Special Delivery. Laura Browning

she needs it.” And by God, if she bowed up on him, he’d carry her out over his shoulder, pregnant or not.

      As they set off, Jake realized he was doing what Jenny had angled for at her party. He realized something else. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t let Holly and her brother stay in that piece-of-shit house any longer. The place should have fallen in years ago.

      * * * *

      How long had it been since the last contraction? Holly huddled in the bathroom. She’d been sick a couple of times as the contractions rolled through her. The pains came harder and faster, and now she wasn’t sure just how much time she had. She put clean towels on her bed and boiled water. What the water was for she had no idea, but it seemed like people always wanted boiling water when they screamed about birthing babies in the movies.

      She checked her watch. Five o’clock. She’d been in labor about four hours. Not very long. She remembered other women at Doc Owens’s talking about being in labor for twelve hours and more. She checked her watch as the next contraction hit. Less than five minutes. The freezing rain hit the windowpanes with an ominous ticking noise.

      For the first time, unease stirred and with it the realization she was in very real trouble.

      When she heard a vehicle outside, she braced one arm on the edge of the tub and tried to stand, but she was tired. As she shifted one more time, something popped and was followed by a gush of warm liquid that drenched her clothing and left her gaping in horror. The front door opened and Tyler called to her.

      “Holly? Where are you?”

      Another contraction hit, and she moaned.

      * * * *

      Jake pushed into the house right behind Tyler and stomped the snow off his boots. He heard Holly’s moan as soon as the door shut. He took in the scissors and string on the table, the pot of water on the stove, the towels and a book on pregnancy and birth. Dropping the box he carried into the chair next to the door, Jake shot past Tyler.

      “Holly!” Fear drove him down the hall.

      She knelt on the floor of the bathroom in a puddle. His throat ached. Her eyes swallowed her pale face. He had seen the look before: pure, unadulterated fear. For soldiers, it could be deadly, and Jake had no doubt this could be just as dangerous. Calm down. He had to be the strong one because she must be scared spitless.

      “Holly, honey, it’s Jake,” he murmured, not sure how aware she was. “You need me to help you?”

      She nodded. “My water just broke, but I’ve been in labor for a while.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “Oh, Jake. Thank God you’re here.”

      He picked her up, mindless of her wet clothing, and carried her down the hall to the room he assumed belonged to her. He was relieved to see the bedcovers turned back and towels already covering the sheets. He glanced at her with new respect. She’d prepared to get through this on her own. As he settled her on top of the towels, he asked, “How long have you been having pains?”

      “They started around one.”

      He glanced at his watch. About five hours. “How far apart are they?”

      She swallowed and whispered, “The last ones were three minutes.”

      Jake pulled out his phone, checked to see he had a signal, and punched a button. It rang just two times. “Doc? It’s Jake.”

      “Hmm, you’re calling me Doc, so this must be business.”

      “It is. I’m at Holly’s house. I brought Tyler home. She’s in labor. About five hours. Pains three minutes apart.”

      “Shit.” There was a pause and then she said, “Why didn’t she call someone? No. Never mind that now. Think you can deliver a baby?”

      “Uhh, Jen…we covered the basics in training, but I’ve never done it.”

      “Jake, I’m at home and stuck. If you move her on this ice and get stranded, the situation could go from bad to worse—life-threatening worse for her and the baby.”

      Jake closed his eyes then opened them to stare at the ice hitting the windowpane with its rhythmic tick, tick.

      “Give me a refresher. Her water’s already broken.”

      “How’s she holding up?”

      “Other than being scared, breathing and color seem okay. I haven’t checked her pulse.”

      “It’ll be elevated. I’m not so worried about that. Has she said anything about feeling the need to push?”

      “No.”

      “Chances are she’s not fully dilated yet. Clean her, get her changed, and make her comfortable. Check to see if you can see the baby’s head, then give me a call.”

      Jake punched End and stared at the blank phone screen. What the fuck? He was barely on a first-name basis with Holly and Jenny wanted him to… He looked at Holly’s pale face and wide eyes. Jake blew out a deep breath. Time to put his personal interests aside. This was professional. Right. And he was no doctor.

      “Holly?” Tyler’s voice came from the doorway. His face was pinched and pale as he took in her soiled clothing. “What’s wrong? It’s too soon for the baby, isn’t it?”

      Jake heard the edge of hysteria in the boy’s voice and realized he must be thinking about losing his parents the year before. Now the only family member left was bloody and in pain.

      “It’s okay.” Holly’s smile vanished as another contraction slammed into her. “Just a little early. No big deal.” She panted and closed her eyes as if to hide her fear from her brother.

      So Jake smiled. “Your niece, Uncle Tyler, has decided it’s time to be born, and she and Holly will need our help. Can you be a big man and do that?”

      Tyler straightened his thin shoulders. “Y-yes. Yes. I can.”

      “Good. I just got off the phone with Doc Owens. She says we need to get Holly cleaned up and make her comfortable. Can you find me a nightgown?”

      “Yeah.” Tyler went to the chest of drawers and pulled out an oversize T-shirt. “Here you go. It’s what she usually sleeps in.”

      Holly lay against the pillows, sweat beading her brow. She must be so tired, and he felt nearly helpless to change that.

      “Great, buddy. Now get me a warm washcloth and a clean towel so Holly can wash.” As soon as Tyler left the room, Jake stripped off his jacket. “Can you clean up, or do you need help?”

      Her gaze slid away from his. “I—I’m going to need some help.”

      Jake skimmed her cheek with his fingertips. “Now’s not the time to be embarrassed. You and I are gonna get to know each other a whole lot better in the next few hours. Doc says not to move you.”

      Holly’s eyes widened. “Have you done this before?”

      “No,” he admitted. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it now, but he couldn’t tell her.

      She smiled, weariness plain on her face. “Couldn’t you lie to make me feel better?”

      He stroked the hair off her face. “No. We need to be straight with each other about what’s going on. It’s the only way to get you, the baby, and Tyler through it too.” And me, his internal voice shouted.

      Holly nodded. Her expression relaxed somewhat. If she still didn’t quite trust him, she at least didn’t look petrified anymore.

      Tyler returned and handed them the cloths.

      “Thanks, man. Say, if you’ve got any coffee around here. I could use a pot.”

      “There’s some in the freezer,” Holly said. “You remember how to make it, Tyler?”

      “Yeah.”