dammit, Michael, listen to me. I don’t want to breathe. I need to—” Another pain cut through her abdomen. “Shit!”

  Dr. Alexander chuckled from the foot of the bed. When had she arrived? She spoke to Michael but he didn’t release Maggie’s hand. She squeezed even harder as one last spike of pain shot through her before subsiding. She collapsed on the bed.

  “That sounded like a good one. How about I check and see how far you’ve progressed?”

  “I’ve got to be almost ready. The pain is so sharp and it’s been going on for a while now.”

  “Maggie refused to tell me she was having pains until after Lucas’s wedding.”

  “Well, congrats to Lucas. Tell him for me, will you?”

  “I will.”

  “Do you guys mind? I’m in labor here.” Why in the hell were they talking like this was a fucking garden party? They should shut the hell up and take care of this baby.

  Dr. Alexander propped Maggie’s feet on the stirrups and poked and prodded. Damn, that hurt. Certainly the baby was about ready to be born.

  The doctor folded Maggie’s gown back down and patted her on the knee. Why wasn’t she calling for nurses? Towels and hot water?

  “You’re progressing nicely, Maggie. You’re blood pressure’s a bit high, but that’s to be expected during the early stages of labor. We’ll keep an eye on it. And you’re dilated about five centimeters. We can call for an epidural for you now if you’d like”

  “Five? No way. I’ve got to be further along.” And she didn’t want an epidural, dammit. She wanted to be fully alert and feel every bit of her daughter coming into the world. But now that she’d had a taste of real labor, she wasn’t as sure she could handle this much pain.

  “No need to worry. You’re doing great. I suspect your baby will make her appearance in the next few hours.”

  “Hours? No way. This baby is ready to come now. I can’t do this for hours.”

  “You’ve got this, Maggie. You’re the strongest person I know.” Michael murmured the words in her ear, but frankly, if she could lift her arm, she’d smack him.

  “It sounds like you’re in good hands. I’ll send the nurse in to check on you in a few minutes. In the meantime, just breathe through the contractions, get up and walk around if you feel like it, and buzz the nurse if you need anything. She’ll be monitoring your labor and blood pressure from the nurse’s station and let me know if anything changes.”

  Dr. Alexander left the room and shut the door behind her.

  “What in the hell is she thinking? This baby could be born any minute.” Labor had already been progressing for hours. Maybe the doctor just measured her wrong. “Why isn’t she here?”

  “We’ll call the nurse the minute you feel like it’s worse. In the meantime, can I get you anything?”

  She took a couple of breaths and tried to relax. How had Michael’s mother done this four times? How did any woman subject themselves to this over and over? They must be out of their freakin’ minds. Tears pooled in Maggie’s eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just… I can’t believe this is happening right now. I’m not ready. There’s so much we need to talk about.”

  “Nothing that can’t wait. We’re going to meet our little girl soon.”

  “I can’t wait.” Her voice was husky, like she’d just run a marathon. Labor was a little like that, but the finish line seemed elusive to her right now. The one thing Maggie did know was that at the end of this marathon, she’d have a new daughter to love, someone who would love her unconditionally. And someone who would depend on Maggie—and Michael—for everything.

  Maggie was through fighting this battle. She was so stupid. She’d denied her feelings for Michael for far too long. “Michael, you have to listen to me. Really listen.”

  Michael pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat, his hand back in hers the minute he was settled. “Okay, honey, I’m listening.”

  “I haven’t been fair to you, and I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for. I know this pregnancy has been hard and bedrest wasn’t ideal, but we’re here now and everything’s perfect.”

  “But I do. I pushed you away for a long time and I shouldn’t have done that. I know you… I’ve known you for a long time. You aren’t like my father, and I’m not my mother. There’s nothing to say that we’d have a marriage like my parents. If anything, I think our marriage would be more like your parents. A marriage like Lucas and Sarah are going to have.”

  “What are you trying to say, Maggie?”

  She sucked in a breath. The tightness was growing again, dammit, but she had to get this out. “I’m saying that I want to get married!” She huffed out a breath and panted as the pain grew.

  Michael’s hand squeezed hers and he leaned his forehead on hers. “You want to get engaged now? While you’re in labor?”

  Together they panted until her contraction subsided. “Yes. No. I don’t want to get engaged.”

  The hurt expression on his face would be comical if her panic hadn’t grown a thousand percent in the past three minutes. Now that she’d decided she wanted to get married, she didn’t want to wait. “I’m saying I want to get married.”

  A huge smile broke across his face. “I can’t believe it. I promise, Maggie, I’ll make you so happy.” He kissed her lips and then reached into his pocket, pulling his hand out a moment later. The ring he’d offered her all those months ago was hooked in his finger.

  She quirked an eyebrow at him.

  “I’ve been carrying this around since the first day I asked you. I promised that I wouldn’t pressure you, but I was always hopeful. And carrying it with me kept some part of you with me, no matter where I was.”

  Those pesky damn tears welled in her eyes again. How had she gotten so lucky to have this wonderful man, whom she’d tried to push away for months, standing here, wanting to marry her?

  “Oh, Maggie, don’t cry. As soon as things are settled, we’ll plan the perfect wedding.”

  “I’m just happy. But you still don’t understand. I don’t want to get engaged. I want to get married. Now!” Another contraction ripped through her. This one didn’t have any build up… it went straight from zero to “oh shit” in a single second. She squeezed Michael’s hand so hard that she was sure she broke a bone.

  Michael grimaced, but God love him, he didn’t pull his hand back. “You want to get married now? But how?”

  “I don’t care how. I just want to hear the words. I want my baby to have two committed parents when she’s born. Michael, please!�
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  She wasn’t beyond screaming, begging, or pleading at this point. Her insides felt like they were being ripped in two. The contraction finally eased and she was shot. She flopped her head on the pillow. Michael swiped a wet cloth at the sweat on her forehead and then placed a few ice chips against her lips.

  Tears streamed down her face, and she didn’t bother to brush them away. “Please, Michael. I want to get married now.”

  “Honey, we don’t have a license or anything.”

  “I don’t care. We can worry about a license later. Please, Michael, do this for me?”

  “You know I’ll do anything for you. I love you, Maggie.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He startled and his eyes grew wide. “You do?”

  “Of course I do, you dingbat. Why do you think I decided to marry you?”

  There was that smile she loved, back on his face. He stared at her for a long, adoring moment before snapping out of his trance. “Okay, wait right here.”

  Yeah, like she was going anywhere.

  He headed toward the door and then rushed back to the bed and pressed the call button. The nurse answered and Michael asked. “Can you come in and wait with Maggie?”

  Shortly thereafter, the nurse strode through the door. “What can I do for you, Dr. James, Mr. Bennett?”

  “Can you stay with her for a minute? I need to go make a phone call.”

  “Absolutely.” The nurse patted Maggie’s hand, but she didn’t want to be consoled. She wanted Michael. And she wanted to be married when she had this baby.

  “Great.” He rushed to the door, stopped right before he stepped out, and raced back to her bed. He took her left hand in his, kissed it, and then laid it down again. He brushed his knuckle down her cheek and ran to the door. “I’ll be right back.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  AS SOON AS the door to Maggie’s room closed behind Michael, he slumped against the wall. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair. What in the hell was he going to do? Maggie finally… finally agreed to marry him, but they couldn’t do it officially. They needed a license and a preacher and guests.