Short Rides (Rough Riders #14.5)(40)

“Always business with you, GQ.” She eyed his clothing. “I hope you get baby birth junk and goo all over your snappy suit.”


“Now that was just plain mean.”


“I can start crying again, if you’d rather.”


“God no.” He reached for her hand. “Are you having contractions?”


“Yes.”


“And...?”


“And they’re random and they hurt like a motherf*cker.”


“What can I do?”


“Tell Doc Monroe to get back here and give me a C-section because I don’t think I can do this the normal way.”


“We can do this the normal way.”


“There is no we. You don’t have amniotic fluid gushing out of your dick nor do you have to push something that weighs six pounds through the small hole at the end of your—”


Jack covered her mouth with his. Then he eased back to stare into her wild eyes. “Yes, we. Always we, Keely. Always.”



“I’m scared,” she said in a small voice that ripped at him.


“Me too.”


“Oh God, here comes another one.”


His mind went blank momentarily at seeing her face twist into a mask of pain. Then something clicked and he remembered what he was supposed to do. “Come on, breathe with me.”


Her eyes locked onto his as he led her through the worst of it. Then she slumped against him, burying her face in his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t do this without you.”


Jack kissed the top of her head. “Every minute it took me to get here was pure torture.”


Doc Monroe came into the room. “Jack, glad to see you made it.” She snapped on protective gloves and sat on a small rolling stool at the end of the bed. “Let’s see where we are.”


The nurse said, “Keely, you need to scoot down so the doctor can check you.”


Keely didn’t snap off a snarky comment, which was unlike her, especially since she was friends with the doctor. She clutched Jack’s hand as she wiggled into position.


Jack never took his eyes off Keely as Doc Monroe examined her.


“Well, you’ve only dilated another centimeter since my last check. Since it’s been fourteen hours since your water broke, and you’re not progressing, we’ll need to put you on Pitocin to move the labor along.” She spoke to the nurse, who nodded as she jotted down the details.


Doc Monroe stood and removed the gloves. “How you holding up, Keely?”


“Better now that Jack is here.”


“I figured as much.” She eyed Jack—probably so see if Keely’s verbal lashing had left physical marks. “Thought you’d be in the doghouse for a lot longer, to be honest.”


“The day isn’t over yet,” Keely retorted.


She laughed. “Okay, Daddy, here’s the deal. You are gonna do whatever Keely wants, needs, asks for, to get her through the next couple of hours.”


“Hours?”


“Yes, hours. Keely has a ways to go before she’s ready to deliver. Pitocin will create stronger, more consistent contractions. I’ll be back in a few hours to check on her.”


“Don’t I need to change into scrubs or something?”


“Not until we’re close to the finish line.” The doctor spoke to the nurse and they wheeled the IV over.


After starting the IV drip, another contraction hit.


The nurse brought Jack a chair. “Sit. Get comfy. You’ll be here a while. If you need anything, hit the call button.”


Another seven hours passed and Jack was wrung out.


Keely, his beautiful, wonderful, tough cowgirl held it together. She hadn’t taken a swing at him, like her brothers had warned him she’d do. She hadn’t tried to twist his dick off or knee him in the family jewels, like her brothers had warned him she might try. Good thing, he’d left his cup at home. She’d only called him f*ckface-asshat-sonuvabitching-goddamn bastard, twice—pretty much a normal day for them.


The harder the contractions, the quieter she became. When the contractions seemed to come without pause, she breathed through every one, keeping a death grip on his hand. Focused on him, she connected so intimately to him he swore he felt her labor pain several times.


Jack fed her ice chips and wiped her face with cool cloths. He rubbed her back. He offered her lots of praise. He did everything he was supposed to do but none of it seemed enough as she struggled to bring their child into the world.


“Jack,” Keely panted.


“Yes, sweetheart, what do you need?”


“You should say that to me all the time. Oh God-oh God-oh God—that f*cking hurts!”


“Look at me.”


She shook her head and kept her eyes closed. “Get the nurse. I need to push. I need to push now.”


He hit the call button.


The nurse checked her and gave them the thumbs up. “She’s at nine.” She tossed him a set of scrubs. “I’ll stay with her while you change.”