Unbreak My Heart (Strawberry Inn Book #4)

Chapter 27

“I’m fine, really. Your couches kind of sink in a bit. Man, I could take some good fucking naps here, I would just never be able to get up again.”

“It probably doesn’t help that you’re carrying a bowling ball on your stomach.” Rather than watch her struggle to stand up, I take some quick strides over and offer a hand. 

She groans as I pull her to her feet and then she cradles her stomach, “Man, this is getting harder and harder.”

“Which is why I appreciate you beyond words for coming over. Katie was good for you, right?”

“She’s a doll, isn’t that right, Katie Bo-Batie?”

Katie giggled, pulling her attention away from Eva for the first time, “We watched a documentary about clowns, Dad!”

My eyes darted quickly to Emory, she already had her hands up, “No, no. We watched a reality tv show about movie make-up artists. They just happened to be creating clowns today. It wasn’t creepy or anything, I swear.”

“Jesus, Emory,” I held my hand over my heart.

“Calm down, Dad, you’re way too uptight. Speaking of, how did everything go today? You didn’t answer me.”

“It was okay. They still have some more questions for her, but they said that could wait until another day.”

“That’s good,” she looks over at Eva and Katie, the two girls were back to their regular careless ways, “I bet she was exhausted. I can’t imagine how much of a toll these two days have taken on you all. You’re doing okay, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Emory put her hand on my shoulder to comfort me, but I noticed her face wince. She was trying hard to hide it, but I caught it. “Em, what’s going on?” She winced again, putting her hands around her stomach.

Just at that moment, Elizabeth entered the house and read the situation perfectly, “Dalton…Emory, what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing, guys. You know what it’s like at the end of the third trimester, those damn Braxton Hicks contractions.”

Elizabeth dropped the bags she brought over onto the kitchen table and rushed to Emory’s side, “Are you sure it’s just Braxton Hicks?”

“Uh-huh,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’m only thirty-five weeks, he’s not done cooking yet.”

“He?” Elizabeth looked into Emory’s eyes and smiled, “I don’t recall anybody telling us that you were having a boy.”

“It was a bit of a secret I kept to myself,” she grinned, but then grimaced again. 

“Emory, As much as I know you want to believe these are false labor pains, you’ve already had three of them in the short period we’ve been standing here. Be honest with me, did they just start?”

“I mean, kind of, they started this morning, but they weren’t bad. I’m fine, Dalton. I probably just need to drink some water.” Elizabeth and I looked at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and she held ahold of Emory in case another contraction came. “Who are you calling, Dalton?”

“I’m calling for an ambulance, Em. My training in this area is slim, but I know enough to know that any sort of labor pain should be taken seriously. The worst that can happen is your doctor checks you out and sends you home.”

“Maybe you’re right.” She looks into the kitchen where Eva and Katie are fixated on the new developments going on in the living room. “I’m just adding to the trauma, aren’t I?”

Elizabeth laughed, “I think this is the least traumatic thing they’ll deal with this week.” The joke hit a bit too close to home, but dark humor wasn’t lost on me, 

After hanging up with the 9-1-1 dispatcher, I called Emory’s brother, Cody, he wasn’t far away and would probably get here before the ambulance did. With the important phone calls made, I assisted Emory through the complex and out to the parking lot while Elizabeth followed closely behind with her things. I sat Emory down on the bench in the parking lot just as Cody’s car pulled into the parking lot.

“Em! Are you okay?” For a guy that was originally angry at his sister for hiding the pregnancy, he was clearly concerned now.

“It’s probably just false labor, Cody, but Dalton wants me to get checked out anyway.”

Cody looked over her shoulder at me and I shook my head. I wasn’t a betting man, but if I were I would say this was the real deal. “Yeah, that’s good to get checked out. Especially since the baby isn’t due for a bit still, huh?”

“Exactly,” her voice was getting increasingly wobblier, “it is way too soon to have this baby, so they aren’t coming right now.” Emory winced again and this time a small trickle of water began to fall from between her legs. There was no denying it now, a new baby was going to be coming today, even early.