“The baby!” I stammered. “The baby’s coming!”

Juan’s eyes went as wide as mine and then an enormous smile came over him. “Seriously? Are you sure!?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” I replied. “My water just broke!”

“Jamie!” he called out at the top of his lungs.

“What do I do? What do I do!?” I asked quickly, feeling a sense of joy and panic come over me simultaneously.

“Just relax,” he told me, switching the shower over to a bath. Water began to pool at our feet as he stepped out and began to dry off. Seconds later, Jamie was at the door.

“What is it!?” she asked quickly.

“The baby is coming,” Juan told her.

“Oh, yay!” Jamie clapped excitedly. “Okay, Bailey. You lie down and just let the water fill up around you. Have you had a contraction yet?”

“No, my water just broke.”

“Okay, that means we have some time, so just get comfortable, I’ll get a few things.”

Jamie raced out of the room and Juan came over to my side. “I’m gonna grab some clothes. I will be right back, okay?”

I nodded. Juan quickly raced from the room and I heard him going through the dresser in our bedroom.

It’s happening! I thought with glee. An enormous smile came over my face, but was wiped away instantly as I felt the first contraction.

“Gah!” I cried out, gripping the sides of the tub. “Motherfucker!”

Thunderous footsteps in the hall and instantly Juan was back at my side. “What? What is it?”

“A contraction!”

It felt like someone was trying to make scrambled eggs with my insides. Jamie raced back into the room, some towels in her hand and a bath pillow.

“Here, babe,” she said gently. “Put this behind your head.”

I leaned back against the soft pillow that wrapped slightly around my neck and started to focus on my breathing like Scotty and Kenneth had both told me. They had both been so eager to impart advice and both of them had made a point to tell me about controlling my breathing.

“It helps you focus,” Kenneth had told me.

“And keep yourself from hyperventilating,” Scotty added. “Which is no good at all!”

“It’s going to hurt,” Kenneth had said. “So you need to just keep it together and focus on the fact that you are bringing your baby into the world.”

Bringing my baby into the world, I thought, closing my eyes and focusing on my breath.

In for five…out for five…in for five…out for five…

I felt Juan’s hand on mine and smiled, keeping my eyes closed as another contraction hit me. I squeezed down hard—harder than I should have, but I knew he could take it.

“You can do this, baby,” he whispered as Jamie pressed a cool cloth against my forehead.

“I’m t—trying!” I gasped as another contraction hit me, harder than the last. It was Mike Tyson slamming a bowling ball into my guts.

“Wow, these contractions are coming fast,” Jamie said from beside me.

“Is that bad?” Juan asked, sounding concerned.

“Not necessarily,” she replied. “It could just mean this baby wants out!”

“That makes two of us!” I said, doing my best to make a joke.

“Okay, then you need to start pushing,” Jamie told me, squeezing me on the arm.

In for five…out for five…

I summoned up my strength and tried to push, just as another contraction churned through me like a weed whacker.

“I can’t!” I stammered, sucking air into my lungs.

“You can, baby!” Juan told me, pressing his lips close to my ear. I could feel his breath, smell his scent, but more than that—I could feel his love.

I couldn’t believe what was happening. I was giving birth to Juan’s child. Travis had tried selling me to Corey Wellington, and I had been sure my life was over. And then I’d met Juan, and I realized my life was just beginning. But then I’d almost lost him again. But we’d come back from that too, and he’d put a baby in my belly and spent four months taking care of me.

And now here we are…I thought, the blissful thinking momentarily obscuring my labor pains. I pictured our future, how happy we would be together raising our child together, bringing them into the world and our pack. It was beautiful.

“We need you to push, Bailey,” Jamie said, breaking me out of my fantasy.

“Okay, okay,” I said quickly, squeezing Juan’s hand and finally opening my eyes. I looked into his and smiled as I summoned up all the strength I had inside me. “You’re going to be a father, baby!”

He smiled, tears welling up in his eyes. “So are you, baby. So are you.”

With the world’s biggest smile on my face, I pushed.