“We’ve got to get you to the hospital.” I rush in and lift Audrey off her feet like a naked, blushing bride I’m about to walk to our wedding bed. “But first we need to get some clothes on.”

Carrying her down the hall to our room, I ease her back down on the bed like she’s made of the rarest and most delicate crystal. I don’t want to do anything to disturb the babies or make the pain Audrey just experienced any worse.

Just as quickly as I ripped off my clothes, I’m flinging them back onto my body. Travis is hopping around the room, trying to get his feet back into his jeans. I just manage to get my stuff back on when Audrey rolls up in a ball and wails.

“Ohhhh! I think something is wrong, guys. It hurts so much,” she pants out her words. Beads of sweat break across her brow.

“Okay, remember what we learned about breathing through the pain, right?” I try to coach her like I have a fucking clue, but I don’t. Sure, I’ve helped deliver many cattle out here on the ranch, but I don’t have the first clue about how to help a woman through labor.

The fact it’s our children and the woman I love is only making my normally level-headed brain even foggier.

Audrey draws a long breath but then pushes it out like her lungs are a balloon that just burst. “No, no, no. This isn’t happening right. It’s too soon. They aren’t due for six more weeks. Oh shit,” she yelps that last part, her voice shrill with terror and pain. It’s easy to see the contraction she’s suffering through. Her belly tightens and Audrey squeezes her eyes shut again.

“Should we drive her?” Travis holds his hand to his head and his eyes are wide with concern.

“Nah, I don’t think that’s wise.” I try to keep my head screwed on straight and think this through. “Get her a nightgown or something. She’s not gonna want to go to the hospital bare-ass naked.”

I turn on my heel and march to the bedroom door.

“Wait, where are you going?” Travis calls out.

“I’m calling nine-one-one.”

I rush down the stairs so fast I almost wipe out. If it weren’t for quick reflexes and the banister, I’d be a crumpled mess at the bottom probably bleeding out of my head.

“Slow the fuck down,” I chide myself. “You ain’t no good to no one if you become a casualty.”

I force myself to take a deep breath and focus. Grabbing my cell phone off the kitchen counter, I head back upstairs as I dial the emergency services.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?” The cool, collected woman talks to me as I stare helplessly at Audrey on the bed.

I can’t believe it was only twenty minutes ago that Travis and I had her writhing on the bed, twisting up the sheets as we gave her one of life’s most intense pleasures. Now she’s almost doing the exact same thing, but this time when she’s curling her hands around those sheets it’s in pure agony.

“Uh, my girlfriend is in labor and it’s coming on real quick. She doesn’t think we’re gonna make it to the hospital in time. And the babies are real early. And her water already broke…”

“Ahhh! Fuck!” Audrey wails.

“I don’t know what to do,” I admit. I feel defeated as I realize how useless I am right now. The woman I care about more than anything in this world is in more pain than she can handle and I’m no use to her.

“Okay, Dad, take a deep breath. I need you to listen to me, okay? We need to find out if the babies are actually on their way right now or if she’s just sensitive to the labor pains.”

“How do I do that?”

“I need you to check if she’s dilated,” the operator explains.

I follow her directions and check between Audrey’s legs as she cries. Her legs feel really cold and it surprises me. You’d think she was bathing in ice or something.

“Oh fuck.” I look up at Travis and he looks down at Audrey with worry etched into his face.

“What? What’s happening? Are my babies okay?”

“Sir? Is she dilated?” the woman on the line asks.

“She is.” I try to sound the opposite of what I’m feeling inside. I try not to show the sheer panic racing through me. “I can see the head of one of them. The baby is coming right now!”