9
18 months later
I inhale deeply and smile.
“What are you smiling at, Tucker?” Cam raises his brow.
“Nothing.” I shrug. “Stupidly happy.”
Cameron sips his red wine and smiles sexily. “Well, you just finished work today—I can’t imagine how that feels. Congratulations.”
I rub my two hands over my heavily pregnant stomach and Cameron’s eyes watch me and then rise to my lips. “Do you have any fucking idea how beautiful you are pregnant?” he whispers darkly.
Goosebumps run down my arms. “I thought you liked my body before.”
His tongue darts out and licks his bottom lip. “I did.” He pauses as his eyes hold mine. “But this…” He frowns as he tries to articulate. “But this new body of yours is a whole other level of arousal. I seriously can’t get fucking enough.”
“You better take me home then, big boy,” I whisper.
It’s date night and things have been dreamy over the last eighteen months.
I finished my medical degree and have been working full time at the hospital. Owen started at his snooty private school and I hate to admit it…but it’s an amazing school and he’s really loving it. He’s made some lovely little friends.
Jenna moved in with her boyfriend from next door and she’s as happy as can be.
And me…well…I’m still drunk on Cameron Stanton…my husband.
Things have only gotten better for the two of us, if that’s possible.
It took us nearly a year to get pregnant and I was secretly beginning to worry a little. When it finally did happen, and I got to tell Cameron, he stared at the pregnancy test for two hours, in shock. It suddenly became very real.
Pemberley is half-finished. We go there most weekends but there’s only so much you can do in one full day a week.
The new kitchen is in, and Owen’s bedroom and most of the living areas are finished. We are now working on the remaining bedrooms, but we haven’t been able to go for a few weeks now and won’t again until after the baby arrives. It’s too far away from my obstetrician, and Cameron is silently freaking out.
I’m due in four weeks and am huge. No cute little belly for me—I am pregnant in all my glory.
Thankfully, Cameron has been worshipping the very ground I walk on. It’s like he’s trying to make up for missing out on my pregnancy with Owen.
He finishes his drink. “Let’s go then, Bloss. I’ve got plans for you.” He stands and takes my hand, and I waddle my way over to the elevator in my tight black dress.
He glances over at me and I drop my head.
Here we go.
The doors open. Three middle-aged women are at the back and a young man is to the side. We walk in and turn to face the doors.
He smirks at the floor as his latest skit comes to him, and then looks up and gets all serious as he concentrates on his task.
“Please don’t tell my wife that I got you pregnant,” he pleads loudly.
I bite the inside of my cheek to hold in my laugh. Is he for real?
Oh, God what must this look like? I am heavily pregnant. I roll my lips as I try to play along.
“I’m your wife’s personal assistant for God’s sake. She’s going to find out eventually.”
The ladies behind us all gasp.
Cameron drops his head and scrunches his eyes shut. “All those times in the storeroom at her office should never have happened,” he replies coldly. “I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn’t stop coming back. Even tonight, we shouldn’t have had sex again. You’re like a drug. A beautiful, fuckable drug.”
Our eyes linger on each other’s and I feel my heart flutter in my chest.
Even when lying he still does it for me.
“Leave her for me,” I beg. “I’ll do anything. Please.”
He bites his bottom lip hard and his brow furrows. “I can’t, she’s pregnant with twins and due the same week as you, you know that. You went to her baby shower and she named you the godmother. I can’t help it if my sperm is super potent.”
I bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing. “But I love you,” I cry.
“You love my dick; don’t worry, you can always have that,” he offers.
“Why, you fucking asshole!” the lady behind us growls as she hits him in the back of the head with an open hand.
I burst out laughing, and Cameron ducks for cover as she continues her assault. “How.” Smack. “Dare.” Smack. “You.” Smack. “Treat her this way.” Smack, smack, smack.
“Stop hitting me!” Cameron cries.
The man in the elevator is shocked, and I’m holding my stomach and bent over laughing.
“You good-looking men need to be taught a lesson,” she growls as she smacks him hard again. “You’re all out-of-control assholes.”
The door opens, and Cameron runs out. I’m still bent over laughing with my hands on my knees. The lady, Cameron’s attacker, says to me, “Do you need a lift anywhere, dear?”
I laugh. “No, thank you so much. It’s okay.”
Cameron comes back to me and takes my hand and I stand up.
The woman glares at him.
“It’s all right. He’s my husband,” I stammer as I try to explain. “We were just joking around.” I scrunch up my shoulders as I realize how ridiculous that must sound. “Sorry.”
The three ladies’ faces fall, and they exchange looks. “Just joking around?” she murmurs, horrified.
Cameron and I both nod. “Sorry.” Cameron winces. He holds up his hand to show her his wedding ring. “It’s just this weird thing we do. We lie in elevators so that other people hear us. My baby, my wife.” He rubs my stomach. “Very happily my baby, four weeks to go. No other woman…I promise.”
The lady looks at us blankly. “Well, that poor baby, having you two nut jobs for parents.”
My face goes red and I giggle like a school girl. “Thanks for defending me,” I offer.
She looks me up and down. “Good luck having his kid. You two are as stupid as each other.” She and her friends storm through the lobby. “I’ve never heard of a more ridiculous hobby in all of my life!” she calls in a fluster over her shoulder.
Cameron watches her as she disappears. “We’re going to see that woman on America’s Most Wanted soon.” He raises his eyebrows. “She’s damn violent!”
I laugh again. “And you’re an idiot.”
Half an hour later I stand at the end of our bed as Cameron undresses me. It’s darkened, with only the lamp light surrounding us.
I never had someone make love to me in my first pregnancy, and this deeper level of intimacy has me addicted.
He slowly slides my dress down and I hold onto his shoulders as I carefully step out of it. He stands to take my lips in his.
We kiss, soft and tender, and I can feel his erection through his pants as I slide my hand over his crotch.
He reaches around and undoes my bra, cupping my full breast in his hand as he dusts his thumb back and forth over my nipple.
“How you feeling, Bloss?” he whispers against my neck.
I smile as my eyes close. “That’s code for can I have sex with you?” He tries his hardest to be gentle…although, in the throes of passion, we both fail miserably.
“I feel great,” I whisper. “Ready for my man.”
“Hmm.” He nips my neck as his arousal notches up to a new level, and he slides my panties down my legs and bends to kiss my stomach tenderly.
He holds my hand as he lays me down, and then I watch in slow motion as he undoes his shirt. I’m blessed with the sight of his broad muscular torso, a scattering of dark hair, and that beautiful ripped abdomen.
With his dark eyes holding mine he slowly slides down his zipper, and pulls his pants and briefs down and takes them off. His dark hair falls just over his eyes and his lips are perfectly plump.
My insides begin to throb.
He’s just so fucking beautiful—inside and out.
He lays beside me and we kiss for a long time, gentle, slow, and unhurried, and if this pregnancy has taught me anything, it’s that Cameron Stanton makes love better than he fucks.
I never thought that would be possible.
His hands roam from my behind, up to my jaw, down over my breasts, and to my stomach.
I smile against his lips. I now know what it feels like to be worshipped.
My body is his temple.
God, some nights we can’t stop. It’s as if because we don’t go as hard as we normally do that we can’t quite put out the fire completely. It’s a slow, hot, wet burn…one that we can do for an extended time.
I’m on my hormonal arousal peak and he’s happily making sure my every whim is taken care of. He turns me onto my side and rustles around behind me. He then lifts my top leg over his forearm as he slowly slides his body into mine.
My breath catches.
My eyes close in pleasure and my head falls back to his shoulder.
He goes slowly, in and out, and deeper and deeper, and God this feels… so fucking good.
With his hand protectively on my pregnant stomach, his lips on my neck and his body slowly pumping into mine, I have a new kind of happiness.
It’s called perfection.
The bathroom light wakes me, and I roll over; it feels like I only just got to sleep. Cam is up and showered and getting dressed for the day. He walks back into the room and smiles when he sees me. “Sorry, babe, did I wake you?”
“No,” I sigh.
He sits on the side of the bed and pushes my hair back from my forehead. “You okay?” He bends and kisses me softly. “You tossed and turned all night.”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I mumble. “Just can’t get comfortable.” I glance over at the clock. “You’re up early,” I notice.
“Yeah.” He stands and grabs his shoes. “I have a quadruple bypass on today.”
I fake a smile as I watch him. I can’t even imagine the amount of pressure he’s under every day at work.
People’s lives are literally in his hands.
“It’s going to be a long day.” He continues putting his shoes on. “Adrian is on standby if you need anything, okay?”
“I’m not going to need anything, Cam.” I roll onto my side toward him. “I still have four weeks to go.”
“Yeah, well, until Jameson comes back from vacation on Monday, you just take it easy please.”
I smile. Cameron is obsessed with not missing the labor. He already missed his first child being born. Until the last few weeks when he’s been so jumpy, I never knew how much it really affected him.
“You have my word. I’m not going into labor until Jameson comes home from Tahiti,” I promise. “I went overdue with Owen. We have heaps of time.”
He stands and watches me for a while. “Murph is coming over to take you out to lunch.”
I smile sleepily. “You to mean to check on me?”
“That, too,” he mutters dryly.
“Go to work, Dr. Stanton.” I wave with my fingertips. “Go save a life.”
He kisses me softly. “Bye, Bloss,” he whispers. “I love you.”
“Hmm.” I sigh sleepily as I run my fingers through his stubble, hmm…he smells good. “Love you, too.”
Owen patters into the room. “Dad.”
“Hey, buddy.” Cam smiles softly as he pulls his son into a hug. “Get into bed with Momma.”
He pulls back the blankets and Owen crawls in sleepily. Cameron tucks him in and Owen snuggles into me and I kiss his little head. Although Owen’s night visits are far less frequent, they still happen sometimes.
I think Cameron actually prefers him to sleep with us. He tears those blankets back so quick when he sees Owie, it’s almost laughable.
With one last look he leaves the room, and I fall back into my uncomfortable slumber with two little arms cuddling my back.
“Come on, Owie, grab your school bag,” I call from the bottom of the stairs.
I hold my stomach and wince. Fuck’s sake…I’m so uncomfortable.
This baby has moved into the most sadistic position possible…right on my spine.
I push one side of my stomach, hoping to move it. I say it because we have no idea what it is. We don’t know the sex of the baby yet, as we both wanted a surprise.
Owen smiles as he comes down the stairs, and he pats my stomach as he walks past me. He doesn’t really talk to me much anymore, he talks to my stomach. He’s so excited about being a big brother.
Between Cam and Owen, this baby is going to be spoiled rotten. We make our way to the school and I sit in the car in the drop-off lane. “I might not walk you in today, Owie.” I rub my stomach. “My back is a little bit sore.”
“That’s okay, Mom.” He leans over and kisses my cheek.
“Have a nice day.” I smile
“Okay.” He jumps out of the car and runs past the school’s front gates with his back pack on.
My stomach tightens and then releases. Oww! What was that?
An uneasy feeling sweeps over me. “It’s not.” I talk out loud to myself. I blow out a breath and pull back into the traffic.
Imagine if it was labor? Cam can’t leave surgery because he doesn’t have any backup,
No…it’s not…don’t worry…it’s way too early for that.
I get home and decide to have a shower. I undress, and as I’m stepping in it happens again. I frown as my stomach tightens and then releases a few seconds later.
It’s not painful… what is it?
Braxton Hicks… yes… of course.
It’s just Braxton Hicks.
My body is getting ready for labor, that’s all. I smile as I stand under the hot water and it feels so relaxing on my sore back, I might even go back to bed once I get out.
For nearly an hour I stand under the water, simply because I have nowhere to be and it feels so good not having to rush around. I don’t think I have ever had a not- rushed shower since I started med school seven years ago.
My stomach has been tightening and relaxing, but it’s not painful at all, so I know it’s not labor… just Braxton Hicks.
I hop out of the shower and get dressed and lie on the bed. I really do feel out of sorts today.
I am woken by the house phone ringing and I frown. That’s weird, nobody ever calls the house phone. I scramble over to the bedside table and answer.
“Hello?”
“Oh, my God. Where have you been?” Adrian demands.
“What?”
“I’ve been trying to call you for half an hour; I was beginning to panic.”
I roll over; my stomach clenches and it hurts. I screw up my face.
Fuck.
“What’s wrong?” I frown as I rub my hand over my stomach.
Not today, baby…Daddy’s not here.
“Where do you want to go for lunch?” Adrian asks. “I’m going to book somewhere now.”
“Do you just want to pick something up and we can eat here?”
“Oh, okay.” He pauses for a moment. “Are you all right?”
I close my eyes and I know I’m worrying for nothing. “Just a bit of a sore back. Being a whale will do that to you,” I joke.
“Oh.” He thinks for a moment. “All right, see you soon.”
I slowly get up and walk around the room.
Okay, even if this is early stages of labor, which it’s not… but if it is…
Cameron will be finished in surgery by the time the baby comes anyway. I glance at the clock.
11am.
Shit, his big surgeries normally take at least twelve hours, and he would have started at 7am… so we’re looking at either eight or nine o’clock tonight before he’s out.
I take out my phone and type a ridiculous question that I already know the answer to.
How to slow down labor
I wait for the answers to appear.
Empty your bladder. Lie down tilted towards your left side; this may slow down or stop signs and symptoms. Avoid lying flat on your back; this may cause contractions to increase. Drink several glasses of water, because dehydration can cause contractions.
Ok, I lie down on my left side and try to calm down. I’m not even in labor. I’m just being silly, I know that. Stop being overdramatic.
I Google again.
The latent phase can last several days or weeks before active labor starts. Some women can feel backache or cramps during this phase. Some women have bouts of contractions lasting a few hours, which then stop and start up again the next day. This is normal.
Oh good, this is normal. Great. See, nothing to worry about.
I search again, and frown.
Preterm labor is labor that happens too early, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. If you have preterm labor, your health care provider may recommend some treatments that may help stop your contractions and prevent health problems in you and your baby. These treatments are not a guarantee to stop preterm labor.
Fuck. I search.
Problems for baby born at 36 weeks’ gestation.
The answer comes back.
At 36 weeks, the risk of health complications decreases significantly. The risk is much lower from babies born even at 35 weeks. But late preterm babies are still at risk for:
Respiratory Distress
Jaundice
Low Birth weight
NICU Admission
Developmental Delays/Special Needs
Patent Ductus arteriosus
By far, RDS is the biggest risk for babies born at 36 weeks. Baby boys seem to have more trouble than infant girls.
Fuck… calm down… it’s not happening. But if I do go into active labor, I need to get to the hospital as soon as I can so that they can try to stop it.
Yes. Okay, that’s the plan.
My stomach clenches again and I screw up my face and rub my stomach.
“Stay in there and be a good baby, please?” I whisper. “Not today. You’re not cooked yet.”
For an hour I lie on my side as my stomach clenches and tightens. Nothing else has happened so I’m just going to wait to see. If I go to the hospital too early they’ll just send me home.
My phone rings, it’s Adrian. “Hello?” I answer.
“Do you want a coffee or something?”
“Can you just come now, please?” I ask.
“What’s up?” He sounds like he’s frowning.
“I think I’m having contractions but I’m not sure. If I am, we have to get to the hospital as quickly as possible,” I blurt out in a rush.
The line stays silent.
“Adrian?” I ask.
“I’m here,” he murmurs. “Just having a silent panic attack.”
“You and me both.”
“On my way, baby.” He hangs up.
I lie down and try to calm myself some more, and twenty minutes later I hear Adrian’s Corvette roar up the driveway and the door slam with force. Then I hear his voice. “Ashley! Where are you?” he calls.
“Up here,” I call back.
He takes the stairs two at a time and comes running into the bedroom. “Oh, my God, what’s going on?”
I smile, and he comes and sits next to me on the bed and takes my hand in his. “Are you all right?” he pants.
I giggle. “A lot calmer than you seem. Did you just get a speeding ticket on the way here?”
He widens his eyes. “Like I care?” He shakes his head and rubs my stomach. “What happened?”
I shrug. “I’m probably being overdramatic.” I pause. “I’ve just been having back pain since last night, and now my stomach has started to contract.”
He frowns as he listens.
“And I Googled it; if I’m in labor I need to get to the hospital to try to slow it down a little.”
Adrian’s eyes widen in horror. “You’re a doctor, Ashley. How do you not know if you’re in labor?”
“Because I’m not in pain,” I snap. “I’m uncomfortable.”
“Oh. Right.” He bites his bottom lip as he thinks for a moment. “Well, let’s call the hospital and see what they say.”
I nod. “All right.”
He Googles the number on his phone. “Do you want to speak?”
“Yes.” I hold my hand out for the phone and he passes it to me.
It rings. “Hello, can I have the maternity ward please?” I ask.
“Sure, transferring you now.”
It rings again. “Hello, maternity ward.”
“Hello, this is Ashley Tucker.”
“Hi, Ashley,” the nurse replies.
I scrunch up my face. “I’m probably being a drama queen, but I’ve been having Braxton Hicks for two hours now.”
“How far are you, Ashley?”
“Thirty-six weeks.”
“Okay. Any showing or broken water?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“All right then. Can you come in, so we can see what’s going on?”
I nod. “Okay.” I pause. “Do you think I’m in labor?”
“Probably not, dear. Don’t worry. As long as your water doesn’t break, everything will be fine.”
I smile and nod. “All right, I’m on my way.”
I pass the phone back to Adrian. “What did they say?” He frowns.
“As long as my water doesn’t break, it’s all good.”
He puts his hand on his chest. “Oh, thank God.” He grabs my hand and pulls me off the bed and I waddle into the bathroom I feel the urge to go and then bam.
I feel a sharp pop.
My water breaks… all over the floor… like, flooded.
My eyes widen. “Fuck! Adrian!” I call.
“What?” he calls.
“My water broke!”
“What?” he shrieks. He comes running into the bathroom and his face falls in horror when he sees how much there is. He puts both hands over his mouth before he regains his composure. “This is fine,” he speaks calmly. “This is all fine.” He takes out his phone and starts to dial a number.
I laugh; the look of sheer terror on his face is priceless. “Who are you calling?” I ask.
“Cameron,” he snaps. He starts to pace with his hand in his suit pocket.
“Cameron is in surgery.” I shake my head. “He’s going to be hours.”
His face falls.
“Let me call him.” I pick up my phone and dial his PA’s number. She answers on the first ring. “Hi, Ash!” she greets.
I screw up my face because I really don’t want to say this out loud. “We have a problem.”
“What’s that?” she murmurs.
“My water has broken.”
“Oh. Fuck!” she replies.
I smile; I’ve never heard her swear before.
“How long do you think he’s going to be?” I ask.
“Oh God, Ash.” She hesitates. “I’ll put him on the phone.” I hear her walking into the surgery; she sits at the nurses’ station at the back of his operating theatre. The phone goes silent; she must have covered the phone with her hand.
Moments later. “Hey, Bloss,” Cameron answers calmly. “You’re on speaker, babe,” he reminds me. I close my eyes. That means that the ten people in surgery can all hear what he’s saying but his hands are tied up doing the operation and he can’t hold the phone.
“Cam.” I screw up my face. “I just called to tell you that my water has broken and I’m with Adrian and we’re on our way to hospital.”
“Fuck,” he growls.
“How far apart are the contractions?” he asks calmly.
“That’s the thing, I don’t think I’m in active labor yet. It’s all right, no need to panic.”
“No pain?” he questions.
“Just back pain.”
“How long have you been having back pain?”
“All night.” My eyes widen. “That’s not…” My voice trails off. Don’t tell me I’ve been in labor since last night.
“Ash?” Cam asks.
“I’m just going to get to the hospital, and I’ll call you back, all right?” I try to comfort him.
“Oh my God,” he replies. “Drive carefully, please.”
“How long do you think you’ll be in surgery for, Cam?” I hate to ask but I need to know.
“At least two hours,” he replies.
I close my eyes and I can almost hear his heart rate rise through the phone.
“It’s okay, it’s going to be a lot longer than that,” I reassure him.
“Just get here safely. Put Adrian on the phone,” he asks.
I pass Adrian the phone and I go and get changed and put a pad in, as I’m still leaking amniotic fluid.
Fucking hell.
“Yes.” I hear Adrian answer. “Yes, I know,” he replies. “Cameron. I fucking know that.” Adrian snaps. “Yes, I know!” He listens for a moment. “Just hurry up and finish your operation, will you!” Adrian demands.
I smile; Adrian has no idea he’s on speaker. These two always scream at each other when they get stressed out. I get an image of all of Cameron’s interns and the nurses listening and what they must be thinking.
“Fine,” Adrian snaps. “Yes! I know!” he yells.
I walk out of the bathroom to see Adrian roll his eyes, his hand on his hip as he listens to Cameron’s lecture. He exhales heavily. “See you soon.” He hangs up and then quickly falls into role play and fakes a calm smile. “Ready to go, chick?”
“Yep.” I grab my handbag.
He looks around. “Where’s your hospital bag, Ash?” He frowns.
“God, I can’t believe this.” I shake my head because I’m forgetting everything.
I think for a moment. “Did Cameron remind you to get the hospital bag?”
He smirks. “Yes.”
“What else did he tell you?” I frown because it seems I can’t think without my husband doing it for me these days.
“To organize with Jenna to get Owen and to keep you calm.”
I nod. “Right.” I look at Adrian, who is now perspiring heavily. “We’ve got this, Adrian. We can do this without Cam if we have to.” I grab my bag. “And we might.”
Adrian looks like he’s about to faint.
“I know,” he murmurs.
Burning pain rips through my stomach, and I bend over and hold my stomach.
“What’s happening?” Adrian cries.
“Contraction,” I murmur. “Oh, that’s a real one.” I wince.
My stomach clenches hard and the pain is strong. “We need to get to the hospital, Adrian…and quick.”
“Quick?” he stammers with wide eyes. “How quick?”
“That wasn’t a first contraction.”
He looks at me blankly, not understanding.
“That was a ‘things are moving faster than I would like to’ contraction.”
Adrian puts his hands on his head. “What do I do?”
“Get me to the hospital.”
Cameron
I close my eyes and try to control my erratic heartbeat. Midway through a major heart operation is not the time to lose my cool.
Everyone in the room has fallen silent, as if scared to speak.
“Hanna,” I call.
“Yes, Doctor?”
Hanna is one of my PAs. “Can you get Peter Martin on the phone, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
Peter is a heart surgeon who works in the other hospitals in L.A.
I keep working.
Hanna comes back to me. “Peter Martin is in a conference in London.”
I close my eyes. “Get Hamish on the line, please.”
Hamish is a colleague who runs the country side of our practice.
“Yes, Doctor.” She disappears again, and I continue my surgery.
“He’s on the line, Doctor,” Hanna calls, and puts him onto speaker.
“Hello,” I say.
“Hey fuck knuckle,” he calls in his boisterous voice.
“I’m in surgery, Hamish, and you’re on speaker,” I snap.
Everyone laughs.
“Oops, sorry everyone,” he calls.
I roll my eyes. “I’ve got a problem.”
“What’s up?”
“Ashley’s in labor and I’m in the middle of a bypass.”
“Oh shit,” he replies. “That is a problem.”
“Can you get down here?”
“I’m fully booked this afternoon.”
“Cancel your appointments.”
He stays silent.
I bite my bottom lip. “I’ll finish the surgery, but I just need someone here in case something happens.”
He thinks for a moment. “Yes. Okay. I’ll be there in two hours.”
“Two hours?” I snap.
“That’s how long it takes to drive there.”
“Get on a plane. I’ll hire you a private plane,” I stammer.
“It will take that long getting into one airport and out of the other…it’s quicker if I drive.”
Shit.
“All right.” I pause for a moment. “Can you leave immediately?”
“Yes.” He sighs. “On my way.”
I blow out a breath and the nurse wipes the perspiration from my brow. The room falls silent and everyone is edgy. I inhale deeply as I try to calm myself down. “Hanna,” I call.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Can you keep in contact with Ashley by phone, please, and let me know if there’s any change, other than that I need to concentrate here.”
“Yes, of course.” She pauses for a moment. “Calling her now.”
I inhale again as I try to slow my heart to a regular beat.
It’s okay, I’m going get there… fate couldn’t be so cruel as to let me miss another birth.
Hold on, Bloss... hold on.
Ashley
“Ahhhhh!” I call as I sit slumped over in the car.
Adrian’s eyes are nearly popping from the sockets and he’s driving like a maniac. We’ve been stuck in traffic for forty-five minutes. “It’s okay, Ash. It’s okay.” He tries to soothe me.
“It’s not fucking okay!” I yell.
He shakes his head as he grips the steering wheel with white-knuckle force and changes lanes aggressively. The car behind honks its horn, and he flips them the bird.
“Oh, just great, get us killed by a road rager, why don’t you?” I stammer.
“I’d like to see someone pull something right now.” He changes lanes again. “I could totally take them if my adrenaline level has anything to do with it.”
I laugh as my contraction subsides, and I put my head back on the seat.
We drive for a moment in silence. “Okay, tell me about panting,” he asks.
“I don’t know.” I shake my head. “Controls your pain, apparently.”
His eyes flick between me and the road. “Well, we need to pant. How do you do it? Show me.”
I blow out in short quick successions, and show him what they teach you in prenatal classes.
“Like this?” He practices, and I burst out laughing.
“Yes. Like that.” I wince. “Oh, here comes another one!” I call.
Adrian’s eyes widen in fear and he starts to pant.
I laugh as I screw up my face in pain. “You look fucking ridiculous.”
“Do it with me, Ash!” he cries, blowing in an overexaggerated fashion toward the steering wheel.
We both pant as he drives like a maniac, and eventually it subsides.
“See, that was better.” He smiles a proud of himself smile.
I lay my head back against the seat as I breathe heavily. “I hope Cam makes it.” I smile sadly over at him. He takes my hand in his sympathetically and picks it up and kisses the back of it. “It’s all right if he doesn’t—You’ve got me.”
I smile.
Jenna is in New York and Tash is at Willowvale. “Can you ring Tash?” I ask.
“Yes, sure.” He hits her number on the car Bluetooth.
“Hey, babe,” she answers.
“Hi, Tash,” I call.
“Ash? What’s wrong?” she snaps.
“She’s in labor,” Adrian calls. “Get your ass to L.A!”
“Oh, my God. It’s too early.” She shrieks. “Where’s Cameron?”
“He’s in surgery.”
“Oh, shit,” she murmurs. “Joshua!” she calls. “Ashley’s in labor.”
“Tash, can you ring Jenna and organize Owen to get picked up from school, please?” Adrian asks. “This is quite unexpected and a bit crazy on this end.”
“Ahhh!” I cry as another contraction rips through me.
Adrian starts to pant as his eyes flick between me and the road. “Pant, pant, pant!” he cries.
Natasha bursts out laughing. “Oh, please tell me there’s a camera in the car.”
“See you soon,” Adrian calls and then he hangs up on her, annoyed at her finding this funny.
I smile as I lay back against the seat. “You do have to admit this is pretty funny.”
He looks at me deadpan as he grips the steering wheel. “Hilarious.”
We pull up to the hospital and he jumps out of the car. “Can somebody help us please while I park the car?” he calls to a passing nurse.
“Of course,” she calls. She quickly returns with a wheelchair and Adrian helps me out of his low car and into the wheelchair.
“Let me guess,” the nurse quips, all smiles. “Maternity?”
“Yes,” Adrian snaps. “I’m just parking the car, Ash.”
“Okay.” I smile.
“I’ll take her up,” the nurse replies.
We make our way up to the maternity ward and the nurses help me and take me into a room and onto a bed. They instantly put the baby monitor on my stomach and we all start to watch it.
“I’m only thirty-six weeks. It can’t come yet,” I whisper through fear.
“Thirty-six weeks is fine, Ashley, you know that.”
“Are you here alone?” another nurse asks.
“Cameron is in surgery,” I reply sadly. “Can we just slow it down, so he can make it?”
The nurses both smile sympathetically.
Adrian comes sprinting down the hall at full speed and runs straight past the room.
“Excuse me, sir!” a nurse calls. “Where are you running to?”
“Oh.” Pants. “Ashley.” Pants. “Stanton.”
“In here, Adrian!” I call.
I screw up my face as another contraction comes, and watch the monitor.
“Oh.” The nurse smiles as her eyes stay glued to the monitor. “That’s a big one. I think we need to take a look at what’s going on.”
I ride the contraction out, then she takes my pants off and I glance over at Adrian. He points to the door with his thumb.
“You’re not going anywhere!” I snap.
She spreads my legs and the blood starts to drain from Adrian’s face.
“Come up this end,” the nurse comforts.
“He’s not very good with vaginas,” I pant.
The nurse smirks. “I thought as much.”
She inspects me. “How long did you say your husband is going to be, Ash?”
“I’m not sure. Why?” I frown.
“You’re eight centimeters dilated, darling. Baby will be here very soon.”
I look at her and then over to Adrian. He’s a pale shade of green.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Call Cam.”
He dials his number. “Hello, Hanna, this is Adrian. We need to speak to Cameron please,” he asks.
“What’s going on?” Cam replies.
“She’s eight centimeters dilated,” Adrian replies. “You need to get here. Now!”
“I’m nearly finished, my back-up surgeon has just arrived. I’m twenty minutes away.” He pauses. “Put Ash on.”
“Hello.”
“Hey, Bloss,” he says gently.
I smile down the phone; just hearing his voice makes me teary.
“You all right, baby?”
I nod though my tears.
“Yep,” is all I can push out.
“Hold on, sweetheart, I’m coming.”
I nod and scrunch my eyes shut as another contraction comes. My doctor walks into the room. “The doctor is here.”
“Put him on,” Cameron asks.
I hand the phone to the doctor. “It’s Cameron.”
He frowns and takes the phone. “Hello?” He listens for a moment. “Why? Where are you?” he asks. “Just a minute. “He puts the phone down and gives me an internal and then gets back on the phone. “She’s nearly ready to push. I’ll do my best. It’s progressing very fast.” He hands the phone back to me.
“Hey, Bloss. I’m coming, babe.”
I nod as tears start to roll down my face. He’s not going to make it. I know he’s not.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hangs up.
I start to cry, blubbering-mess-crying, and I just want Cameron here. Why, oh, why today of all days?
My eyes widen, and then I scrunch them shut.
“What is it?” Adrian frowns.
“I need to push.”
Cameron
I tear off my gloves and run out of the operating room. I bang the elevator button three times.
“Come on, come on.” I watch in slow motion, my foot tapping fast. “Please, please let me make it,” I whisper under my breath. The door opens, and I run in and bang the close-door button.
Level four: Maternity.
The ride up to level four is the slowest I’ve ever seen. It finally opens onto the floor and I run down the hall to the delivery suite and burst through the doors.
“Where is she?” I cry.
“Birthing suite two, on the left.”
I run down and run into the room in time to see my beautiful Ashley in bed, her face screwed up in pain as she tries to hold off. “I’m here, Ash!” I cry.
She looks up at me through her tears; her hair is wet with perspiration and she’s panting. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful.
“Oh, baby,” I whisper as I rush to her and brush her hair back from her forehead.
I smile as I kiss her lips, and she clings to me as if her life depends on it.
“Next contraction, Ashley, I want you to push,” the doctor directs.
I kiss her softly. “You can do this.”
She nods as she screws her face up.
I hold her leg back as I brace myself. “Get ready, Bloss.”
“I’m going to go,” Adrian murmurs.
“Don’t you dare go anywhere!” Ashley screams.
“Really?” he whispers. He goes to the back wall and stands silently, as if scared to move.
With a nurse holding one of her legs and me holding the other the contraction comes, and she pushes as hard as she can. My eyes widen as I see the head. The contraction stops and the baby’s head pops back in.
“You can do this, Ash, come on,” I urge.
She nods as she psyches herself up again. The contraction comes and she pushes as hard as she can. Her face turns bright red and she cries out in pain.
“I can see it, so close,” I whisper. “Come on, Bloss, come on.”
She gives a big push and the head is out.
She pants, and I smile broadly. “One more, one more,” I chant as she grips my hand with white-knuckle force.
She pushes again and screams as the baby slides out.
Blood and mucus and… silence.
I hold my breath; the nurse picks up the baby and rubs it with a towel, and finally it begins to scream.
“Oh, thank God!” Ashley cries.
“It’s a girl,” the doctor announces.
I cut the umbilical cord and the doctor goes to pass her to Ash.
“Pass her to her father first, please,” Ashley says.
My eyes search hers as my heart freefalls from my chest.
The doctor passes her to me, and I stare at her.
Shocked. Shocked that I nearly didn’t make it. Shocked that I did.
Shocked that we made this beautiful little person.
She’s so perfect, and she looks up at me as she tries to focus her eyes.
I blink so I can see her through the tears, and I take her to Ash and bend down and kiss my beautiful wife. We hold each other over our little girl.
“You did it. I love you. I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too,” she sobs.
“What are you naming her?” the nurse asks.
Our eyes meet, and she smiles and nods.
“Sophia Anne Stanton,” I whisper.
Ashley smiles against my lips as we kiss.
“Owen’s here.” Adrian says, smiling.
“Can you get him please?” Ashley asks.
Adrian disappears, and the nurse cleans Ash up. Minutes later, he returns with Owen. “Owie, come and meet your baby sister.” I pick him up and he stares at her, unsure what to say.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” I whisper in wonder.
He smiles broadly and sticks his little tongue out, as if pleased with himself. The nurse holds the baby to Ash’s breast and she slowly starts to suck. I smile softly.
I’ve never seen anything more beautiful; emotion overwhelms me, and I tear up again.
“What’s she doing?” Owen frowns.
“She’s drinking,” I whisper. “That’s how babies drink milk.”
Owen’s face falls in horror. “Well, yuck!” He frowns. “That’s just disgusting!”
The room breaks into laughter and I shake my head.
Only Owen.
Nine years later
Ashley
I stand at the kitchen window as I watch Cam. He’s out in the garden with the kids, chasing them with water balloons. They’re hiding, although Owen is sitting on the deckchair, watching as he chats on his phone to his little girlfriend.
We have five children—six including Cameron. He’s still a big kid and nothing has changed at all.
Owen is fifteen, Sophia in nine, Zander is seven, Spencer is five, and Juliet is eighteen months. I thought watching Cameron with Owen was heart-melting; you should see him with five of them.
We’re at Pemberley and, funnily enough, this is now Cameron’s favorite place in the world. We’ve added to the house and still live permanently in L.A. It’s getting increasingly harder to get to Pemberley now that Owen is older and has a social life.
One day, Cam and I will live here permanently. I wish our children could stay at this age forever. Joshua and Natasha’s children are in their late teens now and are giving them a run for their money, wild as all hell. They moved back to LA permanently and the kids have all began to work for Joshua in his office. Apparently they are sending Adrian and Joshua grey. All of the men in the office are after Jordana and Blake is chasing after everything in a skirt. Cameron and I think it’s hilarious…because it’s not us. I dread when our turn comes.
Cameron looks up and spots me watching him through the window, and he smiles sexily and makes his way across the garden. Before I know it he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses me.
“Permet de se faufiler au lit.” (Translation: Let’s sneak off to bed.) He nibbles on my neck and I smile as I try to wriggle away from him.
“No.” I turn, and he takes me in his arms. I look up at him and he kisses me softly. “You know, you’re kind of all right for a farm boy.” My hands drop to his behind and I give it a squeeze. Everything is still gorgeous about my man; he’s only gotten better with age.
He smiles sexily down at me. “I’ll show you what a farm boy can really do.”
“Dad!” Juliet calls.
He rolls his eyes.
“Dad!” Zander yells. “Where did you go?”
He puffs air in his cheeks and looks out the window, and then smiles broadly as an idea comes to him. He ducks down and crawls through the kitchen and back through the house.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he crawls up the hall, towards the front door.
“I’m going to attack from the front. You were just my prop.”
I smirk. “Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime,” he replies.
I watch through the window as he sneaks around the side of the house and starts running toward them and throwing water bombs from nowhere. The kids all scream and run.
His beautiful wild laugh echoes throughout the farm.
Life is good.
I’m the luckiest girl in the world.
THE END
Read on for two chapters of Marx Girl