Second Chance Pass (Virgin River #5)(77)

“Really?” Mel questioned. “I haven’t seen much of him at all lately. In fact, I’ve been wondering what he’s been doing with himself. I assumed he’d had Tom and Brenda for dinner every night.”

“Hardly.” Vanni laughed. “If they can escape the parents, I believe they have important making out to do. Gotta cram in as much of that as possible before Tom leaves, you know.”

“I imagine so,” Mel agreed.

The bar had few customers that evening, so Jack divided his time between the pushed-together tables and his favorite spot behind the bar. Paul drifted up to the bar and said, “You seem a little unhappy tonight. Is it because your wife is about to explode?”

“Nah, that’s only part of it. We got a call from Rick a while ago. He’s got ten days of leave coming up—after which he goes to Iraq.”

“Aw, man. You doing okay?”

“Hanging in there. I mean—we went, right? It’s just that Rick…”

“Feels like a son—and it’s different.”

“That’s it, I guess.” Jack had known all along that Rick wouldn’t play it safe—if he was going in, he’d be part of the fight. “At least he’ll be around for a while—I’ll see if some of the boys want to come up, I think.”

“There will be four of us for sure,” Paul said. “How’s Mel doing?”

“She’s nesting,” Jack said. “She’s been after it all day. I’ve heard her talk about her patients and their sudden burst of energy. I saw it today up close and personal. Any second, trust me.”

“Damn, it’ll be great. I’d love to be here for it.”

“You’re really getting into this baby business.…”

“I’m not as far into it as I was,” Paul said. “After talking to Mel, I followed through, had an ultrasound with the woman and the baby’s not mine.” He shook his head. “Something’s wrong with me, man. I’m relieved, but almost sorry—because there’s a baby coming and no man to take care of them. It would almost be better if it had been mine. I’m a sick SOB—you should get more rational friends.”

Jack leveled him with a serious look, a slight frown. “I can think of twenty reasons why you don’t get married if it’s not the right match, but I can’t think of one reason why you’d walk away from your own kid.”

“I offered to help her anyway,” Paul said. Then he shrugged. “She’s a good person. This is gonna be tough on her.”

Jack gave him a half smile. “That doesn’t surprise me, Paul. She take you up on it?”

“Nah. Like I said, she’s a decent person. I’m sorry she’s going through this. Glad Vanni isn’t going to have to put up with it, but sorry—”

But Jack wasn’t listening anymore. His narrowed eyes were on Mel. It was like he sensed it; smelled it. She got up from the table and was heading toward the bathroom back off the kitchen. She paused when she got to the end of the bar, gripped it to stabilize herself, made a noise that only her husband heard, bent slightly over her huge belly and let go with a gush of amniotic fluid that splashed to the floor.

“I knew it,” Jack said, going to her at once.

Silence fell over the dinner crowd. Paul edged back to the table, sat down beside Vanessa and said, “Jack said she’s been nesting all day.”

“Is it happening?” Vanessa asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Paul said.

Jack braced Mel from behind, his hands on her upper arms and asked, “Contraction?”

“Boy howdy,” she said, a little breathless.

“By the time you got to cleaning the bathroom this afternoon, you had completely given yourself away,” he told her.

“Yeah, I suspected this would happen today. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I don’t think we have a whole lot of time to screw around. She’s here, Jack.”

He turned her around to face him. “Have you been having contractions all day?”

“Not really. A couple. A few.” She inhaled deeply. “Yeah.”

He lifted her immediately into his arms and started barking orders. “Someone bring Davie to the truck and ride home with us. Preach—call John Stone and tell him it’s now and it’s gonna be quick.” Then he carried Mel out the door to the truck.

Brie quickly picked up her nephew, the diaper bag, and followed. Preacher went to the kitchen to use the phone. Everyone waited tensely. When Preacher came back to the room he said, “John’s on his way.”

More silence lingered. Then Mike said, “What are we waiting for? Let’s wipe up the floor, pack up some stuff and join the party.” Everyone got busy cleaning up, gathering food, drink and even cigars to go to the Sheridan house to stand by for the birth.

Before Jack got Mel home, she was already having hard contractions, two minutes apart. “Breathe,” he was telling her. “Don’t even think about pushing.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“You’d better be. I should’ve known. I should’ve kept you home. I should’ve brought Doc along.”

“Lighten up, it’s only a ten-minute drive. And Doc’s on a call…Uhhhh,” she added, bending over her belly.