“Okay,” he said, doubtful. “You sure you don’t want to watch one of those holiday specials together?”
She smiled. “You’ve watched a bunch of them with me. Besides, I want to watch a feel-good romance on the Hallmark channel. You didn’t like the one you watched with me before.”
“With the prince? No, that was silly.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s the point, Johnny. They are all silly and sappy and sweet. They make people happy.” She picked up his new remote and handed it to him. “Go program this when you’re done with the news. That’ll keep you busy for a while.”
“Fine.” He took the remote and bent to kiss her, then reluctantly went to his office for a quick check of the news and a text to Ian. Then he traveled upstairs to his expansive man cave and turned on the projector so he could program the new remote. He was twenty minutes into a program about restoring a classic car when his phone dinged with a text.
Kat: My water broke. It’s time.
12
Kat was waiting by the door with her purse and coat when Johnny came bounding down the stairs. He ran over to her, concern on his face. She put a hand up to stop him.
“Please get my bag from the closet and be calm. I’m fine.”
“You said your water broke.”
“It’s leaking out now, yes.” Leaking pretty quickly, but even that wasn’t urgent yet. “The contractions are closer together but not quite as close together as they should be. They might send us home, but Dr. Butler told me I should go when the water broke because of my age. So we’re going. Be calm, get your clothes on and get my bag, and we’ll go find out if she’s coming now or if we have to wait a while longer.”
She didn’t really think anyone would send her home, but she wasn’t telling him that just yet. She needed him to be methodical and cool, like always. A sharp pain ripped through her and it was everything she could do not to let him see how strong the contraction was. There was still time to get to the hospital, of course. With Roman, she’d been in labor over eighteen hours. Her labor had progressed much more slowly with him. Though this one seemed to be a bit faster, it would still be hours before she delivered.
Johnny looked fierce as he ran toward the bedroom. He was back in less than three minutes, her bag slung over his shoulder, wearing jeans and boots and looking as calm as a cucumber. She knew he wasn’t, but that’s what Johnny did—he got things done and he got them done as efficiently as possible.
In truth, she figured he was relieved to have a job now.
He hit the remote start for his truck, and she heard it rev up inside the garage. Then he opened the kitchen door and hit the button to send the garage door up. “Wait,” he told her as he went over and put her bag in the back seat. Then he took her hand and led her to the truck.
“We should put something on the seat,” she said, eyeing the smooth leather of the passenger seat and not wanting to leak all over it. She’d put a pad in her underwear, but what if it wasn’t enough?
“I don’t care about that,” he said.
“I do.”
“Kat, Jesus.”
“Johnny. Get a trash bag or something.”
He swore as he stalked over to a shelf and grabbed a giant leaf bag. He returned and put it on the seat, then helped her inside. Kat sank into the cushions, then stiffened as another pain hit.
“Slow down a little bit, okay?” she mumbled to Elena as Johnny raced around the truck and jumped inside.
He reversed onto the drive, hit the garage remote, and sped toward the subdivision exit. They were about ten minutes from town, but Johnny drove like they had a lot farther to go. Kat tried to focus on the scenery as it sped by. The trees were dressed in winter white and snow fell onto the road, though it wasn’t sticking because the crews had been out to spray the roads.
“It’s so pretty,” Kat said, looking at the snow that’d been piling up everywhere. “So damn pretty. Reminds me of Moscow.”
“Moscow without onion domes,” Johnny said. “Or old palaces.”
“Da. I sometimes miss those. We were so young and in love, weren’t we?”
He glanced at her. “Maybe not so young now, but still in love. More now than ever. At least for me.”
She swatted him playfully and then bit back a groan. “Me too, jerk.”
“The pain’s getting worse, huh?”
“A little. Why do you ask?”
“You called me a jerk. Any minute you’ll be threatening my balls and accusing me of doing this to you.”
“You did do this to me. I’m pregnant because of you, Johnny. Again.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed lightly. “I know, baby. If I could go through it for you, I would.”
Kat leaned back and moaned. “I know you would. Oh lord, why did I ever think being pregnant again was a good idea?”
“It wasn’t planned, remember?”
“I remember. Oh wow.” She clutched a hand to her belly and tried not to move.
“Kat?”
“Just drive, Johnny. Get us to the hospital.”
Johnny hit the button on his steering wheel to activate the voice command feature and told it to dial Dr. Butler. She answered on the second ring. “General? Is everything all right?”
“Kat’s in labor. We’re on our way to Riverstone now.”
“Oh boy, this little one didn’t want to wait, did she? I’m on my way. Meet you there.”
Johnny ended the call and Kat dragged in a breath as the pain ebbed a bit. “You didn’t have to call her. They would have called from the hospital when we arrived.”
“So I sped up the process.”
“The baby might not come for hours. She’ll have to go home again, then return when the nurses tell her to.” Kat said the words more for herself than for him. She wanted to believe them, but deep down she was beginning to doubt what she said. Roman had taken his time, and she’d expected this experience to be much the same. She’d planned everything based on the last time—and it wasn’t happening that way. It should be many hours yet, but her pains didn’t feel like it was going to be. Five or six hours tops, maybe. She’d really like that damned epidural now, thank you very much.
“It’s her job, Kat. She would have to come and check you out anyway.”
“I know. But it’s Christmas. I hate for her to have to leave her family on such a special day.” Being married to someone whose holidays were often interrupted—and having led that life herself in the past—she knew how disappointing it could be for those who wanted you around.
Johnny reached over and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. “Honey, she delivers babies. Babies don’t adhere to timetables. This won’t be her first interrupted holiday, I promise.”
“I know.” Another pain ripped through her, and fluid gushed out. “Oh shit,” she moaned as pain and fear swirled together. Elena wasn’t waiting. She wasn’t going to be like Roman in the least. She was coming a lot quicker. Too quick. Had Kat really thought five or six hours only moments ago?
“Jesus, Kat. Hang in there.”